Tulane University of Louisiana Top Questions

Greek life is not very large on campus according to the percentage on our schools website. However, it definitely has a more prominent role socially. You do not need to be in Greek life to go out, have fun, and meet new people. By NO means must you join a sorority/fraternity to enjoy school. However, it is an advantage to join because you automatically meet +50 more people who become your new "brothers/sisters". As a somewhat shy person myself, it helped me branch out and feel more comfortable when going to bars and recognizing more students. I really do love being a part of something that makes me feel so closely knit to a group of people. I also have many friends who did not join Greek life and they know just as many people as I do and are invited to many of the events Greeks hold weekly. It really is a personal preference to join or not, and regardless of your choice you will still be happy at Tulane.

Academically smart! Very smart students congregate here. Although it is a stereotype, the most prevalent one is partiers. Yes, there a ton of outings and alcohol is readily available. While this is all true, the students here are still smart and concerned about their school work.

The most common stereotype is that the students are rich Jewish kids from New York and surrounding areas. A belief about Tulane students from the surrounding New Orleans community is that we are snobby and uninvolved. Aside from these, there are so many different types of people on campus that it's hard to pinpoint one overarching theme. There are plenty of sorority girls in leggings and UGGs, but at the same time there are a ton of artsy people and hipsters.

When many people think of Tulane they immediately think of Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. This leads to the stereotype that all Tulane students do is drink, which in fact is not the case. While there is a great bar scene and fun frat parties, Tulane and the city of New Orleans provide an assortment of activities for students that don't like to drink (the music scene in New Orleans can be enjoyed sober, as well as the organization Tulane After Dark which provides late night on campus activities as an alternative to the bars). In addition, Tulane students are incredibly hard workers. The phrase "work hard play hard" is a very accurate description of the Tulane mentality--the students here are incredibly driven in every aspect of life, be it their studies or having a good time.

Many people have called Tulane "Jewlane" because of the seemingly high population of Jewish students. However, I do not believe it is accurate. Yes, many people here ARE Jewish, but that does not define who we are as a community. There are many different people represented at Tulane, and no "stereotype" is left out. No matter what a person's style or religious beliefs may be, there is always a place for him or her in the Tulane community.

Don't let the location fool you, Tulane is an East-Coast prep school through and through, merely air-lifted to the deep-south. The vast majority of Tulane students come from over 500 miles away, with states like New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut being the most common. If you are from one of those areas and like the social climate, great! Expect more of it here. If you're like me, and stem from the beaches of California...expect a fair amount of culture shock. Expect designer purses on girls, and guys wearing button ups to a dive bar. Also, it needs to be noted, a not-so-proud nickname of Tulane is "Jewlane". Simply put, lots of Jews go here. That wasn't so much a problem for me, but it is certainly something to know before making the leap (can you believe they don't note this all in the tour?) But don't let this suddenly make you scamper off and run. Stereotypes always have counters and Tulane is no exception. There is a healthy nerd population with an active video-game club, and yearly Human Vs. Zombies game. There are the jocks that you will either live with or only see in the dining hall. There are goths, there are preps, and there are guys like me who are just dudes looking to get a degree and have a fun time. There's a niche for everyone.

At first glance, Tulane University sounds like a diverse group of intellectuals. It boasts being one of the most geographically diverse schools, and since it sits in the heart of New Orleans, one cannot help but think it will be racially diverse as well. Once you arrive there, however, the new stereotype is that we are all a bunch of rich, spoiled, white kids from the Northeast. While this is not entirely true since Tulane does have international students and at least one kid from almost every state, the average student is wealthy and from the Northeast (and I'll let you decide for yourself if they're spoiled). While, yes, this can cause a few rifts and can make the school seem more undesirable as a whole because it is not the hub of diversity that you think it might be, it is easily surmountable by exploring the surrounding city and taking advantage of all the opportunities you can to get out and enjoy New Orleans.

At first glance, Tulane University sounds like a diverse group of intellectuals. It boasts being one of the most geographically diverse schools, and since it sits in the heart of New Orleans, one cannot help but think it will be racially diverse as well. Once you arrive there, however, the new stereotype is that we are all a bunch of rich, spoiled, white kids from the Northeast. While this is not entirely true since Tulane does have international students and at least one kid from almost every state, the average student is wealthy and from the Northeast (and I'll let you decide for yourself if they're spoiled). While, yes, this can cause a few rifts and can make the school seem more undesirable as a whole because it is not the hub of diversity that you think it might be, it is easily surmountable by exploring the surrounding city and taking advantage of all the opportunities you can to get out and enjoy New Orleans.

Pretty much true. It's difficult to argue against stereotypes at Tulane due to a lack of diversity. The school itself has a reputation for being the Southern equivalent of a Northeastern liberal arts college, but with a heavy party atmosphere. For this, it ends up drawing primarily upper-middle class white students from California, Chicago, and the Northeast. You really get two types of applicants, those who had Tulane as their safety school and didn't get into anything Ivy, and some socially conscious students drawn by Tulane's reputation for charity in New Orleans. Fortunately, the student body is turning away from the Pre-Katrina dynamic of rich kids looking to party, towards a more academically and socially driven kid who is happy to party in New Orleans.

Tulane University students are thought of in different ways, depending on who you ask. There is a higher Jewish population than the national average, so there is a bit of a stereotype that everyone who goes here is Jewish and usually from the Northeast. But not everyone really is, and there are plenty of people from all over the country. Another stereotype is that everyone drinks a LOT, it is in New Orleans and I know from my friends at other schools that we do have more access to bars (which are more often to those 18+ instead of 21+) and there is clearly a drinking culture. That said, people often over estimate the amount of drinking that takes place, and it seems to me that there are usually a few people in any group of friends who don't drink at all.