The Her Campus Tulane Team wanted to provide information to the accepted students who could not make it down to visit Tulane, or for those who are caught between two schools and wanted to hear some honest opinions from real students. Please feel free to leave a comment about your experiences at Tulane or ask a question about Tulane.
Why did you choose your school?
“When I walked on campus for the first time, I had “the” feeling. I had not felt it at any other school. Stepping off the streetcar and seeing the front of campus was mind-boggling. It was a beautiful campus situated in an urban setting. I knew New Orleans, a culturally rich city, would offer many different places for me to explore during my four years at Tulane.” –Brynn
“I liked how happy all the kids looked on campus. The school was the perfect size and they offered a political economy major which interested me and is not offered at many schools. The weather down here is also a huge plus as student can wear shots basically year-round.” -Nina
“I chose Tulane because it felt like home. I’m from California, so coming all this way was a bit scary, but I didn’t feel so far away once I saw the campus and met everyone. I also loved the fact that Tulane was in an AMAZING city, but had a real campus.” -Zoe
If you could repeat your college experience, would you choose your school again?
“Absolutely. No question about it.” –Brynn
“Definitely!” –Nina & Anna
“If I could repeat my college experience, I would definitely choose Tulane
University again. This interesting environment has been a wonderful place to attend college. There is always something going on in this exciting city and honestly, after living here for almost six months, I could not picture myself anywhere else.” –Emily
“I think I would. Academically and socially it fits me pretty well. I think I would just narrow down my choices, I applied to 19 schools, and do a lot more research. I’d also try to stay with someone at every school I got into or was considering.” -Zoe
What are the best and worst things about your school?
“The best things about Tulane are its small to medium size, the happy students, the weather, the location, the programs and all of the opportunities we are offered. The worst thing about Tulane is how easy it is to avoid doing work with the beautiful weather and constant party opportunities. If you’re not careful, it is easy to get caught up in all of the fun and neglect school.”- Brynn
“There is not a ton of diversity as far as students go. I also wish tuition was a bit cheaper, but Tulane’s price is
pretty standard for a private university.” –Nina
“the best things about Tulane, I truly love the way Tulane and New Orleans are connected. We are not merely a school within this remarkable city, we are a part of it. Tulane and the citizens of New Orleans work together to make this place even better. Tulane has a community service required of its undergraduate students, therefore instating that improving New Orleans is not a choice, it is required. What 7,803 of the young, able-bodied Tulane undergraduates can achieve together is awe-inspiring.” –Emily
“Best – you can literally do anything at Tulane. It’s in one of the most interesting cities in the world, and
I definitely do not think enough people take advantage of that. Worst – The fact that people don’t take advantage of what New Orleans/Tulane has to offer. It kind of reflects on the student body in a negative way. “ –Zoe
“The best thing about Tulane is getting to live and explore in New Orleans. This city is unlike any other I’ve ever visited and I find something more that I love about it every single time I venture off campus.” -Briah
Academics:
“As a high-ranking, prestigious university, many of Tulane’s classes are challenging. Obviously, there are always certain classes that are deemed “easy” by the students. Overall, the faculty really try to challenge the students but offer help whenever possible.” -Brynn
“Tulane’s academics are great, especially if you are interested in Public Health or Latin American Studies. Teachers are very accessible through office hours or email, class sizes are usually small (except for a lot of the science and math lectures,) and the library has a lot of resources to help you.” –Anna
“As someone in Newcomb College, or Liberal Arts, at Tulane, I am currently taking a wide range of classes to fulfill requirements. Thus far, I have enjoyed classes such as Ethics, French, and Literature. However, I have not enjoyed classes such as Psychology and Probability and Statistics. Clearly, I am more “ right brained.” The classes here certainly are not “ easy.” The professors here expect a lot of their students and many will not take late assignments.
Honestly, I believe that by keeping classes strict and laborious, students will consequently learn more and obtain more from this university.” –Emily
“Personally, they fit me PERFECTLY. Not too hard, but give me enough of a push. I went to a private prep school that “prepared us for college,” but I find Tulane to be challenging, but not so much that I can’t enjoy these years.” -Zoe
Dining halls/local places to eat:
“While I may complain about Bruff or the LBC, I have been to other schools who do not offer as much food or as high quality food as Tulane does. Yes, everyone gets sick of them. Yes, sometimes they seem gross, but from experience, I’ll take Tulane dining over many others. As for off campus places, New Orleans is all about food. The French Quarter is 15 minutes away and offers a variety of New Orleans’ own dishes.” –Brynn
“On-Campus dining is my least favorite part about Tulane. Bruff, the all-you-can-eat cafeteria for mainly Freshmen and Sophomores doesn’t have the best selection and is pretty gross. But, it’s convenient. The LBC, Tulane’s “food court,” is easy to get tired of with only a few restaurants. The Gourmet, a “health foods” store on campus, is expensive and the employees there are slow. MacMarket is Tulane’s “supermarket” for candy, drinks, ice cream, frozen dinners, and other treats, which is great for a late night snack. But, there isn’t really a great place to stock up on food for your dorm. On the other hand, off campus has LOADS of places to eat great food. Some of my favorites are Camellia Grill, Felipe’s, Cafe Rani, Reginelli’s, Pinkberry, Creole Creamery, and Slim Goodies. The Tulane meal plan has “NOLAbucks” that can be used at a few great restaurants nearby, like Fresco’s and Cafe Freret. Also, there are a ton of places to go with your family or visiting friends for a special occasion or nicer dinner, such as Commander’s Palace, Galatoire’s, Le Petite Grocery, Dante’s Kitchen, La Crepe Nanou, or the Flaming Torch.” -Anna
“Bruff is okay as long as you are creative with your meals. If you’re looking to eat healthy it’s not impossible, you just have to work a little harder (and walk around the whole place a few extra times) to scope out better options than the oil-slathered main meals they serve up at most of the stations. Bonus: you burn some extra calories walking around so much :)” -Briah
Dorms/local housing:
“Are dorms ever awesome? There is a mixture here. While Irby and Phelps look like motels, they are the really fun sophomore dorms and allow you to live with seven of your friends. The freshman dorms are just that…freshman dorms. They’re fun but not beautiful. Leadership Village and Willow are probably the nicest on campus while Aron is a nice choice for juniors and seniors who do not want to live off campus but want apartment style living.”- Brynn
“I would recommend living in Sharp or Monroe as a Freshman. Although they aren’t the “nicest,” they are the best for meeting a lot of people and having a good time, and I made some of my best friends living on Monroe 11 my Freshman year. Monroe is a little bit nicer than Sharp because it was Wall is a good option if you are looking for a cleaner, newer dorm without communal bathrooms, but you will have to work harder to meet more people. JL is way too far from everything else and is all girls, but you get your own sink in your room and it is a bit
cozier. Butler is the honors dorm, but isn’t that big, clean, or social. For Sophomores, Irby and Phelps are a great experience if you have 7 other people to live with and don’t mind having to go to a study lounge in the building or the library to study. Willow and SOHO are the nicest dorms available to Sophomores, and the rooms are bigger than Mayer. Off campus housing can be a nightmare if you don’t start looking early. But, there are a lot of reasonably priced, livable houses around campus. I wouldn’t want to live on campus as a Junior or Senior because the dorm life gets a bit old. But, Aron could be a good option if you don’t feel like doing the whole house search thing and want a bigger space.” -Anna
“Not bad. I live in Monroe and like it, I would say a 7/10 on the college dorm scale.”- Zoe
Clubs/sports/organizations:
“If you are interested in something, I guarantee there is an organization for it. Though Tulane is a small school, students organize and join in a plethora of clubs. Greek life is fairly large for a school of Tulane’s size, but it is not essential to be part of a Greek organization in order to get involved.” –Brynn
“You can get involved with almost anything you’re interested in here and if we don’t have it, you can start your own organization! Most students don’t attend the sports games so that’s one major aspect of school spirit we lack though we make up for it in our love for the school itself and the city!” –Nina
“Tulane has a good amount of organizations to offer, but a good amount of the student body is reluctant to participate. A lot of students on campus have the “work hard/play hard” attitude, which doesn’t leave much time for getting involved. But, there are a wide variety of intramural sports teams, honor societies, and interest groups available. Most of the official sports teams aren’t that great, which is the reason Tulane students aren’t the most spirited. About 30% of Tulane students choose to go Greek and are involved in one of the seven sororities or nine fraternities.” –Anna
“I am a member of the sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi. Joining a sorority or fraternity is a great way to participate in philanthropy events and give back to the community. I also love to write for Her Campus as a creative outlet! There are plenty of organizations that span almost any interest you might have.” –Emily
“We don’t have good sports teams, and I really wanted a school with a lot of pride in sports, but whatever. I don’t feel like it REALLY impacted my college life. Lots of organizations and clubs to get involved in.” -Zoe
Student life/social scene/nightlife:
“Tulane has a huge social scene due to its location. Off campus bars and restaurants are always packed no matter what day of the week. The French Quarter is close so students can venture down there day or night. New Orleans offers culturally based activities as well. There is never a dull moment in this city.” –Brynn
“Nightlife is pretty good here. It’s a nice mix of frat parties, bars and house parties. Most people tend to go out a few nights a week so you can always find a friend to accompany you.” –Nina
“The nightlife in New Orleans is great. A lot of bars around campus are 18+ to enter, which isn’t something that every city can offer. The closest bars to campus are The Boot (literally across the street from Tulane property), The Palms which is 21+, and a couple on Maple St, which are about a 15 minute walk/5 minute drive from Tulane. Another student favorite is F&M’s on Thursday nights. Downtown is another option with a million places to go to, but Tulane students tend to stick around Uptown most of the time. Although the Greek System only makes up a portion of Tulane’s student body, it does have a pretty large presence on campus and can be a bit of its own social circle with mixers and date parties. Frats throw a few open parties, but usually only in the fall to recruit new members. Tulane’s size is great because you can almost always recognize someone you know, but are still meeting people during your four years. There are also a ton of great music venues and concerts to
see. New Orleans has countless festivals, some of the best being Voodoo, Jazzfest, French Quarter Fest, and Tulane’s very own Crawfest. If going out isn’t your thing, Tulane has an “After Dark” program with alcohol-free events.” –Anna
“Social life at Tulane pretty much revolves around one thing: drinking. Nightlife is mainly going out to bars (or frat parties in the Fall Semester before rush), but can definitely be fun if you’re with the right group of people. Tulane tries to offer alternatives, but they usually end up feeling like a middle school youth group activities, which can be irritating. Find a great group of friends and spend your time off campus instead of on for the best social scene.” -Briah