Thoughts on Tulane

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transformed from a safety to a first choice school virtually overnight.

Like Chicago and Wash U, Tulane started to give out lots of merit money and got a huge boost in selectivity and yield.

True. Also aggressively trying to attract full pay students from the area private schools, who may be B students, but are bright and have deep family pockets.

I don't think so. We live in one of the wealthiest towns in the country and my daughter received a mailing today from Tulane that says she has received priority consideration which among other things means she will get automatic consideration for merit aid and a waived application fee. She has no interest in the school but I'll assume she got the mail piece because of her high ACT score. Poor targeting.

My son also got this today, I am the OP of the thread titled "Priority Consideration." He also never considered Tulane or asked for any info from them, but has great SAT scores. We do not live in a particularly wealthy area, and his high school is actually about 50% Free/reduced lunch and ESL.

[Anonymous]

Read the random violent crime out of New Orleans targeting wealthy tourists and rich kids... no chance would I send my kid down there to drink for four years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Read the random violent crime out of New Orleans targeting wealthy tourists and rich kids... no chance would I send my kid down there to drink for four years.

DD just finished freshman year at Tulane. Had a great year and sure didn't spend the year drinking. Kids whose priority is partying will do it ANYWHERE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transformed from a safety to a first choice school virtually overnight.

Like Chicago and Wash U, Tulane started to give out lots of merit money and got a huge boost in selectivity and yield.

True. Also aggressively trying to attract full pay students from the area private schools, who may be B students, but are bright and have deep family pockets.

I don't think so. We live in one of the wealthiest towns in the country and my daughter received a mailing today from Tulane that says she has received priority consideration which among other things means she will get automatic consideration for merit aid and a waived application fee. She has no interest in the school but I'll assume she got the mail piece because of her high ACT score. Poor targeting.

Why do you say poor targeting? The more applicants they attract with the free application the more selective they can claim to be, whether your child attends or not. And there are many families like mine and yours who do not qualify for financial aid but might be interested in merit aid/safety schools/additional options to look at ... also even for high income families the app fees and associated costs do add up so we'd consider throwing in an app at a place that waived the fee if there was a moderate possibility of fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD was accepted to Tulane, Penn State, Pitt and is waiting to hear from Bucknell. Which would you choose?

bucknell

Bucknell is for squares.

Square is the new quirky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read the random violent crime out of New Orleans targeting wealthy tourists and rich kids... no chance would I send my kid down there to drink for four years.

DD just finished freshman year at Tulane. Had a great year and sure didn't spend the year drinking. Kids whose priority is partying will do it ANYWHERE.

Immediate family member went there and I have friends who live not too far from campus in NOLA today.

Crime is ridiculous. I have had multiple stories of violence and attempted violence relayed to me. You cannot understand, really, until you spend material time there.

Read: college girl waking up in the middle of the night with an intruder hovering over her bed looking for cash
Read: drug dealers taking baseball bats to a dozen cars near off campus housing, because some frat boy owed someone $$$
Read: robberies in broad daylight as you're walking home from lunch
Read: murder on your street corner where houses cost $1M+

All of this is ON TOP of more typical college dangers like date rape, drugs, and binge drinking.

Cops mostly focus on keeping the super touristy areas 'safe' (really, safe enough) to keep the economy going.

I love New Orleans, I really do, and I visit often. But it's not for everyone. The university tries to shelter the students and they do a pretty good job (even have a lawyer for the students on retainer) but you can't get ahead of everything. Knowing what I know now, when my kids are college age this school is not one I'd like them to choose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read the random violent crime out of New Orleans targeting wealthy tourists and rich kids... no chance would I send my kid down there to drink for four years.

DD just finished freshman year at Tulane. Had a great year and sure didn't spend the year drinking. Kids whose priority is partying will do it ANYWHERE.

Immediate family member went there and I have friends who live not too far from campus in NOLA today.

Crime is ridiculous. I have had multiple stories of violence and attempted violence relayed to me. You cannot understand, really, until you spend material time there.

Read: college girl waking up in the middle of the night with an intruder hovering over her bed looking for cash
Read: drug dealers taking baseball bats to a dozen cars near off campus housing, because some frat boy owed someone $$$
Read: robberies in broad daylight as you're walking home from lunch
Read: murder on your street corner where houses cost $1M+

All of this is ON TOP of more typical college dangers like date rape, drugs, and binge drinking.

Well, my DD just spent a year there and doesn't know what you are talking about. Yes, there is a crime as there is in any urban area with schools. However, she never felt unsafe. Her cousin at UMCP woke up last year with a stranger in his dorm room. It happens.

Cops mostly focus on keeping the super touristy areas 'safe' (really, safe enough) to keep the economy going.

I love New Orleans, I really do, and I visit often. But it's not for everyone. The university tries to shelter the students and they do a pretty good job (even have a lawyer for the students on retainer) but you can't get ahead of everything. Knowing what I know now, when my kids are college age this school is not one I'd like them to choose.

[Anonymous]

What is Tulane like for a non-partyer?

[Anonymous]

I would onsider if kid got honors college and significant merit aid.

[Anonymous]

We know quite a few kids that have attended from the NYC area and they fall into two distinct groups:

1. high stats, well qualified with substantial merit aid including one full ride
2. moderate stats full pay

Tulane is aggressively playing the ranking game and it will pay off eventually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Does anyone have any insight/comments about the "party school" reputation? Outdated?

Every school is a party school if that is what you are looking for and every school has pockets of kids who don't want to party.

It's more about the city. Most people do not understand New Orleans- Mardi Gras, St Patrick's day, Halloween, jazz fess...city's unofficial motto Laissez les bons temps rouler. There is a permissive culture with regards to drinking and partying.

Yeah - the city is beautiful and great fun, what us the problem ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is Tulane like for a non-partyer?

There average ACT score is in the 99th percentile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read the random violent crime out of New Orleans targeting wealthy tourists and rich kids... no chance would I send my kid down there to drink for four years.

DD just finished freshman year at Tulane. Had a great year and sure didn't spend the year drinking. Kids whose priority is partying will do it ANYWHERE.

Immediate family member went there and I have friends who live not too far from campus in NOLA today.

Crime is ridiculous. I have had multiple stories of violence and attempted violence relayed to me. You cannot understand, really, until you spend material time there.

Read: college girl waking up in the middle of the night with an intruder hovering over her bed looking for cash
Read: drug dealers taking baseball bats to a dozen cars near off campus housing, because some frat boy owed someone $$$
Read: robberies in broad daylight as you're walking home from lunch
Read: murder on your street corner where houses cost $1M+

All of this is ON TOP of more typical college dangers like date rape, drugs, and binge drinking.

Cops mostly focus on keeping the super touristy areas 'safe' (really, safe enough) to keep the economy going.

I love New Orleans, I really do, and I visit often. But it's not for everyone. The university tries to shelter the students and they do a pretty good job (even have a lawyer for the students on retainer) but you can't get ahead of everything. Knowing what I know now, when my kids are college age this school is not one I'd like them to choose.

Uh, also on my kids list are Hopkins (shocking crime rate and vested security guards and blue lights everywhere), U of Chicago, and Yale .
Not sure about low crime schools but there are plenty of high ones that the kids want to go to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transformed from a safety to a first choice school virtually overnight.

Like Chicago and Wash U, Tulane started to give out lots of merit money and got a huge boost in selectivity and yield.

True. Also aggressively trying to attract full pay students from the area private schools, who may be B students, but are bright and have deep family pockets.

I don't think so. We live in one of the wealthiest towns in the country and my daughter received a mailing today from Tulane that says she has received priority consideration which among other things means she will get automatic consideration for merit aid and a waived application fee. She has no interest in the school but I'll assume she got the mail piece because of her high ACT score. Poor targeting.

Why do you say poor targeting? The more applicants they attract with the free application the more selective they can claim to be, whether your child attends or not. And there are many families like mine and yours who do not qualify for financial aid but might be interested in merit aid/safety schools/additional options to look at ... also even for high income families the app fees and associated costs do add up so we'd consider throwing in an app at a place that waived the fee if there was a moderate possibility of fit.

That’s why my DD is applying. She wants U of Chicago but we don’t have 75k/year so if they offer a lot of merit aid off she goes to Tulane instead of the state school she’s trying to avoid.
It looks like a high spirited school with a smart populace and good teachers - why not?

[Anonymous]

Traditionally, Tulane is very generous with merit aide to UMC's with good stats. I'm talking $25 - $30k. We visited and got a real work hard/party hard vibe. Our precious little snow flakes are going to have to learn to balance that at some point no matter where they go to college. I'd just as soon they figure it out in college instead of their first job when they may actually have the disposable income to do some damage. Assuming the price is right, I'd have no issue with my DC attending.