Tulane University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: 5-year program with a Master’s in Accounting and an undergraduate degree in Finance
Student Self Identifies as: White Straight Male
Summary
I’m in a social fraternity as well as a business fraternity. I’m also am a tutor at the on-campus tutoring center.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Straight
High School Experience: Public high school in Connecticut with about 500 students in the graduating class.
First Generation College Student: No
Major: 5-year program with a Master’s in Accounting and an undergraduate degree in Finance
Extracurricular Activities: I’m in a social fraternity as well as a business fraternity. I’m also am a tutor at the on-campus tutoring center.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
It depends on the class, but in a typical finance class you have a weekly problem set and then a few tests throughout the semester.
Is there anything you feel the Finance department does especially well or poorly?
No, I think it’s pretty standard. One thing that’s happened recently is there was an article written in The Hullabaloo about cheating that I think is worth mentioning.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s competitive or collaborative?
I’d say it’s pretty collaborative. I don’t think it’s really cutthroat. I think everyone wants to see their friends succeed. I know there are some classes that are graded against your classmates, so that could come into play. But, from my experience, it hasn’t been very competitive.
What has been your favorite class in your major?
Burkenroad Reports
What has been your least favorite class in your major?
Financial Modeling. I didn’t think it was taught very well and I didn’t learn very much.
What is a fun class you’ve taken inside or outside of your major?
Intro to Music Business, it was a lot of fun and had a super cool professor.
Why did you choose Finance?
I’ve always really liked numbers and I want to work in business so I thought that was a good fit. Everybody in the business school has to take a finance class, so after that I realized that it was right for me.
Reasons to Attend
1) The campus is really nice. It’s one of my favorite parts of the school.
2) The city and the climate are great. Asides from the downsides of New Orleans like crime, the city is really nice. It has a ton of good food and music and a great culture.
3) There are a lot of resources available to you and it’s kind of what you make of it. If you seek out whatever you’re looking for, the professors are really eager to help and want to get involved. It’s really easy to develop relationships with professors and if you’re eager to learn there’s a lot to take away.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) Tulane isn’t a target school for companies based in New York or LA because of its location.
2) If you’re not into going out and partying all the time you may feel pressure to do that. It’s really a party school.
3) It’s expensive. You can probably get the same experience at a cheaper school.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Butler with one roommate
Sophomore: Phelps with one roommate, but it was a suite of four rooms, so I ended up with 5 suitemates total.
Junior: House off-campus with two roommates
What was your favorite living situation?
Living off campus has been my favorite.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
New Orleans isn’t the safest place. I’ve had friends get mugged, but I’ve never personally had a confrontation like that. My house was broken into once and my roommate had his computer stolen. On campus, I feel pretty safe, but if you’re going off campus around campus it can be a little sketchy at night.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
Blaze Pizza
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
I play golf at Audobon Park. It’s not the best golf course, but it’s really close to campus.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I wouldn’t say I go out as much as the average student, but when I do I go to some of the cool bars around campus. I like to go to Bruno’s or the Bulldog. Or, if my fraternities having a party, I’ll go to that. I went to The Boot my freshman year and last year but have shied away from that recently.
What’s an alternative option to the typical fraternity party or bar scene that you like?
Just hanging out with my friends at somebody’s house. I often just end up playing video games and staying home.
What have been your favorite days or nights at Tulane?
Cram Jam is a big one that they do in the dining hall during finals.
How happy are you with the nightlife? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m fine with it. I think it’s pretty inclusive for everyone, even if you’re not in Greek life. Considering that I don’t really go out that much, I think it’s a good nightlife. There are plenty of places to go and is inclusive for everyone.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
My dorm freshman year and in my fraternity.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Tulane?
People go out a lot and sometimes I kind of see that as a con of this school. There is often pressure to go out. You’re almost expected to go out more than one night a week, which a lot of people like but can be a downside. It’s definitely a very social school. People like to drink and go out a lot of nights. It’s a pretty big part of the school but you can avoid it, and I think with the new classes that have been coming in it has seemed less and less that way. But, it still lives up to its party school reputation.
What is the impact of Greek life on the social scene at Tulane?
It’s pretty big, but it’s not massive. You can definitely have a good social life without it. There are tons of events and a bar scene. I’m happy I joined a fraternity and I think it plays a decent role in my experience.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I would say everyone is very well accepted at Tulane. Within Greek life, I know that there are people of different sexual orientations and religions in fraternities. Tulane is a liberal place so it’s inclusive and nice for everyone.
How would you describe the student body?
For the most part, it is Tulane, so it does have a Northeast influence. The majority of students are decently well-off and come from pretty good families who are able to support them. For the most part, people are pretty social and pretty accepting of everyone. It’s definitely a hardworking community too, especially nowadays where people realize that they need good grades to get internships or jobs. I think it’s gotten more hardworking the past few years I’ve been here. [About 30% of students are from the Northeast. Socioeconomically, 40% of students come from the top 5%.]
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Personally, no. But I know it has helped some friends. There is an alumni coordinator for each city and they will help connect you with alumni in whatever area you’re looking for jobs. The career center’s very willing to help you out, you just have to reach out to them. Personally, I found my internship without them, but I was in contact with them and they were helpful in reaching out to alumni.
How helpful has the career office been?
They’re good. They have resources to prepare for interviews and bring in some employers. One thing that’s tough is that given our location in Louisiana, it’s not the first place that companies in New York are going to look for people to work for them. I view that as a disadvantage because I’m trying to come back to the northeast after school. There are more opportunities for jobs in Houston and New Orleans.
Have you learned any computer programs that have been or will be helpful to you professionally?
In Financial Modeling we learned R, which is a coding language. I haven’t found it to be useful because I didn’t think that class was taught very well and I didn’t learn that much. I haven’t pursued that much other programming classes. We’ve learned Excel and the other Microsoft Office programs.