What does the NOLA Experience week look like?

Selected participants will arrive in New Orleans on Monday, August 19, 2013. For those students traveling by plane, we will provide shuttles from the airport. Friendly NOLA Experience Coordinators (the student staff) will be available to welcome you at the Lavin-Bernick Center for Student Life (LBC) on campus. Since Tulane students come from all over the country, we know you may arrive at various times throughout the day. A hospitality area in the LBC will be available so you can hang out, play games, eat lunch and visit with other participants until the program starts. We will have paperwork you need to complete, people for you to meet, and errands to help you with on campus throughout the day. After checking in at the LBC and your residence hall, you’ll return to the LBC introductions, a great dinner and group activities.  

Most students travel without parents to start this program, bringing only what they will need for the activities during the week. In fact, that is why we offer a shuttle for participants from the airport, bringing only 2 bags with them. Because not everything can fit in the few bags you may fly with, you will be able to ship 2 boxes to arrive early for the NOLA Experience program. Detailed shipping instruction packets will be sent to selected participants explaining this process. We will offer an optional early arrival for students to request to arrive on Sunday, especially if parents are accompanying participants to help them move in. However, we strongly recommend that parents wait until the official Tulane Move-in Day on Saturday, August 24, 2013 when we will have volunteers to help students move in and many campus and local services organized to support the process. There will be no volunteers to assist for a Sunday or Monday early arrival so definitely consider the light packing route! 

During the daytime on Tuesday through Friday, participants will be divided into their 20-person thematic tracks explore New Orleans and Louisiana through museums, restaurants, businesses, tours, parks, music venues and more restaurants! You will travel by van, shuttle, street car, possibly boat and definitely on foot, so bring comfortable walking shoes. You’ll meet lots of local New Orleanians, other current Tulane students, Tulane faculty and staff, and alumni who will share what they love about our unique city with you.  

At night, the track groups combine for large scale activities which facilitate developing more connections and meeting even more people. In the past, the evening events have included a Zephyrs baseball game, a private concert at Preservation Hall jazz club, a screening of an IMAXX movie at the Audubon Aquarium, Cajun dinner and dancing, and a pool party. Most everything about this program is casual, so dress comfortably because it will be hot and humid in late August! Every student should pack one nice outfit for a business casual dinner off-campus. For men this means a dress shirt and slacks, while ladies may wear a nice sundress or slacks. No jeans or flip-flops will be permitted at the special event. 

All participants are required to attend all activities and events during the program.  

A Note to Parents about the NOLA Experience schedule 

The Monday – Friday activities run from breakfast through late at night, and you’ll want your student to take advantage of every minute of the experience. You will be able to catch up with your student when the program formally concludes on Friday around 5:00 PM. If you plan to assist your student with Move-in and participate in Welcome Weekend events, this is a good time for you to arrive in New Orleans.