Tulane University Admission Blog - Jeff

Roll Wave!

2012-01-26T13:05:00.003-06:00

Last night was one of those nights that reminds me of how lucky I am to work for such a great school. It all started a few weeks ago when my coworker Kasey got an e-mail from Coach Ronnie Hamilton, the assistant coach of our men's basketball team here at Tulane. Ronnie and the team were having a cool program that invited members from Tulane's faculty and staff to attend a VIP game day experience with the team. Naturally, Kasey and I, both huge Tulane and New Orleans sports fans, immediately took him up on his offer.

Yesterday's game against the Conference rival SMU Mustangs from Dallas was our big day, but we had no idea how big it would be for us. Ronnie and his group had an awesome day of events planned out for us, and Kasey and I totally felt like VIP from start to finish. It stated with a team dinner in our university center at 3:00. We had a chance to eat a great pre-game dinner of pork chops, chicken breast, mashed potatoes, etc., I think the players each ate three times what I did, but hey, it was a big game. The team was awesome- so welcoming, accommodating and truly happy to have Kasey and I there. We got to meet head coach Ed Conroy, who is absolutely a class act. He is a great leader for this team, and the guys really seem to have a great amount of adoration and respect for him. The team's got a great deal of camaraderie as well, which was awesome to see. They come from everywhere: Florida, Georgia, South Africa, Germany, etc... you get the idea.

Lunch with the team. I felt short.

Gametime was 7:00, but we arrived at 6:15 for the locker room pre-game chat from the coach. Conroy talked about our skills and strategy for beating the Mustangs and had a good 20 minutes of chalk talk with the team, the coaches, and Kasey and me. I was going to chime in with my tips for outlet passes and offensive rebounds, but figured I would leave it to coach to handle the chat.

After the pre-game chat with the players, Coach Conroy and Kasey and I headed up to the Coach's Corner where Coach spent some time giving a rundown of the game and the lineup with our season ticket holders and members of the Tulane Athletics Fund and our athletic donors. Coach was cordial with all the fans and donors and took time to answer all of their questions and even accept their advice for how tonight game should pan out.

Then it was back to the locker room for the team to be announced and take the court. I got to get some daps from each of the players, including my favorite Jordan Callahan. I think that I really brought them some luck with my fist. At least so I like to think.

Players giving daps to me (and vice-versa)

The game was awesome. We got off to a rough start in the first half, but really killed it in the second. Tulane put up 63 points in the second half to come back from behind to beat SMU 80-74, bringing us to 14-6 overall and 2-4 in the CUSA. Our freshman Ricky Tarrant was en fuego, posting a 33-point game, which marked the most points for a freshman to score for the Green Wave in any game. My man Jordan Callahan had 16 points and five assists. The student section was on fire, and the whole ambiance at Fogelman last night was incredible.

When the game was over we got to head back to the locker room to hear Conroy give some great breakdowns of the game and let his team know how proud of them he was. He even told Kasey and I, (who are now evidently on a first name basis with him) that it was us who brought the team good luck tonight. See? My daps helped.

What an awesome night for me, for Tulane basketball and for the school as a whole. I was totally impressed with how welcoming Coach and his staff and team were, they made us feel welcome and truly a part of the team for a night. The players where awesome- friendly, funny, and all around great guys to be around. At the end of the night, we snapped a picture with Jordan, said goodbye to Ronnie and the rest of the coaching staff and players, and then headed home, full of Green Wave pride. Roll Wave indeed!

Inside the locker room

Kasey in the locker room, checking out past NBA Green Wave players

What game would be complete without a performance from Shockwave, Tulane's student dance team.

Time out. See the guy in the blue shirt and tie? Well that is Zach Schreiber, a junior at Tulane from New York. He is our official team manager; he manages the day-to-day operations of the team and also travels to all of our away games (even last month when we played number 1 Syracuse!) He's planning on going into sports management when he graduates.

Piling on the points in the second half.

Final Score. Roll Wave!

We win!

Post game with Coach Conroy in the locker room.

Our man Jordan Callahan! He's going to be on that NBA list someday.

New Orleans- A City for Entrepreneurs

2012-01-19T12:25:00.008-06:00

This past weekend, I spent some time at the Idea Village in downtown New Orleans. I was asked to help out with a group of Teach for America corps members who have an idea to create a program that will help middle school students begin the "college process" earlier. The Idea Village is an incredible organization here that helps entrepreneurs like them get their ideas off the ground. They offer support, advice and backing for any kind of concept that entrepreneurs come up with; their slogan is "Trust Your Crazy Ideas!". White boards make up the walls of the rooms in the Idea Village and Kevin Wilkins, one of the Idea Village's many entrepreneurs-in-residence (and subsequently also a Tulane professor!) was there volunteering his time to help us bounce our crazy ideas all over those walls.

And if there is one city at the center of new (and crazy) ideas right now, it's New Orleans. In fact, over the past six years, New Orleans has quickly grown into one of the leading cities for entrepreneurs anywhere in America. Tulane and our students get actively involved in this as well; our business school's Levy-Rosenblum Institute for Entrepreneurship annually puts on the "THINK BIG" Youth Entrepreneurship Networking Event, and that is just one of the many programs and events that are available for Tulane's future entrepreneurs on campus. The Levy-Rosenblum institute is a great resource for our students to get their great ideas off the ground through resources, mentoring, community service, grants and internships. In fact, for me as a former student at the Freeman School, I can honestly say that the entrepreneurship courses I took here were some of the best classes I took in college. Our Management undergraduate major (which was my major!) has a great entrepreneurship track that you can choose to take advantage of all of these resources.

So many start ups!
(Source: siliconbayounews.com)

But its not just on campus that this passion for entrepreneurship has been ignited. The city of New Orleans has been a hotbed for this kind of activity since we began this huge "Brain Gain" that has occurred following Hurricane Katrina. According to a recent Brookings Institute report, entrepreneurial activity here in New Olrenas is 40% above the national average. According to this article in Forbes, much of the reason behind this is that this city became a start up city very rapidly with all of the changes and growth we experienced in our rebuilding. Its great spots like the Idea Village that are supporting this, with over 1,100 entrepreneurs supported since they were founded.

And people are starting to take notice. The Wall Street Journal named New Orleans the 2011 Most Improved City for Business. That is huge news for us! After that, the good news just kept coming. NOLAbound capitalized on this great wave of new ideas and business by creating a platform for national entrepreneurs and start ups to bring their ideas and plans to New Orleans. The project will bring 25 soon-to-be-named winning individuals to New Orleans for a week long explosion of entrepreneurial events. Looking through the applicants, I saw countless Tulane alumni, including my fraternity brother Pat who has created an ESPN type of network for sports that ESPN does not cover. You can read more about NOLAbound here and here.

I could post article after article all about New Orleans and its great start up and entrepreneur boom, but I will spare you. (okay, fine, just this one more from NPR. It's great!) This start up boom and fostering environment for entrepreneurs is great for Tulane and our students. It means that many more internship opportunities, that many more resources, and that many more jobs available for you once you graduate. My fraternity brothers Joe and Brendan are taking advantage of it right now too, they are some of the best young entrepreneurs that this city fosters; their company ChapterSpot was accepted into the Idea Village's accelerator program. You can read all about their start up here. With so many Tulane students taking advantage of all the resources that New Orleans currently offers, it's great to see so many incredible success stories.

My trip to the Idea Village was such a great peek into this bustling industry here in New Orleans. Trust me, the resources are endless; check out 25 great resources for entrepreneurs in NOLA. Then, come down for and check out Tulane and New Orleans and start planning the ways that you will trust YOUR crazy ideas!

My buddies, and Tulane alumni,
Joe and Brendan who started ChapterSpot

Guest Blog: Service goes with Tulane, like Red Beans goes with Rice!

2012-01-06T14:01:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year gang! Time for another guest blog. This time, you're hearing from one of my favorite students, Lea Bogner, the Jeff-proclaimed Ms. Tulane Community Service 2012. Take it away Lea...

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Here I am as the Easter Bunny for an
Egg Hunt in the Desire Neighborhood.

Hi everyone! My name is Lea Bogner and I am a senior at Tulane, majoring in International Relations and International Development. I'm also the Chair of the Community Action Council of Tulane University Students (CACTUS) and a Community Service Scholar. Since the deadline for the Community Service Scholarship is rapidly approaching, I decided to hijack Jeff's blog to tell you all about service at Tulane.

When you apply for the Community Service Scholarship, you're not only applying for more scholarship, but to become a member of the Scholars community. The Scholars are a tight knit community that works hard to go above and beyond our 50 service hour commitment per semester and create new, innovative service programs across New Orleans. We have retreats, and "families" that we meet with throughout the year to have dinner, work on programming and just have some fun!

All of our Scholars, and hundreds of other Tulane students, are members of CACTUS. CACTUS is the umbrella organization for over 30 service organizations on campus. We have tutoring groups, mentoring programs, groups that visit nursing homes, groups that run gardens in the Lower Ninth Ward, groups that travel to Honduras, Nicaragua, South Africa... and groups that do even more! You can see a list and descriptions of all of our organizations here and here.

Our programs work daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. The Tulane University Community Advancement Network (TUCAN) goes to the NFL YET center everyday to tutor and mentor. Science Club spends every Friday doing Science Experiments at Ben Franklin Elementary while the Athletic Program coaches at a local park.

Senior, Mississippi native and Political Science major, Marshall Cox plays with students as part of the Athletic Program.

During the year, CACTUS brings campus organizations and Service-Learning classes together to host a "carnival" for 300 local kids on campus. Organizations like Undergraduate Student Government, the Green Wave Ambassadors (our tour guides!) the Tulane Emergency Medical Services and even the Board Games Club set up booths for students to play games and make crafts. This year's Halloween Day was terrifyingly successful with organizations, TIDES classes, and dorms participating. The Paterson House hosted trick or treaters with LOTS of candy and decorated hallways.

Freshman, Vermont Native, and tour guide, John Crowley poses with some 2nd graders from Success Prep. John's Leadership TIDES class had a "potion making table". The course's instructor, Dean MacLaren, "borrowed" liquid nitrogen to be added to Kool Aid to make a spooky treat!

Here I am after the Mummy wrap and trick or treating with Jamie from Success Prep!

Twice a year we have two HUGE service events: Outreach Tulane and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Outreach Tulane hosts over 1000 Tulane students at 30 sites across the city and kicks off our semester of service work, educating student and faculty volunteers about the different New Orleans neighborhoods. It is a totally student run event: we work with the organizations to develop the projects, we do the fundraising and we even do the art work for the t-shirts! It's a huge part of the Tulane expereince and a great way for freshmen to learn about the city. As I quoted from the movie "Mean Girls" to this freshmen class during my speech at New Student Welcome, "it's social suicide if you don't do Outreach".

Here I am with one of the 4 pallets of supplies necessary for Outreach!

Here is a group working with Youth Rebuilding New Orleans. YRNO's executive board member is a Tulane Alumn. Class of 2011! And who is the guy giving me bunny ears in this picture? Just Dean MacLaren-- Dean of the Undergraduate College. Even our administrators do service!

The MLK Day of Service is our service day at the beginning of spring semester. It has us teaming up with Loyola, Xavier and Dillard, "making a day off, a day on". It's a great way to make new friends at the other universities.

As a future Tulane student, you'll learn that there is no place quite like the Big Easy. We work to honor, give back and learn about our great city with every service project that we do. It's not about getting a project done and moving on-- it's about learning about New Orleans' rich culture and history and creating real lasting relationships with the people and communities we work with.

As our CACTUS motto goes, "We do it for our school. We do it for our community. We do it for the love of New Orleans".

Good luck on your applications and thanks for reading!

Jermyra and I as part of the tutoring program through CACTUS'
Tulane University Community Advancement Network (TUCAN)

I've Been Deferred. Now What?

2011-12-19T16:08:00.002-06:00

If you've applied to Tulane for our Early Action or Single Choice Early Action round, chances are that you have gotten a decision from us by now. For many of you, that decision may have been "The Admission Committee has chosen to defer final action on your application until our regular review periods this spring."

So, first off, what does that mean? In essence, being deferred means that we need a bit more time before making a final decision on whether or not to admit you. There are two major factors that will come into play from here on out; one is in your control and the other is not. Your application will come back to the admission committee in the spring and will go through the same review it went through in Early Action, this time however you will be up against the Regular Decision pool of applicants.

The first factor, the one outside of your control, is the way the rest of the applicant pool shapes up. We will actually do a full re-review of your application with the regular decision pool. So depending on the competitiveness of that regular decision pool, we will make a new decision on your application before April 1st. If the regular pool is much larger and stronger than we expect, then it will be more of a challenge for deferred students to be admitted. However, it if is closer to what we saw with Early Action, we will be able to offer admission to a number of deferred students. Tulane is planning on enrolling a smaller class this year, (around 1500, as opposed to the 1650 that is has been the past few years), however it is still likely that we will admit a group of deferred students. We won't know more about this till after the January 15th deadline.

That brings me to the second factor that comes into play now that you have been deferred, and this is the one that is within your sphere of influence. This has to do with what you do from here on out now that you have been deferred. There are a number of things that you can do to strengthen and ameliorate your application to Tulane, and a few things you should probably not do. Here are my Dos and Don'ts for you deferred students:

DO: Contact your admission counselor and let him or her know you are interested in Tulane. You can reach out to your admission counselor here. You'll want to shoot him or her an e-mail in the coming weeks letting them know that you have been deferred and that you remain strongly interested in Tulane. Let your counselor know that you'll send your first semester grades and also feel free to let him or her know that Tulane is very high on your list. Feel free to ask them what you can do to strengthen your application.

DON'T: Over-Contact your admission counselor. A few e-mails to your counselor over the course of the spring semester will help, especially if you have some bigger news for us (you re-took the SATs, a major (major) advancement in your extracurricular activity, etc) but do not send us a weekly e-mail update. It will not help your cause. Major profile in your local paper's community section? Send it in. Promoted to secretary of the National Honor Society? No need to send; we already have a nice list of your extracurricular activities you sent us when you applied.

DO: Send us an essay about why you are interested in enrolling at Tulane, if you have not already done so. See the prompt on the application for admission. Tell us why you would be a great fit here, and why Tulane is a great fit for you. Do some research.

DON'T: Feel pressured to come down and visit. We know money is tight these days, and New Orleans is a big trip for many of our applicants. If you feel the need to come down to express your interest in Tulane in person, you are definitely welcome to do so, however if this is not possible (for financial or any other reasons) do not fret. We understand not everyone can make it down to visit, especially if you are not admitted yet. If you are interested in coming down, let your counselor know.

DO: Be patient. Understand you may not hear from us before April 1st. We are working to get a decision to you as quickly as possible, but in some cases it may not be till late March. We're sifting through thousands of applicants and are giving each one the time they deserve.

DON'T: Compare yourself to others. Calling the admission office or e-mailing your counselor to inquire why "Suzie and Johnny who have lower scores and lower grades and fewer extracurricular activities were admitted but I was not" will never, ever help your cause to be admitted at Tulane. We don't compare students to each other directly when they apply, and are always looking to build a diverse and well-rounded class of students. You may not be aware of what is in other student's recommendations, essays, etc., or what we here at Tulane may specifically be looking for. It will not do you any good to mention other students. If there is a very specific question about this, your high school counselor can direct those questions to us. (This DON'T applies to scholarship requests as well, FYI)

DO: Send us some additional materials. You are welcome to send us a new recommendation, resume, essay, your first semester grades, a new SAT or ACT score, etc. While some of the smaller things may not make a big difference, an increase on your SATs, or a nice well-written essay all about your Tulane visit can go a long way. Mid year reports are recommended for deferred students.

DON'T: Be rude. We know this is a stressful time and we know that you may be very excited about Tulane and disappointed to not be admitted. But keep in mind that you still want to maintain your composure and maturity while communicating with the office of admission. Dramatic e-mails or calls will get you nowhere.

DO: Understand how competitive this all is. As of today, Tulane has admitted fewer than 25% of the students who have applied to Tulane. Application to schools like Tulane can be competitive, and we have far fewer spots in the class available than we have number of students who desire to be a part of the class. So keep your head up and know that, in the end, whatever is meant to be will be.

Hope this helps you deferred students out there. Best of luck!

Louisiana- Sportsman's Paradise- PART TWO!

2011-12-14T16:13:00.001-06:00

Well no sooner did I hit "post blog" on last weeks blog did the world of Tulane (and New Orleans) sports get turned upside down! Last week sure was big for Tulane sports, specifically football. Last Monday, Tulane announced that it's brand new football coach would be the wide receivers coach of the New Orleans Saints, Curtis Johnson. He's won both a Superbowl with the Saints and an NCAA championship with the Miami Hurricanes. We are pretty pumped to have him on board.

Just when I thought the week couldn't get any better, last Thursday Tulane announced at a major press conference the official plans to build an on-campus football stadium. This has been a much-anticipated event on our campus for years, and the Tulane community is pretty pumped about it. The stadium will be located right behind our current recreation center on the site of our current practice field, and should seat over 30,000 fans. The $60 million stadium is poised to be complete by the 2014 season.

You can read (and see) all about the brand new stadium here.
I also enjoyed this ESPN article all about Curtis Johnson here.

And check out this video, all about the awesome week for Tulane athletics!

Louisiana- Sportsman's Paradise

2011-11-30T16:49:00.002-06:00

If you've ever driven around Louisiana, you'll notice that the nickname "Sportsman's Paradise" is imprinted on all of our license plates. The nickname has its roots in Louisiana's rich history in fishing, hiking, hunting and it's beautiful bayous where much of these sports take place. But in recent years, the saying has come to take on a whole separate meaning. Why? Well Louisiana, New Orleans, and Tulane, are all one heckuva sports paradise.

Hopefully you all were able to catch the New Orleans' Saints trouncing of the New York Giants on Monday Night football this week. I was able to head over to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to check out the game, and it was a blast. The 'Dome is also where the Tulane Green Wave football team plays is games, (although rumor has it that this may not be the case for much longer...). And if the Saints and the Green Wave weren't enough to satisfy your football palate, I hear there is a team up there in Baton Rouge that is evidently having a pretty good season as well...

The Super Dome all lit up for last week's Tulane game

More than just the sports that take place in our great state is what is to come for athletics and sports in the state of Louisiana. In fact, I would venture a guess and say that this is probably the most exiting time ever for sports in this city. Why? Over the next 18 months, New Orleans will be hosting the college football National Championship game (in January), the 2012 NCAA Final Four and SEC men's basketball tournament, the 2013 Women's Final Four, two Sugar Bowls, and of course, last but not least, the 2013 Super Bowl. I mean, this is unprecedented to have so much going on so soon in this town. See what I mean? Sportsman's paradise!

And the best part of all, Tulane students and the rest of the New Orleans' community get to take a large part in all this excitement. Tulane is the host institution for the 2012 NCAA Men's Final Four and for the 2013 Women's Final Four as well. Campus is already buzzing with excitement for these events. Along those lines, just last week, Tulane cut the ribbon on the brand new Hertz Practice Facility. It's a brand new basketball and volleyball facility right on our campus that is one of the most state-of-the-art in the country. I got to tour the 43,000 square foot facility during its grand opening last week. The film room rivals any luxury private movie theater!

Tulane students were also invited to help in various capacities for the upcoming Super Bowl. The Greater New Orleans sports foundation reached out to our students to help whit a variety of tasks from "welcoming visitors, teams and coaches as they arrive in the Big Easy [and] assisting with the complicated logistics of those major events."

Mardi Gras Indians welcomed the Super Bowl
Host Committee to the Super Dome!

Speaking of being invited to help... well let's just say that yours truly is pretty pumped about his opportunity to help in the planning of Super Bowl XLVII. I was asked to be a member of the 2013 Super Bowl Host Committee. I think the last time I was this excited to be asked to help with something like this was never.

Being a part of the Host Committee has been awesome. Two weeks ago, the NFL and the Super Bowl Host Committee held a three day FAM meeting for the NFL and all of their affiliates. FAM being familiarization, so nearly 100 people from various companies and NFL affiliates (think Under Armour, Play60, FedEx, DirecTV, Nike, etc.) all sent reps down to New Orleans to get familiar with the city as they plan their major events and parties that will take place over Super Bowl weekend. I got to spend three days with these awesome folks showing them all that NOLA has to offer. And the lunch on the field of the Superdome wasn't too shabby either! The whole event was hosted by Super Bowl Chairpeople James Carville (The Rajun Cajun! And Tulane professor!) and his wife Mary Matalin. It was the coolest experience. I am sure I will have more on this to come.

Mmmm. NFL Cookies!

Lastly, speaking of coolest experiences. I suppose you are wondering about that photo at the top of this blog. I was able to meet my hero, Saints QB Drew Brees, while at a layover at the airport in Houston. He just so happened to be next to me in line as I ordered a quick BBQ sandwich before the second leg of my flight back to NOLA. For years, I had rehearsed in my head what I would ever say if I ever happened to meet the Modern American Hero. When I finally did, I was so awestruck, so baffled I barely could formulate sentences. Finally I got up the courage to chat with him about NOLA, etc and we ended up talking for a few minutes. I got to meet his wife Brittany as well, who is also a delight, and snapped that photo of Drew and me. Drew was a total class act and one of the genuine nicest guys I have ever met. So that picture there, next to the Saints Super Bowl win in 2009, is probably the single best moment of my life.

I mean, talk about PARADISE.

Mmmm NFL Watermelon!

The brand new court at the Hertz Patrice Facility

A serious Film Room!

Here's me at the Hertz Ribbon Cutting

Announcing that Tulane will host the Final Four!

The brand new Hertz Patrice Facility

Me at MNF!

Guest Blog- Fair Trade at Tulane

2011-11-22T14:03:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone, hope you are gearing up for a great Thanksgiving! In honor of the holidays and Black Friday, I thought now would be a great time to reintroduce you all to Katie Schmidt, the director of IN Exchange, our awesome fair trade shop right in Tulane’s Lavin-Bernick Center (our main student center). It’s a great place to shop for your holiday gifts, and is also a great resource for students looking to aid in fair trade right here on campus. I’ll let Katie take it away!

* * *

In case you missed my last blog or if you just would like some more information, I am here to tell you about a great organization that helps empower local artisans as well as global artisans living in Economically Developing countries such as India, South America and Africa. My name is Katie Schmidt and I am the new Director for this wonderful organization called IN Exchange. We are a non-profit fair trade store located in Tulane’s LBC next to the Paris Parker Salon and the Barber Shop.

IN Exchange was founded in 2007, by our own Tulane alumni, Erica Trani. Erica’s idea for the organization was sparked in 2005 when she travelled to Ecuador to work on a Fair Trade chocolate co-operative. Full of passion, Erica returned back to Tulane, but as soon as Erica arrived home, Hurricane Katrina hit and she was forced to enroll at the University of California- Los Angeles to continue her courses. During her time in LA, Erica put together the pieces for the business plan that is now IN Exchange. The organization opened for business in October of 2007 with the help of a start-up grant from the National Basketball Association to help cover legal and administrative costs.

IN Exchange sells a unique variety of jewelry, clothing (including Defend shirts), accessories, journals, music and other great gift items. All of the items for sale at IN Exchange have been produced according to international fair trade standards by local and global artisans. IN Exchange empowers individuals by paying them a fair and sustainable wages throughout the production process. IN Exchange works to bridge the gap between isolated producers and buyers by creating a platform for artists to connect their products with customers seeking quality and unique items.

IN Exchange is different from other fair trade stores. Since, IN Exchange is located on Tulane’s campus, we are closely linked Tulane and to helping support and educate students. Currently IN Exchange has two work-study (Ella Dove and Tamara Dukivch), 2 interns (Rachel Bain and Mary Silva) and 2 MBA inters (Aaron Burch and Sara Steele). We also work with lots of other on campus groups with projects such as raising money for a diverse array of charities. With that being said, if you or your on-campus organization is interested in getting involved with IN Exchange, please email me.

I would also like to emphasis a great way to support fair trade and help provide a fair and living wage for global artisans is by buying your holiday gifts at IN Exchange. When you support Fair Trade, you become part of a network of people dedicated to facilitating change for disadvantaged artisans and farmers We have some great gifts under $20 for her and for him, such as jewelry from Peru, India and Ecuador; Bath and Body Products from Nashville, Tennessee; scarves, hats and gloves from Peru; footballs from Pakistan; wallets and recycled journals from India and of course Defend T-Shirts and Tanks. Check out http://inexchange.org/blog/ for more info or come by the store!

Youth Run NOLA

2011-11-14T12:05:00.003-06:00

Wanted to share with you all an awesome experience I had last weekend with an organization I am starting to get active in called Youth Run NOLA (a.k.a. YRNOLA). YRNOLA is a great project that empowers young people in New Orleans to get motivated and active by training and participating in local running races around town. It's an awesome experience for these kids because they are able to get motivation and encouragement to train for a big race, and along the way learn motivation and perseverance which they apply to their life inside and outside the classroom. It also keeps them in great shape!

Last weekend was the Crescent City Fall Classic, a great 5K race that meanders through the live oaks of City Park. Around 100 YRNOLA participants showed up to race, and it was a blast. They came from 8 different local schools, and all came ready to run! You should have seen the looks on these kids faces as they were cheered on as they plowed through the finish line. Some of these young people don't have too much motivation in their lives, so it was huge for them to be able to accomplish something as big as a major race. I acted as a Running Buddy and Coach along with around 25 other volunteers who work to help coach and motivate our young runners. It was great to see so many Tulane students out there as Running Buddies as well! In fact, the much of the planning of the event last week was done by Elyse, a student who I recruited years ago who is now a senior here at Tulane.

The big race coming up this spring is the Crescent City Classic 10K. Its a huge 10K here in NOLA that attracts thousands of participants and has grown into one of the largest 10Ks in America. Last year, 21,000 runners ran the race! The YRNOLA participants are training with the goal in mind of successfully completing the CCC 10K this spring, and based on what I saw last weekend, they are going to do awesome.

I was able to get involved in YRNOLA in the first place thanks to Outreach Tulane. Outreach is Tulane's largest day of service, and always takes place during the first week of classes each fall. YRNOLA was one of over 50 service project sites that over 2,000 Tulane students participated in. As you loyal blog readers and Tulane enthusiasts know, Tulane is one of the top schools in the country for community engagement and public service. Many will stay active for all four years in the projects they participated in with Outreach Tulane. In fact, many of the Running Buddies and Coaches who were at YRNOLA are Tulane undergrads and graduates.

First Place! In theory.

Here I am with my team of runners

That's one of the best things about Tulane- the endless opportunities for serving your community. It's just a regular part of life down here in New Orleans and at Tulane. And hey, if you love to run like I do and want to find a great way to help others while doing so, check out the YRNOLA website.

Happy trails everyone!

All smiles across the finish line!

Guest Blog- The Dean's Honor Scholarship

2011-11-03T12:48:00.000-05:00

Hey gang! Sorry for the delay in posting, I have just returned from a two month recruiting jaunt across the United States. I spent time all across California, Florida and in New Mexico as well. Most of our counselors have finally returned to the office, which now means it's time for us to hunker down and start the process of reading your application and making our admission decisions for our Early Action and Single Choice Early Action Applicants. (what's that? Haven't started your application yet? Get going here!)

In addition to the EA application deadline looming in the next two weeks, the other big deadline we have coming up is the Dean's Honor Scholarship. You can view the application here, and its due on December 15th and all applicants are required to apply either Early Action or Single Choice Early Action.

I was thinking of ways to get a good blog going about the DHS, and I thought, what better way to share some info about the DHS then by a great guest blog by Dr. Faye Tydlaska, our Director of Admission! So without further ado, I will turn things over to Faye.

* * *

Our Early Action deadline is just around the corner. If you’re planning to apply for the Dean’s Honors Scholarship, our full tuition award, you will have to be an Early Action or Single Choice Early Action applicant. Even though the application for admission is due in less than two weeks, you still have over a month to complete your DHS project.

If you haven’t seen the scholarship application, I’ll prepare you now – we ask you to do something with a 3”x3” box. Every year, I get panicked calls and emails around December 12 about what to do with the box. My advice is always the same – just do something with it! In other words, don’t overthink the project. I have to admit, it’s great fun reviewing the applications for this scholarship each year. We’ve seen everything from incredibly talented artwork to clever 3-D puzzles to “Mystory flipboxes” to an actual full-size bench (I wouldn’t really recommend sending an 80 pound bench to our office, but it certainly has entered our “legends of the DHS” stories!). Yes, we are looking for the top academic students, but many of our applicants already fall into that category. Each year, nearly 1000 students apply for 75 awards. Think about using the DHS project to showcase who you really are beyond just numbers and letters. What is important for the admission committee to know about you before we make a decision? The time and thought and dedication you put into the project will be evident, and we want to see that you put together something that gives us insight into you – the way you see the world, your dreams, your talents, etc.

So take some time to reflect on the things that make you who you are (your love of chemistry, your family, your humor, your creativity, your passions), and just do something with the box!

Admission Pet Peeves

2011-10-14T16:38:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, USNews ran a story about Admission Representatives' pet peeves in the college application process. They were nice enough to quote me in it, I spoke a little bit about my annoyance when students write the wrong school to me, which happens more than you would think.

The article got me thinking that there are indeed a few things that tend to get on my nerves a bit during the process. Keep in mind that 99.9% of what happens in college admission is annoyance-free. And we also understand that this is a stressful time for you as well. So, I figured it may be helpful for you high school juniors and seniors (and your parents) out there to know of a few things that us folks on our side of the desk will consider to be pet peeves. Now, if you're guilty of any of these things in the past, don't fret, they are not make or break things at all. But, since you'll always want to put your best foot forward in this world of college admission, I figured it can only help you (and all my colleagues in the world of college admission!) if you avoid being the following people.

1) The Vague E-mail Question Asker: Admission representatives can get upwards of a thousand e-mails a week. It's a part of our job, and for us, we really enjoy it. I like communicating with students, helping them plan their visits to Tulane, and answering their questions. However, if there is one type of e-mail that can be a little bit frustrating for us, it is when prospective students e-mail us very open ended and vague questions. "Dear Mr. Schiffman- Can you tell me what it's like to be a student at Tulane?" [its great!] and " Dear Jeff- What is Tulane looking for in an applicant?" [well rounded!] and "Dear Mr. Schiffman- What is New Orleans like?" [it's funky!] These are the type of questions that, while great questions, may be best asked in person or over the phone. When we have to sit down and type out what the campus climate is like, it's a bit broad for us to cover, and it takes us a long time. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call your schools to ask these very broad questions, or do some research on line. I would much rather answer questions that are specific and well-researched. Trust me on this one, it makes admission representative's lives a lot easier.

2) The Let-Mom-Take-Over-the-Meeting Student- We love meeting with students on campus. But there is nothing more disheartening when a student arrives in my office and speaks a few welcoming words before Mom or Dad takes over with their laundry lists of questions. Because we don't offer formal interviews here at Tulane, we totally welcome your mom or dad to come into our office during your chat with your admission rep. But if they are going to dominate the conversation and won't allow you a word in edgewise, then let them stay in the waiting room and come in towards the end of their discussion. I had a student a few weeks ago come into my office with her mom, made no eye contact with me the whole time, and on her mother's twelfth question, the daughter actually began texting on her phone. In my office. No thanks.

3) The Best Kid in the World- This goes along with #3 above. Mom and Dad, I know you are going to have a tough time holding back these words, but I can tell you that every parent thinks their kid is "really really special." I can count on seventeen hands the number of times I had an overanxious mom or dad say this to me. Even if you start the my-kid-is-special sentence with "I know that all parents will say this to you, but..." it still seems unrealistic to us. Also, Mom and Dad, "we" are not taking AP Calculus. "We" are not taking the SATs in November. They are. Avoid this word. I know you are footing the bill for this, but let your kid be themselves. Let them show their specialness on their own.

4) The Wrong School Writer- This is the peeve I was quoted in in USNews. I had a student contact me all year long last year, and while they were a average applicant, they had expressed a lot of interest and had really let me know that Tulane was their top choice. However, when they were added to our wait list, I got a full page e-mail from them indicating how badly they wanted to attend [insert school here that is not Tulane]. I was all set to bring the applicant to my dean and say how I wanted to support the candidate, but this really took the wind out of my sails. So make sure you are being honest- don't lead admission officers on and never cut and past an e-mail from another school or make the fatal error of writing the wrong school. This happens much more often than you would suspect.

5) The Essay Curser- Some students go with the shock value in their essay. Sometimes, it works. Many times, it does not. Using a curse word in an essay can very very rarely get your point across. But most of the times, a curse word seems crass to us. I would think long and hard before inserting a curse word in your essay for dramatic flair.

6) The Twelve Page Resume-Sender- I have spoken on this topic before. It won't do you too much good to send us a extremely lengthy resume about every single bake sale you have ever worked at. The best resumes we get are on one nice, clean, crisp page. They highlight the three or four major priorities and passions that you have. Sending 44 pages of photocopies of every award you have won (true story) is similar to this.

We know that you all are working hard to get these applications out and we know that this is a pretty stressful time for you and your family. I hope these little tips are able to help you a bit, and of course selfishly, following many of them will make your admission officer's life just a little bit easier.

For the full article from USNews, you can click here to see what other admission officers claim their pet peeves to be.

What's the Deal With Single Choice Early Action?

2011-10-05T19:01:00.000-05:00

If you've done a little bit of research about Tulane and how to apply, by now you may know that we offer both Early Action and Single Choice Early Action. I'd like to spend this blog just chatting a bit with you all about the differences between the two and their respective benefits.
Early Action is a great way to apply to Tulane. The deadline is November 15th and we generally are able to give you a decision by December 15th at the latest. In fact, if you apply EA well before the deadline, we are sometimes able to give you a decision not too long after you apply. We aren't technically a rolling school, but in many cases, the earlier you apply to Tulane, the earlier you will hear back from us if you apply early. There are a number of other benefits to applying early:

1) It's non binding.
2) You have all the way until May 1st to make up a final decision.
3) There is no application fee.
4) You'll automatically be considered for most of our merit based scholarships.
5) It signifies to the admission committee that you are definitely interested in Tulane.

We here in the admission office are among the school of thought that believes that if you apply in the early round, it signifies that you are definitely interested in Tulane. Plus, if your application is not quite what we are looking for in the early round, oftentimes we will defer your file until we have your full first semester grades and any new SAT or ACT tests from you, and then will do a complete and full re-review of your application in the early spring.

Single Choice Early Action (or SCEA for short) has all of those same benefits as I listed for Early Action above. The one added bonus is that it signals to the admission committee that Tulane is your top choice. Tulane is big on "determined interest," as in we want to admit students who want to enroll here. Applying SCEA is the strongest signal that you can send to the admission committee that you are for real about Tulane. It's gonna give you that last little nudge you may need into the admit zone if you are one of those borderline candidates. Many of you may be familiar with Early Decision, which other schools do offer, but not Tulane. SCEA is the closest thing we offer to Early Decision here at Tulane. Now, the one stipulation is that Tulane can be the only school you apply to in the early rounds. You can apply regular decision or rolling to any other schools, but you cannot apply Early Action or Early Decision to other schools. Again, SCEA: non binding, free, scholarship consideration, May 1st, etc etc.

So, a few questions you may have now. What if you need to apply to your local state school early to apply for some of their merit scholarships? No go on the SCEA, you'll be good with EA though. What about October or November SAT or ACTs? We can consider those. We'll never make a final decision on your file until all of your scores are in. So you can wait till all of your scores come out to actually submit them all to Tulane, as long as they get in before November 15th. That way you'll be 100% sure we are only using your highest scores. Or you can apply with the scores you've got and indicate on the application that you have a future test date coming up and we will make that final decision when the new scores arrive.

Nothing wrong with applying Regular Decision, but keep in mind you wont get the benefit of a quick admission decision. You're not at any disadvantage in this round (still May 1st, still scholarship consideration, still free, etc.) but if you apply and click the "Regular Decision" box, even if it's before November 15th, we still won't guarantee you a decision till April 1st. This is because we assume you could potentially be applying to a different school under their SCEA plan. Make sense?

One last thing... keep in mind that your guidance and college counselors have all the way until November 15th to send us those letters of recommendation and transcripts. You're still good for early if they send them in the mail by the 15th. So try not to pressure them too much! When those arrive has no bearing on your "level of interest" or admission decision.

So if you've got Tulane high on your list, or on your list at all, you've got nothing to lose by applying early. So many benefits! If you haven't started, you can get going here.
Best of luck, class of 2016!

If you apply early, we'll send you a Tulane watermelon. But not really.

Writers Block!

2011-09-28T20:27:00.001-05:00

Ah, the task of writing the perfect college admission essay. For those of you high school seniors our there, you are probably somewhere between draft five of your essay and staging an all out boycott of the college admission process altogether. I know, writing this essay doesn't seem like fun. Here is the long story short; if writing this essay was the bane of your existence and was an arduous and painful task, then I can almost guarantee that when I read your essay, well, its going to be an arduous and painful experience for me as well. I know its easier said than done, but this essay shouldn't be a pain in the butt. It should be an essay you enjoyed writing about at topic that you genuinely connected with. If you really took some pride in writing it, I can assure you that will shine through and I will enjoy reading it.
So then... want makes a good college essay? How can you write about something that you enjoy that comes naturally in such a high-stress and deadline-orientated process? After all, this is one of your only chances to give me, the Admission staff member, some insight into who you are aside from just the ACT and AP Calculus. Let me see if I can help you all out a bit by offering three pieces of advice. One, stick to the basics. Two, be yourself. And three, spellcheck.

Lets start with the first piece of advice, which may be the toughest one to follow. This essay doesn't not need to be complex. It does not need to solve world hunger nor does it need to be the next great American novel. To be honest, some of the best essays I get are on the most simple topics. I find many students really try to dig for a tragedy in their life or find these incredibly deep and introspective topics to wow me with. Sometimes, simple is better. The best essays I read last year were about the all-star baseball player spending every day after pratice teaching this one elementary school kid in the lower income neighborhood how to pitch. Or the girl who wrote about the family dinners she had growing up in a half black and half Chinese household (fried chicken and fried rice... chuckle, chuckle). You know that old adage, KISS? Keep It Simple, Stupid! Well, guys, KISS this essay. Write about your house growing up. Your first Green Day concert. Your Dad. Its up to you.

Second. Be yourself. Sounds easy, but its really not. You will feel like you are bragging or feel weird writing this expose on yourself. Don't feel that way- just let it flow. The best tip I saw was from this article in last year's Atlanta paper where Dean Jordan at Emory says that the writer should be "less concerned about what we want and more concerned about what you want us to know about you." I agree. This should be your voice and your passion. Don't fluff this up with extravagant vocabulary. Write in your own voice about your own passions. Keep a journal for a few weeks and see how you write. That should be how this essay is written.

Lastly, spell check. This is your best-foot-forward essay. Now I know I said keep it casual, simple and be yourself, but this should still be a well structure and error-free writing sample. We know not everyone's an English major and we aren't expecting you to be, but we are expecting an essay that has been well reviewed and edited.
Lastly, I just wanted to let you know about a few topics that I got last year. A lot. I'm not saying these are bad topics, I am merely suggesting that if you write on these topics in a way that does not relate them back to you, then you will be a dime a dozen. Grandmas, summer camp, mission trips, Harry Potter and vacations. None of them are BAD topics, per se, just... overused.
Now break out that lap top. Find a good writing spot, keep things simple and write in your own voice. Then spellcheck that voice. Good luck!

Greetings from 34,000 feet!

2011-09-19T22:31:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! Sorry for the delay in postings, I have been out here in California for the last week visiting high schools and hosting a big Tulane presentation in Santa Monica. To everyone who I met the last 10 days, it was great to meet you all! Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions at all.

Right now I am on a Delta flight from Los Angeles to NOLA. I am heading back for a week in New Orleans just in time for the National Association of College Admission Counseling conference. It's our largest gathering of admission professionals and high school counselors, and it just so happens to be in New Orleans this year! Over 7,000 people will be in attendance, including most high school counselors. I'll report back soon.

In the meantime, chat with us here and sign up to meet us in your hometown here!

Chat Live with our Students!

2011-09-07T14:11:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!
Just a quick post to let you know that you are now able to chat live with current Tulane students. Every weekday from 2-5 pm central time, you can log on here and chat with a student about any questions you have. Ask about Greek Life, study abroad, public service, majors, minors, New Orleans, etc... It's up to you.

Log in and ask away. Here is the link: http://admission.tulane.edu/contact/chat/

The NOLA Experience

2011-08-31T12:24:00.003-05:00

Another Freshman move in day has come and gone! This Saturday, we moved in 1628 new first year students into their residence halls. Move in day is a huge tradition here at Tulane, and I am pretty sure we have it down to a science. Everyone from sorority girls, football players, ROTC students and even President Cowen is out there to help our incoming students make a smooth transition into their new home.

But, for a lucky 150 members of the freshman class, move in day took place a full week early. Why? Because they participated in the NOLA Experience, a full week long pre-orientation program. NOLA really personifies the Only at New Orleans, Only at Tulane catchphrase that you will often hear referring to our school and town. The NOLA experience is divided up into 10 different tracks, ranging from camping trips, cuisine exploration tours, musical experiences to a media group who writes the first issue of our campus newspaper.

The NOLA Experience is a great way to really acclimate yourself with our city before the hustle and bustle of classes start. There is a brief application that students from the incoming class will complete during the summer, and around 150 students are selected every year. NOLA tracks will take students all over Southeast Louisiana and expose them to the rich and unique culture that will surrounding them in the years to come.

Here are the tracks that we had this year:

Down and Dirty
Explore Louisiana
God and Bourbon Street
Let the Good Times Rock and Roll
So, You Want to Change the World?
Newcomb and the City
Through the Looking Glass
Take a Bite Out of New Orleans
Lagniappe

I have saved the best for last because.... I was the track leader for Lagniappe! For those of you that don't speak New Orleans, Lagniappe (lan-yapp) means "a little something extra." That's kind of a misnomer for my track, because the Lagniappe NOLA track had a lotta something extra.

My track had two student leaders (way to go Kensey and Cutter!) and two other staff track leaders including myself. We did it all- everything from exploring New Orleans' Antebellum plantation homes to learning how to Cajun dance, to touring Mardi Gras World to literally reliving that scene in Jurassic Park by hatching baby alligators from their eggs.

Lots and lots of photos follow of NOLA. It was an incredible week, and a great introduction to everything New Orleans.

Exploring one of New Orleans' oldest cemeteries

Lunch at Parkway Tavern- best po'boys in town!

Out front of the New Orleans Museum of Art, aka NOMA.

What New Orleans experience would be complete without a stop at a Snowball stand? Here we are at Hanson's Snow-Blitz, arguably the best in the city.

The gang out front of Destrehan Plantation

Liz and Chloe, with their loyal track leader

Beautiful Live Oak trees of Southeast Louisiana

Feeding some 1 year old alligators

Myles and Chloe pose with their new buddy

This is the group with Jimmy, the country's best alligator catcher. Look out for him on an upcoming reality show!

I am a proud Dad!

more 'gator hatching

Liz is a mom!

Lagniappe gators

more gators!

The NOLA experience is something that I would highly recommend to any new student next year. It's really an incredible week of exposure to one of the most dynamic and fun places in America.

You can view a great video all about NOLA here. And check out some more info about NOLA here and here.

Top 10 Tulane Packing List for Freshman

2011-08-23T10:21:00.004-05:00

Alright class of 2015, you're moving into Tulane in 5 days! I know it's hard to believe that after all the hype, all the work, the late night essay writing, the numerous college visits, the anxiety of the SAT and ACT and the endless family discussions that it's here. College is finally here. I hope you all are getting excited to make the move to New Orleans, or what I like to refer to as, The Greatest City in the World. Actually, the date of your move in day also happens to coincide with my 10 year anniversary of moving to New Orleans for my freshman move in day. Which means I have lived here for a decade!

Today's blog is going to help you prepare for making that move to Tulane and New Orleans. After my ten years here and ten classes of Tulane students, including my own, I figured I could easily impart my wisdom for some things that you should bring with you. So, without further ado, I bring to you.....

Jeff's List of TenThings You Should Bring to Tulane.

1) Flip flops- The average temperature in New Orleans never goes below 50 degrees, and it stays flip-flop weather pretty much year round. My students have told me that the flip-flop is the international shoe of Tulane. So bring lots of pairs of them, and be prepared to wear them pretty much year round.

2) Rain Boots- If the flip-flop is the international shoe of Tulane, then the Rain Boot come in a close second. Afternoon showers (read: afternoon torrential downpours) are frequent in the late summer here in New Orleans. And because we are a city below sea level, every drop of rain that lands in the city needs to be pumped out. So let's just say puddles are a common occurrence around Tulane on rainy days. And guys, don't think that the boots are just for the ladies. Them Hunter Rain Boots are lookin' pretty cool these days.

Audbon Park is right across the street from Tulane.

3) Sporting equipment- I was totally glad I brought my lacrosse gear down to Tulane my freshman year. Whether it was just for throwing the ball around out front of my residence hall in Monroe Quad or for my time I spent playing with the Tulane club lacrosse team, I was glad I had my gear with me. So if you play field hockey, tennis, baseball, golf, etc., bring your stick, racket, mitt, clubs, etc. You'll find plenty of friends on your floor who will be down to throw around with you or hit the links in Audubon Park Golf Course, right across the street from Tulane. It's a great way to meet new people too.

4) Musical equipment- The kid on my floor who had his guitar was an instant hit in our late night jam sessions on Monroe 9 (circa 2002, I'm old, I know. Do you kids even call them jam sessions anymore?) If you play something, bring it. For you upright bass and drummers, maybe keep those at home, or contact the music department to see if they can store your instrument for you, because those won't fit in your room.

5) Power Strip- There are lots of outlets in the residence halls, but having a power strip or surge protector was a big help for all those things that you'll need to plug in.

6) Some nice clothing- Guys, bring a nice blazer or a suit and tie. Ladies, a nice dress or two will help. You're bound to attend some sort of nice event (Wall Prom, maybe a fraternity formal, etc) and you'll want to have a few nice things to wear. We are a very laid back campus in terms of dress (as in, you don't need to dress up for the football games unless you want to) and things here in NOLA are quite causal, but some nice clothing will definitely come in handy.

7) USB Flash Drive- We've got labs and printers all over campus. Bring a flash drive in case you need to print or transfer your paper or data somewhere.

8) Duct Tape, screw driver, and paper towels- beuase you never know when you'll need these.

9) I am using number nine to share a few things you shouldn’t bring- All your high school stuff (your letterman jacket, every club t-shirt from high school, etc. High School was then, Tulane is now. Start a new! And trust me; you'll get 100 free t-shirts in the first month here at Tulane.) Also leave your candles and incense at home; they are outlawed in the residence halls.

10) An open mind and a positive attitude- Ok ok ok, I know you rolled your eyes at that one. But I am serious. You are about to embark on the best four years of your life. I know around 1,000 of my friends from Tulane who would give anything you be in your shoes right now and do it all over again. Meet everyone. Don’t judge anyone. Leave your high school drama in high school. Try new things. Have an adventure. Make friends all over the place. By the end of the first week, you'll have 100 new numbers in your cell phone under things like "Tanya Memphis" and "Jackie Chemistry Class" and "Green shirt Mark from Riverboat Cruise". (Funny thing is, I still have a lot of my friends from freshman year in my phone as their names that I put them in as when I first met them. And Tanya from Memphis still calls me Jeff Thrift Lax when she sees me (I used to exclusively wear thrift store t-shirts back in the day. Anyways...)).

So go out there and enjoy yourself! And don't forget your rain boots! Have a great year, class of 2015.

The Application Is Live!

2011-08-12T10:10:00.003-05:00

Alright, class of 2016 (that's you, former High School class of 2011)... the application is here! You can access the freshman application for admission HERE.

Also, have a look at our new website. We have re skinned and reorganized our site to make it easier and more navigable. I think you'll like what you see. Stay tuned, a new section of the site will launch shortly!

Last year when the application came out, I posted my Ten Application Tips. I thought it would be helpful for you new applicants to see them here again. Much more details will come on this blog in the coming months as i expound on these tips, but for how, hope these help. Good luck!

So, without further ado, I present to you Jeff's Top 10 Application Tips!

1) If the application asks "Why are you applying to [insert school here]?," take the time to write a thoughtful, insightful answer. Show you have done a little research, and really make your case as to why you think said school would be a good fit for you. If there isn't a question like this on the application, then send in a short paragraph as if this question was asked.

2) Explain everything! If you had a real tough semester in your personal life in your sophomore year and your grades suffered, let us know. If AP Calc wasn't your thing but you got two tutors and worked every night for two months studying but still got a C, let us know. The more insight you can give into your grades the better.

3) Grab our attention with the opening of your essay. We read thousands and thousands of these things, so make sure you get us going right off the bat. And remember, sometimes (oftentimes) the best essays are the simplest ones. No need to dig for a tragedy, over embellish anything or try to change the world. Just be yourself. And I hate to tell you all this, but I must have read a thousand essays about summer camp, Harry Potter, grandmas and your service trip to Fiji last summer. Think outside the box!

4) Never write the wrong school. Ever. Ever. Ever. You would be shocked as to how many times I get an essay with the last line of "... and that is why I would be a great addition to the Vanderbilt community." Just. Don't. Do. That. Ever.

5) Edit. Then edit again. Then again. There is no excuse for errors anywhere on your application or essay. None whatsoever. It should be flawless, people. Take the time to edit and review and revise your full application multiple times.

6) Got questions? Call us! Communication with the admission office is key. Don't over do it, but reach out to your admission counselor. Let him or her know how interested you are in Tulane (or whatever school) and meet with him or her during a high school visit or a regional reception in your hometown. "Determined interest" does come into play with many schools, especially here at Tulane. Let us know why you want to come here. But don't over do it. Oh, and Mom and Dad, if you are reading this, this doesn't apply to you. We care a lot about our prospective parents, but let your kid do the work. He or she should be calling to check on the application status and communicating with the counselor. Trust me on this one. (You can reach out to your Tulane admission counselor here!)

7) Get a college e-mail address. Something professional. While the e-mail I got last year from Bluntz4Life or LaxStud6969 may sound cool to your friends, it looks silly to me. And I'm actually pretty cool too. Just put your best foot forward.
8) We like jobs. So if you have one, tell us about it. Working 15 hours a week at your local Subway as a Sandwich Artist carries just a much weight as playing a varsity sport. Whatever takes up your time, we want to know about it.

9) In general, with your extracurricular activities, keep in mind that schools like Tulane are not necessarily looking for well-rounded students. What we are looking for is a well-rounded class of students. You don't have to be the Renaissance man/woman, but what you have to have is a passion. For anything. For football, fencing, chess, dance, community service, student government, water polo, etc. We don't care what you do, as long as you do it well and you love to do it. I want to really feel what you are passionate for. What makes you tick after the bell rings? Where do your strengths lie? What makes you... you?

10) Send us a nice, clean, one-page resume with the above listed. Keep this resume simple. Just give me a quick description of those three or four big things. Do not, I repeat, do not send me a four page resume listing out every time you ever worked at a bake sale or walked around the park to raise money. I wont read it, and few colleges will. We don't need a list of everything, just the most important things to you.

I hope this helps you all out a little bit. This whole process is just about being yourself and putting your best foot forward. Be you, and if you are a good fit for the school you are applying to, that school will recognize that and you'll have that much of a better shot of that big envelope arriving in the mail.
Best of luck, class of 2016!

New Orleans - A City of Colors

2011-07-27T14:14:00.004-05:00

New Orleans truly is one of the most colorful cities in America. We are world renown for our unique and distinctive architecture and culture, all of which bear a some of the most visually inspiring sights you will ever see. We are a city of sights, sounds, smells and all kinds of colors.

But rather than tell you all about our fair city's vibrancy, it's best to show you. As such, I would like to introduce my readers to my good friend Sayde Finkel. Sayde is a Tulane Law School graduate from New York who currently works for Councilman-at-Large Arnie Fielkow, who happens to be the best city council member this side of the Mississippi, in my humble opinion. In addition to working for Arnie, Sayde is the most incredible photographer I know. So, I thought, what better way to show the color and beauty of New Orleans than through a few of Sayde's incredible photographs?

So here goes... enjoy!

4th of July Fireworks in Mardi Gras Colors

9th Ward Graffiti

9th Ward Art

Louis Armstrong Park entrance

Audubon Park Mist (right across the street from Tulane)

Chandelier Store on Royal Street

New Orleans Cemetery- Cities of the Dead, we call 'em

Crawfish Season

French Quarter Door

French Quarter Molding

Easter Sunday in the French Quarter

French Quarter Balcony

Mardi Gras Indian

Jackson Square Statue

St. Louis Cathedral

French Quarter Alley

Hotel Monteleone

New Orleans Street Signs

Napoleon House Entrance

New Orleans Po'Boy

French Quarter Doorway

Bienville Street

French Quarter buildings

Who Dat!

New Orleans Sno Balls

St. Louis Cathedral

Sayde Finkle, photographer extraordinaire. saydeee@gmail.com for questions!

NOLA Bucks!

2011-07-08T15:56:00.002-05:00

It's a common question during the campus visit, here at Tulane and everywhere in America: "What is the food like?"

Well I can tell you that, in all honesty, ours is pretty dang good! I'm not just saying that either... our on-campus dining options here at Tulane are diverse, healthy and tasty too. Tulane offers eleven different places to eat on campus, including our main freshman dining hall, Bruff Commons. Not far from Bruff is the food court at the LBC (our student center on campus) that has everything from sushi to Einstein Brothers to Quizno's. So whatever your taste, there are plenty of great options here on campus. If you get bored, you can use your dining plan to eat at our Hillel, or even at any of Loyola University's dining options. They are right next door to us and Tulane makes it really easy to take advantage of all of their eating facilities.

But what if you are ready to head off campus? Well, as I am sure you are aware, New Orleans is no stranger to incredible food. If you need help, you can check out my Three Perfect Meals blog. Now I know what you are thinking, all that food around NOLA looks great, but how would I pay for it? And what about options right off campus? Well, you are in luck. This past year, Tulane introduced a great plan called NOLA Bucks, where you can spend your Tulane dining dollars at a number of different locations throughout Uptown New Orleans. All you need is your Tulane ID, aka your Splash Card. There are currently 18 different spots all near campus that will accept your NOLA Bucks, which you or your family can easily load on to your meal plan starting your freshman year.

NOLA Bucks are a great way to get out and experience some of New Orleans great dinging options using your Tulane meal plan. Even better, there are a number of different grocery stores around Uptown New Orleans who accept the Bucks. You can view a full list of participating stores and restaurants here. For you incoming freshmen, I highly recommend Favori. And you'll quickly notice that Dough Bowl pizza is a staple in any Tulane student's diet. With NOLA Bucks and your Splash Card, New Orleans famous food, from po'boys to crawfish and jambalaya to gumbo, is just a card swipe away.

Tulane goes great lengths to provide its students with a variety of dining options. We think you'll be pretty impressed with what you find around campus and around town!

The Dough Bowl serves up some of the best Pizza in town. And look! They want you to use your Splash Card!

Another popular Tulane dining spot, the Pita Pit, welcomes Tulane students and their Splash Cards.

Jeff's Things to do Around New Orleans- Part IV- Freret Street

2011-06-20T15:06:00.004-05:00

If you've ever heard me speak about Tulane, you'll know that a good deal of my time is spent talking about the magical, funky, romantic, mysterious, third world, beautiful city of New Orleans. As such, its been a great pleasure of mine to write these blogs about Jeff's TTDANOLA. We've seen Magazine Street, Frenchman Street, Mid City, and today, I take you, the reader, on a rejuvenating jaunt to Freret Street. If you had told me five years ago that I would be encouraging Tulane students and their families to visit Freret Street, I would have laughed at you. You see, back in the 60s, Freret was much like Magazine Street here in New Orleans: bustling with shops, stores and food. But in the 90s and early 00s, Freret fell into a state of disrepair. It certainly was not a place that would have recommend was worth seeing upon visiting Tulane's campus.

But that has all changed. In the last 3 years, Freret has gone under a major revitalization. The New Freret, as it has been dubbed, is quickly growing into one of the coolest, hippest parts of NOLA. New shops, bars, and restaurants are opening up on Freret every week. There are now 40 businesses along the Freret corridor between Jefferson Ave and Napoleon Ave., where as only a few years ago, nearly 2/3 of the area was abandoned. Its actually been a big news story around town.

The best part of the New Freret? It's walking distance from Tulane! If you've ever visited our campus before, you'll know that Freret Street goes right through our campus. In fact, its pretty much one of only two streets that actually goes through the campus itself. Its but a 10 minute walk to get from the middle of Tulane's campus to Jefferson, the real beginning of the shopping district. If you are heading to campus for a tour, or just haven't been to Freret in a while, take my advice and give it a shot. And while you are there, here are some great recommendations that I have for you. My coworkers Andrew and Rachel spent a few hours perusing the New Freret and we couldn't have been happier with what we found.

Village Coffee and Cafe: There is no shortage of local coffee shops here in NOLA. In fact, I think I can count on two fingers the number of Starbucks we have here in town (but in case you are an SBux addict, don't worry, there is one within walking distance of Tulane!) Instead of the chain coffee stores, New Orleans has hundreds of cute, local coffee shops. Village Coffee, not 4 blocks from Tulane, is one of those spots. Very popular study spot for both Tulane students and high school students from The Newman School (home of Peyton and Eli!) which is a few blocks up Jefferson.

All Natural Snowballs at Beacoup Juice

Beacoup Juice NOLA: Oh man I don't even know how to begin to describe how great this place is to you. Its everything you could ever want in a juice bar with a New Orleans twist. Smoothies and Snowballs are their specialty, and everything is made with fresh, local ingredients. I highly recommend the Pineapple Mint snowball. Perfect for washing down your Dat Dog.

Dat Dog; Jeff. Schiffman. Loves. Hot Dogs. Its true. I have a high respect for fine foods and great meals, but man oh man do I love a good hot dog. So when Dat Dog opened up a few weeks back, I was beyond thrilled. The tiny and hip hot dog joint serves up everything from the traditional dog to Alligator Sausage, Polish Kielbasa and German Smoked Bratwurst.

Freret Street Po Boy Shop: Because what New Orleans shopping corridor would be complete without it's own Po Boy shop? This place has a bakery that makes dynamite King Cake around Mardi Gras as well.

Cure: The craft cocktail movement has definitely found its foothold here in New Orleans. Cure is one of the most popular new bars in the city and serves up some very creative drinks and spirits. Its been written up in Esquire (as one of the best bars in America) The Washington Post, GQ, Food and Wine, and Travel & Leisure even named it one of the best cocktails bars in America. You get the idea. This place is pretty darn good.

Rachel chooses her snoball at Beacoup Juice. Lotta choices!

And its not just the food and drink on Freret that is great. Freret is also home to a comic book store, a great thrift store, a bike shop, a yoga studio, a comedy theater, a boxing gym, art galleries, and even the monthly Freret Market. The whole district is walkable and an easy afternoon if you're on Tulane's campus. And from what I can tell, this is only the beginning. When I was there last week, "coming soon" sings are everywhere. New pizza joints, burger shops, and stores are coming on line every day. In fact, this new restaurant called the High Hat had just opened the day I was there.
For all of my Tulane alumni out there who read my blog, I know what you are thinking. Is this the same Freret that was near campus back when I was at Tulane? Indeed it is! But there's a new Freret in town, and we're all pretty excited about it. So if you are around, come check it out!

Freret Comedy!

Freret Yoga!

Andrew and Rachel lookin' fly outside of Dat Dog. Crescent City Comics across the street.

Welcome Freshman!

2011-06-15T16:37:00.001-05:00

June orientation is here! Hundreds of members of the class of 2015 are making their way to campus each day of this month. With all these future Tulanians on campus, I thought you all may want to know a bit about the incoming class.

Tulane had a very strong year for recruitment, and we could not be happier with the class of 2015. Our goal this year was to lower the number of students who applied to Tulane slightly while still increasing the quality of the incoming class. We successfully did both.

Academically, the class of 2015 is one of the strongest classes we have ever had. Nearly 60% are in the top 10% of their graduating class, and almost 90% fall in the top 25%.

Size wise, this class is a bit larger than we have had in years past. We won’t know the final number until move in day, but we estimate it will be somewhere around 1620.

The ladies take it again this year, making up 57% of the incoming class. This is right on par with all national averages for college-bound seniors.

Tulane continues to be the most geographically diverse school in the nation. Students from this incoming class represent 48 different states and 20 foreign countries. The only two states not represented in the class are Delaware and Wyoming. Students will be traveling from the following foreign countries to attend Tulane: China, Japan, UK, Canada, Vietnam, Panama, Australia, Brunei, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Italy, Nicaragua, Singapore, Switzerland, Spain, The Philippines, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and Trinidad & Tobago.

There are more than 100 students coming from each of the following states: Louisiana, New York, California, New Jersey and Massachusetts. That is also our top 5 states, in order.

The most popular incoming majors are:

Cell and Molecular Biology
Political Science and International relations
Psychology
Biomedical Engineering
Communications
English

We can't wait to welcome the newest addition to the Tulane family on August 29th. Roll Wave!

Guest Blog- LGBT Life at Tulane

2011-05-31T10:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Graduation Season everyone! Things here at Tulane are heating up, with our summer temperatures setting in and our first year students arriving on campus starting tomorrow for the first of nine June Orientation Sessions.

Today's blog is a special one... because its not going to be written by me! Without further ado, I want to introduce everyone to Sam Roecker, a rising sophomore here at Tulane, and president of Tulane's QSA. Sam is really involved with a ton of activities here at Tulane and in the city of New Orleans, especially with LGBT life at Tulane. So I figured, who better than to share what its like for LGBT students at Tulane and in New Orleans, than some one who can share his stories first hand. So here goes, enjoy!

* * *

In the process of researching colleges and universities that combine rigorous academics, dedicated support to LGBT students, and a firm commitment to the surrounding community, I discovered Tulane. I first arrived in New Orleans in December 2008, for my third Student Diversity Leadership Conference, an annual gathering of over 2000 student leaders and educators from independent and private schools across the nation. As the four-day conference came to a close, I was excited to learn that I had a few free hours to explore the vibrant city of New Orleans. I knew immediately that my first destination would be Tulane, a school that already made it to the top of my college list based on extensive research.

From the moment I set foot on campus, I could feel Tulane’s sense of purpose in a city and region still recovering from an unthinkable tragedy—make that two tragedies, with the lasting effects of the oil spill. To say disaster is no stranger to the people of New Orleans is an understatement. Over the course of my first year, I delved into a culture unlike any other and discovered there is in fact a reason New Orleans is crowned with the title, The Big Easy: nothing can stop the rhythm, the beat and the people. New Orleans is a city that rebuilds structures without compromising the essence of culture that makes this city unique. In heart of one of New Orleans’ most historic neighborhoods is Tulane, an academic community that strives to combine classroom learning with opportunities to contribute, in meaningful ways, to the city and people of New Orleans—and beyond.

Aside from academics, finding a school that actively affirms LGBT students was a top priority during my selection process. I met with admission counselors, diversity office coordinators, and attended an LGBT-friendly college fair in California, all for the sole purpose of ensuring my dream school didn’t silence the voices of my community. Tulane not only met, but also exceeded many of these criteria. Did you know that our LGBT student group, QSA (Queer Student Alliance, and formerly MOSAIC- photo of our Executive Board at right) is the oldest, continuously operating Gay and Lesbian organization in the state of Louisiana? We celebrated our 30th anniversary over the 2002-2003 academic year, and look forward to re-launching this fall with expanded programming. Additionally, Tulane has made a firm commitment to institutional equity by expanding benefits to domestic partners of university employees. Great, I thought, but it’s still Louisiana!

As an openly gay teen and progressively minded individual, I seriously questioned moving to the Deep South. It didn’t really hit until I was schlepping boxes to the FedEx store in late August and noticed the labels printed with ‘Louisiana.’ Yet despite my trepidation, my gut—and extensive research—told me to breathe and let the beat go on, New Orleans style. I reminded myself that despite the Louisiana State Legislature’s lackluster performance on protecting LGBT Louisianans, New Orleans has a long history of enacting laws that specifically protect LGBT people. For over a decade, New Orleans has recognized Domestic Partnerships and offers health benefits to partners of city employees. New Orleans’ Human Rights’ Laws protect ALL LGBT people from discrimination in employment, housing, private clubs, commercial spaces, and public accommodations. For over two decades, New Orleans has taken more steps to protect LGBT residents than the Federal Government. The New Orleans City Council has also taken a strong stance in support of LGBT rights. The New Orleans City Council President, Arnie Fielkow, recently published an opinion piece strongly condemning a court decision against a gay couple who wanted to adopt a child.

Okay, enough about the politics of New Orleans (my friends have to remind to end the political talk). Having traveled to every major city in America, I can say, without doubt, that New Orleans is by far the most unique—and absolutely the most fun. LGBT life in New Orleans is alive and thriving, and to my surprise, exists far beyond the borders of the French Quarter. As a political and community activist, I was drawn to New Orleans, with its reputation as a hub for community activism, rich history and convergence of cultures. For LGBT and ally students, Tulane offers numerous opportunities to socialize, organize for equality, and thrive both in and out of the classroom. The constant synergy between Tulane and New Orleans challenges leaders, scholars and activists to tackle the problems of the 21st century. Tulane is my home—I can’t imagine studying anywhere else.

Sam Roecker, QSA President
sroecker@tulane.edu

* * *

Questions? If you have any questions about QSA here at Tulane, or LGBT life in general, feel free to e-mail Sam directly. He would love to hear from you!

Interested in learning more about QSA?
QSA's goal is to create a community that feels like home—a safe and welcoming space for LGBT and ally students. Through the year, QSA will offer numerous opportunities to connect with fellow LGBT and ally students, and get more involved on campus and in the city. Students with any questions about life at Tulane, are encouraged to contact QSA. They will be happy to give students advice or put them in contact with any of the resources on campus that can help them navigate Tulane and New Orleans.

QSA would also like to invite students to join them for a welcome event on September 6th at 7pm in the QSA lounge located in Warren Hall. There will be free snowballs, T-shirts and opportunities to get to know new classmates. Find us on Facebook!

Hidden Tulane Part III- Tulane Hillel

2011-05-11T11:01:00.000-05:00

The Hidden Tulane series takes readers on a visit to a part of our campus and community that you won't be able to see on a typical campus tour. We've visited the Cassatt Courtyard and The Tulane Community Garden.

Today, we are heading a few blocks off campus to the brand new Goldie & Morris Mitz Center for Jewish Life, home of Tulane Hillel. The new Center for Jewish life just opened this semester, and after visiting the building on Monday for a tour of the facility and lunch in the dining hall, I can safely say that Tulane is now home to potentially the nicest Hillel in America.

The new building is located on Broadway Street, which runs parallel to Tulane's campus and is a hub of off-campus housing and activities. The facility is over 10,000 square foot and has a wealth of amenities for the Tulane community: a full kosher kitchen, two classrooms, multiple study spaces, two massive porches overlooking Broadway and even a free coffee bar. Free printing, Tulane wireless, and incredible food are all available here as well. Tulane students can even use their on campus dining dollars to eat in the dining hall here at Hillel, and the building is open from 9am-11pm, with lunch and dinner served every weekday.

I was totally blown away by all of the services that Hillel offers our students. But even more impressive is the philosophy of the organization. I had some time to sit down to lunch with Rabbi Yonah, Hillel's executive director, and Corey, the Director of Programming and Engagement. I was interested to hear that religious life makes up only a small percent of what Hillel and the Jewish Student Center offer. Its so much more than that, and best of all, the building and all of its activities and resources are open to ALL students, regardless of their background. So much of what they do is based in culture, service, outreach, leadership opportunities and community activism. Hillel is totally integrated with the greater Jewish community here in New Orleans and on a global scale as well. Rabbi Yonah told me that Hillel, in its essence, provides students with access points to interact with greater religious life as a whole, and creates a template for what is possible.

On a smaller scale, if you are ever on campus, swing by Hillel for a meal. You will not be disappointed. Harveen Khera is the head chef at Hillel (who you can see with Corey in the photo at right), and man oh man was my lunch here delicious. Harveen's philosophy is to provide students who stop by with a "home away from home." She and her staff serve up lunch and dinner with a twist. The food, in Harveen's words, is "international street food," and the menu includes South Indian, Pho, Thai, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Mexican, among other things. The food is also all Kosher, but as Harveen told me, that idea is well respected, but comes secondary. Her main passion is making fresh and organic food from scratch. It's all from sustainable resources and virtually everything in the kitchen is local. "Being Kosher should be more about what you CAN have rather than what you CAN'T," she tells me. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free... she really has it all. When I say you should check out the dining hall when you are in town, I mean it. You will be so impressed. Oh and one other thing... if you are a student here at Tulane and ever get sick, give Hillel a call. They'll bring over a bowl of hot and fresh Matzo Ball soup to your dorm. Does it get any better than that?

The new Center for Jewish Life is an incredible resource for all of our student here on campus. The ties to the local and global community are evident in every aspect of what Hillel offers. You can check of some of their programs here. They range in everything from yoga classes to international service trips.

Here are a bunch of photos from my recent visit. Enjoy!

The brand new Center for Jewish Life

One of the main lounges

The Dining Hall can seat over 120 people

Upstairs TV lounge

One of two classrooms. Tulane classes are taught here ever semester, in areas such as Political Science, Latin American Studies and Jewish Studies

Upstairs porch overlooking Broadway

Crawfest!

2011-04-25T16:07:00.013-05:00

I am a little late in my blogging about Crawfest, which was a week ago, but maybe that's because it was just so incredible this year that I had to take a full week to mentally digest its awesomeness. In fact, its so good that I feel my fellow blogger Maya, who served on the Crawfest planning committee, is really the only blogger who can do it justice. So check out her blog here! 10 bands! 3 stages! And 16,000 pounds of crawfish. Crawfest has quickly grown into one of the largest student-planned music festivals in the country!

Enjoy some pictures...

A lot of students come to Crawfest. I mean, A LOT.

And they dance!

And sing!

And the bands rock.

And we eat a lot of crawfish

Team Tulane Admission Enjoys Crawfest! Hey, its Rachel (NY and NJ admission rep) and Antoinette (New England rep)

Jeff's Things to do Around New Orleans- Part III: Mid City

2011-04-14T10:06:00.006-05:00

Welcome back to everyone's favorite section of this blog- Jeff's Things to Do around NOLA! In cased you missed Part 2 about Frenchman Street or Part 1 about Magazine Street, you can head back and click those links to check them out.

Part three of our series takes us to one of the most underrated and undiscovered parts of the New Orleans, Mid City. Mid City is absolutely one of my most favorite parts of this town for a number of reasons. First off, its the proverbial melting pot of every type of New Orlenian. It's very much a blue collar part of town, and the mix of architecture, culture and people make this part of town incredibly funky, cool and unique. It's off the beaten path for tourists, is the birthplace of Louis Armstrong and is known for some totally cool historic architecture. Numerous shops, bars and irreplaceable restaurants dot the streets of Mid City.

If you end up making it up to this part of town, which, as the name hints, is located right in the middle of New Orleans , make sure you keep it undiscovered and underrated. We don't want too many outsiders knowing just how cool this part of town really is! It's also really easy to get to from Tulane. Just keep taking St. Charles Ave. Uptown, hit up a right at the Riverbend and then take Carrolton allll the way out till you are smack in the middle of Mid City. You can also get there from downtown by taking Canal Street away from downtown and the river, and just stay straight until you reach Mid City. The Canal Streetcar line will take you from the middle of downtown all the way to Mid City; just hop on the line that says "Cemeteries". (Spooky, right? Only in New Orleans!) The same goes for taking Esplanade on the other side of the Quarter. (and Esplanade en route to Mid City is one of the prettiest drives in town!) Basically, what I am saying is... all roads lead to Mid City!

Any trip to Mid City must include a few key stops. Here are tips for the best places to check out while you are moseying around this part of town.

Bayou St John- Bayou St. John is a little oasis on the border of Mid City. It's somewhat a river, somewhat a lake and somewhat a bayou that runs along the east side of Mid City all the way up to the east side of City Park and eventually up till it hits Lake Pontchartrain. Rent a bike and take the path that meanders through the bayou and up to the park, and if you time it just right, you can catch the sunset on the Lake. You can grab a kayak or canoe (Masses rents them for free on weekends) and spend some time loungin' on the bayou.

City Park- Man I love City Park! It is the 6th largest urban park in America and the 7th most visited. It's nearly 50% bigger than Central Park in Manhattan. The park's southern boarder is the northern border of Mid City. I could literally write an entire blog post about City Park, and in fact, I think some day I will, because its that fabulous. All I will say is, just go. Check it out. Talk about magnificently gorgeous. The live oaks, like you see on the photo at right, are really a sight to see.

New Orleans Museum of Art- The Crown Jewel of City Park is the New Orleans Museum of Art. NOMA has a majestic collection of over 40,000 works of art, including Degas, Picasso, and Braque. Their rotating collections are also amazing. I've seen everything from Ansel Adams to an incredibly moving exhibit on Katrina photography. It's only $8 with your Tulane ID!

New Orleans Fairgrounds and Racetrack- In a few weeks, the Fairgrounds will erupt in excitement as the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival takes place. Much more on Jazz Fest to come, don't you worry. When its not festival season, the Racetrack is a very popular place for Tulane students to spend time as it's the home to the Louisiana Derby. Great fun and excitement are had here.

Mid City Architecture- Mid City is actually a National Historic Landmark and is one of the largest historic districts in America. One could spend all day on a bike just moseying around the back nooks and crannies of this part of town. Fabulous colors, shotgun houses, creole cottages and Antebellum architecture are omnipresent in Mid City. You'll be amazed at what you see. Mid City reminds me of a little Caribbean Town.

Cemeteries- You wouldn't think that visiting a cemetery would be something that you would do on a visit to a new town, or as a Tulane student. You'd be correct, in most places, but not in New Orleans! As many of you may know, because of our location below sea level, we bury our dead in tombs above ground, thus giving NOLA cemeteries the nickname "Cities of the Dead". They are a beautiful part of our town, and Tulane students will often visit them, and even work to help restore them or preserve them. St. Louis Cemetery #3 is the big one to check out in New Orleans. It's right near City Park and off the Canal Streetcar line.

And if you know my blog, you know I LOVE to talk about food. So what JTTDINOLA blog would be complete without my recommendations for food in Mid City...

Crescent City Pie and Sausage Company- So good. Just go. And if you can't make it, don't worry, they sell their sausages at Tulane baseball games!

Mid City Pizza District- If you like pizza, then man is Mid City for you. Check out this article all about the best places for some of the best pizza in the city in the best part of town to get it!

Brocato's- A very famous Italian gelato shop in Mid City. Very famous amongst the locals!

Parkway Bakery and Tavern- Everyone in this town has a po'boy shop that they swear by. Parkway is mine. Ergo, its the best po'boy shop in town. Obama agrees; he went there a few months ago! This is a great place to stop after a full day of biking around Bayou St. John and City Park. I do this, like, at least one weekend a month.

Ralph's on the Park- My mom's favorite restaurant in town, and for good reason. Part of the Brennan Family of restaurants here in NOLA, it's situated right on City Park and is just scrumtulescent. A little fancy for Mid City standards, so have a shower after that bike ride before visiting here.

So there you have it folks! A great part of town popular with locals. Check it out on your visit to Tulane if you ever get a little sick of the French Quarter, which believe it or not, is possible. The best way to get around Mid City is by bike, so rent one for a day, (from Joy Ride, perhaps!) or just drive around town and check this place out. You will be glad you did!

Mid City houses are cute and stuff.

City Park Lagoon

Obama and I have the same taste in Po'Boys!

Freshman 15

2011-03-25T14:46:00.000-05:00

Or in my case, the alumni 15?

If you love food, then man oh man is Tulane the school for you. Not only do we live in one of the most incredible food cities in the world, but Tulane's campus is constantly brimming with food for our students. Lots of the time, its free. Next week we'll bring 16,000 pounds of boiled crawfish to campus for the 5th annual Crawfest at Tulane. Not a day goes by where you wont find free pizza at the School of Science and Engineering, Mardi Gras king cakes at the LBC quad, and a BBQ at the sand volleyball courts out front of Sharp Hall.

Take today for example. I had just left our Destination Tulane program for admitted students when I stopped by to grab a free snowball on Newcomb Quad courtesy of the School of Liberal Arts. I had barely eaten my last spoonful of delicious coconut goodness when I stumbled upon the Phi Mu Relay for Life bake sale. One cookie sandwich later, I had made it across Freret Street only to be stopped by the Multicultural Student Body bakesale. After downing a pink cupcake, I only got as far as the Richardson Building when I was enticed by free gelato sponsored by the Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching. I mean hows a guy supposed to lose stay in shape when this campus keeps giving me so much food to eat?

Snowballs! Cookies! Cupcakes!

Its Carnival Time!

2011-03-02T09:41:00.000-06:00

HAPPY MARDI GRAS EVERYONE!

If there is one thing New Orleans knows how to do, its throw a party. So it's no wonder that Mardi Gras in New Orleans is dubbed the "Best Free Party on Earth." But one thing many people don't realize about Mardi Gras is how deep its roots go and how rich its traditions are.

Mardi Gras, which for you NOLA newbies out there, is French for Fat Tuesday, and is very closely tied to Christian traditions. Mardi Gras always falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The entire Carnival season actually begins on 12th Night, the 12th day after Christmas. Mardi Gras in New Orleans traces its roots all the way back to 1699 when the French originally inhabited Southeast Louisiana. Today, cities like Lafayette LA, Mobile AL and Pensacola FL all have popular and extravagant Mardi Gras celebrations.

I would honestly say that it does not get much better than Carnival Season in New Orleans. This year marks my tenth Mardi Gras; each one has been different, and all have been nothing but pure joy and a real incarnation of New Orleans' best catch phrase: Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez- Let the good times roll!

And Roll they do here in NOLA. During Carnival season, New Orleans put on 87 different parades coordinated by 54 different Krewes, which are parade organizations. I personally have rode in the Krewe of Bacchus the past two years. (Photo at right of me in my parade garb.) There really is nothing like hundreds of thousands of people screaming your name for 5 hours. Talk about rock star status! And the scale of Mardi Gras in New Orleans is huge... last year, 1.2 million people attended, and this year is shaping up to be one of the biggest we've ever had, with Fat Tuesday falling so late. The economic and financial impact for the city of New Orleans is massive. The hotel industry alone takes in an estimated $58 million during the last 12 days of Carnival.

Personally, I've always felt that there are two kinds of Mardi Gras here in New Orleans. The first is the kind you probably automatically think about when you think of Gras: the beads, the beer, the boobs, and all the debauchery that goes along with that (like the photo at right). You're only half way correct with that assumption. That type of tomfoolery does go on down in the French Quarter and if that is your scene, then you'll surely dig Bourbon Street over the course of Carnival season. But there is another kind of Mardi Gras that the rest of us enjoy. Its much more of a, shockingly, family holiday. Hang with me for a second here on this one, guys. Uptown New Orleans is a far cry from what goes on in the Quarter during Mardi Gras. The parades are incredible. The marching bands are magic. The costumes, balls, Mardi Gras Indians (at left), crawfish boils, free concerts, traditions, spirit and bon temps that this city offers during Mardi Gras are what most of us enjoy about the holiday. You're much more likely to find Tulane students lining the sidewalks of St. Charles Ave. during the coming weekend than you will find them in the Quarter. Don't get me wrong, the French Quarter is a fabulous place to spend your time during Gras, but it tends to be a bit more touristy. The rest of the city takes on a character that you are only going to find in here. Its something that you have to see to believe, but trust me: its magical.

(who says Green, Gold and Purple don't go well together?)

Speaking of Tulane students, man oh man do they get INTO Mardi Gras. Our campus triples in size with visitors from other schools and friends from high school. Tulane closes down for Monday and Tuesday of Mardi Gras so that our students can partake in all that the city has to offer. The Tulane marching band parades in four different Krewes. Tulane students attend Mardi Gras masquerade balls. Fraternities set up shop right along the parade route for massive BBQs and parties. And if you are into music, like me, well just meet me at the Howlin' Wolf for their free Mardi Gras concerts. You'll see tons of Tulane students jamming out to Rebirth Brass Band and Kermit Ruffins, among other local favorites. There really are few things better than being a Tulane student during Mardi Gras.

This is what it looks like to ride in a Mardi Gras parade.

The Tulane ROTC band marches as well. The Tulane Marching Band marches in 4 Krewes, including Rex, where the King of Mardi Gras is presented. Tulane students catching beads at an Uptown parade. (see? Look at all those kids!) And where do all those beads go once the parades are over? Why, the Mardi Gras Tree on campus, of course!

So there you have it folks. Tulane and the admission staff will be a bit, um, unreachable from Saturday till Tuesday as we revel in the joy that is Mardi Gras. There really is nothing like it, and on Fat Tuesday, I often stop and think, "man... everywhere else in America, today is just a regular Tuesday." Not for us here in NOLA! So have a great Gras wherever you are, and if its not here in New Orleans, find some way to make it special. Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

Source

Sunny Side Up

2011-02-24T13:16:00.000-06:00

I couldn't resist posting this picture of the weather here in New Orleans. Its absolutely perfect right now. I was walking to our university center for lunch today, and I looked around and thought to myself, why would anyone NOT want to come to school here? I know, I know, I am about as biased as they come. But it was a perfect 74 degrees, and are students and faculty are taking advantage of it. There is barely an open space on the quad right now as big circles of students are staked out in the grass to hear their professors lecture al fresco. It just makes it so much easier to get out and enjoy the day when the weather is so nice. Its like this 365 days a year here in New Orleans, I swear!

To be honest, one of the most difficult questions I get from prospective students is "what is the weather like in the winter in New Orleans?" There's no real easy answer to that question. At the beginning of this month, we had a 75 degree day on Monday and a 39 degree day on Tuesday. We generally stay pretty temperate in the winter, but we do get a few cold snaps. This winter we probably had three weeks of winter-coat weather. For the most part it will be in the 50s and 60s, so its not bad at all. The spring and fall are absolutely perfect. From September till early December and the late February till May, it generally stays in the 60-80 degree range, which is perfect. The longer I live in this tropical climate, the more unfit I become to live anywhere with cold weather! And I'll admit it, we get hot in the summer. I mean HOT hot. June July and August can often be extremely humid and very warm. But for you college kids out there, this isn't much of a worry as you aren't in NOLA during the summer unless you are from here. To be honest, growing up in DC, I don't think the summers here are much worse than summers are in DC.

So we don't have much to complain about these days here in NOLA. With Mardi Gras only 10 days away (much more on that soon!) we are hoping this weather continues for the foreseeable future. The bead tree (at right) is gearing up for another round of beads!

So stay warm out there, readers, and come visit us in paradise sometime soon...

I've Been...Waitlisted?

2011-02-22T21:37:00.000-06:00

So you just got the wait list e-mail. Now what? What does this even mean? I’ll do my best to explain this all to you waitlisted students out there. Every year we have a group of students who towards the end of the admission cycle, we know are qualified to admit, but we are not sure if we will have room in the class to actually admit them. These students are placed on the waitlist. We work with a waitlist ever year. Here are some FAQs I get a lot regarding the waitlist...
1) How many students will get in from the wait list? It all depends. Some years we are able to offer admission to a few hundred students from the waitlist. Some years it’s almost no one. It all depends on the year and the size of the class.
2) So how do you decide how many students to admit off the waitlist? What it will come down to is how many students accept our offer of admission. If we have a large group of students who have already been admitted who say yes, then we will not be able to admit as many students off of the waitlist. However if we have fewer students say yes they will enroll, we will have room to admit a number of students off of our waitlist.
3) Will you go to the wait list this year? We will know more as we get closer to May 1st. Only time will tell, but we will let you know as soon as we know. You want to know my honest opinion? I think that there is a very good chance that we will be able to admit a small group from the waitlist. Don’t hold me to that though!
4) Is there financial aid available if I am admitted from the wait list? We will offer the regular need-based aid to students who are admitted off the waitlist as need-based aid is done regardless of how or when you are admitted. We may also offer some merit aid to students who are admitted from the waitlist. It will be less than those who were admitted in the earlier rounds, but we may still be offering some merit aid to students.
5) Is there anything I can do? Well as you know, it is a numbers game at this point, so most of this is out of your control. But if you are super interested in Tulane and we are your top choice, contact your admission counselor and let them know! Interest in Tulane will play a big part in the waitlist, so definitely its worth it just to shoot your admission counselor an e-mail and let him or her know that you are very enthusiastic about Tulane. You can contact your admission counselor here.
Let us know if you have any other questions at all. Good luck guys!

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T16:03:00.000-06:00

Gang- Busy week here in the office, reading regular decision files, selecting our Dean's Honor winners, and answering thousands of e-mails. Just a quick post to say hi to all you lovebirds out there.

The boys from the fraternity I advise here on campus, Sigma Phi Epsion, serenaded and brought flowers to Tulane's First Lady, Margie Cowen, today for Valentines Day. She's President Cowen's wife, and she got a great surprise from my boys today... Happy Valentines Day everyone!

LA is the new L.A.

2011-01-24T12:23:00.000-06:00

Fun fact of the day... more movies are now being made in Louisiana than in California. Seems crazy, right? Believe it or not, its true. Thanks to a 2002 tax incentive program, the state of Louisiana is quietly becoming known as Hollywood South by national movie producers. The tax incentives give major tax breaks to movie production companies provided that they keep much of their staff and investments local. The incentive program has taken off, and last year alone, 35 feature films were shot here in New Orleans. Its a big boost to the local economy, and also a great opportunity for anyone interested in the film industry to get a jump on the profession. Its also a great chance for Tulane students to get their foot in the door of this booming industry. Tulane offers majors in Digital Media Production, Film Studies, Theater and Drama, and a number of other programs that go hand-in-hand with the film industry. Having such a large influx of films being shot in New Orleans has given our students some great opportunities to serve as extras, intern with local production companies, meet connections in the business and even network their way to full time positions. When Benjamin Button filmed in New Orleans two years ago, Tulane ROTC students served as extras in all of the war scenes. And just last week, the new Miley Cyrus film, So Undercover, shot right here on Tulane's campus. (Which would explain my confusion when I got to work last week and all of the trees on campus were in full bloom in the middle of the winter... turns out the flowers were all fake! Check out the prop guy adding flowers to trees in the photo on the right.) The majority of extras in the film are Tulane students and a number of undergrads also are getting some serious real-world opportunities to work on the set of a major movie.

And its not just Miley. In the coming year, New Orleans will be home to Cogan's Tale, starring Brad Pitt, Contraband starring Mark Whalberg, a remake of 21 Jump Street, Batman 3 and many others. Also wrapping up are The Green Lantern, the next Twilight Saga movie, and A Little Bit of Heaven, starring Kate Hudson. The second season of the critically acclaimed HBO series Treme is also in its filming stages. One literally cannot go a full day in this town without seeing movie trucks and film sets. You see signs all over town pointing extras and production staff to proper shooting locations.

So if you are interested in getting involved in the film industry, add Tulane to your list! Turns out its more that just California and New York that can offer great opportunities for this. Why not check out the new LA?

Movie signs are all over this town!

A Much Needed (And Very Awesome) Vacation

2011-01-04T15:31:00.001-06:00

Reader beware: this post has absolutely nothing to do with Tulane, New Orleans or the Office of Admission. This one's alllll me. Read on at your own risk.

So, after weeks on the road traveling for work, reading piles of college applications and answering your many phone calls and e-mails, I took a much needed break. A two week break. To the Galapagos Islands. Needless to say, it was awesome.

My family has always been a very outdoorsy family; we love to hike, bike, swim, etc. So when my mom and pop told me that they were spending two weeks over Christmas in Ecuador, and that my sister and I could come if we could get the time off work, well I very very quickly took them up on their offer. (What? a grown man still going on vacation with his parents? Kids, just wait till you are in your first few years in the Real World... you'll take every free bee you can get)

We departed Miami in mid-December for Qutio, the capital of Ecuador. Quito is incredible; its literally a city in the peaks of the Andes Mountains. In fact, it is the fifth highest elevated city in the world. And its beautiful. We spent five days biking all around the Andes, through small villages, past rolling hills and farmland, through forests and canyons... man it was amazing.

After a very active five days on the mainland, we spent 5 days aboard a very small cruise ship (15 guests) and sailed around the 19 Galapagos Islands. 97% of all of Galapagos is a protected National Park, and in order to visit, you must be with a certified naturalist and make a reservation a year in advance.

The cool part about this is that because there is so little human interaction on the islands, the animals there are just fearless of people. Sea lions, sea turtles, tortoises, iguanas, birds, we got to see it all, up close and personal. I even got to go snorkeling with a sea lion. They're playful little buggers, for sure. Tons of pictures below.

So that was my break! I was back in NOLA for an incredible New Years Eve with friends in the French Quarter, and back to work yesterday. Our students come back from their vacations on Monday the 10th. Its a great time to be in NOLA these days... Carnival season is gearing up (lots more on that soon!) the Saints are in the playoffs (WHO DAT, two dat baby!) and warmer temperatures come and go throughout the winter months.

Hope everyone had a great break from school, and Happy New Year! Welcome to 2011!

Galapagos is kind of like another planet.

If only smuggling were legal....

There sure are a lot of marine iguanas around here.

Sister and me biking in the Andes

Method of transportation

Doing some backpacking around Ecuadorian farmland

Ecuador is green!

Holidays in NOLA!

2010-12-16T13:26:00.000-06:00

Its the Holiday Season in New Orleans, and I must say, I completely agree with AOL.com, which just declared that New Orleans is the number 2 best city in America for spending the Holidays. (And this isn't even the first year we were ranked, Travel and Leisure magazine agrees!)

New Orleans, and Tulane, certainly love to get festive around the holiday season. The mansions that line St. Charles Ave are decorated in some of the most incredible Christmas decorations you have ever seen. Our campus is buzzing with holiday cheer. Giant menorahs are lit on campus, Bruff Commons, our freshman dining hall, stars serving up some of the best Holiday food, and there is just a general air of spirit in town.

So rather than tell you all about it, I thought a visual blog was in order. So, loyal readers, I present to you... the Holidays in NOLA: A Photo Montage! Enjoy....

Gibson Hall, home of the Tulane Office of Admission, covered in holiday lights.

While it doesn't happen often, in 2008 it snowed in New Orleans! I've lived here for 10 winters, and this is the first snowfall I've ever seen here. It was incredible!

Gibson Hall in the snow, 2008

Hillel and Chabad sponsor a menorah lighting right in the middle of Tulane's campus.

Canal Street, a main shopping corridor in downtown New Orleans, gets mighty festive around this time of year.

Tulane themed Christmas Tree decorations

Handmade glass blown ornaments made by Tulane faculty and students in our glass blowing studio, the largest on any college campus.

Two things New Orleans loves: the Holidays and the New Orleans Saints. So sometimes we combine them together.

French Quarter holiday spirit (photo by Sayde Finkel, Tulane Law grad and a great photographer!)

Here I am on Fulton Street, which morphs into Miracle on Fulton during the holiday months. Its downtown, a just a block from my condo. Okay, okay, so its 74 degrees today, and that's about what it was when that photo was taken last week, but I had to get into the spirit somehow!

This is the Christmas tree in the courtyard at the Ritz Carleton Hotel downtown.

And the lobby of the Ritz. One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is check out the lobbies of all of the hotels in town. The Ritz as well as the Roosevelt are both incredible!

Magazine Street- the best 4 miles of Christmas shopping anywhere in America, I guarantee it! Check out my earlier blog all about it.

Hope you enjoyed. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday break. I am off tomorrow and wont be back at work till January 3rd. Have a great Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc and Happy New Year Everyone. See you in 2011!

Busy Season!

2010-12-08T15:34:00.000-06:00

I know I know, no blog in over a month! What could possibly be taking up all of my time? The answer: you! See below.

That's right, there is a big 'ol stack of applications to Tulane. Yours could even be in there! We here in the college admission profession like to refer to the months of November, December, and January as "reading season." Its the time that we do very little else besides read your applications. So I had a few seconds to take a break from reading your essays, recommendations, transcripts, resumes, to write a quick blog just to let you all know I'm still here. I hope you all are doing well out there, and not stressing too much about the college application process. And to those of you who have already gotten that letter of admission to Tulane: Congratulations!

Oh, and if you are wondering what all our students are up to these days... its the same thing as me. But instead of reading applications, they are reading bio, organic chemistry, financial accounting, urban studies, cultural anthropology, and just about everything else. That's right, its final exam time! Everyone on campus is studying. Literally everyone. Check it out!

My Favorite New Orleans Hotel

2010-11-12T15:24:00.000-06:00

First off, my apologies for the month long hiatus in posts! As you all probably know, this is what is known as "Reading Season" in the world of college admission. Its where us admission staff hole up in our offices for two months and read all of your essays, transcripts and recommendations in order to churn out those Early Action decisions by the middle of December. Don't forget guys, the deadline to apply Early to Tulane is Monday 11/15! (And check out my previous blog to see what actually goes on during this alleged reason season....)

I did take a little break from my reading to eat lunch at my absolute favorite hotel today. Now, if you follow my blog, you know that I am one of those "stay local" types who likes to support our local artisans and merchants as much as possible. So, I am a bit bias with this whole post. With that said, I wanted to plug my favorite hotel here in New Orleans for those of you prospective students who may be planning a visit over the next few months.

The International House hotel is what I would refer to as a medium-sized boutique hotel here in New Orleans. Why is it my favorite? Well, like I mentioned, its all local. Locally owned, managed, and staffed, this place is the real deal. Everything, down to the art in the lobby and the furniture in the rooms, is all local stuff. Now, I know you get the reliability from the big 'ol Hilton and Marriott chains, but the International House hotel offers all that reliability plus some serious local NOLA flavor. Its a very chic and cool hotel, and definitely perfect for any Tulane visitor. Its located within walking distance from the awesomeness of the French Quarter, but is situated in the Central Business District, so its a tad bit removed from the boisterous tourists that pack the Quarter every night. Its also just steps away from the St. Charles Ave. streetcar, which you can hop on and be right on Tulane's campus in 25 minutes (its a slow moving method of transportation...) It even drops you off right at our Admission Office! Also, the restaurant at the IH is awesome. Its this great place called Rambla which has awesome tapas and other great food. Even if you don't stay here, I definitely recommend lunch at Rambla. But you should stay here. For real. You'll be glad you did.

So, like I said, I am totally biased towards us local folk. But if you ever want a great hotel recommendation in this town, the International House is definitely the spot. To make matters even better, if you give them a call and mention that you are visiting the Admission Office at Tulane, you get a nice little discount! Just tell 'em I sent ya.

Best of luck to all of your Early Action applicants out there! Now, back to reading for me...

CaliforNOLA Dreamin'

2010-10-12T15:12:00.000-05:00

Wow what a trip that was! I just got back to New Orleans from a two week trip to Southern California. After spending the last five years working for Tulane and recruiting students from the DC area and Long Island, recruiting from the west cost was totally different from anything I have experienced before. I hosted three admission receptions and visited over 40 high schools all throughout the San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange County areas. And yeah, I had some free time as well to hit up a Padres Game, Standup Paddle Surf in Laguna Beach and hit the clubs in Los Angeles. A lot of work and a little bit of play too. Let me just say, I had a blast.

I met a ton of you all while on the road during this trip, and its been great to see how popular Tulane has become in California. Its now our third most represented state in the freshman class after Louisiana and New York. And that's the cool thing that I told all of the students who I met while I was out in Cali: if you want to come to a school where you will meet a lot of students who are a lot like you and even more students who are nothing like you, Tulane is the perfect place to look. There is literally no one at Tulane that feels like its "13th grade," like they are doing the same thing all over again. Because Tulane is the most geographically diverse school in the country, its a new and different experience for everybody here. And after all, if there ever is a time to try something different and do something a little off the beaten path, well that time is definitely college.

(above, me in front of the Tong Gwynn statue at PetCo Park. Go Padres! Below, view of downtown Los Angeles from the Runyan Canyon Trail)

So to all my California guys and gals who I met over the last few weeks, thanks for showing me such a great time in Southern California. Hopefully you all (and everyone, wherever you are from) take my advice- come down and check us out! NOLA is way different from anywhere you have been before, trust me.

I am off to the Bay area and Northern California next week for another two weeks and then finally back to New Orleans for good just in time for Halloween. So if you are up in NorCal, hope to meet you soon. To the rest of you, hope to see you down here in NOLA sometime soon. (how cool is this shot? Taken with my iPhone around five minutes before I started my presentation in Huntington Beach, CA)

Tulane on Facebook

2010-09-23T10:33:00.000-05:00

Hey guys-

A few weeks ago I got a group of students together to re-craft our Facebook fan page. Our new page, which you can view here, is now totally student-run. Become a fan of us and get info on campus goings-on, application and scholarship deadlines, and find out what its life is like for a Tulane student.

I'm off to Southern California for the next three weeks on a recruitment trip, but I will try to post a bit while I am out there. Good luck with your application to all you Early Action and Single Choice Early Action applicants!

...Will Only Make Us Stronger: My Reflections on K+5

2010-08-26T14:49:00.000-05:00

Ive been dreading this blog for months now. Not because I didn't want to have to deal with rehashing everything that went down five years ago and in the subsequent years of recovery. More because I felt like I would not be able to really do justice to the untrained eye as to how incredibly lucky I feel to live in New Orleans.

On Saturday August 29th 2010 we will commemorate the 5 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. And in those five years since, I can tell you I will not, would not, could not imagine living anywhere else in this world. The five years since Katrina have had many ups and downs, but I can tell you here and now, in the words of my very favorite Times-Picayune writer, Chris Rose, "those of us from here have come to realize that as dog-weary and frustrating as all of this is, the only thing worse than being in New Orleans as it struggles to regain it footing would be... not being in New Orleans." New Orleans is what it is today because of Katrina, and so am I. I am, as is New Orleans, a stronger entity.

Let me rewind a bit. I will take you back to the late summer of 2005 when the words Pre-K and Post-K hadn't even entered into my vocabulary. With the help of my father and mother, I had just purchased a brand new home on July 1st of 2005. Six weeks of renovations later, I was finally able to move in on August 20th. And live there... for six days. Six weeks of renovations, six days of habitation, and six feet of water. I lost everything in Katrina. My house smelled worse than anything you have ever smelled in your life. That's what happens when your roommates dog food sits in flood stew for six weeks with the rest of all of your personal belongings. (I can still smell it when I look at that picture on the left) I was in my second month of working for Tulane and my third month of being in the real world and all of a sudden I was living in hotel room in Richmond, Virgina and standing behind a Tulane banner at a college fair working for a closed school all the while the song "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" playing on repeat in my head. And that look of "we-are-just-prayin-for-y'all" I got from every mother who walked by my booth was literally enough to kill me.

But it didn't. Five years later, I'm still here. So is New Orleans. What started out as a near-death experience for this great city has turned into opportunity. It has turned into strength and perseverance. You know that feeling you get when you cant find your wallet? And you look everywhere for it, but for forty five minutes is just gone? And then you find it under the seat in your car. And its like the best feeling in the world, because its back. And that feeling of joy you have makes those last 45 minutes almost worth it. That's where I am at. New Orleans was almost lost. But it wasn't. Its back. And now, thanks to that, it is stronger.

Our schools are stronger. Just yesterday, FEMA earmarked an additional 1.8 billion dollars for public school recovery. That money will go directly into making our school system more viable and successful. The success that the public school system has seen here in New Orleans has been remarkable. Charter school are popping up everywhere, and test scores are on the rise. The school system here has emerged as stronger than ever. (Oh, and want to see what Tulane has done? Check this out)

Our infrastructure is stronger. Nearly every street in New Orleans is, slowly but surely, being repaved. I can tell you this first hand as I stare out my window of my office at the majestic St. Charles Ave, currently in the final phase of its repaving. And for anyone whose ever been to NOLA before, they can tell you; those roads needed it.

Our levees are stronger. If Katrina had never hit, we would still have a woefully inadequate protection system. Billions and billions of dollars have been poured into the levee protection system to keep New Orleans dry. By 2011, New Orleans will finally have the 100 year storm protection system that it needs. While the new system may not be perfect, its a vast improvement to what we had before Katrina.

Our "scene" is stronger. There are new bars and restaurants everywhere. Festivals are flourishing. In fact, New Orleans currently has more restaurants open now than we had prior to the storm. I live in the Warehouse District here in NOLA. Every week, something new opens. Yet while all of this new stuff comes in, we still maintain that antiquated, bohemian feel that makes New Orleans... New Orleans. For every Pinkberry and Jamba Juice that opens (yes, we have both now) there is a local seafood joint or new craft cocktail bar. We are all of a sudden, cool. Everyone who lives here knows we have always been. Now other people are just starting to notice.

Our Saints are stronger. 'Nuff Said.

Our people are stronger. This one I saved for last. Because its the best. There is just this vibe here in town now that is different than it was before. This is the hardest one for me to describe. Pre-K, New Orleans was the Big Easy for a reason. We tended to be a bit more laid back, lethargic even. Nowadays, New Orlenians are motivated. Entrepreneurs are moving to town in droves. Young professionals are moving in and staying. We have the second largest Teach for America corps in the US. Organizations like 504Ward and the YLC are networking young people and providing avenues to create, discover and lead this city. From someone who lived here Pre-K, I can tell you that this is all new to this town. We are energized and motivated because something we loved was lost and had its near death experience. We aren't going to take that one lightly.

Our city is stronger. New Orleans has risen again against all odds. I wouldn't wish Katrina on anyone, but it has sparked remarkable change here in this town. Don't let me sugarcoat it, there is work to be done. Many neighborhoods still lie in ruins. Thousands of our residents have still not been able to return home. But at the end of the day and at the end of this five years, we are a stronger and better city of it. I wake up every morning and truly feel blessed that I live in this town.

When something is nearly lost, and then found again... therein lies an opportunity. An opportunity to make something great, to not take advantage of what you have any to make yourself and your surroundings stronger.

Because that which does not kill me... will make New Orleans stronger.

The Applicaiton is Here! Now what?

2010-08-19T09:02:00.001-05:00

That's right world, the Tulane University Application for Freshman Admission is officially live! You can now begin the process of applying to Tulane for the class of 2015.

Tulane has a few different options for applying as far as time lines go. We offer Single Choice Early Action, Early Action and Regular Decision. A few benefits of applying to Tulane is that we have no binding contracts, and no matter how or when you apply to Tulane, its always free! For more info on SCEA and EA, check out my earlier blog here.

So now that this application is out there for you to complete, what should you do? Well, I cant tell you exactly how to go about every single step of this whole college application process, but what I can do is offer you some tips on applying to Tulane, and applying to college in general. These little tips are going to help you put your best foot forward in applying to schools. But shhh, don't tell your friends!

So, without further ado, I present to you Jeff's Top 10 Application Tips!

1) If the application asks "Why are you applying to [insert school here]?," take the time to write a thoughtful, insightful answer. Show you have done a little research, and really make your case as to why you think said school would be a good fit for you. If there isn't a question like this on the application, then send in a short paragraph as if this question was asked.

2) Explain everything! If you had a real tough semester in your personal life in your sophomore year and your grades suffered, let us know. If AP Calc wasn't your thing but you got two tutors and worked every night for two months studying but still got a C, let us know. The more insight you can give into your grades the better.

3) Grab our attention with the opening of your essay. We read thousands and thousands of these things, so make sure you get us going right off the bat. And remember, sometimes (oftentimes) the best essays are the simplest ones. No need to dig for a tragedy, over embellish anything or try to change the world. Just be yourself. And I hate to tell you all this, but I must have read a thousand essays about summer camp, grandmas and your service trip to Fiji last summer. Think outside the box!

4) Never write the wrong school. Ever. Ever. Ever. You would be shocked as to how many times I get an essay with the last line of "... and that is why I would be a great addition to the Vanderbilt community." Just. Don't. Do. That. Ever.

5) Edit. Then edit again. Then again. There is no excuse for errors anywhere on your application or essay. None whatsoever. It should be flawless, people. Take the time to edit and review and revise your full application multiple times.

6) Got questions? Call us! Communication with the admission office is key. Don't over do it, but reach out to your admission counselor. Let him or her know how interested you are in Tulane (or whatever school) and meet with him or her during a high school visit or a regional reception in your hometown. "Determined interest" does come into play with many schools. Let us know why you want to come here. But don't over do it. Oh, and Mom and Dad, if you are reading this, this doesn't apply to you. We care a lot about our prospective parents, but let your kid do the work. He or she should be calling to check on the application status and communicating with the counselor. Trust me on this one. (You can reach out to your Tulane admission counselor here!)

8) We like jobs. So if you have one, tell us about it. Working 15 hours a week at your local Subway as a Sandwich Artist carries just a much weight as playing a varsity sport. Whatever takes up your time, we want to know about it.

9) In general, with your extracurricular activities, keep in mind that schools like Tulane are not necessarily looking for well-rounded students. What we are looking for is a well-rounded class. You don't have to be the Renaissance man/woman, but what you have to have is a passion. For anything. For football, fencing, chess, dance, community service, student government, water polo, etc. We don't care what you do, as long as you do it well and you love to do it. I want to really feel what you are passionate for. What makes you tick after the bell rings? Where do your strengths lie? What makes you... you?

10) Send us a nice, clean, one-page resume with the above listed. Keep this resume simple. Just give me a quick description of those three or four big things. Do not, I repeat, do not send me a four page resume listing out every time you ever worked at a bake sale or walked around the park to raise money. I wont read it, and few colleges will. We don't need a list of everything, just the most important things to you.

I hope this helps you all out a little bit. This whole process is just about being yourself and putting your best foot forward. Be you, and if you are a good fit for the school you are applying to, that school will recognize that and you'll have that much of a better shot of that big envelope arriving in the mail.

Best of luck, class of 2015!

Hidden Tulane Part II- The Cassatt Courtyard

2010-08-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

New Orleans is a city famed for is courtyards. It seems every nook and cranny of this town is filled with secret shaded gardens and small alcoves of fountains and banana trees. One of my favorite things to do is walk around the French Quarter in the late morning on weekends and peek behind the walls of the older buildings to see whats behind them. Its like a real life movie set.

As usual, so much of New Orleans seeps its way onto Tulane's campus. Tulane is built on a quad system, so practically everywhere you look will be a grouping of buildings around a grassy lawn. This is great because our campus is lined with hundreds of live oak trees, and it makes for a very safe and navigable campus. We are a very "green" place. In fact, last year we were declared a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Much like the city itself, Tulane has some great quiet and green quads and courtyards to hang out in. They are a great place to meet with your student organization, get some studying done, or just enjoy the year-round temperate climate we have here in New Orleans.

The second part of the Hidden Tulane is all about the Cassatt Courtyard, a brand new courtyard right in the middle of campus. A typical Tulane visitor may not see it, but its a great find once you do. Cassatt is located behind Jones Hall. The courtyard was just completed last year. It has a very cool fountain right in the middle and has some great places to lounge out. I went here last year for a BBQ hosted by the Latin American Student Association here at Tulane.

If you ever visit campus, have a look around the Courtyard. Its definitely a hidden gem on our campus. And spend some times checking out all the courtyards this city has to offer. You'll be glad you did!

Three Perfect Meals

2010-07-16T13:52:00.000-05:00

Its near impossible to live or go to school in New Orleans and not be at least a little bit of a foodie. New Orleans is known worldwide for having some of the most incredible food for nearly every taste. From Cajun to French, Creole to American, fine dining to greasy spoon, one can honestly eat out 365 days a year in this town and never even come close to having a bad meal. New Orleans is home to over 1,000 restaurants; many have been around for hundreds of years and others have popped up over the last few years and quickly established themselves as mainstays of the NOLA culinary world.

So as a visitor to Tulane and New Orleans you may ask me... where do I even begin? Well loyal readers, fear not. I am here to help! Last week, I posed the question on my Facebook wall: if you could eat three perfect meals in New Orleans, where would you go and what would you eat? In only three hours, I had nearly forty replies. So, without further ado, I present to you Three Perfect Meals, as chosen by local New Orlenians, Tulane undergrads, Alumni, staff and really just a big bunch of my friends. Enjoy! Oh, and PS- if youre interested on a great blog of local NOLA flaire with some great recipies, check out my buddy Jody's blog, The Kingfish Menu.

Jeff Schiffman, Tulane alum and Admission Office staff:
Breakfast: The Rays Stack (chocolate chip pancakes) from Slim Goodies

Lunch: St. Chuck Duck from the Avenue Pub
Dinner: Carpetbagger Steak from Jacques-Imo's

Dessert: Bacon brownie from Boucherie

Randall Culpepper, local celebrity:

Breakfast: Crabmeat Omelet at Cake Cafe
Lunch: Pork Belly Sandwich at Cochon Butcher

Dinner: Outer Skirt Steak at La Boca

Khalil Bou-Mikael, my best friend and Loyola grad (right next door to Tulane!)

Breakfast: Big Breakfast at EAT

Lunch: Hot Sausage po boy at Liuzzas

Dinner: Smoked Wagyu Brisket at Boucheirie

Dessert: Tums

Callie Carnemark, Tulane alum and sister of an incoming Tulane freshman

Lunch: Fernando Sandwich from Stein's Deli, with a cream soda

Dinner: Hearts of Palm Salad, Gnocchi, and Cowboy Steak from La Bocca

Dessert: Raspberry and Chocolate mousse from Sucre

Michael Lamb, NOLA native an intern in the Tulane Admission Office

Breakfast: Debris and Poached Eggs with Cheese Grits from Dante's Kitchen

Lunch: Mozzarella Sandwich with green salad from St. James Cheese Company

Dinner: Original Pascal's Barbecue Shrimp at Pascal's Manale
Dessert: Creme Brulee Gelato from LaDivina

Corbett Scott, Tulane alum and local designer
Breakfast: Elizabeth's Redneck Breakfast (eggs Benedict with Fried Green Tomato) from Elizabeth's
Lunch: Bahn Mi from Pho Tau Bay
Dinner: whatever the special is at Patois

Court Millman, Tulane junior and student tour guide

Breakfast: Ham, egg and cheese on French Bread from Favori (a Tulane student staple)

Lunch: Fried Shrimp po'boy from Domilise's

Dinner: too many to choose from

Dessert: Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding from Boucherie

Mike Foley, Tulane alum and local NOLA guy
Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes from Betsy's Pancake House or a Chili Cheese Omelet from Camellia Grill

Lunch: Seafood Gumbo and Trout Almandine from Mandinas or Oysters Rockefeller and Poisson Meuniere Amandine from Galatoires

Dinner: Shrimp Tasso and Veal Chop Tchoupitoulas from Commanders Palace or Seafood Gumbo and Roast Beef Po'Boy from Liuzzas by the Track

Tyler Henry, Tulane junior and one of my finest B-CC recruits

Breakfast: Strawberry and Chocolate French Toast from Surreys Juice Bar
Lunch: Roast Beef Po'boy from Domilice's

Dinner: biscuits and the fish of the day from G.W. Fin's

Erin Bergner, Tulane alum and Monroe Hall resident with me freshman year

Breakfast: Cheese omelet and chocolate freeze at Camellia Grill

Lunch: Oyster Po'boy at Frankie and Johnny's
Dinner: Pompano Pontchartrain at Antoine's
Dessert: White Chocolate Bread Pudding from Palace Cafe

Ross Kelley, 5th year student in Tulane's School of Architecture

Breakfast: Stuffed French toast and Praline bacon at Elizabeth's

Lunch: Fillet Mignon Po'boy at Crazie Johnnies in Metairie (worth the trip!)

Dinner: Grilled Fillet of Beef with bleu cheese tartlette and red wine jam at Le Meritage

Jason Gaudet, Louisiana Native and all star softball player

Breakfast: Pain Perdue stuffed with brie and topped with blueberry sauce at Blue Plate Diner

Lunch: Luau Quesadilla (shrimp, bacon, jack cheese and pineapple relish) at Juan's Flying Burrito

Dinner: Duck breast with Orange Soy Glaze and shiitake mushrooms at Jacques-Imos

Dessert: Drunken Monkey Break Pudding at NOLA or red velvet ice cream from Creole Creamery

Mollie Briskman, Tulane Assistant Director of Admission

Breakfast: Bananas Foster at Stanley or Fried Grit Cakes with Tasso Gravy and Praline Bacon at Elizabeth's

Lunch: Reuben and Cheese fries from Parkway Bakery and Tavern

Dinner: Shrimp Remoulade, Crabmeat Maison and Oysters en Brochette at Galatoire's

Dessert: Baked Alaska at Antoine's

Dan Gottlieb, Tulane Senior and Green Wave Ambassador

Breakfast: Chef Special at Camella Grill. (many have tried, few have conquered...)

Lunch: any daily special from St. James Cheese Company

Dinner: Shrimp and Andouille Pasta from Saltwater Grill

Erica Rose, Tulane alum

Breakfast: crawfish etouffee omelet or grits with debris from Mothers

Lunch: po'boy and fried bell pepper rings at Frankie and Johnnies

Dinner: anything from any John Besh restaurant

Donald Leverson, Tulane alum and former Student Body President

Breakfast: Eggs Benedict Po'boy from Stanley's

Lunch: Muffaletta from Central Grocery

Dinner: Shrimp and Grits and Meat Trio from Dante's Kitchen

Dessert: Creole Creamery

Danny Zheutlin, Tulane sophomore and voice of student on a budget

Breakfast: Cafe Freret

Lunch: Fresco

Dinner: Filipes, including a churro. [for you Chipotle lovers, this is our version of it]

Marty Brantley, NOLA transplant

Breakfast: Eggs Benedict at Cafe Freret

Lunch: loaded burger from Port of Call

Dinner: Anything from Stella!

Dessert: Red Velvet Cake from GB's

Kevin Jacobson, Tulane alum

Breakfast: brunch from Commander's Palace

Lunch: Fish Tacos from Crabby Jack's

Dinner: Stuffed Pork Chop from Jacques Imos

Anna Graham, one of my best friends from Tulane back in the diz-nay

Breakfast: eggs Sardou from Brennan's

Lunch: Burger and chocolate pecan pie from Cameilla Grill

Dinner: Alligator Cheesecake and Paneed Rabbit with oyster pasta from Jacques Imo's

Dessert: whatever Jack brings out [hes also a Tulane alum!]

Jen Creedon, Tulane School of Medicine Alum, and extreme lover of all things NOLA

Breakfast: Eggs Florentine from Elizabeth's

Lunch: whatever the special is at Commanders Palace, with corn and crab bisque

Dinner: Talapia Sandwich with brie and a side of mac and cheese from EAT

Carie Ann Foster, Tulane alum

Breakfast: omelet sandwich from Stanley's

Lunch: Wonton Soup from Jazmine Cafe

Dinner: anything from Upperline

Dessert: Lemon Ice Box pie from Clancy's or grilled cheese sandwich from Stella

Laura Manning, Tulane sophomore

Breakfast: Anything from Oak Street Cafe, plus there's live music!

Lunch: Ancona Caesar salad from Reginelli's

Dinner: Mushroom stuffed Salad from Jacques Imo's

Dessert: Creme Brulee gelato from La Divinia

Cody Anderson, Tulane alum and all star rugby player

Breakfast: Omelet with everything from Camellia Grill

Lunch: Cochon de Lait Po'boy from Crabby Jack's

Dinner: BBQ oysters from Dragos with a Purple Haze

Jordan Lambert, Tulane alum and one fast cycler

Breakfast: Crab Cakes Benedict at Riccobonos Panola Street Cafe

Lunch: Mufaletta at Central Grocery

Dinner: The "Feed Me" option at Louisiana Bistro

Dessert: The Tchoupitoulas Challenge at Creole Creamery

David Shulman, got to NOLA as soon as he could

Breakfast: Shrimp Etouffe Omlete from Dante's Kitchen

Lunch: The Sam Sandwich from Stein's Deli

Dinner: Chicken Portobello Lavash from Fresco's

Dessert: Chocolate Sucre from Sucre

Leila Labens, Associate Director of Admission here at Tulane

Breakfast: the Jewish Coonass (latkes and crawfish etoufee) from Slim Goodies

Lunch: Mrs. Wheat's Special (meat pie po'boy with cheese and gravy) from Cooter Browns
Dinner: Carpetbagger Steak from Jacque's Imos (beware of the surprise oyster!)

Dessert: Homemade ice cream sandwich at Dick and Jenny's

Richard Bergrin, fraternity brother

Breakfast: French Toast at Petunia's

Lunch: Fried Shrimp Po'Boy at Crabby Jack's

Dinner: Barq's Lacquered Duck at Dante's Kitchen

Dessert: bananas foster at Brennan's

Late Night: Cheese burger and chocolate freeze from Cameilla

Ben Fruge, Loyal Louisianian and Tulane alum

Breakfast: Bananas Foster French Toast at Surrey's

Lunch: duck PB&J at Bayona

Dinner: Lamb Shank at Stella!

And there you have it folks! Whew. You will see some repeats in there, probably means those are the places to check out first. Happy eating! I am off to go eat dinner. Immediately.

Greek Life

2010-07-01T11:05:00.000-05:00

As the resident "frat guy" working here in the Admission Office at Tulane, I always enjoy answering prospective students questions about Greek Life. Being a part of a fraternity during my undergraduate experience as well as my role as an active alumni (more on that later) has been a big part of my life. But that's the best thing about Greek life here at Tulane; it can play as big or as small of a role in your life as you choose. The reason behind this is Tulane does what is called "deferred recruitment," which means you don't have to decide if you want to join a fraternity or sorority until the second semester of your freshman year. This allows for you to spend your entire first semester getting acclimated with Tulane and New Orleans, getting accustomed to college academics, and most importantly, creating some great friends regardless of their participation in Greek life. After winter break, you'll come back to campus and have the option to participate in formal recruitment, and eventually select from Tulane's seven sororities, twelve fraternities, and seven historically black Greek organizations.

When I was a senior in high school, and even in my first semester here at Tulane, I never really had any intentions to join a fraternity. I made some great friends in my first semester, and thought that I would at least give recruitment a shot. I ended up really relating quite well to the guys in Sig Ep here at Tulane, and joined that spring. I was able to keep all my non-Greek and non-Sig Ep friends here while forming some really great relationships with the guys in the chapter. Like I said, that's the best thing about Greek life at Tulane, its what you make of it. Its New Orleans, so you definitely don't need to be Greek to have a good social life here. In fact, only around 30% of Tulane's students are Greek.

As I mentioned, its really up to you what you make of your Greek Life experience. Well, for me, I have taken a very active role as an alumni, both locally at my chapter here at Tulane, and on the national level as well. Here on campus, I serve as Chapter Counselor for Sig Ep, so I spend time working with the guys and their leadership to help plan philanthropy and on campus events. I also mentor the undergrads and work closely with Tulane's Office of Greek Affairs.

Nationally, Sig Ep is the largest fraternity in the country, and has some great opportunities to stay involved for as long as you choose. I was recently given one of the most incredible opportunities that the fraternity offers- I was able to travel to Greece for two weeks with 16 members of the fraternity from across the country to discover what we mean when we say we are a part of a "Greek" organization. I served as one of seven mentors on the trip, where we spent time looking into ancient Greek ideals and beliefs, and how we apply those to our lives today. It was an incredibly introspective trip, and I learned so much about so many different aspects of how we choose to lead our lives. Not to mention, Greece is beautiful! We got to see the Parthenon, swim in the Aegean Sea, eat incredible food, and even got to have a 400 meter race in Olypia Stadium where the games were played 300 years ago. All in all, it was one of the most amazing trips I have ever been on in my life.

So there you have it. Greek life, both in the fraternity and in the literal sense. At the end of the day, its what you make of here at Tulane. For me, next to attending Tulane, joining a fraternity here as been one of the best decisions I have made. My Greek life as an undergrad led me to some great friends and memorable experiences. My Greek life as an alumni and mentor ended up leading me all the way to Greece! So my advice to you, the prospective student, is to give it a shot. You'll never know how your (Greek) life will end up! Opa!

Jeff's Things to do Around NOLA- Part 2: Frenchman Street

2010-06-10T14:16:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to my TTDANOLA special section! This week, I will introduce you visitors to a little street that many refer to as the "locals Bourbon Street," a.k.a Frenchman Street.

Frenchman Street is in a neighborhood called Faubourg Marigny, or just The Marigny for short. Its the area a bit further downtown from the French Quarter, right on the other side of Esplanade Avenue. The Marigny is a very cool area of town known for its hipster culture, great live music and funky architecture. I have always felt that NOLA really could be the last American Bohemia, and the Marigny personifies this perfectly.

Frenchman Street is one of the main streets that runs through this little neighborhood and its got one of the best vibes of anywhere in town. Its best known for its live music scene, and one of the best parts of it is that pretty much anywhere you go, its free. We here in NOLA love to share our music with just about anyone who will listen. Just make sure you tip when you can!

Its walkable from just about anywhere in the Quarter, just head away from downtown on any street that parallels the river. The best place to make it to Frenchman is to cross over Esplanade at Decatur. The music district on Frenchman is around three blocks long. Here are my tips on places to check out while you meander around Frenchman Street and the rest of the Marigny.

Snug Harbor: I don't know what the best thing about this place is: the food or the music. Snug has got some of the best cheeseburgers in the city (Probably because it gets the recipe from its sister restaurant around the corner, the world famous Port of Call). Snug Harbor is one of the more "formal" (for lack of a better word) jazz clubs in the city as its got a separate room and stage for its performers. Check out Charmaine Neville on Mondays or Ellis Marsalis on Fridays. Mom, Dad and I went a few months ago when they were in town.

d.b.a.: Probably my favorite music spot on Frenchman, if not in the whole city. Great vibes every night. Great beer selection and always a great band. Last time I went, I heard one of the best salsa bands I have ever heard!

Blue Nile: Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop, and everything in between. This place has got it all.

And a few places off Frenchman, but close by in other parts of the Marigny....

Cake Cafe: If there is one thing Jeff Schiffman loves, its desert. Ask any of my friends. Cookies, cakes, etc. I have one big sweet tooth. (good idea for future blog... best dessert places in NOLA) So its only natural that I LOVE Cake Cafe. They have the best cakes in the city, in addition to great lunches and sandwiches. Try the red velvet cupcakes, and then die a happy man.

Feelings Cafe: Great local restaurant with amazing food and friendly service. I think it was featured in last weeks Treme episode. Definitely a locals joint, because after all, we know best!

So there ya go readers. Now you can be a local too! Get off Bourbon and check out what we really do in this town. You will be glad you did!

Tulane is Forever

2010-05-20T12:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Graduation to the Class of 2010! This is an especially special class to me as it was the first class of students I ever recruited to enroll at Tulane back five years ago. I love these kids, because they were being recruited while Tulane was closed after Katrina, and they still came. President Cowen calls them the "risk takers," and I couldn't agree more. They took a big risk coming to New Orleans barely a year after Katrina and I could not be more proud of them. It was so odd to see "my kids" in cap and gowns at the Superdome this past Sunday. I feel like I was just visiting them in their high schools and reading their applications, and now all of a sudden, they're done! Way to go gang. For more footage of graduation, check this out. And you can also check out Anderson Cooper's awesome commencement address here, he comes on at around an hour in.

All this graduation got me thinking... so when its all over, then what? Well as you all know, Commencement really means "the beginning." And that is what your relationship with Tulane will become once you leave this campus. Once I crossed that stage five years ago, it wasn't long before I realised how true that is. Tulane really is... forever. And your experiences in academic walls are just the beginning. Maybe its the magic of New Orleans, maybe its Tulane's size , maybe its just the sheer love that our grads have for our Alma Matter, but this place and its people just stick with you. The people you meet at Tulane will be with you forever. I still keep in touch with many of my professors and advisors from my undergrad experience. Even more important though are the friends you will make here at Tulane. They truly will be your friends forever. This really hit me the weekend before the 2010 Commencement when I attended the wedding of two of my best friends from Tulane, Megan and Brad (and props to Megan, she graduated from Tulane Law School last weekend as well!) There was a point in their wedding where I looked around and saw all these people I have been friends with since way back when at Tulane and I was so happy to know that these friends, these Tulaninans, will be with me for the rest of my life. I had to snap a quick shot of all of us too:

Over the next year, I have been invited to nine weddings of my Tulane friends (I'm at that age...). The good news is that 5 of them are right here in NOLA. So you see, Tulane and New Orleans, well... they just stick with you. And your commencement is really just that: a commencement. A beginning of a relationship with the school, these people and this city. Because no matter where you will end up or what you will do, one thing is for sure. Tulane really will be with you forever.

May Day!

2010-05-03T13:42:00.001-05:00

Its finally here! May Day! In the world of college admission, May 1st has much more meaning than flowers and dancing around a pole. Its the day that high school seniors nation wide must make their final college choices.

And we here at Tulane could not be happier about those choices. Lets take a little sneak peak at the class of 2014 here at Tulane by the numbers:

1687: Total number of students who have deposited to enroll at Tulane this fall. Now, this number will go up or town a bit based on students getting into other school's wait lists and us adding some athletes to our class. This number will be a bit smaller come the end of August, but it should be pretty close.

9: Point increase on the two-test SAT average over last year's class.

63.7%: The percentage of the class of 2014 who are in the top ten percent of their class. This is higher than last year as well. Way to go gang.

61.53%: The percentage of the class of 2014 that is female. Actually, we have more men deposited in the class than we did last year, but as a percentage basis, the the ladies have it this year.

And now for the top ten lists:

Top ten states for the class of 2014:

Louisiana: 210 students
New York: 168 students
California: 138 students
Texas: 116 students
New Jersey: 93 students
Illinois: 83 students
Massachusetts: 76 students
Florida: 72 students
Maryland: 71 students
Pennsylvania: 66 students

The only two states not represented in this class are North Dakota and Wyoming.

Top Five most popular majors:

Cell and Molecular Biology
Political Science
Psychology
English
Biomedical Engineering

International Students from the class of 2014 hail from: Barbados, Bahamas, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guam, Nigeria, Panama and Singapore.

You can read more about the class here. We cant wait to welcome you all to campus this fall! Roll Wave!

I.. Am.. Ironman!

2010-04-29T11:41:00.000-05:00

... well, at least half an Ironman. But an Ironman none the less! Last week, I completed my very first Ironman 70.3 race, right here in New Orleans. I have been a triathlete since I picked up the sport a year ago, and started training around 8 months ago for the Ochner New Orleans Ironman 70.3. Man, that was one heck of a race. For those of you who don't know what a triathlon is, it is any race that has a swim, bike and run component. There are a lot of different race distances for triathlons, ranging from Sprint, Olympic, Half-Ironman, and the full Ironman distance. The Half Ironman, a.k.a. Ironman 70.3, is comprised of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and a half marathon, or a 13.1 mile run.

There are a ton of Tulane alumni who did the race, and I even saw two of our undergrad students right as they hit the water (way to go Nick!). I train with a group of triathletes as a part of GNO Tri, which is one of the bigger triathlon groups here in NOLA. We have two coaches, a great training gym, and most importantly a great group who has been training together over the past 8 months. Believe it or not, there are actually more triathletes per capita here in Louisiana than any state in the nation. There are also a bunch of races in the area, this weekend I am heading up to the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain to race called the Crawfishman Triathlon. There are a few other races all around the Gulf South this summer as well that I will participate in. A group of four of my fraternity brothers and I all do the races together, so its a ton of fun. And its great to see all my GNO Tri teammates all over town.

The Ironman 70.3 New Orleans was awesome. There were over 2,500 athletes who participated in the race from all over the world (the pic above is everyone's bikes set up at transition). Andy Potts was the first place finisher, he is a world-famous triathlete, and his time of 3:43:44 is absolutely amazing. I was pretty happy with my time of 6:14:16, next year I want to break 6 hours for sure. To be honest, I was just happy to finish. I did well on my swim and decent on the bike, but man oh man when it came time to do that half marathon at the end, I was totally spent. A regular half marathon time for me is usually around 1:44, but after everything, I ended up with 2:13 on the run. So there's my improvement for next year! It took me a few days to recover, but I survived the post race ice bath as well (see photo at right...) You can see more pics from the race here.

So for any of you triathlete students, or aspiring triathletes out there, you'll be in good company here in New Orleans! At Tulane, we have a very popular cycling club, running club and swim club, yet to my knowledge, no triathlon club... yet. Let me know if you are interested in starting one, I will gladly be your staff sponsor!

Swim, Bike, Run!

Hidden Tulane Part I- The Community Garden

2010-04-14T13:03:00.000-05:00

Greetings Readers! Today marks part one in a series I have deemed "Hidden Tulane." Every few blogs I'm going to post about a cool part of campus you may not see on the campus tour, or even know about for that matter. Our 130-acre campus boasts a ton of secret spots and cool stuff to check it out. Read about it here, and come check it out for real if you are ever on campus!

This weeks Hidden Tulane spot is one of my favorites, and it's brand new. It is the Tulane community garden, a.k.a. the Glazer Gardens and Bocce Court. The garden is located on Willow street tucked away behind the Wall Residential College. And man, is this place cool.

I took a trip over to the garden yesterday with some of my admission coworkers to check it out, as its brand new and just "took root" a few months ago. The garden was a concept created by The Benevolent Society for the Propagation of Assorted Tom Foolery and other and Other Sorts of Particular and Otherwise Absurd and Baffling Nonsense (a.k.a the Tulane juggling club) last year. I'm not kidding, check out their facebook page. They garden, fix bikes and juggle. Regular Tulane stuff.

The concept of the community garden started as a bit of a joke; some of the juggling team thought it would be cool to create a garden where they could grown fruits and veggies and then pick them and, you guessed it, juggle them. What started out as a fun idea took off from there. Thanks to private donations, fundraising from the juggling club and a $2,500 award from the Clinton Global Initiative, the community garden really took off.

The garden opened this spring, and it is really really awesome. The concept of the garden is much like you see in urban areas. You get a little plot of land and grow at your leisure. Students can get their own spot free of charge. When I was there, I ran into a junior who was watering her tomatoes and basil plants; she was an Italian major and was growing her own ingredients for her Italian food recipes. The plots are all maintained by Tulane students and its all free.

Not only is there a great garden, but there is also a bocce ball court. I took my hand at a game, but my coworker Dave edged me out in the end. The ladies from my office, Erica and Leila, took a go at it too. Next to the bocce ball court is some great community space for laying out, studying, and of course, juggling.

I think the concept of the garden is awesome for so many reasons. One, who doesn't like growing your own food and eatin it, for free? But it also shows that if you have an idea here at Tulane, we will work with you to make it happen. No matter how wacky that idea is to start out with, if theres an idea you've got, let Tulane know, and someone somewhere is going to help you to make it a reality. I love that about Tulane; we have a great community here and, hey, now that community has its own community garden.

Jeff's Things to do Around NOLA- Part 1: Magazine Street

2010-03-23T11:24:00.000-05:00

Last week I promised I would let you all know about a few "can't miss" places to check out while you are on campus and visiting the city of New Orleans. Let me start out by saying that this city is one of endless possibilities in terms of what to do when you visit. Whether you are a foodie, a history buff, a sports fan or a fannie-packin' tourist, this town's literally got it all. One visit wont do it justice, so... why not try for a four year visit at Tulane?

So, on to part one: Magazine Street!

Magazine Street is six miles long and runs the entire length of Uptown, the Garden District, Warehouse District and then ends right at the start of the French Quarter. Its really popular with Tulane students, has a lot of great local stuff on it and has some of the best shopping in town. There are a few areas area that Tulane students will spend their time. One is the short stretch between State and Jefferson near campus and another is all around the Louisiana Street intersection. Magazine street has different "districts," there are blocks of antique shopping, areas for chic and trendy boutiques, and some great restaurant and bar districts as well.

If you visit campus and are renting a car, I suggest that after your tour of campus, you head down St Charles downtown and make a right on State street. Then, once you get to Magazine Street, you will make a left. You quickly find yourself in a very popular area with Tulane students. If you are sans car and are on campus, just hop across the street from Tulane and start walking the track around Audubon Park. The first street you will hit will be Magazine Street. Make a left and you'll see State in a few blocks. In this area you will see:

Whole Foods- its in a converted Streetcar depot, and all the original architecture remains. Stock up on your fresh catfish here!
Bee Sweet Cupcakes- Mmm boy, if its Wednesday, don't forget to get the Carrot Cake special!

Dirty Coast- The BEST t-shirt store in NOLA. All locally designed and sold. Probably one of my favorite places to shop in this whole city. You can also buy their shirts on line.

Martinique Bistro- My parents and I went here on freshman welcome weekend and loved it. Its got a very cute little outdoor patio. Al fresco dining is huge on Magazine St.

Perlis- Ever been to NOLA and seen people wearing polo shirts with a crawfish where the horse should be? That means they have been shopping at Perlis. Dads, a great place to get your son that "congratulations on being admitted to Tulane" gift.

Keep on truckin in your car and you will pass by tons of other fun things to check out. Once you get around the area at Magazine and Louisiana, you will see some other great stuff. Here are some of my favorites...

Ignatius Eatery- This ones a little closer uptown, near Napoleon St. A great place for lunch or dinner if you want some real, classic, good 'ol Creole food.

Mignon Faget- Ms. Faget is a Tulane graduate from back in the day who is now arguably the most famous jewelry designer in Louisiana. Very popular are her fleur-de-lis deigns. Moms, a great "congratulations on being admitted to Tulane" gift for your daughter!

Sucre- I've said it once and I will say it again: Best. Desserts. In. New Orleans.

Funky Monkey- very cool shop for vintage NOLA clothing. Right across the street from Buffalo Exchange, American Apparel and Style Lab. All great shopping for you guys and gals.

The Bulldog- A very popular spot for Tulane students. Wednesday is free pint night; buy a pint of beer, keep the glass!

Slim Goodies- Best breakfast spot in NOLA, imo. Try the Ray's Stack, the best chocolate chip pancakes you will ever eat. Ever.

I almost feel guilty suggesting these places because there is SO much to go on Mag. Take a stroll, drive the whole street, shop, eat, drink, etc. You will love it!

For more info, check out the Magazine Street Homepage.

Come visit us!

2010-03-10T15:16:00.001-06:00

If there is a better time to visit Tulane and New Orleans than in March and April, I'd like to know about it! The weather is amazing, it's crawfish and festival season, and on top of that, its right before you seniors have to make your final college decisions! So come on down for a visit. There are a few ways to do so...

1) Destination Tulane- This one is just for you admitted seniors out there. Its a full morning on campus that includes a university welcome, a campus tour, student panel, lunch in or dining hall and the ability to sit in on a real college class. Its a great way to get a true feel for what it would like to be a Tulane student for a day. To sign up for the event, grab your admitted student username and password and log in here.

2) Daily Tours- We also offer tours every week day at 9 am and 2 pm and on most Saturdays as well. They are a great time to get a feel for campus, check out a quick video and meet with one of our admission counselors. Don't forget to ask our student interns at the front desk for a pass to eat lunch in Bruff Commons, our freshman dining hall. If you come on Friday, its catfish and gumbo day! You can sign up for a daily tour here.

3) Campus Preview Days- for you current sophomores and juniors out there, Campus Preview Days is a great time to come down and get a first feel for Tulane and New Orleans. We host these events three times in the fall, and if you join our mailing list, we will be sure to send you an invitation to these events.

Stay tuned, I will blog soon about 5 great things to do in NOLA during your visit. Hope to see you all on campus soon!

Saintsational!

2010-02-02T12:53:00.000-06:00

What. A. Season.

Even for you non-football fans out there, I know part of you deep down is a Saints fan. How can you not be? This team is literally the soul of the city right now. And from the outside looking in, I can assure you all that yes, this is more than just football. Its means more to every Who Dat fan than you can imagine.

The New Orleans Saints are indeed a symbol of what has recovered here in The Big Easy. They are emblematic of our resilience, our determination and our pride. And come Sunday, win or lose, the Saints have made this past season in New Orleans one to remember. We are proud of our boys and what they have done, both on the field and off.

I have been a pretty die hard Saints fan since the 2006 season, the first season after Hurricane Katrina. I grew up a big Washington Redskins fan, and lets just say I have enjoyed rooting for a team that, well, can win. And win big. No offense to my boys back in DC, but this team, this Saints team and this city, well... its different. I can honestly say that after the game-winning field goal in OT in last weeks NFC championship game, I have never hugged so many strangers in my life. I have also never cried in a game of football, until then. Don't judge. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. This is something else. This is soul.

Why is that? Well I am no the best about putting my thoughts into words. Try checking out this video. It may help. Yeah, now you know what I mean. The Soul of New Orelans.

(oh, and look! Its John Besh, from the video you just saw. We met him last week while downing around 4 dozen of his oysters during the game)

For Tulane students, the New Orleans Superdome is just a streetcar ride away and many of our students have taken advantage of attending some of the games this season. The Dome is the same place where our Tulane Green Wave football team plays. And while the Wave hasn't had a season quite as, uh, successful as the Black and Gold, they are still great games to watch. Did you know that all Tulane students get free season tickets to every single Tulane Green Wave athletic event? Now that's a deal. Want to see what the Saints mean to Tulane? Well check out this video, with a cameo by yours truly!

But back to the matter at hand. In five days, the New Orleans Saints will play in their first Superbowl in the 44-year history of the franchise. And like the wise Wright Thompson says....

People see themselves as triumphant underdogs too. They love the Saints. And not because the team provides distraction from their fall. But because the team is a reflection of their rise. Nothing is more misunderstood about Post-Katrina New Orleans than this. The Saints are not a symbol of rebuilding. But of what has been rebuilt.

Who Dat indeed!

grown men cry too! Only at football though.

Even Mom's a Saints fan! Mom and Dad came in town for the Arizona game with three tickets for their birthday boy son. Thanks guys!

Break Time

2009-12-18T16:31:00.000-06:00

Hi All- With all this reading, I haven't had a second to blog. And now its vacation time! Don't worry, more from me soon. Have a great Holiday!

What Goes on Around Here, Anyways?

2009-11-03T14:03:00.000-06:00

So you may be wondering... what really happens over here on "our side" of things? I mean, you high school kids work so hard crafting a great resume, going over your personal statements with a fine-toothed comb, and doing the best you can to really tell your story in the context of a college application. Well, if you were wondering what happens once you place that application in the mailbox or hit that submit button on line, well today just so happens to be your lucky day!

Let me first introduce you all to Gibson Hall. This is where it all goes down. For any of you who have visited Tulane before as a prospective student, well you have definitely been here. Gibson is the home of the majority of the administrative offices of Tulane University: the Presidents Office, the Registrar, the Provosts Office, and of course the all-important Office of Undergraduate Admission. Gibson Hall was built in 1894, and is right on St. Charles Ave. If you visit us, hop of the streetcar right at Audubon Park and you will be right here at Gibson Hall.

And, hey, who is that charming guy welcoming you? Its me!

But aside from the ravishing guy flailing out the window, what really goes on inside of the Admission Office? Once you apply to Tulane, your application takes a long voyage. First, the actual application itself will be processed by our processing staff, who prints every application that comes in. Each application has a file created for it. In that file goes your application, your recommendations, your essay, your transcript and secondary school report, as well as anything else you choose to send us. Oh and those yellow stacks behind Joy, yeah, those are your applications! You can see those telltale yellow folders all over these pictures.

Once we have the initial file, that's when we start to file everything else into that application. Thanks to our hard working student workers, we open over 25 full tubs of mail per day, sort and file all of that extra materials that gets mailed in. Its an seemingly endless task with over 2,000 pieces of mail coming in every day, and a lot of work! Check out all that mail...

After the mail arrives and is opened, it is added into each individual file. Each transcript and recommendation is uploaded into our system so you can check on your application status to see if we have everything. This process normally takes around 2 weeks as we get nearly 40,000 applications to Tulane. Its a daunting task making sure every single piece of your information gets added properly, but in the end, I think we have it down to a science!

Once the file is completed with all the necessary materials and everything is uploaded into the computer system, we grab it from this holding area to be reviewed. Each admission counselor will have a first look at the application file from the region where we recruit. As we have met you, the students from our region, and are familiar with your high schools and have been in communication with you as you apply, the counselor will have an initial look at the application. From there, the application will go on to more of a committee review where we discuss the applicants credentials. Often times, it will be a straightforward decision for the admission counselor to make, but many times its not so easy and a second and third read will occur for each file. We discuss your grades, look at how you performed over the course of all four years and how your grades trended. We spend a lot of time looking at your extra curricular activities to find what your passions really are. Its really a holistic approach to reviewing your story, and each component is just one chapter. After the group of admission counselors review each file and make their decision, that decision is finalized by the counselor. If we still need some more insight, we recommend that to our Dean of Admission, where the final decision will often rest.

Let me introduce you to a few of the admission staff, many of whom you may have already met in your hometown or here on campus. Here's Steph, our New England admission rep, and I reviewing an applicant.

We just can't decide!

And here is Dr. Faye Tydlaska, our NJ and PA rep, and Pascale Gerdes, who works with many of our students from Latina America.

Once the decision is made, the file heads back down to processing where the we generate over 40,000 admission decision letters to go back out to you all. The whole process from once your materials arrive normally takes around six weeks, but we here in the Admission Office at Tulane do everything we can to get you a decision as quickly as possible!

So its really not too much of mystery... exactly what you probably suspect happens, well that is what happens! We are all people here too and we want to make sure we take all the time to give your application the care and attention it deserves while still giving you all a decision in a timely manner. But if you ever have a question at all, please give us a call. We have a very hardworking team of staff and students who work here in the admission office to demystify this whole process for you. At right is Becky, Andrew and Tanya, three of our loyal student admission interns. Anytime you call, you are going to take to one of them, or one of our 12 student interns who answer many of the calls and e-mails you send to us. So call us! We can help.

Hope this sheds a little light on it all guys!

On the road again...

2009-10-02T14:44:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to say hello to all of my loyal readers... Like the rest of the world of college admission, I am on the road for the next few months. I just got back from a week in Baltimore (Go Ravens!) and I head out to Long Island, NY tomorrow. (Go Saints! Beat the Jets!) Not too much time to blog these days, but I will let you know how my travels went when I get back. Interested in meeting a Tulane admission rep in your hometown? Contact your counselor and ask when he or she will be in town. We would love to meet you!

Is EA right for me?

2009-09-14T15:12:00.000-05:00

Okay guys, here we go. Its Early Action season! So... you may be asking yourself, is Early Action right for me? What about Early Decision? And what are all these other types of early application processes I keep hearing about? Let me see if I can give you my 30-second overview as well as my insiders tips as to the best way you can apply to schools like Tulane.

First off is Early Action. Almost every school will offer this in some fashion. Its a great option if you have a few (only a few!) schools that are at the top of your list. I would suggest picking 1-3 schools that you want to apply to early. Its more work for your guidance office, but it shows the college that you are definitely interested and that we are somewhere near the top of your list. Early action is also non-binding, so if you are admitted, you will have all the way until May 1st to make that final decision. Schools are actually not allowed to require you to make that decision any sooner. Here at Tulane, you have nothing to lose by applying EA. We give you a decision pretty quickly, its non binding, and we don't often deny admission to EA kids. Unless we think that even if your grades or scores improve you still won't be admissible, often times we will defer you to the regular applicant pool so we can have a look at your first semester grades and wait and see if you take the SAT or ACT again. Tulane will NEVER deny you admission if you plan on taking the test again. We will wait for those scores to come in.

Single Choice Early Action is another common decision that schools offer. We offer here at Tulane, and everything I wrote above for EA holds true for SCEA, with one major difference: you can ONLY apply to Tulane early, and no other schools. This indicates to Tulane (or whichever school) that we are your number one choice. Keep in mind, it is still not binding, but its a great way to apply early, and let us know that we are at the top of your list. You can still apply rolling to other schools, but not EA.

Some schools offer Early Decision. This means that if you are admitted, you are contractually bound to enrolling. It is a good way to apply to your top choice, but we do not offer it here at Tulane. We think its important to have all the way till May 1st to make that final decision.

No matter how or when you apply to Tulane, its always free and we will always give you a pretty quick turn around. So check our our on line application or the Universal College app soon. All these EA and SCEA deadlines are on November 15th.

Best of luck!

Applicaiton is Live! Now what...?

2009-08-10T15:33:00.000-05:00

Yes, that is right, the freshman application for the fall of 2010 is now available. So what does that mean now? When should I apply? How should I apply? Now that the application is live, here are my three pieces of advice for all you applicants out there...

1) Apply Early. Tulane has a non-binding Early Action Application which is due on November 15th. We have a pretty quick turn around as well; as soon as your application completes (with your transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc) we are normally able to get you a decision in a little over a month. We don't necessarily publish the application as a "rolling decision," but between you and me (and the rest of the readers of this blog) Tulane technically is rolling. We will give you a decision as soon as we have it. The advantages to applying early is that you will hear back from us early, and the best part is you don't have to make any final decisions until May 1st. Its totally non-binding and you have all the time you'll need to visit campus, apply to other schools, and weigh your scholarship options. And if you are super interested in Tulane and we are your top choice? Well then apply to Tulane using Single Choice Early Action. Its the same timeline and deadlines as Early Action, but you are only allowed to apply to Tulane early, and no other schools. This lets us know that you are seriously interested and we are your top choice. Again, we have no binding contracts at Tulane, so you really have nothing to lose by applying early! More info here.

2) Send us some stuff! Seriously. We will look at it. Got a few of your favorite photographs that you have taken? Maybe that newspaper article about your game winning goal? A collection of your best works of poetry? Send it on in! Its a good way to share with us your passions. Don't go overboard (thanks for the 40 page TOK essay, but no thanks) but keep it within reason. If you don't have anything specific like this, then feel free to craft a nice, professional, one-page resume and send that into us.

3) Get to know us! Tulane admission staff will be visiting over 1,000 high schools this fall. We also host informational receptions in over 60 cities and attend numerous college fairs. Come to these events (no need to go to all of them!) and meet your admission counselor. Cant make it? No worries, get in touch with us over e-mail. You can meet your admission counselor here.

Hope this helps a little bit. Stay tuned, because next week's topic will be The College Essay 101.

Hot Fun in the Summer Time

2009-06-22T14:12:00.000-05:00

Summer has arrived here in New Orleans- and with it comes high temperatures and the high expectations of our incoming first year students as they arrive on campus for our Summer Orientation session. Over 1,100 of our 1,500 incoming students will attend one of the seven orientation session. Its a great time to come to campus, familiarize yourself with the city, meet new friends and even register for class. The class of 2013 appears to be diving right in and really enjoying the 2-day sessions, which run this entire month. The students we interviewed in this video really seem to be taking a lot out of the session. Don't worry if you can't make it, all of this stuff will also be covered at the fall Welcome Week.

If you make it to New Orleans this summer for orientation or just to visit our city, be sure to dress for some hot temps- its been really up there this past week! But don't let that stop you from taking advantage of some of the amazing things going on this summer in NOLA. Festival season is in full swing and there are all kinds of free concerts and such. I stumbled across this article about being a tourist in my own town from nola.com, and took this weekend to cross the first one off the list.
The Algiers ferry runs from downtown New Orleans across the river to Algiers point. My friends and I grabbed our bikes and rode them downtown to catch the free ferry and take in the views of the city (see above). We noshed on some po-boys in Algiers Point, the only part of the city that is on the other side of the city, or as we call it, the West Bank. (or as West-Bankers call it, the Best Bank...) It never ceases to amaze me how much there really is to do in this city. I have lived here for 8 years and still find new cool stuff to do every single day. Below are Megan and Brad on the ferry and then Brad and I as we digest our extra large lunch and cruise on over the Mississippi River.

So come on down and see what you can check off your New Orleans "to-do" list. Oh, and stay cool this summer!

Commen Cement Ceremony

2009-05-22T10:48:00.000-05:00

Man what a weekend that was! Now I know that every school has a great Commencement Weekend, but I gotta tell you, I really feel that Tulane does it the best. I think we really do. Ask anyone who has ever been to a Tulane graduation and they will tell you the same thing. I know that sounds pretty bias, but how can I not be when we graduated our 2009 Katrina class this past weekend? The group of graduates, all 2,000 of them, were students who started their experience at Tulane with "evacuate" as the first thing on their orientation schedule. After attending 522 different colleges and universities in the fall, nearly 90% of them came back and four years later, here they are on our graduation stage.

And what a stage it was! Second line parades, brass bands, jazz bands, music, dancing, Harry Connick Jr, and of course, Ellen! If you haven't had a chance to check out Ellen's graduation speech, do your self a favor and do that. Right now. Go head, I'll wait.

Pretty good, huh? It was all the buzz this past week, it seems Ellen's speech was the favorite of many critics on the Commencement Circuit this year. Graduation this year was also filled with many other cool surprises. Check out this video on Why We Came Back, with some very special celebrity appearances at the end.

Tulane's graduation is a whole weekend ordeal. We start with a great big party called Wave Goodbye on the academic quad. It brings tons of live music and food to our campus and is one big celebration of the class of 2009. Check out the video here.

But where to now? After all, as Ellen said, the economy is so robust, there must be plenty of jobs out there these days. Well, if you live here in New Orleans, that is actually the truth! A large portion of the class of 2009 has chosen to stay here in NOLA, in large part due to the strong economy that we are currently experiencing. You can read all about it in this article from the Chicago Tribune. Nearly 10% of the class of 2009 applied for Teach for America, and over 50 of them are staying here in NOLA as part of New Orleans Teach for America. Still worried about finding a job? Ready to head to NYC, DC or LA after college? Don't worry, the Tulane Career Center is here to help! Check out the story here.

Sorry for posting all those links, its just been such a busy time here on campus and we are so proud of our class of 2009, the Katrina Class, President Cowen's favorite class, and the class that came back. I leave you with some great pictures of this past week here at Tulane. It really was a weekend to remember!

My lovely ladies from the AEPhi sorority toss their caps out front of Tulane's campus.
NFL player Matt Forte from the Chicago Bears got his degree too! Congrats Matt!
Wave Goodbye party on campus. So fun!

My Sig Ep guys on graduation night. Congrats guys!

And congrats to all of you high school graduates as well, I look forward to seeing you all on campus in a few short months. And in for quick years, it will be you in the pictures above! Haha, I suppose I am getting ahead of myself. I hope everyone has a great commencement in their own right. And for the class of 2009, just remember what Ellen said:

Life is like one big Mardi Gras. But instead of showing your boobs, show people your brain. And if they like what they see, you'll have more beads than you know what to do with.

Congrats 2009!

Welcome Class of 2013

2009-05-07T16:45:00.001-05:00

May 1st has come and gone! That means that colleges and universities across the country are tallying their final totals and have a good grasp on what their incoming class will look like. We here at Tulane could not be happier with the class of 2013. Our target was 1,500 first year students, and as of today we are at 1534, so we are right over our goal. This number will go up and down over the next few months as we enroll a few more of our student athletes or lose some students to wait lists at other schools or students who choose to take a gap year. Overall, this class is what I would call the bomb. Here is a little snapshot:

The class of 2013...

- Represents 49 different states. (Come on Vermont! What's the deal?)

- Is 56.8% female, 43.2% male

- Has 22 international students

- Lists Cell and Molecular Biology, International Relations and Psychology as the three most popular majors
- Has students in the top five most represented states from:

Louisiana: 202 students
New York: 163 students
Texas: 100 students
Illinois: 95 students
California: 95 student

I can't wait to have them on campus this fall. Welcome to the class of 2013!

May 1st is a big day for us here in admission. But its also something else here in New Orleans... Jazz Fest! I leave you with a few shots from the fest. This year was amazing- Bon Jovi, Spoon, Kings of Leon, Dave Matthews, etc etc. What a great way to relax after a crazy year of recruiting! Enjoy the pics.

Crawfest 2009!

2009-04-08T09:30:00.001-05:00

Oh man if you were on campus this past weekend you would have been in for a treat! This Saturday was our 3rd annual Crawfest on campus! It brought local and nationally known musical artists, food, arts and crafts and 16,000 pounds of Louisiana crawfish! Needless to say it was awesome. One of the coolest things about Crawfest is that it is totally student planned, organized and invented. Three years ago , two Tulane students thought the fest would be a great idea and be somewhat of a Tulane version of Jazzfest, and the concept was born. Since then the event has grown into one of the largest annual traditions on our campus. Nearly the entire student body was in attendance at this free event which was also open to the New Orleans community. That's one of the best things about Tulane- if you have an idea for an event, club, organization, or really anything at all- it can happen!

Hope to see you all on campus for Crawfest 2010! Enjoy the pics...

This is what part of 16,000 pounds of crawfish looks like...

That's me on the left in my sweet 2008 Team USA Olympic Chris Paul jersey (Go Hornets!) and a few of my friends chillin out at the 'Fest.

Spring has Sprung

2009-03-26T11:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Spring All! While New Orleans tends to have balmy weather all year round, spring really is the best time of the year here in the Big Easy. We have beautiful weather and the whole city is in bloom. Here are some pictures of the campus in full bloom. Check out these pictures!

Spring is also a great time to come down to visit campus! If you haven't been down yet, we have plenty of opportunities for high schools students and their parents to visit campus. We offer daily tours at 9 am and 2 pm every week day and most Saturdays. For you admitted seniors out there, I highly recommend you make it into town for a Destination Tulane day. We have them the entire month of April during the week (except Wednesdays) as well as on Saturday the 4th and 18th of April. You can sign up for a day on the Admitted Student Website. We hope to see you down here on campus soon.

I have also added some cool stuff to the website to check out while you are in town as well as where to stay and eat.

We hope to see you down on campus soon. If you want any restaurant or hotel recommendations from a seasoned New Orleans pro, just give me a holler at jschiffm@tulane.edu.

Reading Season!

2009-02-18T14:39:00.000-06:00

Hello loyal readers-
You may wonder why I haven't posted in a month! Its because I have been reading. A lot. We here in the Admission Office at Tulane, and at other colleges and universities across the nation, have been spending the last few months reading your essays, recommendations, resumes, transcripts, etc to shape our incoming class and decide who will get that coveted "big envelope" in the mail.

Its been a big year for us here at Tulane. We are a few applications shy of hitting the 40,000 mark in terms of total number of students who have applied for admission at Tulane. We are thrilled to see this big increase over last years 33,000 applications, which was a record in itself. When all is said and done, we will admit roughly 10,000 students for our class of 1,550-1,600 students. This means that only 25% of the students who have applied will be admitted this year. Its been our best year yet- highest average SAT, ACT, GPA, rank in class, the whole deal. We here at Tulane are excited to see such a strong interest in our institution and are pretty pumped to see how the class of 2013 shapes up. Check out this article in the New Wave for more info.

For some of you all out there, this big increase in applications may not be a blessing. Because of this large applicant pool, Tulane will be waitlisting a group of students. What this means is that we are not able to make a final decision on some of our applicants at this time, so we create a waitlist from which we hope to be able to admit students off of in the spring. Some years, we offer admission to a large group of students from the waitlist, some years its very few. It all depends on how many students who have been admitted decide to enroll. So if a bigger percentage of our students say "yes, see you this fall," this means we will admit fewer students from the wait list. But if a lower number say yes, we will be able to admit a greater number of that wait listed pool. Only time will tell, so for those of you out there, its a bit of a waiting game. Tell you the truth, with the economy the way it is, we really have no idea what to expect. We will know more in the end of April and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. In the meantime, get in touch with your admission counselor, send in a resume, send us your mid year report, and really feel free to do anything that you think may supplement or ameliorate your application. Best of luck guys!

So with reading season dying down, we should have all of our letters mailed out in the next few weeks. Contact us with any questions you may have. We are gearing up for Mardi Gras here in New Orleans, more info to come on that soon!

Okay, and i have to admit, I haven't been reading applications the WHOLE time. I did take a little ski vacation up to Whistler in BC Canada with my 3 best friends from Tulane last weekend. Enjoy the pics!

Happy Mardi Gras!!

Community Service Scholarship

2009-01-05T14:04:00.000-06:00

Hi All- Welcome back, I hope everyone had a great break, and a Happy New Year to you! There are two big deadlines coming up here in the Admission Office at Tulane. The first is the deadline to apply, which is January 15th. Also on the 15th is the deadline to apply for the Tulane Community Service Scholarship. The CSS is a scholarship that we created in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to allow students to continue the stellar work they have done with high school community service here at Tulane. All students here at Tulane participate in some form of Public Service, but CSS winners are those who have really gone above and beyond with their service work in high school.

So what makes a good candidate for the CSS? Well first off, I always let students know that we are not just looking for hours. So while quantity is important, the type of service you have done is more important than the sheer amount of time you have spent. So sending a list of every single homeless walk you did and every meeting of the Key Club you went to, while extremely noble and commendable, is not exactly what we are looking for. We are looking for students who have really taken it upon themselves to create a service project in their community or fill a public service need in their area and really made an impact while doing so.

For example: last years winners. We had a student who spent 6 months collecting used bicycles from numerous neighborhoods around his town. He spent countless hours repairing, dismantling and reconstructing the bikes and eventually we able to create a matching program where underprivileged children in the local communities could receive one of these newly mended bikes. We had another student who created his own "School of Rock," an entire summer school dedicated to introducing students to the world of music and teaching them how to play.

Now don't get me wrong, you don't have to charge the world. But we do want to see students who have really made a conscientious effort to make their communities better. Winners of the CSS bring this same passion here to Tulane and New Orleans and continue their involvement through the Center for Public Service. CSS winners get involved in various programs and projects on campus, and continue their efforts that they began in high school here in the New Orleans community.

So if you are really that "community service kid" that has made some sort of project your own over the past few years, let us know! Please contact the admission Office or the Center for Public Service if you have any other questions at all. Good luck!

I leave you with some Tulane/NOLA service shots. A lot of the service I do here in NOLA is with my fraternity that I advise. The top picture is from a paint rally at O Perry Walker High School, the second is a clean up project that the fraternity organized and the third is a Habitat build that we did last year.

Holidays in NOLA

2008-12-23T16:08:00.000-06:00

Happy Holidays everyone! New Orleans is a city famed for its holiday season- in fact, HGTV named New Orleans the number one Christmas town in America! New Orleans is always a very unique place, but it is even more so during the Holidays. The grand mansions on St. Charles Ave., the street that Tulane is located on, are done up in some of the most beautiful decorations you have ever seen. The French Quarter gets quite festive as well; decorations line all of the balconies and the whole Quarter has a very festive feel to it. A great spot to check out is Fulton Street, which converts to Miracle on Fulton Street during the whole month of December. My friends and I made the trip down there last week, check out some of these pictures...

My good friends came in town this past weekend to enjoy the Holidays in NOLA. Here we are enjoying Miracle on Fulton Street!

And here is a picture of St Louis Cathedral, right in Jackson Square. Oh yeah, and this year's Holiday Season really was unique in New Orleans- it SNOWED! Now I know that may not seem like a big deal to any of you non-southerners reading this blog, but in New Orleans, it only snows once every 10 years or so. And it really snowed this year! I leave you all with a few pictures of the snow in New Orleans and on Tulane's campus. The first picture at the beginning of this blog is one I found on line of one of New Orleans famed cemeteries (we call 'em cities of the dead) in the snow. The last two at the bottom there are of the St. Charles' streetcar line and also me on campus in the snow out front of Newcomb Hall. The Office of Admission will be closed until January 5th, but we wish all of you a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Wrapping up Early Action

2008-12-15T12:04:00.000-06:00

Hey all. Its been a very crazy few months in the world of college admission as schools send out their final letters of early action today. Then we all take a little Holiday break, and then back to crazy town for the regular decision deadline of January 15th. Tulane has had a banner year for Early Action applications, which you can read about in last weeks Hullabaloo. Our numbers are up from last year, and Tulane has received its largest Early Action pool to date, as well as our strongest pool ever.

So where do we stand this year? I can start by letting you all know a bit about how things compare to last year. During last years application cycle, Tulane received the same number of Early Action applicants as had applied for the entire previous year's admission cycle. Because of this, Tulane filled up the majority of its class with early students, leaving very few remaining spots for the regular decision cycle. Because of this, we made some adjustments this year. The admission committee has been more selective this year during the early action round so that we can maintain somewhat similar standards of admission for the early and regular rounds.

Congratulations to those who have already been admitted! However, this also means we deferred a group of students during the early round. So what does it mean if you have been deferred? It means that we here at Tulane need a bit more time before making a final decision on your application file. The biggest thing that can have an affect on your application is if you plan on taking the SATs or ACTs again. If you do, have those scores sent to us as soon as they become available. Additionally, we will have a look at your first semester fall grades once they come out from your high school. You are also welcome to send us any new information that you think will supplement or ameliorate your application. You can send in a resume, an additional essay, recommendations etc. And feel free to get in touch with your admission counselor to let him or her know that you are interested in Tulane. I have been getting a lot of questions about a students chances of gaining admission once he or she has been deferred. It all depends on how the regular decision pool shapes up. Last year, we did not admit many deferred students, but the year before we did. So send in anything else you would like, and we'll know soon enough how many deferred students we will be admitting.

As usual, let your admission counselor know if you have any questions at all!

Po Boy Fest

2008-12-05T16:37:00.000-06:00

Man o man do I love a good po'boy! For those of you who man not know, a po'boy is a New Orleans sandwich, always served on a long po'boy roll and comprised of any number of fillings: oyster, shrimp, roast beef, crawfish, etc. They are a staple food here in NOLA, and you can get them all over the place. But there is one day a year where "all over the place" comes to one place: The New Orleans Po-Boy Festival!

The fest is held in November every year on Oak Street, a few blocks from Tulane's campus or a quick ride on the St. Charles Streetcar. The fest features po'boys from all over the city, and mmmm boy are they good. The day long festival also features lots of live music, second line parades, arts and crafts and lots of good old fashioned New Orleans good times. One thing I have grown to love about New Orleans is its affinity for festivals. We have a saying here that if you can cook it, we have a festival for it! Check out some of my favorites here.
Po'Boy fest, as you can see from my photos, was a blast this year! I stayed to the tail end, when the grand prize to best Po'boy in the city was awarded.

This Lady was Keeping a watchful eye on the crowd below.

At right: Let the judging begin!
Below: A little second line parade made its way through the fest.

Have a good one guys! I am off to eat, this post made me want a roast beef po'boy...