The Tulane University of Louisiana

I am a member of the honors program and love it. The resources available are amazing.
Uptown has recovered quite nicely. The campus is pretty but old.
The professors are amazing; however, Tulane fired some of the best ones I've had (who were adjunct). It's pretty sad, but the university is having a lot of financial issues post-katrina.

I read a lot of comments from students claiming that Tulane was "a lot toughter" than schools like the Ivies. Quite frankly, I think that is quite an exaggeration. My coursework IS challenging at times and you can definitely push yourself if you choose, but it is NOT ivy-league level (and I take mainly honors courses). In fact, I spent my fall semester visiting at a comparably-ranked university and I had far more homework there (and received lower grades than I normally do at Tulane).

However, I think Tulane offers a lot of things than schools up north can't offer. It is EXTREMELY laid-back here. The diversity is real -- it's not that the campus has such and such % of X people, but that everyone is so different. The student body is friendly and happy. I think those are things that are really important in a college.