Tulane University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Marketing
Minor: Spanish
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m not really involved on campus
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Went to school in Jamaica and then switched to a boarding school in Connecticut with about 100 students in the graduating class.
Major: Marketing
Minor: Spanish
Extracurricular Activities: I’m not really involved on campus
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
Right now, I’m involved in two core marketing classes, and still am taking prerequisites for business school. The workload isn’t that hard but it isn’t something that you can breeze through. Some people think that marketing is something that is obvious and intuitive but the concepts are hard.
What are your major assignments?
It changes from class to class. For Salesforce Management, there is a business simulation website we use and we are put into groups to manage a salesforce every class. We have to decide who is fired and hired and see what our market share is like. Every class we get a profit or loss and we have to edit our plan accordingly. In Consumer Behavior, I presented a case study about how a business that failed with their brand identity.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s definitely collaborative. Most classes are group work and a group effort. Like your group is graded as a group, not individually.
Is there anything that you feel your major’s department does especially well or especially poorly?
I don’t think they put enough effort into hiring who they want to be teaching the courses. It seems like the teachers I’ve had are not 100% invested in wanting their students to succeed. But I’m also a student that needs a little more attention, so I may be biased.
Why did you choose Marketing? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m very visual and prefer things to be fast-tracked and have an outcome. I’m super interested in brand management and I find watching advertisements and seeing someone’s reaction very interesting, like seeing how a few seconds of video can make somebody want to buy something.
Reasons to Attend
1) Being in New Orleans.
2) The people, as I said before.
3) Mardi Gras, for sure.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you want a more diverse climate than don’t come here.
2) It’s a very expensive college. [For 2019-2020, the total costs for a freshman resident is $74,860.]
3) It’s very academically difficult. You really have to pay attention in class and can’t cruise through.
Around Campus
Where did you live on campus? What was your favorite?
Freshman (I had to repeat Freshman year as a transfer): Willow dorm for the first semester. Because I was a transfer, they put me with the juniors and seniors. I switched to Sharpe second semester because I wasn’t happy with the social life in Willow.
Sophomore: Irby Hall in a suite of eight people.
Junior: Abroad first semester and then a house on Pine Street.
Can you describe the level of safety you have experienced on and around campus?
I personally haven’t had any problems with safety. I feel very safe on campus but I also don’t walk around at night alone.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Normally when we go off campus it’s to get away from the food. We like to go to Pizza Domenica and hang out for a while.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
There’s a main bar here that we all go to on the weekends or for happy hour, the Boot. Now that we’re 21, we like to go to some outdoor bars downtown, like Monkey Bar or Flamingo [A-Go-Go].
Can you describe a typical night freshman year?
We would hang in a dorm in our freshman dorm. It’d be a very packed, very small room because everybody gathers in one room. Either go to the Palms [which is now closed] or the Boot. After, we went to get pizza from the City Diner on campus.
What is an alternative to going to a party or a bar?
Every once in a while, they’ll offer concerts on campus that students pay $5 for. Last year T-Pain came and we only had to pay $5.
How happy are you with the nightlife at Tulane?
I’m pretty happy with it now. I’m a transfer from [a big university in Florida] so it was a bit different at first because there were unlimited options at my old school. Now that I’m 21, I feel less limited because I can go to bars downtown.
Campus Culture
How was blending in socially as a transfer student?
It’s not bad at all. A lot of people ask me why I didn’t rush, but I’m a person that’s not that into the sorority life, but I still like to go out. [I made a bunch of friends who were in sororities], so I made the perfect friends for me in that regard.
How did you meet your closest friends?
When I switched dorms, I switched to live with a roommate that had a massive group of friends, so she introduced me to all of them and they adopted me.
How would you describe the social scene at Tulane?
For girls, I think it’s different than guys. The guys are more stuck within their frats. They only hang out with people in their fraternity. The girls are friends with everyone. They’re friends with people in different sororities and people that aren’t in Greek life.
Do you feel students of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Yes, I do think so. Especially on campus, I think they mix socially.
To what extent do international students mix with domestic students?
I honestly don’t know any other international students. Other than the students from [China and other East Asian countries] there isn’t that big of a population here, so I don’t interact with other international students.
Do you think people are happy with their choice of Tulane by senior year? Do you think people love Tulane?
Yes, 100%.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
No, I personally only look at jobs within Jamaica.
Have you learned any computer programs that have been or will be helpful to you professionally?
I took a class that was an excel class, but I didn’t find it super helpful.