<p>The more I read, the more I am getting the impression that Tulane is similar in "feel" to Wake Forest. By that I mean:
Rigorous academics
Preppy-dressed students
No big sports support
Spirited - but because of the bond a small private school provides
Greek life is popular; no big sprawling sorority houses</p>
<p>Any comments?</p>
<p>My son (Wake student) applied and was accepted to Tulane, but I wouldn’t say they have the same “feel”. My son liked Tulane when we visited, but he didn’t love it because he wasn’t sure it was a good fit. He then eliminated it as soon as he was accepted to some other schools he liked much better. </p>
<p>I believe Wake has lots of cross-applicants with schools like Richmond, UVA, Vandy, UGA, BC and I would compare the students and “feel” of Wake to those schools. Most of the kids we know at Wake, applied to all of the schools above. It was actually funny going to admitted student’s days - every kid we met had those schools on their list!</p>
<p>Of course this is just our family’s experience. If possible, you should visit and determine for yourself.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input D. You actually make a good point with the schools listed – all which I my D might get accepted to but with NO merit money. 
Did you son get any merit or financial aid at any of the above?</p>
<p>Tulane is much more ecclectic than Wake. New Orleans has a European feel and a different energy than Winston-Salem. Both are great schools!</p>
<p>Good point Smidgey. Both are unique environments. I like how WF is gated. Beautiful setting. </p>
<p>Living - we are (sadly) full-pay so financial aid is not applicable. He did get some merit from UGA and Tulane. Nothing from Richmond, BC or Wake - which was sort-of expected. He had actually received a “likely” letter from Richmond in early March, so we thought perhaps he would be offered some merit, as we understood “likely” letters generally go out to “desirable” candidates. But, nothing, zero, zilch!! :(( </p>
<p>My son has been accepted to both Tulane and Wake Forest. We spent a couple of days at each school and here are my thoughts:</p>
<p>While both do draw students from all over the country, it seems to me that Wake pulls more from the South and mid-Atlantic. Tulane is a big draw for folks from CA, TX, IL and of course NY/NJ. ref… " Where does your freshman come from" Chronicle of Higher Ed.</p>
<p>Based on US News college rankings, Wake comes in at #23… Tulane at #52 Tulane comes in #4 in Princeton Review for happiest students.</p>
<p>In my opinion, Wake has a prettier campus. Cohesive architecture, grassy quads etc. I don’t know if it is the climate or culture, but Tulane seemed to have quite a bit of what I would call deferred maintenance. (e.g. I saw a dorm room at Tulane with a broken window and it looked like the window had been broken for a while.)</p>
<p>We are not a sporty family, but I got the impression that Wake supports its sports teams more than Tulane although Tulane will have a new stadium on campus next year. </p>
<p>Based on my visits, I get the sense that Wake students are more academic. There are certainly many talented and focused students at Tulane but there also seem to be a high percentage of students who can’t wait to hang out on Bourbon St. (I live in Boulder, so I know this type of student. They come to Boulder to smoke pot and ski, not to go to class.) That said, Wake has a reputation for grade deflation that worries me. </p>
<p>Tulane has close ties to the city of New Orleans. It is hard to separate the two. When I asked the history department chair at Wake about outreach to the community, I got sort of a blank stare. I think Wake holds itself a bit apart from Winston-Salem. </p>
<p>New Orleans is one of the greatest cities in this country. Winston-Salem is a small city in transition. My son noted that with Wake, he didn’t have to worry that the surrounding city would be more interesting than his college campus. </p>
<p>Tulane seems more politically liberal than Wake. Culturally, Tulane is not as “southern” as Wake, Duke, Vandy or Richmond</p>
<p>New Orleans can be a dangerous city and students at Tulane are often a target for crime. Wake seems very safe.</p>
<p>Thanks cbrand. Has your son made his decision for next fall? I have spent a couple days at both schools as well and think you are pretty spot on. The only thing I am hearing differently is that the students do not hang in the French Quarter. That is for tourists (much like Fishermans’s Wharf in San Francisco or South Street Seaport in New York). </p>
<p>He is having a hard time giving up the idea of going to school in NOLA, but he really, really wants to go to Wake. It just felt right to him. However, we still haven’t seen the FA package. My guess is that it comes today.</p>
<p>I will add to my above comments that west of the Mississippi, Tulane has higher name recognition (for better or worse). When I tell people out here that my son is interested in Wake Forest, they either say “huh?” or “Oh… in Chicago?” (No that is Lake Forest.) Our large, public high school sends very few students to either school. I think maybe 1 to each in the last 3 years, so both schools are sort of uncharted territory for us. </p>
<p>RE the Quarter… when I say “going to Bourbon St” I mean that as a euphemism for getting into ALL the trouble that NOLA has to offer. </p>
<p>@cbrand I have to vehemently disagree with this statement “New Orleans can be a dangerous city and students at Tulane are often a target for crime. Wake seems very safe.”</p>
<p>Tulane students are not a target for crime at all! When you look at NOLA crime maps you will see that most crime occurs in areas that Tulane students would most likely never venture. The campus is a very affluent uptown neighborhood. There is crime everywhere in the US but Tulane and and it’s neighboring university Loyola have their own Campus Police forces and the NOPD is also present around the campus areas. I feel safer in NOLA than my own city. I work on a small liberal arts school and we have far more crime hereon our campus than I have ever heard of on the Tulane campus. </p>
<p>I also disagree about Tulane student wanting to go party on Bourbon St. I think the novelty of Bourbon wears off very quickly and once classes start not many students have time to make the trek to hang out in the Quarter. Plus the crowds of tourists get old fast. There are enough activities that take place on campus and the surrounding areas that the FQ is not a real frequent destination. You are more likely to find students hanging out on Oak/Maple and Freret streets uptown. </p>
<p>@dolphnlvr6 Do you think kids need a car at Tulane? Are Freret, Oak and Maple street districts within walking distance?</p>
<p>Not at all. Cars in NOLA are more of a hassle. I believe freshmen are not permitted to have cars and I think I heard that getting an on-campus parking permit is super expensive. Freret St, runs right through campus, magazine Street is a few blocks away, Maple/Oak are walkable. The street car runs right in front of the school and buses are readily available as well. (streetcars aren’t always reliable!). I think the only way I would let my son take his car to Tulane is if he eventually moves off campus because he will need it for grocery shopping. And even then Maybe. Parking in NOLA is difficult and expensive. I would easily bet more Tulane students have bikes rather than cars. NOLA is a bike friendly city. Most friends I have that live there prefer their bikes to cars. </p>
<p>@dolphinlvr6… nice to see you here. I’m used to seeing you on the Tulane forum. My comments about crime are based on information my son is getting from a current student he knows at Tulane. Violent crime may not be perpetrated on students, but my son’s impression is that Tulane students are commonly victims of theft. </p>
<p>@cbrand and @dwhite, I share your assessments. Based on the admittedly statistically insignificant samples of kids we know at both schools, Wake attracts the “work hard, play hard” students; the “I worked hard enough to be admitted, and now I’m ready to play” crowd went to Tulane. Of course there are Tulane students who are making the most of the academic opportunities offered there, but our sense is that at Wake, studying long & hard is the norm. </p>
<p>I will add that I have never traveled to a city where I felt as unsafe in broad daylight as I did in New Orleans (in two different areas of town, neither of which was considered off the beaten path). </p>
<p>Living61, I think all of your generalizations about Tulane are pretty spot on. Im a sophomore at Tulane who never joined greek life. Greek life is popular, but it definitely doesn’t control the social scene. Having bars/concert venues kind of keeps the greek scene in check, which I like. Also, bourbon street/the french quarter is fun maybe once a semester. The french quarter is filled with older tourists/gutterpunks, so we tend to spend most of our time uptown, away from all that.
School spirit is definitely not centered around sports, but with the opening of the new stadium that could begin to change. We’ll see. Academics are definitely rigorous, but it heavily depends on major/professor for the class. I’ve actually found that sometimes the old and tenured professors seem to lose their touch when it comes to teaching, and the TAs/PhD candidates are able to relate to the students better and help them learn. I’ve taken some amazing classes here, but I’ve also taken some that are not. It helps to look at ratemyprofessor.com and tulane’s course eval results before you register for a class. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t call muggings/theft a common occurrence. It happens, but it’s very rare. When it does happen, it happens mostly to students who are walking alone off campus sometime between 12-6 AM (don’t do that!!!). I’ve spent time in nearly every part of the city, day and night, and have never had a problem. If you walk with confidence and make it obvious you’re not a tourist, people will leave you alone for the most part. Nola can be dangerous, but most of the areas where crime is a real problem are away from Tulane/ are in areas where you’d have no reason to go. </p>
<p>If you have anymore questions, feel free to message me. </p>