<p>Post-Katrina, will most current students come back this fall or will Tulane have a significant enrollment decline? I hope Tulane doesn't feel deserted.</p>
<p>I can tell you that my son just graduated from Tulane in May and will be back for graduate school. I know several of his friends are doing the same, including those going to Law and Medical school. New Orleans is still the city they love; besides, if they stay in New Orleans, they never have to grow up :-)</p>
<p>OK....I can't keep it in any more....</p>
<p>I was hoping once the admission season for the Class of 2010 was over that this question would stop. Guess I was wrong.</p>
<p>Please....no more threads on this subject...unless there is some real data. If smeone gets real data..post it. Otherwise, let's stop increasing people's worries that there MIGHT be a problem. There is no way it is going to feel deserted.</p>
<p>BL1, I didn't know that this was a vibrant subject. It's just a question that crossed my mind yesterday evening. I apologize for giving you a stroke.</p>
<p>No....you didn't give me a stroke...more of poking a sore spot.</p>
<p>I am just a bit tired of people looking for problems with New Orleans and especially Tulane. </p>
<p>First it was...are the kids going to come back from their temporary colleges?</p>
<p>Then it was...are they going to cut their standards and take anybody off the street?</p>
<p>Then it was...is anybody going to accept?</p>
<p>Then it was...is everyone going to transfer?</p>
<p>Then it was...I hear the red beans and rice at Bruff is no longer good. (Ok I am kidding on that one)</p>
<p>It is getting old. </p>
<p>I have been a long time fan of New Orleans and Tulane. My D is going to be attending in the fall. We/she is very excited. I am tired of the following conversation (after what seems like a hundred times)...</p>
<pre><code> So, where is your D going to school?
Tulane !
Is Tulane open?
or New Orleans, is it safe?
</code></pre>
<p>I just want to focus on the positive future a bit more....(Yes, I know NOLA has a ways to go and I am not trying to minimize that...)</p>
<p>I was not trying to take it out on you, after all you are going to be going there (Congrats !)</p>
<p>I was just venting a little bit.</p>
<p>BL1, wow! I didn't know the insecurities were that bad. In any event, nothing can discourage me from attending Tulane (okay, maybe a nuclear threat but that's it). I definitely relate to you how annoying the negativity this fine school and city is receiving post-Katrina; it's even worse when family, primarily my mom, tried to discourage me from attending. I am also a long time fan of Tulane and NOLA. Many of my friends are like "Why would you go there? Another Hurricane could come..." Umm we live in Florida, this place is the paragon of Hurricanes. It's quite stupid for a Floridian to say such nonsense. Florida is more apt to receiving hurricanes than any state in the U.S. Katrina is the first major hurricane--hell the first hurricane--I've heard that hit NOLA. So it is ridiculous. I am attending Tulane for the quality of my academic and social life, and that means a lot to me.</p>
<p>My D is going also, and I have to admit we all had/have questions. But in the end, she chose Tulane over 3 other equally good choices, and is excited about going. </p>
<p>All that said, as a parent, naturally I am concerned, perhaps less so about hurricane threats (akafiz, i have relatives in florida and agree that hurricanes are a fact of life there)....to me the bigger question has always been the long term viability of New Orleans - if NOLA goes, Tulane clearly can't survive, at least in its present form. So on the one hand, I scour anywhere for any info on the NO economic rebound, as well as any signs of any threat to Tulane, economic or academic (which could include lack of returning students and professors, lower standards, too low a yield of incoming freshmen (important to a tuition based university). From what I've been able to dig the signals are encouraging.</p>
<p>But I do agree with BL1 (tho perhaps with a little less exasperation - :-) ) that we could all use some facts before drawing any conclusions. </p>
<p>That said, the reality is that any one attending - frosh, parents, returning students - are going to get the questions. Just like, I imagine, NYU families got questions after 9/11.</p>
<p>CT2010Dad - </p>
<p>Since you too are from Connecticut....My frustration is probably due to today's weather. 56 and raining like crazy.</p>
<p>I'd rather be in New Orleans...80's but a bit cloudy.</p>
<p>BL1</p>
<p>Tell me about it!- I've been all over southern NY and CT today (in NYC at the moment) - roads are awful, and dangerous. </p>
<p>Give me 80 deg!!!!</p>
<p>Ping me on YIM if you want to chat - always interested in meeting other TU parents...</p>
<p>Well, from BL1's rant, I feel even more excited attending Tulane. Thanks!</p>
<p>Perhaps the June 8 editorial in the New York Times by Walter Issacson will help inform your discussion. See <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/08/opinion/08Isaacson.html?pagewanted=1%5B/url%5D">http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/08/opinion/08Isaacson.html?pagewanted=1</a> </p>
<p>Sounds like a place I would like to be.</p>
<p>Good article....</p>
<p>That is why my D chose to go to Tulane and why we are proud she made the choice.</p>
<p>(It should also be noted that the author is a member of the Board of Trustees of Tulane)</p>
<p>My father and Philosophy professor are the only persons proud of my decision (sigh) whatever...I'm happy :D.</p>
<p>Well, you should be proud of your decision also, making 3 (at least) - we've always tried to tell our D she should be proud of herself when she does something challenging, as I imagine this was based on our experience.</p>
<p>Also, I suspect your dad is as proud of the way you made the decision, as of the decision itself. I know it may really be hard to acknowledge, at your age, that most parents really want their teens to make thoughtful, independent decisions, but we do. Doesn't always seem that way, I know (don't forget, we were teens once also, albeit some time ago...), but we do.</p>
<p>Hope you have a great year, and find much success in your life.</p>
<p>BL1 - I feel and have felt your frustration. I am rooting for you, CT2010, akafizzle and all others headed (or whose kids are headed) to Tulane from the sidelines. The only reason I'm on the sidelines is because my 2009 S is one of the Engineering majors whose program is being phased out. He loves it there and would dearly love to stay. H and I have both been there post-Katrina and find the city as vibrant as ever (in some parts), suffering (of course) in others. A tale of two cities, absolutely. I am sure your kids will have an awesome experience on the campus and in the city. My S has some great transfer options ( a testimony not only to him but also to the reputation of Tulane),but is mourning the need to leave at the same time.</p>
<p>Akfizzle (and other freshmen)-</p>
<p>I second CT2010Dad's comments. You should be very proud of your decision. Choosing a college is a tough decision in a normal situation. The FUD (fear, uncertaninty and doubt) surrounding Tulane after Katrina raised that toughness to a new level. You should be very proud that you were able to look at the situation, assess the pros and cons and make the call that is right for you. I am sure that many kids were scared away, not by their fears, but by the fears of others around them. I think they are going to miss out on a very special time in New Orleans.</p>
<p>My D and I visited Tulane two weeks before Katrina. It went straight to the top of her list. Through the fall and winter it fell down the list to spot number 3 based on the news reports and the fears of other kids and adults around her. After she got her acceptance letter and was having trouble deciding where to go, we knew we had to go see for ourselves. We flew in for a couple of days wandering around town....we were luck enough to have Dr. Cowen speak at the Accepted Students Day. His message was the same as referenced in the NYT article above. In the middle of the tour she turned and said..."This is where I am going". She knew it was the right choice for her....just as you know it is the right choice for you.</p>
<p>jmmom -</p>
<p>I am sorry your son has to leave NOLA. I have seen some of your other posts with his choices. He has some great ones. The Gumbo Shop will FEDEX some red beans and rice and chicken-andouille gumbo if he needs a little NOLA-fix back in the north.</p>
<p>NOLA economic growth - a positive sign...</p>
<p>Extract:</p>
<p>"between 1990 and 2004, New Orleans had the slowest growing economy of any major city in the South, recording growth of 12.3 percent during that time period compared to a 14-city average of 38 percent, University of New Orleans Chancellor Timothy Ryan said Thursday in a speech at the university's annual Economic Outlook and Real Estate forecast Seminar at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel. Economists base economic growth figures on total employment. </p>
<p>"But things are about to change as billions of dollars worth of construction money pours into the area, Ryan said. In fact, the New Orleans economy over the next five years could climb out from the bottom of the heap and rise to be jewel of the south once again.</p>
<p>"In the pre-Katrina years, there was on average about $1.8 billion worth of construction in Louisiana. With the area now attempting to rebuild after last year's storms, Ryan estimates Louisiana will experience $61 billion in construction this year, the equivalent of decades of annual new building in the state."</p>
<p>
[quote]
Then it was...I hear the red beans and rice at Bruff is no longer good. (Ok I am kidding on that one)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, no, this one is true :D</p>