Making an important decision: Which university to attend?
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Visiting a college that you really want to go to is important. This is because what you get to see on the campus can be really different from what you’ve heard or seen on the website. Moreover, it might be a life-changing experience for you. Luckily, I got a chance to visit one of my prospective universities which is Tulane University.
Tulane University is located in New Orleans, Louisiana which is about 3 hours’ flight from New York. The weather down there is different as it’s not as cold as in New York. New Orleans is a pretty unique city. Even though the population is not as diverse as New York, the people down there have their own characteristics that create the vibes of New Orleans. I had a chance to explore downtown several times and I found out that the people are pretty crazy. They have so much freedom that they dress up however they want to and they do whatever they want to. I’m glad I was able to see this because it shows that there’s nothing to limit their freedom to express themselves. Another important aspect of New Orleans is food. Food is definitely one of the New Orleans’ elegant vibes. Jambalaya, Boudin, gumbo, and oysters are New Orleans’ must-try food. These are local food that you can’t find anywhere else if not in New Orleans. New Orleans is also known as a festive city. There are always festivals to attend. One of the most famous festivals is Mardi Gras.
During the visit to New Orleans, I decided to take a campus tour. I walked around the whole campus. Tulane has a chill vibe all around the campus with lots of open areas for students to sit around or do activities. The campus tour was led by a freshman student. The tour benefitted me because she gave out information about the university through the perspective and experiences of a student. While she was giving us the tour, she also talked about the learning system that Tulane offers, her experiences at Tulane, campus life, and about living far away from home. After the campus tour was done, the next activity that Tulane provided for prospective students was a student panel. This is another useful experience because new students and parents have the chance to ask questions from the current students. There were conversations about courses and programs as well as what life is like living on a campus.
After I was done with the whole program, I visited one of my friends who is currently studying in Tulane right now. She graduated from EF Academy New York in 2015 and is also from Thailand. She gave me a little tour of her dorm room and as well as the area around Tulane. We also talked and discussed about which university I want to go to. There was one piece of advice that she told me and I think is really useful. She said that you have to think of living in a university like a home. Sometimes you get bored and you want to move away from this place. But at the end, your friends that have turned into your family stay here. They live here. Her advice has calmed me down because I was afraid of choosing a university to go to. However, I believe that there’s always something that we will like or fall in love with the place we choose to go.
Ms. Charoenboriboon, a senior at EF Academy, was admitted to Tulane University this spring. In the United States, admissions decisions are released between December and March. Students then have until May 1st to decide which university to attend once they receive their offers. Tulane University is located in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA and is ranked #39, admitting less than 30% of students who apply.
Written by Jaa Charoenboriboon, IBY2 from Thailand
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