My issues so far have been with financial aid, the VA representative at the school, and getting into two of the courses that I need (mainly a runaround from the GHSD department and very slow responses from one of the GEHS faculty). It just adds to the stress that I already have about trying to find a place to live, moving, and making arrangements on the military side of things (getting my orders changed and things like that).
Yeah, financial aid seems to be very sluggish. I wish I could shed some more light on it, but I think it's safe to say that the majority of awards are just unsubsidized loans.
When I was looking to visit some classes, I noticed that some professors were friendlier and more accessible than others. I would recommend--if you haven't done so already--to email them via your Tulane email and keep the messages concise. Have you tried asking your advisor to nudge them to speed up their response times? Everyone is in the same building, Tidewater, and they seem like a close-knit community. Even try the GEHS chair, Maureen Lichtveld, she seems helpful and willing keep everyone on their toes if they're slacking--she comes across as a milder version of Judge Judy on TV.
I dropped by the New Orleans tourist center on St. Charles St. and they had a lot of inside knowledge on housing and services available around the city. They did direct me to this website:
www.makeneworleanshome.com. It seems somewhat helpful--not so much with housing. Besides craigslist, I think your best bet is NOLA.com and going to "Rentals." Worse comes to worst, you might want to consider Deming. I took a quick tour of the small studio and the 2-bedroom apartments and they're lackluster and sterile like a freshman dorm in any college, but fairly manageable. The rooms have AC/heat, but the windows can't open! There's a Subway and Walgreens in the building as well as a small cardio gym and the vicinity towards classes is unbeatable. I think you can choose the duration of your stay in the contract, so you could make things easier by staying for a short time, while you look for housing...
Bear in mind that Jazz Fest will be starting soon (Apr. 27), so I'm sure reaching people or visiting will be very difficult.
Anyway, if you have any questions or comments feel free to post here or message me.