2012-2013 Tulane University Application Thread

[SpacemanSpifff]

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im sorry to hear that! do you mind saying your stats?

31R, 3.6 cGPA, 3.7sGPA... so just below average for Tulane's incoming class. Looking at the MSAR I noticed that last year Tulane interviewed 407 of 10,220 applicants. That's just under 4%. Don't know how I missed that stat when poring over Tulane's page before applying, but damn that's steep! Bit of a buzz kill but better to get the rejection early in the cycle than be kept on the hook until March-June coughGWcough.

 

[MedPR]

Rejection email. 3.14/3.00/33Q URM

 

[mirimonster]

i know it says the word .. 150.. 100 .. etc but when i copied and pasted it onto the first question it allowed me input all 200 (word count from MS word). im wondering if theyll cut it off at the 150 mark? thanks

All that means is they were too lazy to write the code to prevent more than the word limit, not that they don't care about their word limit. It is always in your best interest to follow the directions. 😉

 

[MsPlasmodesmata]

Sorry to hear about the rejections, MedPR and Spaceman 🙁
I got my first rejection today from a different school, so I know the feeling. Do you mind saying when you were complete? I'm trying to figure out a timeline to prepare for my own possible rejection e-mail...

 

[SpacemanSpifff]

Sorry to hear about the rejections, MedPR and Spaceman 🙁
I got my first rejection today from a different school, so I know the feeling. Do you mind saying when you were complete? I'm trying to figure out a timeline to prepare for my own possible rejection e-mail...

I got the complete email on 7/11, so I was under review for just over a month. I would anticipate this delay will continue to grow as the cycle continues.

 

[MedPR]

Sorry to hear about the rejections, MedPR and Spaceman 🙁
I got my first rejection today from a different school, so I know the feeling. Do you mind saying when you were complete? I'm trying to figure out a timeline to prepare for my own possible rejection e-mail...

Not sure but I probably posted on this thread.

 

[Turpulus]

I have to confess I am quite terrible at writing essays about why I want to go to a particular school. My honest answer is simply "I want to be a doctor," but obviously I can't just write that. Any chance someone can direct me to a list of some Tulane highlights? Thanks!

 

[dextor2003]

I have to confess I am quite terrible at writing essays about why I want to go to a particular school. My honest answer is simply "I want to be a doctor," but obviously I can't just write that. Any chance someone can direct me to a list of some Tulane highlights? Thanks!

Every applicant will probably find something different that appeals to them about a certain school. What makes me love Tulane may not do the same for you. Here's what I did to "prep" for the "why this school" essays:

1. Went on the MSAR and literally read everything about the school and noted points that I liked in a document.

2. Went on the school's website and did even more thorough research. I read their "About us" info, mission statements, values, student life, curriculum, watched videos, and read about specific tracks/programs/opportunities/characteristics that the school had to offer that particularly appealed to me. Again, whatever I found interesting, I jotted down in that same document.

I'll admit it took me some time (a couple hours at least for each school), but by the end of it, I had a huge list of things I like about each school. And now the character limits for the "why this school" essays don't seem to be enough because I have so much I want to say!

Ultimately, it's about being genuine. Do your research and be as specific as possible to show your sincere interest in the school. And make sure to tailor those specific points to your own experiences/desires/goals as a physician. Anyone can write a generic response, so that's what you don't want to do.

Hope this helps 🙂

 

[MsPlasmodesmata]

I got my complete email today (submitted 7/17). If I have a near heart attack like that every time I get an email from a school, I'm not going to last very long in this cycle.

Hahaha, glad I'm not the only one!

I got an e-mail from a different school today and my heart started racing. It was just an e-mail asking everyone to follow them on Twitter.

 

[mirimonster]

I have to confess I am quite terrible at writing essays about why I want to go to a particular school. My honest answer is simply "I want to be a doctor," but obviously I can't just write that. Any chance someone can direct me to a list of some Tulane highlights? Thanks!

What I did was formulate a framework for what I want out of a school - research opportunities, dedication to community service, etc, and then when I have to write the why this school, I just go on to the school's website and find the things that match what I'm looking for. I think I've only found one school that didn't have explicit talking points on every single thing that I was looking for, in which case I just took the one missing piece out. So it goes something like this:

P1. This is a good school. Here are the things I like about the curriculum. (Do your research on the curriculum)
P2. Research - here are the things I like about your research opportunities, and here are my experiences that fit well with that.
P3. Community service - here are some community service opportunities at your school that I would very much like to be a part of, and here are my experiences that fit well with that.
P4. Conclusion/summary.

 

[desphil]

II here this afternoon! Will be there 9/17; so excited. Anyone else hear from them?

 

[greenbeam]

Hey guys,

I am considering applying to Tulane, but am hesitating because of the high cost. I no longer live in Louisiana, so I have a good shot at one of my current state schools. I can see myself happy at each of the schools I have put on my list, so it comes down to how will each school help me in residency placement. I prefer not to argue the relevance of school reputation/ranking as I know other factors play a more significant role, rather I would like to just stay on topic.

How is Tulane's reputation now? How does it compare to University of Cincinnati and Ohio State?

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

II here this afternoon! Will be there 9/17; so excited. Anyone else hear from them?

congrats! When were you complete?

 

[desphil]

Thanks! I was complete on 7/17.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

Thanks! I was complete on 7/17.

oh nice same here! Hopefully that means I'll hear some good news soon 🙂

 

[desphil]

I'll cross my fingers for you!

 

[ornitorinco]

II here this afternoon! Will be there 9/17; so excited. Anyone else hear from them?

Congrats, that's really exciting!! I was complete the same day as you and Tulane is one of my top choices....really hoping for an II here

 

[MsPlasmodesmata]

Hey guys,

I am considering applying to Tulane, but am hesitating because of the high cost. I no longer live in Louisiana, so I have a good shot at one of my current state schools. I can see myself happy at each of the schools I have put on my list, so it comes down to how will each school help me in residency placement. I prefer not to argue the relevance of school reputation/ranking as I know other factors play a more significant role, rather I would like to just stay on topic.

How is Tulane's reputation now? How does it compare to University of Cincinnati and Ohio State?

At the hospital where I volunteer in Louisiana, most of the residents and doctors from Tulane aren't thought of very highly by the nursing staff I work with. And a couple doctors told me, unprompted, that they don't think Tulane is worth the money if I could go somewhere less expensive. (These weren't LSU grads or Tulane grads, either; one is from CA and another from OH).

I don't want to incite anything here...obviously I still find things very attractive about the school and would attend. I don't know how it compares to Cincinnati and Ohio State, but I do believe Tulane has a good reputation nationally. I think your residency choices will be determined by how well you do on your boards and what research/service opportunities you seize wherever you go to medical school. Maybe in a top 20 med school you'd have the edge of some awesome connections, but Tulane vs. Ohio/Cincinnati? Unless you want to have a better shot at residency in one geographical area versus the other, I doubt it will make much difference. It just comes down to personal taste in the end.

 

[HurricaneKatt]

Can any current students weigh in on the Baton Rouge vs NO clinical program? Can we choose after second year or are we locked in from the time of matriculation? I think both sound good and am leaning towards checking both boxes on the secondary.

+1

I'd like to know more about the two options, pros & cons, key differences between the cirriculums, etc. I can't seem to find much information on their website though. Can anyone tell me more about these options, or at least where I can look for more info?

Also, for current students how do you feel about Tulane? Are the faculty and students supportive and friendly? Is it more of a (between peers) supportive or competetive environment?

I'm filling out my secondary, I think it would be awesome to live in Louisianna. I've heard some really good things about the area. For those who live there about how far of a drive is it to the ocean? 😀

 

[HurricaneKatt]

I called last week because I couldn't figure this out either and the lady in the admissions office told me that the maximum amount was 3, so that's all I sent.

What if your committee letter includes more than 3 letters with it? I selected my committee lettter to go to Tulane. Technically it's one "letter entry" but the letter includes several supporting LORs. Should I Not send the committee letter but instead select 3 individual letters to send to Tulane? 😕

Another question on the "most meaningful volunteering experience" question:

I wrote about my most meaningful experience in AMCAS after checking the box indicating it was most meaningful! I can't go into any more depth than I have already in the AMCAS description of this "most meaningful" activity. I was thinking about write about something else entirely but wouldn't it seem weird if I wrote about another "most meaningful" volunteer experience (seeing as "most meaningful" should indicate that there is only one such activity of this level of meaning). Thoughts on this?

Thanks!

Ditto. I'll have to think about this one a bit more. I could use a different experience, but I already said the one on my AMCAS was "most meaningful" so... :/

 

[Fenouil]

For those who live there about how far of a drive is it to the ocean? 😀

You probably won't wanna drive to the ocean in Louisiana. No beaches here, just marshy yuckiness. But from Baton Rouge it's only about 4 hours to Pensacola, probably less than that from NOLA (more like 3 I think). There are beaches along Mississippi's coast that are way closer, but... ew, Mississippi...

 

[genswim24]

For those who live there about how far of a drive is it to the ocean? 😀

We have made several trips to Gulf Shores, Alabama and rented out a beach house. It usually takes a little under 3 hours. Ends up being pretty cheap if you get enough people.

 

[HurricaneKatt]

It would be neat to see the marshes...

Does anyone know about the Baton Rouge and NO programs?

 

[mca9889]

rejected today. oos 3.7/3.7/31R. good luck everyone! complete 7/17

 

[dsk89]

rejected today. Oos 3.7/3.7/31r. Good luck everyone! Complete 7/17

+1 🙁

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

+1 🙁

+3 thanks for robbing me Tulane

 

[vbgal41]

I was complete 7/11, still haven't heard anything, hoping that's good news?

 

[dextor2003]

Sorry to hear that you guys...I was complete 7/20, so I may be joining you soon =/

 

[ddb]

+3 thanks for robbing me Tulane

It's a little true. I was stunned to realize that 10,000 x $125 = $1.25 MILLION on application fees alone! Not that anyone made us apply, but still... 🙂

 

[von Matterhorn]

I was going to apply here, submitted to AMCAS already, but $125 for a 4% chance at an interview.. and let's be honest, 3.5/28R is more like a .01% chance. Think I'll pass, unfortunately. Good luck everyone.

 

[kcvb123]

I was complete 7/11, still haven't heard anything, hoping that's good news?

When did you submit your application? I submitted my application around 12-14 days ago, and am not yet complete. Did it take your application more than 2 weeks to go from submitted to completed? Thanks!

 

[vbgal41]

When did you submit your application? I submitted my application around 12-14 days ago, and am not yet complete. Did it take your application more than 2 weeks to go from submitted to completed? Thanks!

I submitted my application on the 4th (the day after I got it) and then it was marked complete on the 11th. So it only took a week, but keep in mind that the volume of applications increase and it probably takes them longer to review then as the cycle goes on!

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

When did you submit your application? I submitted my application around 12-14 days ago, and am not yet complete. Did it take your application more than 2 weeks to go from submitted to completed? Thanks!

I just recieved a complete e-mail a few minutes ago and I submitted on 7/28. Could have sworn I was already complete here, lol.

 

[kcvb123]

I submitted my application on the 4th (the day after I got it) and then it was marked complete on the 11th. So it only took a week, but keep in mind that the volume of applications increase and it probably takes them longer to review then as the cycle goes on!

Thanks for the reply! I submitted mine on the 3rd. I don't know why I'm still not complete then... Maybe they review randomly?

 

[vbgal41]

Thanks for the reply! I submitted mine on the 3rd. I don't know why I'm still not complete then... Maybe they review randomly?

I submitted in July though... I think I was one of the first to receive the secondary.

 

[kcvb123]

I submitted in July though... I think I was one of the first to receive the secondary.

Ohhh haha, that makes a lot more sense! Thanks again.

 

[Maxine450]

Rejected as well. Oh well, definitely not my top choice.

 

[MedMike]

Rejected as well. Oh well, definitely not my top choice.

What were your stats?

 

[rowjimmy]

Hey, I got an invitation to an interview and I was told to reply to the email, which I did. However, the specific admissions rep who sent it also provided her email in the signiture. I responded 3 days ago but still have not received a response acknowledging my confirmation to accept the interview. Is this normal? What have others done?

 

[desphil]

I didn't get a reply to my confirmation email either ... I'm assuming it's normal?

 

[CannonballComin]

Rejected 32P/3.5 UGrad/3.8 Grad OOS physician assistant. Good luck to everyone!Can't be bummed when there's a dancing banana on the screen.

 

[olecranon4]

reJECTed! 33/3.88 oos

Good luck to the rest of you

 

[MedMike]

reJECTed! 33/3.88 oos

Good luck to the rest of you

Was that in an email?

 

[Contemplating]

Was that in an email?

SCREENING
An application is considered complete once the Tulane School of Admissions and Student Affairs has received the primary and secondary applications, application fee, MCAT score, and all letters of evaluation. Once an application is complete, the file is read by one or more members of the Admission Committee. One of two actions may result from screening. The applicant may be:

- INVITED FOR INTERVIEW BY EMAIL, or
- NOTIFIED OF NON-ACCEPTANCE BY EMAIL

During the screening process the contents of the entire application are taken into account, but at this stage of review the greatest emphasis is placed upon an applicant's academic record and letters of evaluation. Nonetheless, experience shows that students with a broad range of coursework (both science and non-science courses), active participation in college or campus life, and a good record of community service are more likely to be invited for interviews.

 

[HurricaneKatt]

Hey, I got an invitation to an interview and I was told to reply to the email, which I did. However, the specific admissions rep who sent it also provided her email in the signiture. I responded 3 days ago but still have not received a response acknowledging my confirmation to accept the interview. Is this normal? What have others done?

What's your GPA/MCAT?

 

[magicm]

congrats on your interview. If you don't mind what were your stats

 

[HurricaneKatt]

So I recently heard some REALLY bad stuff about Tulane. A physician told me that their graduates are coming out of school unprepared and Tulane students have a very high dropout and fail rate in residencies, primarily because the students are so unprepared when they finish med school. This is really concerning to me, esp because one of the residency programs I am interested in is very competitive. Has anyone heard this? Is there a good place I can look that shows their residency match rate, STEP scores, residency completion, etc?

Between this little tidbit and the rejections people are posting (my stats are similar, 3.7 GPA, 31S MCAT) and an extremely tight budget, I'm suddenly concerned about whether it is worth the $125 for a secondary. I was pretty excited about Tulane, but now I'm a bit concerned. 🙁 Can anyone point to some data for me? (Other than the MSAR as the one I have is from 1-2 years ago?)

 

[dextor2003]

So I recently heard some REALLY bad stuff about Tulane. A physician told me that their graduates are coming out of school unprepared and Tulane students have a very high dropout and fail rate in residencies, primarily because the students are so unprepared when they finish med school. This is really concerning to me, esp because one of the residency programs I am interested in is very competitive. Has anyone heard this? Is there a good place I can look that shows their residency match rate, STEP scores, residency completion, etc?

Between this little tidbit and the rejections people are posting (my stats are similar, 3.7 GPA, 31S MCAT) and an extremely tight budget, I'm suddenly concerned about whether it is worth the $125 for a secondary. I was pretty excited about Tulane, but now I'm a bit concerned. 🙁 Can anyone point to some data for me? (Other than the MSAR as the one I have is from 1-2 years ago?)

According to this random blog from 2007, it was around 220 then.

http://usmlesteps.blogspot.com/2007/04/ten-most-faq-about-usmle-step-1-from.html

Assuming that data is correct, I'd guess it's a little higher now (~225?) since averages tend to increase every year.

This site also shows average step 1 scores for certain specialties at different schools.

http://usmlesteps.blogspot.com/2007/04/ten-most-faq-about-usmle-step-1-from.html

 

[cinamin]

this thread is rather depressing... my stats are pretty low compared to all of you who just got rejected.. guess i will be rejected in 2-3 weeks. unless maybe they like my sub-par stats who knows. time to add more schools!!!

 

[mzell12]

So I recently heard some REALLY bad stuff about Tulane. A physician told me that their graduates are coming out of school unprepared and Tulane students have a very high dropout and fail rate in residencies, primarily because the students are so unprepared when they finish med school. This is really concerning to me, esp because one of the residency programs I am interested in is very competitive. Has anyone heard this? Is there a good place I can look that shows their residency match rate, STEP scores, residency completion, etc?

Between this little tidbit and the rejections people are posting (my stats are similar, 3.7 GPA, 31S MCAT) and an extremely tight budget, I'm suddenly concerned about whether it is worth the $125 for a secondary. I was pretty excited about Tulane, but now I'm a bit concerned. 🙁 Can anyone point to some data for me? (Other than the MSAR as the one I have is from 1-2 years ago?)

I have only two examples to provide: my cousin graduated from Tulane a couple of years back and he is currently kicking butt as an ENT resident at Baylor (a very competitive residency), and his wife, who also went to Tulane, just finished her derm residency (also extremely competitive). I think it's all about what you make it and how hard you work!