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The best thing about Tulane is the people and the city. The students here are so fun, yet so intelligent. Everyone is really down to earth and ready to have a good time. Obviously, the city caters to our constant need for a good night out. Plenty of bars in walking distance. You won't find this kind of social/ night life anywhere else. If I could change one thing about Tulane, it would be the fact that the administration doesn't recognize Greek life as student organizations. They don't give Greek life the attention or recognition it deserves. Especially since 30% of the campus is Greek. Tulane is the perfect size. Not too small, yet not too large. It's nice too see familiar faces around. We have several coffee shops on campus which provide great study areas. Our new student center is amazing. It has plenty of great comfortable furniture to hang out or study in. Besides the Greek life issue, Tulane's administration does a great job listening to the students. We wanted a fall break; they gave it to us. They have great emergency plans, and we get biweekly emails from the president himself. I would say the biggest controversy on campus lately is a website called JuicyCampus. The students are fighting for the administration to ban it. The website is basically a portal for gossiping and bullying. It is absolutely horrible what people write about others. It needs to be taken off of the internet. Unfortunately, this radical of an action probably won't happen until someone commits suicide, because of the horrible things people are writing about them. Honestly, the website needs to go. There is a ridiculous amount of school pride here. Everyone here loves it. Ask anyone on campus, and they will tell you about the night life, the classes, and the great atmosphere Tulane has to offer. I would NEVER want to be anywhere else. WE HAVE MARDI GRAS!!
Ashley Sophomore
Tulane is a fantastic school. I absolutely love going to school here - even when I can't stand it. I say this because Tulane is a very challenging school, and sometimes I just don't like school. It also gets very hot here. Oh, and it rains a lot, too. I mean, a lot. If it rains, it pours. For hours. But if it floods enough, classes are cancelled for the day! One of the hardest things to get used to when I started Tulane was that all of my friends at other schools talked about how easy everything was and how they were making really good grades without even trying. At Tulane, it's hard work. The classes are intense, the workload is large, and it's difficult (but doable) to get A's. So when your friends try to compare themselves to you through grades, you have to stop them and say, "I go to Tulane, there is no comparison." Which is kind of cool, when it comes down to it. Tulane is just better. There are tons of things to do on campus - there is a very active social life created by all the organizations at the school. New Orleans offers lots of great entertainment, as well, from live music to great food to fantastic festivals and events. If I weren't so busy doing schoolwork all the time, I could do something new in the city everyday and never run out of things to do. The only thing that is frustrating is that there is not a lot of student enthusiasm for the events on campus - there are lots of awesome programs everyday and hardly anyone ever goes to the programs. Low turnout tends to make events a little less cool. When I tell people I go to Tulane, they are almost always really impressed. Because, if you know your schools, you know that Tulane is a very good school with a lot of great professors and a very prestigious history, as well as a remarkable present life. And you can always talk about New Orleans (people love asking whether or not there is a city "down there" anymore) to keep the conversation going. There are going to be issues on any campus, and the case is no different from Tulane. Sometimes the wireless internet doesn't work. Sometimes the financial aid system has a glitch and I can't sign up for my classes when I'm supposed to. But most of the services on campus are willing to help out, and are understanding of their own shortcomings. And if there is a real problem at Tulane, the students' voices are actually heard.
Stephanie Sophomore
Tulane's a great population size; you see people you know everywhere yet you continue to meet new people. Great bar scene, great Greek following as far as night life goes. Your first semester will be a ***show if you're a guy, as all the fraternities dirty-rush (official rush isn't til spring) and all the parties are free. If you're a girl, you're welcome at just about any fraternity at just about any time. New Orleans is a great place to go to school, everything is reasonably accessible with the streetcar up and running again. Party scene and music are excellent, weather's great all year. Administration is Tulane's weak point. By the time you're in your second year you'll realize that the school doesn't care about its students. Several post-Katrina rules are hard on students, such as mandatory campus housing. My recommendation is to get off-campus as soon as possible and become as independent as you can about your studies, because you won't find much help from the school's hired advisors. Sports are virtually nonexistent. Baseball is historically fairly good. Football games are held in the Superdome, which is depressing because it gives an empty feel to the stadium when the lower bowl isn't even filled.
average yahoo Junior
New Orleans is the best city (and college city) in the US. It is so different and there are so many different things to do everyday. Whether you want to go downtown to drink, shop, see museums or go across the street from campus to Audubon Park, there's always something new to do. Everyone always tells me when I tell them that I go to Tulane, "Why do you go there? Isn't it all underwater?" That question gets SO annoying and I just say no it's not and walk away. My favorite thing, besides the city itself, about Tulane is the school spirit that everyone has. You can walk around campus and find a bunch of people wearing Tulane clothing or hats or anything Tulane and it just makes you feel like you're part of a community. The recent fraternity arrests should not reflect anything about the Greek system at Tulane, not every fraternity or sorority is like that at all. You will find one that fits for you - don't listen to everything that you hear!
meb1206 Sophomore
Tulane is the perfect size. Not every student knows each other, but he or she will see at least a couple familiar faces while walking to class. This is a great size because everyone has their privacy and at the same time does not feel lost or overwhelmed by the size. When I tell people I go to Tulane, especially being from the North, their first reaction is, "Is it safe?," or "Is all the water is gone?!" What people do not realize is that Tulane, along with most of Uptown and tourist-visited New Orleans, is almsot completely restored after hurricane Katrina. Some residential areas, such as the Ninth Ward where Brad Pitt is fundraising, are still badly damaged. However, unless a person travels there, there are no physical signs of Hurricane damage. One of my favorite things about Tulane is its emphasis on community development and getting its students out to Residential areas that are still damaged. One of my favorite experiences I will always remember is Outreach Tulane, a community service day where students help New Orleans' schools and communities with Katrina rebuilding. I have a very high opinion of Tulane's administration because of these efforts. The biggest recent controversy on campus was a hazing incident that led to the removal of Pike fraternity. However, Pike fraternity did not have a good reputation, and many students believed they should have been diassociated from Tulane years ago. Greek Life is poplular on compus, but it does not play a major role in Tulane's social life. Students take advantage of New orleans' party reputation, and it is very easy for students to hang out in bars at any age. One things Tulane lacks is school pride. Football games are empty except when rival LSU is in town. Our baseball team is very good, but attendance is still low in the beautiful, new stadium. Students should attend more Tulane events rather than bars haha.
Freshman Freshman
The Tulane bubble has been commented on. It does exist and Freshman can have a hard time getting out of it because they aren't allowed cars their first year. The trolley works, so do the cabs. The bubble can be popped, its just takes a 5 min ride and $1.25. It isn't so much school pride as it is city pride. I don't go to Tulane University, I go to Tulane University in New Orleans. You will fall in love with this city, its people, and its history - there is no other like it. When I tell people I go to Tulane, they tend to nod and smile. Some are daring enough to ask if the city is still underwater, my answer never changes, "If it is, at least I can swim." Don't worry living under sea level can have it's own disadvantages - bring some rain boots. Tulane is climbing up the college ranks. The administration is noticing this and making efforts to keep us climbing. We don't always agree, but in the end their decisions seem to work out in our favor. Crawfest happens each April. Some gigantic number of pounds of crawfish are provided free of charge to any and all who come. A great time, one of the best weekends in spring semester.
Katie Sophomore
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