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Deep South College Road Trip: Tulane University

By U.S. News & World Report

To fans of the movie “22 Jump Street” or Fox’s “Scream Queens,” Tulane University‘s stately buildings and trees and well-manicured lawns might look familiar. Scenes from several popular shows and movies have been shot on the New Orleans campus.

The surrounding Uptown area offers plenty to do; students can walk or catch a streetcar to the restaurants and bars on Maple, Oak, Magazine and Barrett streets. Across from the Tulane entrance, Audubon Park offers a jogging trail, golf and tennis; a bit farther on, along the Mississippi River, the Audubon Zoo is both an attraction and a source of research internships.

[Discover all of the colleges and universities in Louisiana.]

About 85 percent of Tulane’s 6,500-plus undergraduates are from out-of-state, but students say the school does a great job of helping them make New Orleans home. First, freshman take a one-credit seminar that connects them with a small group of peers while preparing them for the academic rigors of college and exploring life in the city.

Students can choose from more than 70 options, from songwriting to architecture. Will Dickson, a junior Latin major from Memphis who is in a special premed program giving him early acceptance into Tulane’s medical school, notes that his “favorite thing” about the course was that “you get to make a friend on campus who isn’t a student.” You “really, really get to know your professor.”

Second, Tulane requires two public service experiences to graduate, which often involve working with people in the city. One is a course that embeds service in the curriculum, and the second can be filled by any of more than 150 options from internships and service-focused study-abroad programs to faculty-sponsored research projects.

Someone in a sociology of education class could tutor students at a school in New Orleans, for example. Those studying abroad in India might help Tibetan refugees learn English.

“You feel way more involved and like a piece of you is in New Orleans,” says Richard Carthon, a 2016 graduate from Shreveport, Louisiana, who majored in legal studies in business and business management. To fulfill his second requirement, Carthon interned with a local nonprofit that feeds the homeless and provides cleaning services and transportation to middle-aged and elderly people with vision problems. He used his training to create a business plan for the organization and help secure funding.

[Check out schools known for their internship and co-op programs.]

Students can select their major from more than 70 offerings in any of Tulane’s five undergraduate schools: architecture, business, liberal arts, public health and tropical medicine, or science and engineering. While many universities require separate admission to their business or architecture schools, say, that is not true here.

Traditions are a big part of the Tulane experience, especially the ones that bring the spirit of New Orleans onto campus. Each spring, 20,000 pounds of free crawfish, plus music, star at the student-run Crawfest festival. And after Mardi Gras, students add their colorful Mardi Gras beads to the huge oak tree behind the administration building for good luck.

Tulane has over 200 student-run clubs and organizations, which include performance groups, Greek organizations, academic and service groups as well as a variety of sports clubs and intramural offerings. The 16 Division 1 varsity teams include baseball, basketball and tennis.

This is “a work hard, play hard school,” says Lena Franklin, a 2016 grad from Boca Raton, Florida, who majored in music composition and business management. The “person you see at the bar is the same person that you see at the library.”

Deep South College Road Trip:

— Xavier University of Louisiana
— Millsaps College
— University of Mississippi

This story is excerpted from the U.S. News “Best Colleges 2017” guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.

More from U.S. News

Deep South College Road Trip: Millsaps College

Deep South College Road Trip: University of Mississippi

Deep South College Road Trip: Xavier University of Louisiana

Deep South College Road Trip: Tulane University originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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