So I've already imparted my wisdom in other areas of the forum, though I figure I would share my views based on my current experience thus far.
What is life like in New Orleans and at Tulane? (Maybe compare this to where you went in undergrad or where you grew up for a little perspective)
New Orleans is a very unique city, much different from everywhere else I've lived thus far. Just to give you a little background about where I went to school and lived the past few years: I did my undergrad at both the University of Miami and UNC-Chapel Hill. Following undergrad, I moved to Boston, back home to South Florida, and spent the past two years living and working in Northern Virginia/Washington DC, before deciding on leaving DC to attend Tulane. As others have mentioned, New Orleans is filled with a great culture, amazing food, and is very community-centered. Compared to Washington, DC and Boston, New Orleans tends to be a lot more impoverished (lots of crime, much needed construction on roadways, and an overall higher percentage of people living near or below poverty.
Compared to UNC-Chapel Hill, Tulane is a much different experience. UNC-Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill was a college-centered town/environment; great athletics, a very safe and school-spirited environment, and overall better aesthetics. The SPHTM, along with the medical school, is located downtown, which is detached from the beauty of the main campus in the Uptown neighborhood and beautiful St. Charles Street. In terms of academics and quality of students, I'd say that Tulane is on par with UNC-Chapel Hill. Tulane attracts a diverse student body, and the SPHTM is home to some of the best public health practitioners in the world. Tulane has a great reputation in international settings, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
How do you like your program and your professors?
Overall, I am content with the program. Aside from the academics, everything has just been OK for me. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely! Though, I feel that each program/school has areas in which they can improve upon. I'm in International Health concentration, which is in the process of being moved from the GHSD (Global Health Systems and Development) department to GCHB (Global Community Health & Behavioral Sciences) department. Not to knit pick, though I think the SPHTM, or at least certain departments, can work on their organizational skills. The IH program was literally just revamped, and now they're making even more changes that will affect prospective students whom want to major in IH. Compared to other Global Health/ International Health programs, I felt that Tulane offered the BEST curriculum. There are so many courses, especially specialized electives and topical courses that are centered on a specific disease or geographic area. Last but certainly not least, the professors are world-class. In addition, they're very interested in the success of their students, especially if you're a student who takes the time to go to office hours, and whom expresses a deep interest and passion for their work and public health.
If I had one bone to pick, it would be that the overall demographic of the program is not comparable to Johns Hopkins, Emory, or UNC-Chapel Hill. Tulane's SPHTM does not require students to have any work experience, so it attracts a lot of freshly groomed undergrads. At times, it's hard for me to relate with students who lack real-world experiences. Many of them are still stuck in an undergrad mentality, especially when it comes to socializing.
Why did you choose Tulane over (such and such school/program)?
I chose Tulane, because I felt that it would offer me a great experience, especially for someone like myself who is interested in working in at-risk communities abroad. New Orleans is very much like a developing country, with the high level of poverty and crime comes many social issues. Compared to other top global public health programs like Emory and Johns Hopkins, I felt that there would be more opportunities to gain experience by working in the field...and there certainly are many organizations where you can volunteer and practice your skill sets. Also, Tulane has a very "global approach" in their SPHTM. No matter what program/department you're in, they're very focused on educating and training the future public health professionals with the skills and knowledge to not only solve local health issues, but more so to take these skills and utilize them in international settings. Aside from academics and prestige in the public health world, I truthfully wanted to go somewhere where it was warm. If I was not going to stay in DC, it was either going to be New Orleans or California. Though I decided to attend Tulane over USC, because USC's program is very new and does not have the reputation that Tulane has both stateside, and more importantly overseas and in the field.
Hopefully this helps us future MPHs!
