It's always great to get back on the Tulane University campus and it's as beautiful as ever! Located in the very genteel uptown neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, Tulane is a quaint trolley ride away from the French Quarter and its graduate school campuses elsewhere in the city. We were told that Tulane was ranked by somebody for the happiest students. I don't doubt it. Life here does look idyllic. Admissions is still touting the fact that there are more festivals per year in southeastern Louisiana than there are days of the year. For the 8000 students on the undergraduate campus, admissions is a single door entry to all five undergraduate schools; half of admitted students come in undeclared. Service is very important to Tulane. It's the first major research university to require service learning for graduation, and they look for evidence of a commitment to service in their applicants. Students are required to live on campus for 2 years but there has been some recent discussion about possibly increasing that to 3 in the future. They're building a new dorm with amenities like a convenience store and theater space - more of a living community. They're also building a new architecture building, and an Innovation Institute downtown - details on that to come, it won't open until 2025. However, I'm told that the current minor in Social Innovation & Social Entrepreneurship may expand. They also recently received a $1M grant for a new real estate certificate program within the business school.

Regarding admissions, here are some nuggets: The honors program is a first-year experience only and doesn't appear to be a big deal. We know the "Why Tulane" essay is extremely important, but please don't write a "Why New Orleans" essay. In addition to the usual institutional priorities, they are looking for males, as their male female ratio has never been in balance. Demonstrated interest is huge but it is a yes or no for them, not how much. Two virtual events or one campus visit checks all the boxes for them. Emails to your counselor don't make it into Slate; demonstrated interest through admissions events does. And they know which kids have the means to visit on campus and which kids don't, and they take that into consideration.

For the class of '23, 800 students were admitted ED1, 400 were admitted ED2, just under 3000 were admitted EA, and only 400 students were admitted RD. (Oh, and make sure you can afford to pay for Tulane if you apply ED, as you may not get your financial aid package until after you have to deposit.) 4000 students were waitlisted. I was told that the new dean of admissions wants to give a "nod" to students who didn't make the final cut. What?!? No words.

Tulane has a lot to offer for the right student. And the food on campus, by the way, was sensational.