<p>Acceptances have been received for all these school however I am still drawn to Tulane. But questions remain. Will a LA girl fit in? Is 44,000 applicants a real number? Is New Orleans too much a party town? Should I worry if jobs will be available outside New Orleans upon graduation?</p>
<p>Not bragging or complaining. Just confused.</p>
<p>These are perfectly reasonable questions. Yes, an LA girl can fit in. There are a large number of Tulane students from SoCal. I purposely don’t say “will” fit in because that is more about your personality than where you are from, although I get that there is a different vibe in LA than in NYC or DC or NOLA. But that’s a good thing, right? If you are willing to embrace learning about New Orleans and its history and the people (and it is a completely different world in so many ways), then you might come away a far more informed and deeper person. Lest there be any misunderstanding, I am not commenting on how you are now, lol. Obviously I don’t know you. I am saying anyone from a different place can benefit from being exposed to the completely different lifestyle of a NOLA and southern Louisiana. That is the effect it had on me, a “heart-of-the” midwesterner born and raised.</p>
<p>Yes, 44,000 is quite real. OK, President Cowen says it is 43,880. Forgive us for rounding, lol. Tulanes application numbers post-Katrina are ~24,000 (2007) –> 34,000 (2008) –> 40,000 (2009) –> 44,000 (2010). This is a combination of post_Katrina publicity and the desire to be involved, heavy marketing by Tulane, generous merit scholarships, and the word getting out that Tulane is more academically competitive than its USNWR ranking would indicate (#30 in average test scores compared to #50 overall ranking). It is not because of the free app which they implemented in 2002-2003, although that remove a potential barrier to people applying.</p>
<p>NOLA is no more a party town than you want it to be. I know that sounds trite, but it really is the only answer. Obviously LA has its share of temptations, especially once you are living away from home surrounded by 18, 19, and 20 year olds like yourself. Clubbing there and in DC is a big draw, along with the other numerous things there are to do for young people. Charlottesville is the outlier here, but of course UVA students find plenty of ways to party and have fun also. Every college requires the student to have self-discipline.</p>
<p>As far as jobs, students from Tulane end up all over the country and the world after graduating. I wouldn’t be too concerned about that compared to the other schools. That will depend much more on the economy and how you present yourself to potential employers.</p>
<p>Hope that was somewhat useful to you. Clearly you have some top-flight choices. I assume you have been to Tulane and some of these other school, and after that you feel drawn to Tulane. I have told other students that had a gut feeling for other schools to trust their instincts, and I would say that to you also. I wish you the best of luck wherever you end up.</p>
<p>S2 had choices very similar to yours (including a scholarship at USC) and chose Tulane because he felt the academics at Tulane, particularly given class size, were on par with those schools, the size made it feel more manageable, the likelihood of a top law school acceptance was just as good or higher, he found a major (Political Economy) he resonated with, and he really liked New Orleans and the school’s commitment to service. </p>
<p>What he learned was that although the French Quarter is there, most students tend to enjoy themselves in the more near-by neighborhoods for the most part, and that there is no more partying at Tulane than at USC or the UCs. (S2 had a girlfriend at USC who he visited a few times and found that Frat parties were the primary forms of entertainment given the location of the school.) As I’m sure you are finding, it was not an easy decision, turning down Cal, for example, takes some pluck, but he is very very happy with his decision. He now just wishes all this high school stuff was over, he is ready to move on.</p>