Anywhere But Here: Tulane University
By Sarah Pinkerton
Monday 2nd November 2009
Monday 2nd November 2009
Tulane University was founded in 1834 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and it’s my home university. In most ways, it’s very different from St. Andrews, with the only similarity being the size of the undergraduate population. Other than that, Tulane and St. Andrews have very little in common.
New Orleans is a pretty large city mostly known for its famous (or infamous!) annual celebration of Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is such a pervasive cultural tradition that Tulane students actually get the day off class to attend the parades and festivities, which was one of my favourite factoids to pull out to make my friends at home jealous. Plus Mardi Gras itself is quite fun, not only because the excitement level is high, but also because collecting beads can get competitive. (And no, you don’t have to flash anyone to get a special strand of beads!)
Such moments of revelry typically involve drinking, whether legally or underage. Given that the drinking age is 21 but alcohol isn’t really that hard to come by in New Orleans, a lot of the drinking is technically illegal. However, much of the night life involves attending fraternity parties and going to various bars - as one only needs to be 18 to get into a bar, the rest isn’t so difficult for most students.
Despite being allowed to drink on the street in New Orleans, there are rules against underage students having containers of alcohol (open or not) on campus, so students tend to be aware and careful of where they do their partying.
This isn’t to say that the only Tulane students do is party; not at all. Students know how to balance work and fun, usually maintaining a decent equilibrium. The school has a core curriculum that requires students to take subjects outside of their major, ensuring a well-rounded educational experience. I personally have never done so many credit hours as I did during my second semester of my second year. Granted, I’m double-majoring in English and psychology, and the humanities and the sciences have different core requirements— but still. The student body is definitely made up of hard workers. That being said, one of the unofficial mottoes (very unofficial) of the school is “First we out-think you, and then we out-drink you.”
In addition to academia and debauchery, Tulane students also join clubs, societies, and sports teams. People are really spoiled for choice about what to do on campus, not even taking into account all the interesting things to do around the city. In my free time (when I had free time), I joined the fencing club, an honours society, and wrote for the school newspaper. Students are also required to do volunteer work, which New Orleans is still in desperate need of, years after Hurricane Katrina.
As far as weather goes, it’s pretty warm all year round. Spring and fall are usually pretty balmy. In the summertime, a normal temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit, while in the winter it’s usually around 45, 50, or 55 degrees. This past winter, it actually got so cold that it snowed one morning, but snow is very rare. Rain, however, is not. Rain in New Orleans comes in short, heavy bursts, causing massive puddles, leaky roofs, and sometimes flooding.
As for traditions, there aren’t too many school-specific ones, though Crawfest has become something of an annual celebration. Crawfest is a day-long festival with live music and other entertainment, and students eat free crawfish. It sounds a bit strange, but sitting out in the sun while eating and listening to music with friends is definitely fun.
Another strange experience unique to Tulane is the sighting of a woman called Granny Cart Lady. Allegedly, she either used to be the house mother for the all-female dorm, or she was married to someone in administration at Tulane. Now, though, she walks around campus pushing a small cart. She randomly attends classes and talks to (read yells at) students and staff. I don’t think anyone knows who she truly is, but she’s certainly a legend around the school.
The Tulane experience is fairly atypical, and at times stressful, but overall it’s a great school at home in an even greater city.
New Orleans is a pretty large city mostly known for its famous (or infamous!) annual celebration of Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is such a pervasive cultural tradition that Tulane students actually get the day off class to attend the parades and festivities, which was one of my favourite factoids to pull out to make my friends at home jealous. Plus Mardi Gras itself is quite fun, not only because the excitement level is high, but also because collecting beads can get competitive. (And no, you don’t have to flash anyone to get a special strand of beads!)
Such moments of revelry typically involve drinking, whether legally or underage. Given that the drinking age is 21 but alcohol isn’t really that hard to come by in New Orleans, a lot of the drinking is technically illegal. However, much of the night life involves attending fraternity parties and going to various bars - as one only needs to be 18 to get into a bar, the rest isn’t so difficult for most students.
Despite being allowed to drink on the street in New Orleans, there are rules against underage students having containers of alcohol (open or not) on campus, so students tend to be aware and careful of where they do their partying.
This isn’t to say that the only Tulane students do is party; not at all. Students know how to balance work and fun, usually maintaining a decent equilibrium. The school has a core curriculum that requires students to take subjects outside of their major, ensuring a well-rounded educational experience. I personally have never done so many credit hours as I did during my second semester of my second year. Granted, I’m double-majoring in English and psychology, and the humanities and the sciences have different core requirements— but still. The student body is definitely made up of hard workers. That being said, one of the unofficial mottoes (very unofficial) of the school is “First we out-think you, and then we out-drink you.”
In addition to academia and debauchery, Tulane students also join clubs, societies, and sports teams. People are really spoiled for choice about what to do on campus, not even taking into account all the interesting things to do around the city. In my free time (when I had free time), I joined the fencing club, an honours society, and wrote for the school newspaper. Students are also required to do volunteer work, which New Orleans is still in desperate need of, years after Hurricane Katrina.
As far as weather goes, it’s pretty warm all year round. Spring and fall are usually pretty balmy. In the summertime, a normal temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit, while in the winter it’s usually around 45, 50, or 55 degrees. This past winter, it actually got so cold that it snowed one morning, but snow is very rare. Rain, however, is not. Rain in New Orleans comes in short, heavy bursts, causing massive puddles, leaky roofs, and sometimes flooding.
As for traditions, there aren’t too many school-specific ones, though Crawfest has become something of an annual celebration. Crawfest is a day-long festival with live music and other entertainment, and students eat free crawfish. It sounds a bit strange, but sitting out in the sun while eating and listening to music with friends is definitely fun.
Another strange experience unique to Tulane is the sighting of a woman called Granny Cart Lady. Allegedly, she either used to be the house mother for the all-female dorm, or she was married to someone in administration at Tulane. Now, though, she walks around campus pushing a small cart. She randomly attends classes and talks to (read yells at) students and staff. I don’t think anyone knows who she truly is, but she’s certainly a legend around the school.
The Tulane experience is fairly atypical, and at times stressful, but overall it’s a great school at home in an even greater city.