Elite Colleges Opening Doors for Displaced Katrina Students
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.
Luke Harris’ undergraduate career at Tulane University lasted all of five hours. Hurricane Katrina forced him to abandon his belongings and evacuate New Orleans during his first day at the school two weeks ago. He now finds himself at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — a school that previously rejected him.
In the hurricane’s aftermath, the nation’s most prestigious and selective colleges and universities are opening their doors to many students who otherwise wouldn’t have qualified for admission.
Harris is one of more than a dozen students who have found a tuition-free refuge, albeit on a temporary basis, at MIT, the elite university on the banks of the Charles River.
“It’s something good to come out of something bad,” said Harris, 18, of Chicago. “Many people are much worse off than me. I seemed to actually come out ahead because of the hurricane.”
Many schools are treating the Gulf Coast evacuees like visiting students, meaning they will get credit for the classes they take, but are expected to return to their old schools once they reopen.
