Tulane University
Reviews

Well, It IS New Orleans...

New Orleans is bipolar to the extreme; one day it will be 75, the next 50. And it could be either January or September. Also, even when it gets cold, it still tends to feel humid, which sort of settles in your bones. It also rains a decent amount, so bring rain boots and keep an umbrella handy. HOWEVER, there are palm trees and you can wear shorts year-round, so it is worth it.

Roll Wave Bubble

New Orleans is an amazing city and even though campus resides in a bubble, that bubble is porous.

VERY Diverse

Tulane is a heavily Jewish school, is very gay-friendly and has a huge feminine vibe that still shows through Newcomb College (the former all-women's school that merged with Tulane). There is a Hillel for Jews that has excellent food and is accepting and excited to serve all students of all religions. Tulane also offers many Christian opportunities. There are countless opportunities for scholarships and activities to advantage women. Also, the percentage of blacks is seemingly high as well. However, most students come from a very wealthy background, and it is not difficult to observe that. I have not been able to discuss politics with people, but many of them seem fairly liberal.

Life Is a Party

Going to school in New Orleans ensures that you you will never be bored on a Saturday night (or a monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, or friday night)! There is always some sort of festival or concert going on, and if there isn't one, the french quarter is always a party and there are 5 bars within walking distance of campus. You can get the party scene by going to any school in New Orleans, but the special thing about Tulane is that it is a school where very motivated and intelligent students can go to work hard and play hard. Most every one i have met at Tulane has big dreams of success and will work hard to make those dreams a reality, but when the weekend rolls around, they throw down as hard (if not harder) than students at other colleges.

Geographic Diversity

It seems like everyone you meet is from a different state or a different country. There is an inordinate amount of people from New Jersey and New York, but not overwhelming by any means. I will say however that the the school is not very religiously diverse. Most of the students are Jewish, but again, it is not overwhelming by any means.

Research

Again I emphasize the availability of scientific research on campus.

Research

Extraordinary scientific research opportunity/availability for undergraduate and graduate students alike.

Great School Where You Can Really Party, Safely

Louisiana allows 18 and up into bars. Which is awesome. You can have a ton of fun dancing at several different bars around campus with your friends friday or saturday night. it's a great way to get out of the dorms and have fun. nothing in NOLA is far away, because the streetcar can take you anywhere, but the easy access to bars is especially nice.

TULANE IS AWESOME!!!

This school has everything for everyone!! Challenging and interesting classes, tons of volunteer opportunities, diverse people who are fun and studious at the same time, great parties, great nightlife, campus is beautiful and New Orleans is a terrific city. The only thing that isn't so awesome about Tulane is the food... Oh well just eat in the LBC (food court) a lot. There are always several exciting things going on on campus at any given time. Tulane has kept me busy and the happiest I've ever been.

Incredible Cajun Food

New Orleans is world-renowned for its amazing, unique cuisine. I must admit, I do not like everything the city has to offer, since I am a very picky eater. Nevertheless, the originality and high quality and amazing taste of New Orleans cuisine is unmatched by any other city in the country, perhaps the world.

Students from the Northeast

Most of the students are from the Northeast. The girls wear a lot of leggings and the guys are jerks.

Go Off Campus

Tulane has only one dining hall (Bruff Commons) but a bunch of other places to eat around campus. The food at Bruff is nothing special and pretty much just like any other college campus dining hall. The meal options do get a little repetitive but the food is still decent. There are 2 PJs Coffee Houses on campus, and the RAT in the student center (open till 4am) has the best fast food around (with some healthy options of course). The LBC Center for University Life also hosts a variety of dining options in its food court. Students also frequently utilize the plethora of off campus restaurants that have some of the best food in the country.

Housing

Dorms are ok not great. Slightly on the costly side if you ask me.

Food

Options in the LBC are limited. I'd love to see more options and better quality food there.

Safety on Campus

I feel safe generally safe on campus. I would feel unsafe if I were walk alone off campus at night. However, this is to be expected at any university in an urban setting.

Great for Guys, Sucks for Girls

My friends and I joke that we need to put our "Tulane goggles" on before we look at the boys here. The cute, in-shape, well-dressed ones are few and far between, and many have little regard for their personal appearance. There do seem to be some very attractive upperclassman frat boys and the athletes are pretty hot. The girls here are for the most part in great shape and pretty. It is quite common to see a pretty girl with a much less-fortunate looking boy.

Horrible

Only place to part during class time is in the Diboll parking garage on the very back end of campus farthest away from the academic buildings. Side street parking is an option, but it's often hard to find a place, and there is a two hour limit (meter maids love to lurk around campus side streets and give out $20 parking tickets). Scott Cowen (university president) adamantly opposed to building additional parking. On top of all of this, yearly parking permits are about $550-650 depending on if you commute or are a resident. Freshman cannot have cars.

Drugs and Alcohol

It's New Orleans, drugs and alcohol are easily accessible. Drinking and going out is a big deal on campus and quite a few people smoke as well. Peer pressure isn't too much of an issue people are pretty accepting and there are also a number of people on campus who don't party hard. For the most part its hard to get into serious trouble as long as you use common sense. Getting busted with drugs is much more serious than alcohol and much more likely to get you a trip down to the Parish prison. Alcohol incidents are more of a slap on the wrist than anything.

Double Majoring at Tulane

CollegeProwler only allows for one heading under the major category, so I selected my first major. In reality, I'm a double major focusing on Political Science as well as Creative Writing. Tulane makes it easy for students to pursue two or even multiple areas of interest, to the extent that the majority of people I know are double majors as well.

As to Creative Writing and Political Science specifically, thus far I have no complaints. My absolute favorite Professor ever taught an Expository Writing class that really opened my eyes and I've reached nickname terms with one of my Political Science professors. The opportunities available in the Political Science field especially are amazing - you can run internships, take classes with notable New Orleans political greats, and even take a class under famed political consultant James Carville. The curriculum is, as you'd expect from a self-proclaimed "Southern Ivy," not lax in anyway, but it allows a lot of wiggle room for extracurricular activities as well.

Great

sick night life! ive visited other schools and no1 has it better than tulane

Local and American Food

Almost every restaurant around campus is affordable and easy to get to. There is a very large variety of places. Camelia Grill, Creole Creamery, and Jacque-Imo's are must check out restaurants. They bring in a local flair to every experience.

Frat Stars

Greek life has a strong, but not overbearing presence on campus. This is no SEC school, and "GDIs" and the like can sill have active social lives without pledging, but the Greek community is strong and beneficial to the school. I didn't pledge - many of my friends did - and I never felt any unwanted pressure.

The Architecture Program

if you want to be an architect you can come here and get your degree in 5 years instead of 6! you'll save a ton of money.

New Orleans Transportation

the streetcar is right outside of Tulane which is nice, but it isn't fast and the later it gets into the night the slower the streetcar runs. You might wind up waiting for an hour. It is 1.25 each way which adds up. It takes you to the french quarter and to magazine street where there is shopping. Tulane provides a shuttle on saturdays which takes you to and from the malls for free.

Parking Nightmares but Accesible

There are zones all around campus and on campus. During the day, parking on campus requires permits, which are extremely expensive, but pays the Campus police pretty good. The campus is well guarded with officers on bike, well watched with officers on foot and w/ security cams placed strategically along student walk paths. Faculty parking tends to smother many places for students. There are very few areas for visitor parking. daily permits are available for a reasonable price.