Rory
Tulane is not for slackers. The classes are challenging and this city offers far too much distraction. That said it is not often you'll find a student here who is obsessed about grades. I find that most of the people who go here are smart enough that they find ways to get good grades while still partying hard and going to class hungover. The library while empty for most of the semester is jam packed for the last week or so before finals. We party hard, but unless you have your shit together you're probably not coming back second semester. Thats enough motivation for even the craziest Tulane student to put in a few hours of serious work before heading to Ms. Maes.
Alex
Academics at Tulane a great. Within the major, Professors definitely try to get to know the students. At the lower levels it may not seem that way, because who knows if the freshmen will continue on in that field, and the classes are bigger in the lower levels. Students here really balance the studying with the play. We will go out any night of the week (maybe Monday and Sunday are slow nights), but we still manage to handle all of our school work. It is a matter of finishing what we need to do before 10 or 11 when we go out. Professors are given money to have activities outside of class, and this happens all the time. This is a great way for the students and the professors to get to know eachother better.
Brian
The professors seem to care about their students. They don't necessarily go out of their way to ensure that students learn and excel, but they are very knowledgeable and there is a great deal of accountability that they put on the students.
Meaghan
All my professors know my name. My least favorite class was intro to psych. students study a lot on campus. but they also party hard. class participation is common. My major is architecture. The Tulane school of architecture is a very tight community, mostly everyone knows each other by name. The professors are very committed to being available and helping when needed.
Sandy
People here are very studious. It's kind of intimidating sometimes how hard people try.
Dale
Depending on the class, some professors know your name. But, of course if you are in a lecture style class it is impossible that the teacher will ever know your name unless you go to their office hours or talk to them after class. My favorite class has been Spanish because the class size is smaller in the language classes and the professors I've had have been fun, engaging, and very helpful. My least favorite class has been Philosophy Symbolic Logic. The math department is not very good here. The amount that students study really varies upon the student, I know some students who study for what seems like their life and others who I've never really seen study. Yes, class participation is common, many students ask questions and respond actively. Not many students, that I know of, hold intellectual conversations outside of class but they are capable of it and if one wanted to they could hold a conversation with almost anyone. The most unique class I've taken was a freshman course on Dadaism and Surrealism. The teacher was fun and the information I learned was very unique and interesting. We even had class outside one day. The education at Tulane is both geard toward getting a job and learning for its own sake. By having core requirements, students are forced to take certain classes which are geared towards learning for the sake of learning. On the other hand, classes that students take for their majors are geared toward their success in their perspective careers. Depending on the class, sometimes we spend time with professors outside of class.
Vick
All of my professors know my name. My favorite class is Documentary Film; my professor is intelligent and knows how to engage the class. My least favorite is Math; its a requirement, I dont like math that much. Studying happens on a daily basis; you have to study if you want to keep up. Class participation is common because the lectures are all interactive. Intellectual conversations are really popular among my friends and I. We are always discussing our classes. Students are competitive; but mainly with themselves. The most unique class I've taken is Screenwriting. We wrote our own screenplays. It was amazing. My department is through the Communications major. The professors are knowledgable and are always helping us out with classes etc. I don't spend much time with professors out of class. Our professors seem distant from student life. Tulane's academic requirements are pretty hefty and rigorous. The education at Tulane is heavily geared towards getting a job. Our career center is always trying to help us out.