Tulane University of Louisiana Top Questions

Academics are extremely tough, but you learn a lot.

harderish - but not really that bad. i study very little but i have always been that way, and then i have friends who study every day.

The academics vary greatly by major. Most kids are ok with not doing a lot of work until a test comes along, and then, depending on the class, may only need a night to study or at most a few days. Besides the general science classes that every Pre-med student needs to take, classes are decently small. I'm a triple major (it's not that uncommon) in Political Economy, German, and International Relations with a minor in Philosophy. The political economy major is my primary one, and my experience with everyone inside it has been amazing. All the professors really know and like to teach the subject. That makes being in class much more tolerable (which when you get to pick all your classes is a really important aspect).

The academics vary greatly by major. Most kids are ok with not doing a lot of work until a test comes along, and then, depending on the class, may only need a night to study or at most a few days. Besides the general science classes that every Pre-med student needs to take, classes are decently small. I'm a triple major (it's not that uncommon) in Political Economy, German, and International Relations with a minor in Philosophy. The political economy major is my primary one, and my experience with everyone inside it has been amazing. All the professors really know and like to teach the subject. That makes being in class much more tolerable (which when you get to pick all your classes is a really important aspect).

In terms of academics, Tulane holds its students to standards equivalent to those in ivy league schools. The courses are rigorous, but not impossible to pass. Professors are always willing to help students who have difficulty grasping specific concepts, and if students need additional help, there is a free tutoring center on campus. Most of the classes I have taken have had approximately 30 students each, but I have also taken a few large lecture classes (100-200 students), but I have never felt as through a professor was not available to answer questions and to address any concerns I have had about course material. In my time here, I have taken classes I never thought would capture my attention, and have actually decided to declare a second major. I have accomplished things here academically that I never thought possible, such as sustaining a high GPA and doubling my workload purely because I enjoy the academic environment at Tulane.

To be completely honest, academics at Tulane are generally pretty easy. Of course it depends on your department, but a lot of teachers seem loath to giving anyone anything lower than a B. Unsurprisingly, Tulane seems to attract fairly laid-back, non-competitive kids, but that doesn't mean Tulane students aren't serious. Many are just there to get a diploma, but I've had some very intellectual discussions both in and out of the classroom and I've also had some first-rate English and French professors, people I've stayed in touch with outside of class as my interests in their fields have developed. My favorite class I've taken was on feature writing taught by a former editor of TIME Magazine. The teacher's insight was great and he really encouraged us to find the unusual side of everything and everyone we came across. I learned a lot about writing and a little about life in that class. In almost every class at Tulane there are both slackers and overachievers, and while the teachers will put up with coasting, they really appreciate students who put in effort.

I definitely got a wide exposure to Tulane's academics as I was earned dual degrees and had three majors - I got a Bachelor of Arts in English (Creative Writing) and International Development, and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. I'm not going to lie - my English and Int. Development classes where a lot smaller and more intimate than my public health classes. I loved getting to know those professors on a one-on-one level and feel comfortable emailing them whenever I have a question I think they could help me solve. These professors offered my internships, put my name up for great conferences, and generally helped me grow as a student immensely. In public health and my science classes, I was more impressed with the experience of my professors than the classes per se. Tulane has incredible Science and Medical professors, with tons of real life professional experience to share. But the classes were bigger and relied more on powerpoints than my English-minded-brain enjoyed. My favorite class was actually a public health class though, despite those downsides of larger classes. It was called Violence in the Community, and taught by a nationally known criminologist named Peter Scharf. He brought in great speakers from the city to talk about the crime problem in New Orleans and basically posed this question as the thesis of the class: Is violent crime a solvable problem? It was incredible. Since that class, Dr. Scharf always takes the time to stop me and ask how my plans are going, and he wrote me an awesome recommendation for graduate school. I was really happy with my classes at Tulane. I feel like my analytical and writing skills are really strong, thanks to classes that focused specifically on increasing critical thinking skills. I was exposed to so many different world-views and theories without feeling like my learning was theoretical only. The service learning component at Tulane is probably what keeps their academics more focused at learning real skills. This component is a tiered community service program that requires more hours and more involvement each year with a local or international organization. I worked at Planned Parenthood and went to Malaysia where I interned an HIV/AIDS NGO through the service learning program. These are the real-world experiences that got me jobs in the future.

Despite, the "party hard" environment surrounding Tulane, the academics here are pretty intense. The architecture students are rumored to rarely see the light of day, the pre-meds are always stressed (though most of that is self-induced), and many others are just trying things out. The core curriculum here actually allows for a great deal of freedom. I'm allowed to double major in disciplines outside of the sciences, while still completing my pre-med requirements, and that isn't the craziest thing I've heard here. Academic advisors here really know what they're doing, which is great because, a lot of times, you probably won't. My advisor has offered me a great deal of guidance regarding classes, professors, roommate issues, and beyond. As long as you do a little planning on your own, your advisor can help fill in the gaps, and you'll be on your way to graduation and beyond. Despite the size of the undergraduate student body (roughly 6,000), most class sizes are small. Sure, if you take intro classes like Chemistry I and others that are required by a great deal of students, you'll probably experience the large lecture style. However, most of my classes are capped at 20 or 30 students, including my favorite - Spanish 2030. My spanish professor is very fun and always does her best to get us involved in discussions. She knows my name as well as where I'm from, what sports I play, and what I like to do on the weekends - all through conversation in spanish. I always have a great time in that class, and my fluency has never been stronger. My least favorite class is taught by a professor who clearly knows his stuff, but should probably not be teaching it. I distinctly remember one day when he flipped through a bunch of powerpoint slides, denoting the information they contained as "more words about stuff." Like other lecture classes, there is a great deal of disconnect in my chemistry class. This is exhibited between the professor who "teaches" the subject and the TA's who grade the tests and quizzes. It's clear that the faculty doesn't converse as much as would be beneficial. Consequently, before curving, most of the students in the class are failing. The curve in this class is based on competition - x{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} will receive A's, y{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} will receive B's, and so on and so forth - but you'll find that every professor has their own distinct way of grading. Consistency is something the academics here sometimes lack, but most of the time, professors really know what they're doing and are more than willing to help you out if you're struggling with the material.

Tulane University is the only college in the country that I know of that has integrated a service-learning requirement into the curriculum. This two-tier requirement means that students must complete a total of 40 community service hours, revealing the willingness of students to give back to the school and community. I completed this requirement at Sophie B. Wright, a nearby charter school. The program was arranged through the Latin American Studies department. I was paired with a seventh grade student as a reading buddy. I found this experience to be very valuable. As the University is consistently ranked amongst the nation’s top universities, incoming students should not expect to party away their four years in New Orleans, although some are tempted. Students will, consequently learn to maintain a balance between the academic rigors and cultural and social events. With each progressive year, the freshman class at Tulane continues to raise the academic bar and the high caliber staff exceeds expectations. Tulane University is classified as a ‘medium size university,’ with a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,803 students. This means that students can anticipate seeing many familiar faces while walking on campus, but also expect to meet new students throughout the duration of their time at Tulane. Introductory lecture courses on average are large, ranging from one to two hundred. Even in this larger lecture setting, however, courses have been taught by dedicated professors willing to make time for students. The majority of my courses during the first two years consisted of twenty students or less. My freshman year Spanish class, for example, had just twelve. As a student in the honors program, I have benefitted from the fact that classes become even more intimate. This ensured individual attention that facilitates the strong academic ethos of Tulane. I have never had a teacher than did not know my name after one or two weeks of class. Contacting professors is incredibly easy, as professors commonly make their cell phone numbers available. As a freshman I was shocked to find that the library closes at 9:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. I felt that this was not conducive to studying, but students prove to be highly motivated and resourceful, ignoring that going out every night of the week is an option. I oftentimes find myself wondering how students at Tulane do it, but they manage to get work done, and do it exceptionally well. Majoring in English and International Development, the liberal arts curriculum of Tulane University allows for so much flexibility that I have been able to also minor in art studio. Even though I was an exploratory freshman, the roundabout path of arriving at my major illustrates that education at Tulane is geared to learning for its own sake. I have multiple favorite teachers from Tulane. In my beginning drawing course I met one of the most dedicated teachers imaginable. Aaron Collier opens his art courses to students of all skill levels and is committed to the teaching the art of ‘learning to see.’ Students are willing to collaborate and the atmosphere is one of sharing.

Professors will know your name. They are always helpful at office hours and the school has a great tutoring center. There are a lot of bad professors, but also some really great ones. I have loved taking Legal studies, ethics and economics.

The professors are largely pretty good, with some being better or worse than the average. Some take the time to get to know your name, but others just can't be bothered. However, if you are willing to ask for help, I have never heard of a professor rejecting that request. They will not come to you and ask, but they are there for assistance if you need it. If you want to establish a relationship with your professors, it is crucial that you attend office hours and let them know that you're interested in the subject. Many are intellectuals, and can talk about their respective subjects for hours without getting bored. There are students that have plenty of intellectual conversations outside of class, but I wouldn't say this is the majority. A lot of students are in the b-school, which doesn't exactly lend itself to analytical thinking. Science and engineering students work really hard, but probably not any harder than students at another school of Tulane's caliber. Liberal arts majors tend to enjoy their studies, while other students are more focused on their career paths. Overall, this is definitely a work hard, play hard school, and it's really important to maintain a balance. If you blow off work and party 5 nights a week, you will fail out of school, no matter what your major is. But if you never go out because you're studying all the time, you will be absolutely miserable, and not taking advantage of this opportunity. Academics are really important to most students, but they still recognize the need for fun.

My professors do know my name, because my classes are mostly smaller english classes, with anywhere from four to thirty students. This is the norm for humanities classes, although science, business, and other large lecture classes are certainly more impersonal. My favorite class has probably been a series of classes on Ancient Greek democracy, although there are definitely more conventional "favorite class" offerings like Brazillian Dance or Guns and Gangs. My least favorite was Microeconomics; the teacher tried his best to make it interesting but it was not enough. Although students do certainly drink and socialize a lot, they also study a great deal. I am writing this from the library, and there are no empty seats within my field of vision. Class participation varies based on the size and subject of the class. Students do have intellectual conversations outside of class, my most recent being a tragic, unconventional reading of the Twilight series that saw the books as a critique of traditional gender norms and notions of relationships. Students are competitive if the class is graded on a curve (this means you, medical students). The most unique class I have taken was a service learning offering that required me to go into New Orleans criminal court in order to observe cases. It was haunting and difficult at times, but an incredible experience. Some majors are more aimed at immediate employment than others, although that really is a feature of academia in general than a Tulane particularity. I have spent some time with teachers outside of class, and learned just as much during those times, while we ate dinner or went running.

Professors at Tulane tend to be helpful, personable, and engaging, but there are plenty of duds out there as well. As at any school its important to check on sites like RateMyProf.com before you commit to a class. Classes and students are very different depending on what school you are in. The stereotypical party/slacker types are usually associated with the Business school, while the hard-working students who never stop studying are usually in the School of Architecture, or the School of Public Health. My school, The School of Liberal Arts, is somewhere in the middle. As an English and History major a lot of the class discussions are usually monopolized by 3 or 4 intelligent students, while the rest sit there blankly. The best classes I've taken are the Creative Writing workshops and the English Capstone with Professor Molly Rothenberg, where students all participate and are engaged with what they are doing. Students at Tulane tend not to be competitive. This is definitely not a dog eat dog academic environment. The academic requirements are not too hard to complete in four years, but a lot of students take four and a half or five years to finish at Tulane, which goes along with the laissez-faire, laid-back mindset of the university in general. Tulane is often commended for their public service requirement, but in reality this is treated as somewhat of a joke. Unless you do a lot of research on your class beforehand, there's a good chance your "community service" will not feel very much like service at all. For example, a lot of my friends had to make a "radio show" or conduct interviews for their service requirement, instead of more typical community service activities like working at a school or building houses. There's a lot of students who finish without many job prospects, but Tulane gives you all the tools to get jobs and internships while in college and afterwards. The best way to insure you will get a job after graduation is to work while your in school, which is not hard to do. Teach for America also has a great relationship with Tulane, and many students go on to the program after graduation.

Professors at Tulane tend to be helpful, personable, and engaging, but there are plenty of duds out there as well. As at any school its important to check on sites like RateMyProf.com before you commit to a class. Classes and students are very different depending on what school you are in. The stereotypical party/slacker types are usually associated with the Business school, while the hard-working students who never stop studying are usually in the School of Architecture, or the School of Public Health. My school, The School of Liberal Arts, is somewhere in the middle. As an English and History major a lot of the class discussions are usually monopolized by 3 or 4 intelligent students, while the rest sit there blankly. The best classes I've taken are the Creative Writing workshops and the English Capstone with Professor Molly Rothenberg, where students all participate and are engaged with what they are doing. Students at Tulane tend not to be competitive. This is definitely not a dog eat dog academic environment. The academic requirements are not too hard to complete in four years, but a lot of students take four and a half or five years to finish at Tulane, which goes along with the laissez-faire, laid-back mindset of the university in general. Tulane is often commended for their public service requirement, but in reality this is treated as somewhat of a joke. Unless you do a lot of research on your class beforehand, there's a good chance your "community service" will not feel very much like service at all. For example, a lot of my friends had to make a "radio show" or conduct interviews for their service requirement, instead of more typical community service activities like working at a school or building houses. There's a lot of students who finish without many job prospects, but Tulane gives you all the tools to get jobs and internships while in college and afterwards. The best way to insure you will get a job after graduation is to work while your in school, which is not hard to do. Teach for America also has a great relationship with Tulane, and many students go on to the program after graduation.

School is tough. But as my dad always says..."You go to college for class, not for parties." I work very hard in majority of my classes. There were those few classes that were definitely an easy A that fulfill some requirements, but many of my major requirements take up a LOT of study time. As a double major, Environmental Studies and English, I spend equal amount of times reading/writing and studying scientific facts. Tulane is not the best when it comes to being able to take all of your first choice classes each semester (they fill up very quickly). However, as I get older I become earlier on the line to choose my schedule. By Senior year I will be in every class I want. I honestly have never studied this hard in high school, I mean 24 hours in the library in one weekend. But your hard work pays off and even if you are getting average grades but your teacher sees how much effort you put in to the class, they will usually take that into account when giving you your final grade.

It isn't easy. I start with that because it's the truth and it's the main thing you need to understand when you come into a nationally ranked university. Now that you understand that here it is! The academics at Tulane are just plain awesome! The teachers will know your name. Freshman classes are generally bigger. Like you General Chemistry or Intro to Psych will be larger around 150 students but other than that, most have a cap at 20. The university has a TIDES program which is basically just an extremely fun class! The topics range from Business to Clinical Medicine to Architecture in New Orleans to Baking. The class is designed to get you integrated into the campus, the city, and to give you a good advisor.

While the courses are challenging at Tulane, they are also very interesting and informative. Tulane really caters to the diverse student population by offering so many different options for courses each semester. The classes at Tulane are much smaller than at other colleges, which is a huge advantage; the ratio of students to faculty is 16 to 1. The intimacy provided by the small class size allows the students to create relationships with their professors and get to know them more easily. Tulane has wonderful professors who are extremely passionate and dedicated to their work. They will always go the extra mile to ensure that their students are learning as much as possible and that each student feels that their efforts are acknowledged. All professors offer designated office hours for students to come get one-on-one extra help if they are struggling or missed class. Professors are very flexible and will always make an individual appointment with you if you are unable to attend the assigned office hours. Tulane University epitomizes the word hard, play hard attitude. You will always find students studying in the library but we definitely know how to have a good time! Of course school can get frustrating and stressful during midterms or finals, but Tulane University manages to make learning fun and I know that is something every student at Tulane would agree on!

While the courses are challenging at Tulane, they are also very interesting and informative. Tulane really caters to the diverse student population by offering so many different options for courses each semester. The classes at Tulane are much smaller than at other colleges, which is a huge advantage; the ratio of students to faculty is 16 to 1. The intimacy provided by the small class size allows the students to create relationships with their professors and get to know them more easily. Tulane has wonderful professors who are extremely passionate and dedicated to their work. They will always go the extra mile to ensure that their students are learning as much as possible and that each student feels that their efforts are acknowledged. All professors offer designated office hours for students to come get one-on-one extra help if they are struggling or missed class. Professors are very flexible and will always make an individual appointment with you if you are unable to attend the assigned office hours. Tulane University epitomizes the word hard, play hard attitude. You will always find students studying in the library but we definitely know how to have a good time! Of course school can get frustrating and stressful during midterms or finals, but Tulane University manages to make learning fun and I know that is something every student at Tulane would agree on!

While the courses at Tulane are challenging, they are also very interesting and informative. Tulane really caters to the diverse student population by offering so many different options for courses each semester. The classes at Tulane are much smaller than at other colleges, which is a huge advantage; the ratio of students to faculty is 16 to 1. The intimacy provided by the small class size allows the students to create relationships with their professors and get to know them more easily. Tulane has wonderful professors who are extremely passionate and dedicated to their work. They will always go the extra mile to ensure that their students are learning as much as possible and that each student feels that their efforts are acknowledged. All professors offer designated office hours for students to come get one-on-one extra help if they are struggling or missed class. Professors are very flexible and will always make an individual appointment with you if you are unable to attend the assigned office hours. Of course school can get frustrating and stressful during midterms or finals, but Tulane University manages to make learning fun and I know that is something every student at Tulane would agree on!

I'm having a very unique college experience academically compared to the rest of the Tulane community. As a Gender and Sexuality Studies and English major I have yet to be in a class bigger than 25 people. I'm a great example of how students can get a liberal arts education at Tulane. I feel like I have the best of both worlds. Small classes and great professors but I also have the ability as an undergraduate to do research since Tulane has many graduate studies programs. I'm getting a great education here but I think it's hard for people that are less focused and unsure of what they're passionate about. It's very easy to have all 100 person lectures freshman year if you aren't careful in choosing classes. I advise students to not try and complete all their requirements straight away (or choose a major), and instead take classes they are interested in with good professors.