It's officially college decision season. Students are hearing back from universities and committing to schools. To many seniors in high school, this is a stressful period to say the least. Colleges are sending out acceptance and rejection letters, peers are making decisions as to where they want to go, and it's the topic of everyone's conversations. It's a big deal. You're making a decision about the next four years of your life. And as May is approaching, you may find yourself struggling to make a decision. I was in your position not long ago. But, I can now happily say, I love Tulane, I truly do. Tulane is without a doubt the place I'm supposed to be, and I'm proud to say I attend the university. If it's on your list, please strongly consider it. By now I'm sure you've heard how beautiful Tulane's campus is, how amazing New Orleans is, how the weather is always fantastic, and how most of our classes are small student wise. And while I love Tulane for all those reasons, I love Tulane for all the unique and out of the ordinary experiences the university has to offer. To name just a few..
1. Mardi Gras
Not only do we have days off of school to celebrate, we also have the Mardi Gras tree as a reminder that Mardi Gras is always around the corner
2. You will actually meet Tulane's President
While at some universities, the president or dean are someone you've only ever heard about or seen on a poster somewhere, at Tulane you can find President Fitts walking around campus, stopping by student organizations, even celebrating Shabbat with Hillel.
3. Outreach Tulane
The university encourages all students to participate in the school sponsored day of service known as "Outreach Tulane." It brings the student body together, and helps the community!
4. Tuesday Truck Ins
Every once in a while you can find a number of food trucks lined up on Mcalister. It's a great alternative to Bruff, and most of the trucks take either Wavebucks or NOLAbucks
5. You're accepted into all of Tulane's academic schools
This means that you can study anything you want to, without having to worry about applying for a program.
6. Wellness Wednesdays
On Wednesday you can find the Well (The Well for Health Promotion) informing students about staying healthy on campus, teaching about ways to relieve stress, and putting on fun activities **you can get a free massage here!
7. Audubon Park is right across the street 
Have a free afternoon? Want to work out without going to the gym? Audubon is the perfect place. Go for a bike ride, a walk, a run, even just to sit in the sun for a few hours.
8. Homecoming
You heard me right. We celebrate homecoming. Events are put on throughout the entire week such as a carnival on the LBC quad, a comedy show (Vanessa Bayer came this year), a concert, and a movie screening.
9. You're encouraged to double or triple major
Not saying that you have to, but the university makes double or even triple majoring possible, so that students have a diverse set of skills and can study all of their interests.
10. Dorm Parents
No matter what freshman dorm you'll live in, you'll have Residential Factuality Members, also known as dorm moms or dads. They host events every week with fun crafts and free food!
11. Crawfest
Love Crawfish? Music? Art? Crawfest has it all. Every year Tulane's quads are filled with bands, local vendors and 20,000+ pounds of crawfish!
12. Explore Programs
The transition to college can be scary: it's a big change. So, to make it easier, sign up for one of Tulane's Explore Programs. They run a week before school starts in the Fall, and you do various fun activities around New Orleans and on campus (for example, holding alligators!).
13. Donuts with the Dean
Every Friday morning make your way to Cudd Hall for delicious donuts and fun conversations with faculty members and Tulane students
14. Professors know who you are
In addition to small classes, professors really take the time to get to know you. Even in my introduction to Psychology class with over 100 students, my professor knew my name within the first few weeks of class.
15. The Fly
On Fridays you can find students making the short walk through Audubon Park to what we refer to as "The Fly." Overlooking the Mississippi River, it's the perfect place to hang out, talk with friends, and watch the sun set.
16. Events on Campus
Frequently, Tulane hosts events for students such as bringing in speakers (for example Mark Ruffalo), screening movies, concerts, fun activities and more, all on campus
17. Festivals
New Orleans is known for them. No matter the weekend, you're bound to find the community celebrating something (usually food related). From Po-Boys to King Cake, there are festivals for everything.
The list goes on and on... Tulane is amazing not because of one of these things, but the combination of all of them makes Tulane so special. I'm happy to call Tulane my home, and I hope you'll call it yours in the near future.
