<p>Anything that could help me with my decision would be greatly appreciated. Tulane is the farthest school I'd go to from home (I live in New York), so I want to make sure I know what I'm getting into before I decide!</p>
<p>Also, about how long are the summer/winter/spring breaks? Thanks!</p>
<p>My son is a freshman and we are from NY. He originally did not want to go too far as well. We are taking him back to the airport today after Spring break and all I can say is that “he loves Tulane.” Great weather, great academics, nice mix of social activities. He usually flies home with 5 or 6 friends who live within one hour of where we live. Regarding breaks, summer break is usually from about May 12 through the end of August (I believe his first day was 8/28 this year). He had a 4 week winter break and just had one week off for Spring break. Again, he originally wanted to stay closer to home and could have played D-III sports at some east coast schools. He made the decision to attend Tulane and he said “it was the right choice for me.” As a parent, it is the best thing you can hear your child say. Good luck with your process!</p>
<p>That was really helpful, thank you :)</p>
<p>best: academics, New Orleans, small size, undergraduate-friendly faculty, community service opportunities, awesome clubs</p>
<p>worst: Bruff dining hall, class scheduling (especially for freshman)</p>
<p>hope this helps!</p>
<p>My daughter is so excited to visit Tulane next weekend but I am concerned that the one big issue she may not see/feel. How is the heat if you are a northernern and have never experienced a NOLA summer?</p>
<p>Well, the students really are not there for most of the summer, so they miss the worst of the New Orleans weather. It is very warm when you first get there in late August, and stays warm into September. The temperatures usually get very pleasant around the end of September or early October, although the weather patterns the last couple of years have led to the heat going a little further into October than usual.</p>
<p>It can actually get pretty chilly in November-February (upper 30’s to low 40’s as highs), although usually not for more than a few days in a row. It snows about once every 10 years, I think is the average. Maybe every 7 or so, but in any case not often. The only issue with the cooler temps in New Orleans is that it is still more humid than in the north, so it feels even colder, really goes through sweaters and the like. But even during these 4 months, there are many days in the 60’s and 70’s. Really nice.</p>
<p>The more uncomfortable heat usually doesn’t come back until the end of April or so, right before finals. So they are heading home just as things are starting to really get hot and humid again. However everything at Tulane is well air conditioned. Bottom line, for most of the school year the temps are pretty pleasant. It does rain a lot in New Orleans, though. But she will love all the different rain boot patterns there are to choose from.</p>
<p>To be honest the worst part about going to Tulane is not having any friends in New Orleans when everyone leaves for break. All of them come from all over the country. It’s also expensive and bruff can be kinda gross sometimes. </p>
<p>The best parts about Tulane are … hard to narrow down. It’s challenging, Tulane and New Orleans are beautiful, the kids are so friendly and welcoming. I feel like I’m being prepared well. The social scene is phenomenal. The student body is more diverse than some would have you believe. The sense of community, the sense of belonging to something greater than myself, is probably my favorite thing.</p>
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<p>September can get hot, but the rest of the school year is just fine. TU isnt in session during the hotest time period in New Orleans, thank god.</p>
<p>Thank you fallenchemist. We lived in Louisiana in the late 80’s and I loved the winters and every aspect of the culture. I really hated the heat in the summer…and the bugs. Since this school is so far from home we do want her to hear as many opinions as possible. She won’t have the option to just drop home for a few days like her older sisters did. The good news is she truly hates the cold.</p>
<p>I completely understand maplevale. It is a long way for sure, but in the overwhelming majority of cases, students get so involved in their new life at college, and certainly at Tulane and in New Orleans, that even those that are homesick at first are completely adjusted after a few weeks or a couple of months. It is a very small percentage that cannot make that adjustment.</p>
<p>The weather is absolutely amazing. Yes it gets humid and hot over the summer, but for students its only a few weeks and its totally worth it for the 5-6 months we have beautiful, perfect weather! My friends at all their schools get so jealous when they see pictures I post about students tanning on the quad in March.</p>
<p>One bad thing I can think of is that the really enjoy the city and don’t want to come home!! </p>
<p>Thre are some flash flood-type rainstorms, but that was also true for my other son who went to school in Texas, and it happend to me when I went to grad school in FL, so its not specitif to NOLA. Most of the time the weather is glorius.</p>
<p>Pros: THE CITY, THE CITY, THE CITY (you catch my drift); Gym Facility (Reily); the undergraduate energy program in the business school; the food (not Bruff); and my professors, thus far</p>
<p>Cons: The business and engineering programs’ reputations; the generally lacking intellect and involvement of the student body; the homogenous, Westchester-dominated student body; Bruff Commons; the Career Center</p>
<p>To give a different perspective, my son is about to graduate with a degree in chemical engineering. He and all of his engineering friends have jobs lined up- nice jobs. Good pay. There are some going to grad school. My son had 3 job offers. In October. The program has been rebuilding since Kartina but it is respected. My son took two physics classes at Ga Tech last summer. He found them surprisingly easy (unlike many of the Tech students) and was more than well prepared for them from his Tulane courses. He is a bright kid and did not feel that Tulane was “mediocre”. He’s had a great experience. He has friends who turned town top schools (PRinceton is one I redcall off the top of my head) to attend Tulane. He turned down a top 20 school to attend Tulane. Maybe its not for everyone, but its a great school. And no, not everyone is form the NE, and certainly not all from Westchester. Thats just silly.</p>
<p>Pros: A beautiful campus, the city, lots of artsy things going on campus, (for me) a campus not dominated by Greek life or sports, professors that are generally very dedicated, real flexibility with class structure (typical major CAN be completed in one year), opportunities for grants, Tulane goes the extra mile to throw special things for students, the outdoor programs make life great, Riley is amazing, Audubon Park.</p>
<p>Cons: I don’t feel safe in the city anymore and no where off campus at night, there’s maybe six museum type places to go to in the city and that’s it, transportation to anywhere but the French quarter is expensive without a car and car parking is too expensive, the homogeneous, Eastern-dominated/entitled student body (so true), the generally lacking intellect and involvement of the student body (so true, again; sometimes people here amaze me with their stupidity, irresponsibility, and general lacking of world awareness), some Tulane administrative departments (have practiced) blatant discrimination against disability, which is not yet and is unlikely to be discussed publicly, but Tulane has taken action against it, before the middle of my senior year I realized that I no longer intellectually felt at “home” at Tulane, which might say more about me than the quality of classes, but it’s something to be aware of if you get into other universities and are tempted to go to Tulane primarily because of scholarship offers.</p>
<p>jym626, I would never say Tulane is a bad school by any stretch, but it’s certainly not a great school either. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, and I can only speak primarily to the undergraduate business school (my remarks on engineering here are all hearsay from fellow students). </p>
<p>Perhaps I should elaborate: you will be much, much better served in the finance program to attend a “target” institution rather than going to Tulane on scholarship, as I did. While I know friends who have broken into BB investment banks, buy-side analyst positions, consulting, etc., the process of getting recruited with Tulane’s help is cumbersome and frustrating. On the other hand, our 5-year accounting program is another highlight for those interested in going into auditing or some other function at a Big 4. I hope that is a more concise response.</p>
<p>If you can’t speak firsthand about the engineering department , might I suggest you not trash it as you have?</p>
<p>“Trashing” the engineering department is far from what I did. I simply commented on the quality of the program based on what peers in the honors program have told me. Mind you, your opinion on the engineering program is no more valid than mine. I am just a sounding board of my own experiences and my peers; you, on the other hand, are committed to portray the school in a certain way, for whatever reason. Don’t chastise me for expressing my feelings, I do so to help students get a more realistic depiction of the school (its bad AND good parts).</p>
<p>You seem to want to post your displeasure in several different threads, and by responding it merely allows you to continue to post (predominantly) negative comments. We have heard it. Good luck in your transfer process.</p>