So, I am just now fully recovered from my week off from school that was Mardi Gras break and I must say it was quite a week. This was my first Mardi Gras experience and it was definitely a blast. I know what you’re thinking… that there was partying involved and it was like the Mardi Gras that you see on t.v. Well, that’s not true, or at least most of it’s not true! What I loved about Mardi Gras is that it’s not just a one day event or a weekend event, it’s a month long event. When I got back from Christmas break in January, I already saw Mardi Gras decorations and King Cake in the grocery store. The first parade that I went to was the first week in February and the last one that I went to was on Tuesday. Mardi Gras is one of the rare times in New Orleans where businesses shut down and people enjoy the fact that it’s 75 degrees in February and you can cook out in the middle of the streetcar tracks on St. Charles Ave. I spent my break going to every parade that went down St. Charles Ave, that’s about 18 parades in 5 days, with each parade averaging about 30 floats. So, when you are making that tough decision that comes around this time of year, just consider a few sweet facts about going to school at Tulane, which just happens to be located in the beautiful city that is New Orleans.
1. You get 3 days off from school to watch parades and catch beads. (Lots of beads, and you don’t have to flash anyone, ever).
2. You will never have to pay for a hotel room during Mardi Gras again. Even if you leave New Orleans after B-school, you’ll have classmates that stay and will welcome you back with open arms. (I already secured a place to stay for Mardi Gras 2011).
3. You know that you’ll get to see all of your friends at least once a year (Would that happen if you went to school in Chicago….in February?).
4. You get to actually camp out on the St. Charles streetcar line, and not worry about the streetcar coming.
5. And my favorite fact of all: You’ll go to school with people from New Orleans, which means you get to see the REAL Mardi Gras, and not just Bourbon Street.
I know that deciding on a B-school is an ultra tough decision, but with perks like these do you really need to consider any place but Tulane? With that being said I have to go take my beads off my front door and study for my Consumer Behavior test. The party is officially over, but it will be back next year and you should definitely consider being a part of it.
Amina