Personal Narrative: My List Of Schools

As I was creating my list of colleges, I realized a monotonous theme: northeastern, relatively urban campuses that are lined up and down with concrete. The more I thought about my list of schools and how every single one of them offered me the same type of setting, the more I yearned for something different. I want a campus that will make me feel like I’m in a whole different world, with lush greenery, warm air, and open space that will allow my mind to breathe. The second I saw a pictures of Tulane’s quads on the online virtual tour with bright green grass and student’s soaking up the sun, I was hooked. It’s almost the complete opposite of campuses up north and it excites me to think I could possibly have the opportunity to be one of these students, sitting underneath a beautiful giant oak tree, as opposed to bundling up from head to toe, trudging through three feet of snow.
The New Orleans area was first brought to my attention a few years ago, when a show called The Originals came out on the CW channel. The show takes place in New Orleans, specifically the “French Quarter”. They focus the entire show on the mystery and secrets of the city, and the lively people that inhabit it. The whole area has a certain charm that is mesmerizing to
me. It’s inviting, like the city is beckoning me to join its festivities and become a part of the mystery. Ever since I became infatuated with The Originals, my infatuation quickly spread to include the show’s setting as well.
Although I never had to opportunity to visit Tulane in person, I’ve done as much research as I possibly could, including reading the entire website, taking the virtual tour, talking to family members, friends, and teachers.
What really peaked my interest right off the bat was that Tulane was originally founded as a medical college. Studying medicine has been a dream of mine for years and years, and clearly Tulane is the perfect place for me to do that, with top of the line facilities and the abundance of opportunities offered by the location in such a large, bustling city. With such a high value placed on undergraduate research, I know my time at Tulane will be full of constant learning and growth, which thrills me to think
about.
Something that was a deciding factor for me was the fact that there are dozens of cats living on campus. Cats? On a college campus? Sign me up. In the video clip I watched about this odd “tradition”, one of the cats looked exactly like my own kitty, Cornelius. I instantly thought about how much I’m going to miss him when I go away to college for months at a time, and knowing that I’ll be able to see cats that look just like him everyday might make it just a little easier for me. Also, how many college campuses can say they have cats running around that students can actually play with? It is so quirky and original that it intrigues me about what other little peculiarities Tulane offers.
I struggled to find a college that varied from the rest of the northern schools on my list, one that could offer me something totally different, but where I could still feel completely at home. Tulane offers me the perfect mix, with proximity to a major city, and of course having cats that look my own running around the campus. But Tulane can also offer me the scenery and environment that simply doesn’t exist up north: open space, parks, warm air, lush greenery. I’m instantly excited whenever I think about the possibility that I could be relaxing in Gibson Quad in shorts and sunglasses, studying neuroscience and medicine right next to one of the most lively, unique cities in the United States, a city I’ve wanted to visit for the longest of times. Tulane offers me the best of both worlds, and I am more than ready to welcome the new scenery and opportunities this university can offer me.