Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) is a top-notch school in one of our country’s most interesting cities. Known for its festivals, food, and culture, NOLA provides Tulane students with a variety of opportunities, as does the university itself.
New Orleans, particularly the French Quarter and Bourbon Street has a reputation for being a party-lover’s paradise. But Tulane is located several miles away in the city’s garden district. A quiet neighborhood with beautiful historic homes; wide, tree-lined streets; and the lush, expansive Audobon Park, which is across the street from campus and is a popular student hangout. Students certainly can venture into the French Quarter and other parts of the city if they like, but there is plenty to do right on campus.
Tulane is unique for many reasons, including the following:
- First, it is one of the most geographically diverse colleges in the U.S., with over 80% of students coming from over 300 miles away.
- It has the first student-run stock research program in the country.
- It’s in the top 2% of colleges for having a high level of undergraduate research. Undergrads have access to everything graduate students do in terms of research opportunities.
- Along with that, it offers several 4+1 Master’s programs, meaning that students complete a Bachelor’s degree in four years and then a Master’s in one year. (Most Master’s programs are two years.)
- All freshmen take a Tulane InterDisciplinary Experience Seminar, or TIDES course, which caps at 15 students. TIDES courses offer a variety of topics, each of which combines five or more different majors, thereby exposing students to a number of fields. Most of the courses involve off-campus field trips that help students acclimate to their new environment and become familiar with their surroundings.
- Tulane is a medium-sized university with Division I sports. Most schools with DI sports are large or very large. Students get free tickets to every sporting event, including football games, which they play at the New Orleans Superdome. (However, the university is building an on-campus football stadium, which will open in the Fall of 2014.
- “Fridays at the Quad” is a weekly event with free food and live music.
- In addition to Thanksgiving break, winter break, and spring break, students get a “Mardi Gras” break so they can take advantage of all the festivities in New Orleans.
- Also, the president of the university teaches a class. So does political commentator and 1992 Clinton Campaign Manager James Carville.
- There is no fee to apply to Tulane. You can apply either with Tulane’s own application or the Universal College Application.
- To conclude, Tulane provides a large number of scholarships. Applicants are automatically considered for partial-tuition merit scholarships ranging from $8,000-$27,000/year. Additionally, 30 students receive community service scholarships of $5,000 or $15,000/year, and there are two types of full-tuition merit scholarships that are awarded to approximately 170 students. The community service and full-tuition merit scholarships require separate applications.
