There are many reasons why you should avoid Tulane University at all costs. First of all, let's begin with the on-campus politics. President Cowen is making it his personal vendetta to attack students who drink. If a student happens to be caught drinking (and is under the age of 21) their parents are notified of the incident. Not only is this ridiculous because students, not the University, have a personal responsibility to their parents, but also because the drinking laws in New Orleans differ from elsewhere in the country. An adult of 18 can consume alcohol in a residence (including dormitories) but yet somehow President Cowen feels it is his own responsibility to amend Louisiana's laws. Unless of course, you're a football player, in which case you can get away with pretty much anything.

A couple of years ago, Tulane's administration decided to amend their budget in order to promote their sports program. The result of that is what everyone heard a year or so ago: Tulane Football... the cinderella story that brought a head coach to leave the school. What everybody didn't hear about was the heightened tuition and the drop in scholastics. Athletes at this school are put on easy street. They receive full tuition, free books, and a free place to stay. But they also receive the opportunity to take the easiest classes on earth, and professors that are paid off to give them a good grade. Disgusted yet? It gets worse.

Speaking of professors, the quality varies GREATLY by department. While in the sciences you'll receive some competent professors, few of them speak good english. In the arts there is a high level of competence, but a lacking structure of curriculum and well defined course requisites. And of course, while you're trying to study you can do it in housing that is delapidated, or a library that is sinking into the very earth we walk on. Literally.

As far as freshmen dorms go, there are few choices. All of them are led by a team of poorly trained Resident Advisors that couldn't discipline a dog to eat a cookie. Consequently, I hope you enjoy waking up at 2 am... and then at 4 am... and maybe 6 am if you're lucky. Fire alarms are a freshmen's best friend. Especially during greek pledging season and, of course, finals. Plus if you're lucky enough to live in Monroe, you can live happily with the knowledge that one of the many large windows can fall out with no reason, the elevator will stop working frequently, and may even fall several floors (again) just for the fun of it. Ah, Monroe.

Progressing into upperclassmen hood, if you choose to remain on campus, the options do not get much better. Basically, Housing and Residence Life is out to screw you at every turn. Rates for housing continue to rise every year on dorms that are decades old and falling apart. My roommates and I decided to live in the on-campus apartment complex this year. Upon arriving, we were greeted with a broken down dishwasher, a leaky sink, two desk chairs missing, a lack of blinds in our living room and three of the four bedrooms. Normally this would not have been so bad except that we live on the first floor, so everyone could stare in at us from inside the complex and outside (we are fortunate enough to be living beside the campus car garage). After two weeks of maintenance requests both made by ourselves and our R.A. (if she really did anything), I finally wrote to the head of HRL and someone finally came over... but didn't complete the work for over a week thereafter.

There are many other things I could discuss, but mainly my point is: Don't apply here. Don't visit here. Get away while you still can.



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