Tulane University | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

average yahoo

Class: Junior
Major: Engineering
Gender: M

High School: Lake Oswego High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

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.

Academic Life

Academically, Tulane is mediocre. The only thing that maintain's Tulane's spot on the Top 50 is the Business School and some science programs. Your degree might have some weight, but don't expect to be impressed. Students take classes seriously to varying degrees. A lot of students drop out, and some never enjoy the nightlife. The key to success at Tulane is to find a balance in between getting all of your coursework done and having the time of your life. I'm a student in Biomedical Engineering. Being one of the stronger engineering programs it was kept during the cuts made after the hurricane. It has a very rigid curriculum and if you're an engineer your schedule is virtually predetermined every semester. A lot of my classmates are premedical students looking for a flashy major, but by the time you get to junior year everyone realizes how well this major really would prepare you for a career in research.

Student Body

There are a few main subpopulations at Tulane: the artsy crowd, the overstudious crowd that don't show their faces at night, and everyone else. The latter is diverse in itself, but most people like to have a good time. Something like 30% of the school is Jewish, about half the students are from wealthy families, and a good percentage of the girls are extremely spoiled. There's plenty of places to find work if you don't carry Daddy's credit card wherever you go, however. Tulane's fairly liberal and laid-back. Lot of students are from the Northeast, and the rest are Southern.