What makes Tulane better than other colleges

I had been home for a total of four hours before I found myself being dragged to the salon by my lovely mother. I sat down in the chair, dreading the stereotypical home-from-college-for-the-first-time conversation I was about to have with my stylist.

After we cycled through the riveting topics of majors, classes, dorm life, she finally asked, “Why Tulane? Why New Orleans?”

“It’s different. It’s just the best,” I replied without much thought. But as I watched inches of my poor hair that was fried by months of exposure to the radioactive humidity that is the New Orleans climate, I started to think about it. What is it that makes Tulane so different? What is it about Tulane that makes it the best?

Sure, Tulane offers the “typical” college experience. Like so many other universities around the country, we have football games, tailgates, Greek Life, parties galore, and a sub-par dining hall.

First tailgate!

But, the one main difference I found when comparing experiences with my friends at home is the level of interaction with the area surrounding our campuses. At most colleges, students stay in the comfortable campus “bubble” and have no means or desire to explore or involve themselves with the surrounding community. This is where going to Tulane makes all the difference.

What is truly special about Tulane is our sense of community. When you come to Tulane, one does not just become part of the immediate Tulane community. Instead, students are welcomed with open arms as members of the New Orleans community. Although New Orleans is known for a plethora of questionable activities and outrageous events, Tulane takes their students beyond Bourbon Street and The Boot to understand the history, culture, and struggles of this great city.

For all of you who have experienced your freshman year at Tulane, you are probably familiar with the required Tides course class as well as the service component that goes along with most of these classes. You might have dreaded waking up at the ungodly hour of 8 AM on a Saturday morning after a long night jumping back and forth from The Boot and The Palms to separate Mardi Gras beads or paint a rusty metal fence at a local elementary school (or in my case, spend 72 hours at a state park in northern Louisiana tending to the needs of runners in a 100-mile ultra-marathon).

My Running Tides classmates and me holding our professor just hours before his 100 mile ultra-marathon

You might have wondered what in the world is the point of being quizzed on Mardi Gras parades and music culture and writing a paper on what you learned from running 5+ miles a week through the Big Easy (#runningtides4life). In the end, all of these things allowed you to become well acclimated and connected to this new city that you now call home.

There’s nothing quite like your freshman Tides class to get you to explore and get to know New Orleans, and service-learning only makes it that much better. Whether you separated beads, painted a fence, built a house, taught English as a second language, tutored local students, or made quesadillas and ramen for ultra-runners in the woods, you made a difference in the community while developing a new sense of appreciation for the New Orleans culture and people.

Mac Demarco at The Civic over Fall Break. My third Mac show and, by far, the sickest

Even beyond service learning, there are so many opportunities for Tulane students to experience everything that New Orleans has to offer. From concerts to food and drink festivals to more parades in one year than you’ve ever seen in your life, you will never run out of new things to do in good ole NOLA. Tired of The Boot? Check out the line-up at One Eyed Jacks or the Civic. Want a change in scenery? Take a walk down the streetcar tracks or through Audubon Park to the Fly.

Southern Decadence!

Interested in dressing outrageously and marching down Bourbon Street in the sweltering heat of early September? Southern Decadence is the place to be. Without a doubt, a bored Tulane student is harder to find than a reasonably priced cold-pressed juice in New Orleans.

Whether by means of Tides, service learning, or just being interested in events going on in the city, everyone at Tulane has explored this city and become a valued member of the New Orleans community. Tulane is different. Tulane is the best. In the words of the Tulane Admission’s Instagram page, “Only at Tulane, Only in New Orleans.”

Carrollton Streetcar Tracks in the Golden Hour. Only in New Orleans