One week down! For you freshmen, we hope you've enjoyed Fall Welcome and your first week of classes and that you are settling nicely into all things Tulane and NOLA. For everyone else, welcome back.
This blog will focus on your future and what to make of your next four/three/two/one year(s). It's not just for freshmen either- these are 16 tips that will allow you to absolutely crush your experience here at Tulane, no matter what year you are here. After four years as a student here and eleven as somewhat unofficial mentor to my current students, I truly hope you take even just a few of these tips and run with them. I guarantee they'll take your Tulane experiences to the next level. Let's do it!
1) Spend at least one summer here in New Orleans. There is something different about New Orleans in the summer. Sure, its exceptionally hot, but you'll gain a completely different understanding for life outside of the standard Tulane world when you live here for a summer. There are absolutely epic festivals (see Running of the Bulls, White Linen Night, Red Dress Run) awesome summertime activities to participate in (everyone must go tubing at some point, not to mention summer is the best time for a swamp tour) and there are great ways to make new connections and friends around town. Join a Play NOLA sports league, play volleyball at Coconut Beach and hit up Pontchartrain Beach, set to finally reopen next summer. Another great aspect of spending a summer in New Orleans is you'll forge friendships with new people outside of your traditional social circles. It will open you up to new and amazing people you would not usually cross paths with.
2) Take road trips. Because the average student comes to NOLA and Tulane from 900+ miles, you've got a totally new region of America right here at your fingertips to explore. This might go hand in hand with the tip above; there is so much to see just a road trip away! A few of my biggest suggestions would go to: Austin, TX (be sure to hit up Barton Springs!), Fairhope, AL, Pensacola, FL, Natchez, MS, Lafayette, LA, The Northshore (Manchac, Madisonville, etc), and Oak Alley Plantation. All of these spots are less than a half day drive away. You can read all my tips on great NOLA road trips here!
3) Pick a service project you are passionate about and stick with it. Tulane is, in many regards, Community Service University. There are quite literally hundreds of ways to get active and engaged in the community around you. CACTUS alone has dozens of organizations you can link up with. My suggestion for you is to find one that you are passionate about, and stick with it for all four years. Match the service up with something that interests you so it keeps your attention. Love music? Roots of Music is calling your name. Do puppies capture your heart? TUSTEP will be your jam. Stay active in the service organization at least once a month. It can be linked to Tulane and your service here, or totally separate. Stick it it, make an impact, see it through till gradation; you will be so glad you did. The photo above is me with one of my youth runners in Youth Run NOLA. It's been something I have stuck with since Outreach Tulane years and years ago, and I am so glad I did.
4) Learn New Orleans history. You're officially living in one of the oldest cities in America. In three years, we will celebrate our 300th birthday. This is a city worth knowing something about and you owe it to yourself to educate yourself a bit about this town, even just a little. Did you know we have more buildings on the National Historic Registry list than any other city in America? So get to know NOLA in all her glory. Read books and watch moves about New Orleans, and then go visit the paces they were filmed and written about. Read A Streetcar Named Desire, A Confederacy of Dunces, and The Awakening. Next time you binge watch a show, check out Treme on HBO. Watch Interview with the Vampire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Big Easy, The Pelican Brief, and sure, even 22 Jump Street. Learn our history, where we have been and where we will go. With the ten year anniversary of Katrina having just passed, go check out the Katrina 10 exhibit at the LBC or the Katrina museum at the Cabildo in Jackson Square. The best way to get to know NOLA? Follow Tulane professor Richard Campanella on Twitter.
5) Go off the beaten path. At Tulane, is easy to get in the Boot/Palms/Boot/Palm/Boot/Palms/F&Ms circuit every single week. Once you are old enough to drink, of course, there's noting wrong with hitting up the standard places with the rest of Tulane. But... be a leader in your group of friends and suggest things off the beaten path. There are amazing music venues and tiny craft cocktail bars and all kinds of neat things in NOLA that you need to see. Here, I'll plan a week for you: Sunday go to Bacchanal (in above photo), Monday go see a Charmaine Neville at Snug Harbor, Tuesday tear yourself away from the Boot and go check out Rebirth Brass Band at the Maple Leaf. Wednesday in the spring, head down to Wednesdays at the Square. Thursday, Soul Rebels kill it at Le Bon Temps. Friday, pick a totally new neighborhood and explore. You get the idea.
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