Details

• United States of America
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

For the interview, you should have good reasons for your choices and in my opinion, it is particularly important that you are able to explain your motivation for going abroad conclusively. When preparing for your stay at Tulane, the staff is very helpful and generous in adjusting deadlines if you have any trouble meeting them. Regarding the visa, it is advisable to start as early as possible, as the procedure can be demanding and after all requirements, rules and processing times can change. Be aware that as of Fall 2025 Tulane requires you to proof personal funds totaling the equivalent of at least $14,000.

2. Accommodation

Tulane has a very good Housing Platform, available at https://offcampushousing.tulane.edu/. I rented a small house together with two fellow WU students, about 500 meters walking distance from the Business School. I can recommend to search for an accomodation on the left side of Tulane's uptown campus (as close to the campus as possible), as that's a very nice and lively neighboorhood with many other students and a couple of bars. This area is safe and regularly patrolled by Tulane Police. However, keep in mind that New Orleans is generally not so safe, just be "smart" and trust your instincts - you will be fine. Other tips: check if the listed price includes utilities; see details such as if the door has a code lock.

3. Academic life at host university

The Tulane campus is really nice! There's a huge sports facility with gym, tennis courts, a football/soccer court, etc. which you can use free of charge. For all (american) football home games, students can generally watch the games at Yulman Stadium for free - and you should definitely go there; even if you don't like football it's quite an experience! On campus, across the Business School, there's a student center with a food court. The Business School itself has been renovated recently and is very modern. Regarding the academic culture, students are much closer to the teachers than in Austria. Be advised though, that they generally take attendence very seriously and are quick to deduct points from your grade if you come late or miss classes. Even though many classes have a midterm and final exam, they only constitute a small part of your actual grade and are usually not particularly hard. Courses are very interactive and you will have to do a lot of in-class activities, quizzes and homeworks, therefore they are definitely very different to a majority of courses at WU.

5. Every day life in the host country

In New Orleans, there is a public transport network called RTA - consisting of the streetcar (tram), buses and a ferry - which works in general, though time schedules may not reflect reality and the streetcar and buses might also just not come at all. You can get a 2 hour ticket for the streetcar and bus for just $1.25; if you plan on using the streetcar, plan with enough time - it's very slow. If you do want to use it, you will most likely be using Line 12, which runs along St Charles Avenue to Canal St, i.e. the route from Tulane Campus to Downtown. As stated before, on paper, the safety situation in New Orleans is not very good. In the university area though, police is visibly present and emergency phones are in place - personally, I have never felt unsafe there. Don't be discouraged by that - New Orleans is a really beautiful city, mostly very walkable and green, with a great culture and amazing weather and I absolutely enjoyed my stay there and I can just repeat that I did not feel unsafe at any time. Apart from these safety concerns, everyday life in New Orleans is very laid back. There are a lot of activities to do, I'll just list a few for inspiration: go to the WW2 museum, do a swamp tour and see alligators and racoons, go to a bar at Bourbon Street, go to Jackson Square in Downtown, do the Mississippi River Cruise, go to The Fly for a chill sunset, do a day trip to Pensacola Beach, go for a run in Audubon Park, go to Audubon Zoo, if you are there in February - go to the Mardi Gras parades, if you are there at Halloween - go to one of the Halloween Events, ride along St. Charles Avenue in the streetcar and look at the nice houses. Foodwise, here are a few more suggestions: Barracuda Taco Stand (3984 Tchoupitoulas St), French Market, food court at Tulane, Twisted Taco (on campus). One last thing to note: Keep in mind that you will be living in a tropical environment, i.e. especially in the peak summer months (July-September) it gets VERY humid, in addition to an already extremely strong sun.

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester at Tulane University was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. New Orleans is a unique city with a very special character and lots of things to do, and Tulane was an amazing place to study, with kind professors, events, an incredible community and a great campus. In my opinion, the most important part of the exchange is finding people you enjoy spending time with, and I can just say that it was super easy to connect with all the other exchange students and also the local students. Apart from the unforgettable time I spent with them, my personal highlights include my fall break in New York City and a roadtrip through Canada to the Niagara Falls. Even though going abroad clearly required me to go out of my comfort zone, choosing to spend a semester at Tulane was the best decision I could have made and I can just encourage everyone considering - go for it!