New to Tulane #new2TU

Guest blogger: Walker Daniel 

I still remember getting my acceptance letter from Tulane. It was the first letter I got – the first assurance that I would actually be going to college. A mere cardstock and important-looking envelope, that acceptance letter made me so happy. I remember giggling like the dweeb I am, then running to knock on my brother and sisters’ doors to let the house know the good news. Getting in to college is an incredibly exciting thing! It is hard work paid off, it is relief, and it is pure excitement.

As a social media intern in the Admissions Office, I have the privilege of receiving the excitement that follows these acceptances. As the season of applying slowly closes and the season of choosing a college rolls in, members of the class of 2018 absolutely love to tweet. Not only tweet, but also instagram, blog, facebook, shout (I’m sure) and basically anything to proclaim their joy. Since I am only a freshman, the college process is still fresh in my mind – and I know I was the proclaimer-of-all-proclaimers. So this year, we’ve been checking out what people are saying about being accepted to Tulane… and I’ve got to say, it puts a huge smile on my face. They have no idea how great their next 4 years will be. Absolutely, totally, completely and utterly unaware of what awaits them here: and it is awesome to see.

Here are just a few of the pumped up kids who got into Tulane this year:

I GOT ACCEPTED TO TULANE IM SCREAMING!!!!
— nikko☽ (@nikko314) November 13, 2013

HI NIKKO CONRATULATIONS!! I wonder if he really was screaming…

I'm got into Tulane University with a $20,000 annual renewable scholarship!!! pic.twitter.com/st7DLsN10u
— Olivia Kaye (@Livvi_dance) November 19, 2013

Here's a Picstitch from Olivia (@Livvi_dance) who also looks pretty happy.

Got into my dream school today and I'm performing on The Voice tomorrow. Ok like what? who's life is this awesome?
— Caroline Pennell (@carolinepennell) November 5, 2013

Is anyone watching The Voice this season? Well, guess who is accepted to Tulane’s Class of 2018!!!



Give a warm welcome to Amelia, who captioned her Instagram picture “Hello, future.” Honestly this is pretty awesome.

ACCEPTED TO TULANE!!! 🎉
— Vicky Lozano (@lickyvozano) November 16, 2013

45 favorites?! I guess it’s pretty deserving… Congratulations Vicky!

@Sammiestrahl also got a surprise… #yum #art #sweet #literally

Got accepted to Tulane with a scholarship. Dats cool. ☺️
— Maddy Snarr (@snarrwhal) November 13, 2013

Of course Maddy, dat is cool.

That’s all that I’m going to put on the blog, but if you’re interested in reading more, follow this link to see more tweets from accepted students!

Follow me on Twitter for more updates on what life is likeas a freshman at Tulane! @TulaneWalker

NOLAween

Peyton (left) and Sarah (right),
both interns for Tulane Admission

 Guest blogger: Sarah

If you think Halloween is fun in your hometown, just wait until you hear about Halloween in New Orleans. Two weekends of celebratory events, concerts, festivities on campus, plus the general fun of any weekend in New Orleans makes for an unbeatable combination. 

To get into the spirit, my roommates and I went on a little shopping spree. We first went to the pumpkin patch right off Tulane’s campus and bought some decorative pumpkins for our house. Three hours later, after stopping at two different Halloween Superstores and Wal-Mart (and Chipotle), we came home and began our decorating. Soon enough, our house was ready for a pre-Halloween party.

We invited our friends over for a Halloween costume contest and haunted house. I think it’s safe to say everyone and everything looked incredible and that our friends were sufficiently spooked.

While most cities or college towns spend this weekend preparing, decorating, or finding costumes, New Orleans uses Halloween as an excuse to celebrate for TWO weekends. Bars and clubs around the city had Halloween parties and one krewe paraded near Jackson Square. I made sure to check out one of the most intense Haunted Houses in New Orleans, referred to as the House of Shock. After the actual haunted portion, there was an outdoor music festival with food, drinks, and live music. It was one of the more terrifying experiences and my wrists had fingernail marks imprinted from one of my friends, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from New Orleans.

Tulane also got into the Halloween spirit! The Tuesday before Halloween there was a showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. If you’ve been to a live show, then you know that audience participation is half the fun. I’d been once before, so I knew what to expect, but it was a totally different experience being on campus, surrounded by so many young people dressed up in their lace and fishnets. 

Finally, to Halloween weekend itself!!! We started the weekend off on Thursday, which was Halloween night. It’s a tradition in New Orleans to go to Frenchman Street, which basically turns in to a big party in the street. Everyone is dressed up in their costumes and roams around with their friends, marveling at everyone’s unique and clever costumes. To catch a break from the craziness outside, everyone can head into the bars on Frenchmen - which always play live music on Halloween (and most other nights too). My friends and I dressed up as the cast of Orange is the New Black, and we saw three other groups dressed up just like us. I also saw two teachers, which made class extra fun on Monday ;).

I spent the rest of the weekend at Voodoo Music and Arts Festival. My favorite artist had to be Macklemore. He opened his concert with this elaborate story about his arrival to New Orleans. It went something like this… “I got off the plane, and I was just so happy to be here, I was feeling so alive. It’s New Orleans! And I just wanted to go to the river. I had to be in the water. So I went to the river, took off my clothes, and dove right on in. I was feeling so alive, so happy, when I looked over and I see these two dudes holding my pants. And I yell, dude, those are my pants! And they run away”. Macklemore goes on to explain that he finds this old lady feeding the birds, and she tells him to follow her. He continues, “So I followed her, naked, in a foreign city, with no idea what was going on. And finally I ask her, where are we going? And she responds and says, well, it looks like you don’t have any pants on. So we’re going to the THRIFT SHOP!” You’d think I could have predicted that ending to the story was heading… but I didn’t. It was an incredible show and I’m even more in love with Macklemore than I was before. Mary Lambert was there too to perform ‘Same Love’ which was also a beautiful performance.

Other highlights of the weekend included Calvin Harris, Matt and Kim, Paramore, Afrojack, Kid Rock, Pearl Jam, and Bassnectar. The weekend was a total break from reality and honestly felt like a mini-vacation. The weather was perfect (high 60s), the music was great, and the spirit of New Orleans was strong. 

No other city has quite the amount of festivities as New Orleans does. From regular concerts, to parties in the street, 3-day music festivals, and fun events on campus, New Orleans, or Nolaween, is a party similar to none other. We hope you can join us for it next year!

Follow me at @Tulane_Sarah for more scoop on life as a Tulane senior! 

Best Food Ever!!

Best Year____ Ever!!

Andrew Lemoine, a rising sophomore, wrote an awesome blog series highlighting why he loves Tulane. Stay tuned to hear more from Andrew!

            So freshman year is in the books, and boy was it one I will never forget. As a local kid from Louisiana I didn’t know what to expect by staying in state for college, but it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. New Orleans is one of the most unique places in the world. I think that this statement pretty much sums up my experience at Tulane this past year. Unique!

Best Food Ever!!

         So the one thing that everyone agrees on, is that New Orleans is famous for its food!! I can’t sum up m freshman year in New Orleans without slightly mentioning food. From the famous Café Du Monde in the New Orleans French Quarter, to Plum Street Snow Balls in Uptown, you cannot go wrong with New Orleans Food. When I got to campus back in August,  one of the things I could not wait to do was try as many foods as possible. Our course, on a college student budget, I was limited, but that didn’t stop me from trying! From going out to eat with friends, to cooking Sunday Family Dinners in our dorm’s kitchen, to we had the best time doing it! There are literally restaurants everywhere in Nola!! It is just like activities on campus. The hardest part isn’t finding a restaurant. It’s picking which one you want! All it takes is a little bravery, a longing for adventure and a huge appetite!!

Best School Ever!!

Best Year____ Ever!!

Andrew Lemoine, a rising sophomore, wrote an awesome blog series highlighting why he loves Tulane. Stay tuned to hear more from Andrew!

            So freshman year is in the books, and boy was it one I will never forget. As a local kid from Louisiana I didn’t know what to expect by staying in state for college, but it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. New Orleans is one of the most unique places in the world. I think that this statement pretty much sums up my experience at Tulane this past year. Unique!

Best School Ever!!

         So I was one of those kids that showed up to Tulane my Junior year ready to tour. I had no idea to expect and no idea what to look for. I had heard so much about the school and how awesome it was, but of course awesome to one person isn’t the same to another. And when I got to campus, “the wave” hit me!(see what I did there?) I immediately fell in love with Tulane. From that day on, I did not want to go anywhere else. Of course I had to apply to other places to make my parents happy, but it didn’t matter. I knew I wanted to go to Tulane; it is the best school ever!

            Tulane had everything I wanted, plus more! First off, campus is gorgeous. I walk out of my dorm in the mornings and just think, “Dang...this is why I came here.” It’s just that pretty.

I took this picture during my first ever trip to campus

  

Of course there are other things too: you know, academics, your education, “important” stuff like that. I am a neuroscience major, so I was really attracted to the research opportunities available for students. Every time I turned around I met some kid who did this is one lab and their friend did that in a different one. Throughout this year, I really just felt that students wanted to be here, they wanted to be involved in their studies, and they wanted to learn.

            And of course, just like New Orleans, Tulane is unique! There are so many random quirks that make Tulane what it is! I know this is kind of obvious, but it doesn’t snow in New Orleans...Ever. So how did Tulane fix that? Snow day!! Tulane brought in trucks that sprayed snow all over the LBC Quad. During homecoming week, my friends and I walk out of our dorms one night find a carnival on the quad. And not just small little booths with some games and a bouncy house. This was a full blown-ferris wheel and tons of rides-Carnival. And of course, I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked about the Mardi Gras tree. As per tradition, on the way back parades, students throw some of there beads up in a big tree on the academic quad.

            

            I know these are just little things, but thats what makes something what it is. There are so many countless experiences that all combine to make Tulane such an amazing place. I always say the problem is not finding something to go do, it’s trying to pick from all the things available. I could sit with you and talk till may face turned blue, and still have more to say about Tulane.

From left to right: Making masks in my dorm; my friend, Jesse, and the 16oz pancake in City Diner; students cover the LBC quad for Crawfest!; everyone hanging out in our dorm lounge for the Superbowl watch party.