Throughout my senior year, the minute I told someone I was attending Tulane, I got the same immediate reaction: "Wow! That's gonna be fun." Not "Wow! That's such a good school" or "Wow! The culture of New Orleans is amazing." Every time I received this reaction, I smiled and agreed, uninterested in arguing or attempting to discuss the many other reasons why Tulane is the place for me. It is definitely unique that we are in New Orleans, a city that is well-known for its leniency on alcohol and party attitude. But there is so much more to the social scene here at Tulane, and at any "party school," that people don't really know about until they come here.
In 2015, the Princeton Review named Tulane the #9 party school in America. While this fact did not sit so well with my mom as I booked my visit down to New Orleans, it became clear upon visiting why we achieved this ranking. Just being in New Orleans is a party in itself, as anyone who has strolled down Bourbon Street and caught some beads can attest. If you're looking for bars and concerts, this is definitely the city to be in. But Tulane is uptown, and the majority of the social scene stays close to campus. So why #9?
On any given night at Tulane, you will be able to find someone willing to go out with you. The two bars right by campus, The Boot and The Palms, are always available without having to take an Uber or go somewhere you are unfamiliar with. You can stay for an hour and go back and chill, or you can make a night of it and dance to the throwbacks that are always playing at the Palms until 3 a.m. On Wednesdays, the pilgrimage to happy hour begins as soon as classes end, and Thursday through Saturday, you can find Tulane students frequenting The Boot and The Palms. On tailgate days, you can find everyone and their mother (not kidding—during parents weekend, you can literally find all the moms living it up) outside The Boot getting ready to show some Green Wave pride. If you're not feeling the bar scene, there are always fraternity parties, festivals and other events going on pretty close to campus.
The thing that I think makes Tulane a "party school" is that regardless of your interests, there will never be a time when you want to go out but have nothing to do. That's the nature of Tulane, and certainly the nature of New Orleans as a whole.
Coming to Tulane, I thought the party culture would be overwhelming, but there is something for everyone here, whether you are a huge partier or just a chill person who wants to go out occasionally, and you will never face any pressure to go out 25/8. Now, I'm proud to go to a so-called party school, because although I definitely embrace the social scene and college is the most fun time of my life, I also go to an amazing school in a city that is unlike any other, which is so much of what gained it the title of party school. As cliché as it sounds, every single person here really does work hard and play even harder, and I couldn't ask for anything better.
