2014-2015 Tulane University Application Thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Hahaha I guess it is sort of a silly question. Either way, I'm extremely grateful for it! Now the choice between Tulane and LSU NO is easy
 
sazerac said:
It would be easier to predict the simultaneous position and momentum of a subatomic particle than it would be to predict how the scholarships work at any medical school.

For what it's worth, I was offered a scholarship in June 2012. This was long after the May deadline. I had already committed to Tulane, dropped my other offers, and moved to New Orleans, so it wasn't like they were trying to draw me away from another school. Philosophically I think this approach is kind of cool - assemble a class of students who really want to be here (even at full retail price) and then hand out scholarships, not as bribes but as lagniappe.
Click to expand...
If only I could live in NOLA and use cool words like this 🙁

Reeeejected pre-interview. Aw man. I was really excited about this place and the vietnamese food in NOLA. I thought I was a great fit for their mission too, and ready to leverage the unique opportunities that are available here. Oh well. I was complete in November, and that might have killed me. Loved the right-hand formatting in their email. Tulane has style.
3.7+, low 30s MCAT, non-trad.
 
Can any current students suggest any nice condos somewhat close (less than 15 min) to the school?
 
Son of Peleus said:
Can any current students suggest any nice condos somewhat close (less than 15 min) to the school?
Click to expand...

There are two that I know of that have lots of med students:
- The Saulet (~5 min away)
- Deming (dorm-like housing attached to the medical school, so "stumble out of bed" close)

I wouldn't consider Deming "nice" but that's because my standards have changed with my advancing age. Many students enjoy living there so it depends on your tastes.

Also, many houses are divided into several units, so check craigslist for those listings. Nearly everything in New Orleans is within 15 minutes of school so you can honestly live anywhere in town and be close to campus. It's a small city.
 
augeremt said:
There are two that I know of that have lots of med students:
- The Saulet (~5 min away)
- Deming (dorm-like housing attached to the medical school, so "stumble out of bed" close)

I wouldn't consider Deming "nice" but that's because my standards have changed with my advancing age. Many students enjoy living there so it depends on your tastes.

Also, many houses are divided into several units, so check craigslist for those listings. Nearly everything in New Orleans is within 15 minutes of school so you can honestly live anywhere in town and be close to campus. It's a small city.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply! It makes sense about the 15 minute radius, that opens up a lot of options. I loved the architecture in NOLA.
 
Son of Peleus said:
Thank you for the reply! It makes sense about the 15 minute radius, that opens up a lot of options. I loved the architecture in NOLA.
Click to expand...

I live in Parkview, which is right near Bayou St. John and Mid City. The American Can apartments are in my hood an look pretty nice to me, but I've never actually been inside. I can't recommend BSJ or Mid City enough, but for some reason there aren't that many med students here. The ones that do live here seem to love it (myself included.)
 
Confused about NOLA neighborhoods? If you google "new orleans neighborhoods google map", the first two links (the ones that take you to google maps) are helpful.
 
rock2doc said:
I live in Parkview, which is right near Bayou St. John and Mid City. The American Can apartments are in my hood an look pretty nice to me, but I've never actually been inside. I can't recommend BSJ or Mid City enough, but for some reason there aren't that many med students here. The ones that do live here seem to love it (myself included.)
Click to expand...

Bayou St. John and Mid City are totally underrated among the med school class. They are my favorite neighborhoods.
 
augeremt said:
Bayou St. John and Mid City are totally underrated among the med school class. They are my favorite neighborhoods.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. I live in the Esplanade at City Park complex right on Bayou St. John. I'd recommend any matriculants to consider it, especially if you like spending free time outdoors (city park is right across the bayou) or want to be able to retreat from the area immediately surrounding the downtown campus. I went to Tulane downtown for a grad program and I liked how midcity was somewhat disconnected from the CBD/uptown vibe. It's a little calmer, but still has cool things to do and is not far from those areas. I've only ever lived in midcity/BSJ, though, so I'm probably a little biased. Just something to consider.
 
youremyboybluetoo said:
Historically how has the movement off of the "acceptance range" list been? I'm assuming little to none. Also is this a viable option?

http://tulane.edu/som/departments/scb/acp.cfm
Click to expand...

My class, the current second year students, was overbooked and nobody got in off the waitlist. The first years had some movement off the waitlist. The ACP program is good for students who didn't quite make the grade to get in at Tulane and didn't get accepted anywhere else. You take gross anatomy and if you're in the top half of the class, you're automatically accepted into next year's class. Some of the students who aren't quite in the top half also get accepted. The catch is that you'll have to be a TA for anatomy class. The advantage of doing the ACP program is that you can distribute your first year classes between two years, which eases the workload considerably. I'd say that the ACP program is worthwhile only if you didn't get accepted to any other schools, or if you absolutely, positively have to go to Tulane for some reason.
 
youremyboybluetoo said:
Historically how has the movement off of the "acceptance range" list been? I'm assuming little to none. Also is this a viable option?

http://tulane.edu/som/departments/scb/acp.cfm
Click to expand...

It depends on the year. Two years ago there was no movement. They even over-enrolled the class. Last year there was a fair amount of movement. As for this year, your guess is as good as mine.

ACP is a great option if you don't get off the waitlist. I don't know the administration's official stance on this, but the word on the street (and how it's been done thus far) is that if you beat the T1 average in anatomy then you're guaranteed an interview that cycle. Unless you are a sociopath and/or royally piss off all the professors and entire first year class, that interview will turn into an acceptance. It's not cheap, but it's a nearly guaranteed way to get into Tulane.

Good luck!
 
ACP is legitimate. At less than $15,000 the price seems fair to me. It's the one program at Tulane that has strong ties to the medical school, versus say the masters degrees or certificates in pharm or biochem.

The thing about ACP is that it is super competitive. Their MCAT scores are often higher than the class as a whole. ACP isn't the "didn't quite get into medical school" crowd; they are the "I can't believe they didn't get into medical school" crowd.
 
sazerac said:
The thing about ACP is that it is super competitive. Their MCAT scores are often higher than the class as a whole. ACP isn't the "didn't quite get into medical school" crowd; they are the "I can't believe they didn't get into medical school" crowd.
Click to expand...

Seconded.
 
sazerac said:
ACP is legitimate. At less than $15,000 the price seems fair to me. Tis the one program at Tulane that has strong ties to the medical school, versus say the masters degrees or certificates in pharm or biochem.

The thing about ACP is that Tis super competitive. Their MCAT scores are often higher than the class as a whole. ACP isn't the "didn't quite get into medical school" crowd; they are the "I can't believe they didn't get into medical school" crowd.
Click to expand...

That's $15,000 plus two months of unpaid work as a TA the following year, and then there's no guarantee that ACP will turn into an acceptance. I think there were three or four kids in my class that tried the ACP route but couldn't get good enough grades in anatomy to get accepted to the class. I know for sure there was at least one that didn't get in. I did my best to bring the average down by getting bad grades on every test so my tablemate could get in through ACP (yeah, that's why I did it), but now that biochem is no longer taught concurrently with anatomy, the anatomy class averages have climbed up to the point where they're hard for the ACP students to beat. I'd say that your odds of getting accepted are still better if you do the ACP program than if you just go through the next cycle as a reapplicant, but if you've got an acceptance somewhere else, take it and don't look back unless you absolutely have to attend Tulane.
 
Last edited:
It's also 15k that you have to come up with yourself. Since you're not earning credit hours, and this doesn't go towards any degree, you can't get federal student loans. It would have to be a private loan, and the interest rate will be ridiculous. Probably better to talk to schools about why you weren't accepted, fix any deficiency, and reapply.
 
II just rec'd. Complete late August. Forgot I even applied to Tulane. When is Mardi Gras? I'm sure everyone already was one step ahead of me and scheduled on those dates.

EDIT: All the February interview dates say full...but there are no open March dates?? Time to call
 
Last edited:
Chip N Sawbones said:
now that biochem is no longer taught concurrently with anatomy, the anatomy class averages have climbed up to the point where they're hard for the ACP students to beat.
Click to expand...

This is partially true. The final anatomy average was mid 80s this year but all the ACP students beat it, possibly with the exception of one student. The first block average was 90-something, but the professors made sure that it dropped for subsequent exams.

The program is hard and somewhat expensive, but it's a good way to get into Tulane SOM if you're willing to work hard for 3 months and invest some extra money in your future.
 
Chip N Sawbones said:
now that biochem is no longer taught concurrently with anatomy, the anatomy class averages have climbed up to the point where they're hard for the ACP students to beat.
Click to expand...

This is partially true. The final course average was mid-80s this year and all the ACP students beat it, possibly with the exception of one person. The first block average was 90-something but the professors made sure it dropped for subsequent exams.

ACP is a good deal if you're willing to work very hard for 3 months and invest some extra money into your future.

Chip N Sawbones said:
I'd say that your odds of getting accepted are still better if you do the ACP program than if you just go through the next cycle as a reapplicant, but if you've got an acceptance somewhere else, take it and don't look back unless you absolutely have to attend Tulane.
Click to expand...

This is especially true.
 
Are any other SDNers interviewing on 1/9 interested in splitting:
A - a room nearby
B - a round on the night of 1/9
C - a ride to the airport on 1/10
 
TheHikingLife said:
Does anyone know how substantial the scholarships are that Tulane offers and roughly what percent of acceptees are offered one?

EDIT: Should've researched before I asked. Most of this info is here: http://tulane.edu/financialaid/hsc/som/types.cfm
Click to expand...
This is a good find. The powerpoint on that web page suggests that for the class of 2017 there are 37 merit scholarships ranging from $20K per year, all the way to full tuition. Throw in an unknown number of need based scholarships, and about a quarter of the class is not paying full retail.

I don't get the Tulane website saying that the average award is $5,000 per recipient. I mean, with 37 substantial scholarships they must be awarding a hell of a lot of microscopic awards to bring the mean value down to $5,000 per recipient. Either that or the Tulane website is out of date.

I've been to a few scholarship luncheons, and I've also been on mass emails to the scholarship recipients, and I find the "1/4 of the class getting Tulane scholarships" estimate to be totally believable.
 
sazerac said:
This is a good find. The powerpoint on that web page suggests that for the class of 2017 there are 37 merit scholarships ranging from $20K per year, all the way to full tuition. Throw in an unknown number of need based scholarships, and about a quarter of the class is not paying full retail.

I don't get the Tulane website saying that the average award is $5,000 per recipient. I mean, with 37 substantial scholarships they must be awarding a hell of a lot of microscopic awards to bring the mean value down to $5,000 per recipient. Either that or the Tulane website is out of date.

I've been to a few scholarship luncheons, and I've also been on mass emails to the scholarship recipients, and I find the "1/4 of the class getting Tulane scholarships" estimate to be totally believable.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
schiffbased said:
When do merit scholarships go out? There's no application for those right, but would they not release that until they see FAFSA?
Click to expand...
That might be for need scholarships. I was fortunate enough to be tendered a merit offer about a month ago. I imagine it is a rolling process like many other things though.
 
schiffbased said:
Congrats! Was that a separate email or did it come with your acceptance letter? On the same note, that financial aid/Gibson they emailed us with username and pin everytime I sign in, it redirects me to the homepage. Anyone else with this problem?
Click to expand...

Separate email. And I just tried my Gibson. Exact same thing happened... interesting.
 
Same for me, but that's probably because that same email states "Beginning in March you will be able to proceed to the Financial Aid Requirements page, to see the status of each requirement."

I'm hoping for some significant aid from Tulane, as I cannot justify spending $100k more on a Tulane degree than on one from an in-state school.
 
The timing varies. As I said before, I got a scholarship in June, long after I had to commit to one school.

Some folks get a scholarship in their acceptance letter.
 
II today. Complete early September. OOS. 73-74 lizzy M. Decent ties to NOLA and strong to LA. Available dates were 1/16, 1/30, 2/27. Chose 2/27 so I could make it due to work. Hopefully I am not just competing for a wait list spot at that point. Im guessing that that day is literally the last day of interviews for them.
 
When the emails say comfortable shoes, do they mean like tennis shoes or just comfortable dress shoes?
 
illinoisgal said:
When the emails say comfortable shoes, do they mean like tennis shoes or just comfortable dress shoes?
Click to expand...
There's a ton of walking (through some pretty uneven sidewalks/parking lots), so I'd go with comfortable flats (NOT heels). Tennis shoes may be a bit too informal.
 
Giving up my interview for late January. Hopefully someone else can take it. I just can't justify the price tag on Tulane.
 
Hard to say, but it can get real fast this time of year. I interviewed in late January, and the response was in my mailbox by the time I got home. I spent a week's vacation in NOLA. Wasn't sure if I would ever get back. Happily, I did.
 
I'm interviewing on 2/2 and will be staying in New Orleans for a few days before the interview. Any "must do" things during the weekend before the interview? All input is welcomed 🙂
 
illinoisgal said:
What's the average wait time for hearing back after an interview?
Click to expand...

A week, three weeks, two months, as soon as the adcoms shake off their hangovers and accept a few students, maybe never. You really can't be in a hurry anywhere in New Orleans, and Tulane's administration is definitely not an exception. Last year it took me two weeks and four visits to the academic affairs office just to get a piece of paper saying that I was in fact going to school here.
 
rugger4 said:
I'm interviewing on 2/2 and will be staying in New Orleans for a few days before the interview. Any "must do" things during the weekend before the interview? All input is welcomed 🙂
Click to expand...

I really enjoyed the time I spent at City Park and Lake Pontchartrain. Louis Armstrong Park is also great, especially if there's music going on.
 
Anyone know what the T1 Retreat is?
 
punMD said:
Anyone know what the T1 Retreat is?
Click to expand...
In past years it was a river rafting trip or a swamp boat tour. A chance to meet and greet your fellow students and new environment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

wysdoc
2024-2025 Tulane
19 20 21 22 23
Replies
1K
Views
274K
optic-mistic Chiasm
O
wysdoc
2023-2024 Tulane
22 23 24 25 26
Replies
1K
Views
357K
lanadelxray
lanadelxray
chilly_md
2024-2025 Boston University
21 22 23 24 25
Replies
1K
Views
265K
an2five
A
wysdoc
2024-2025 Saint Louis University
6 7 8 9 10
Replies
498
Views
108K
Sue C
Sue C
wysdoc
2024-2025 University of Washington
10 11 12 13 14
Replies
680
Views
145K
stew_md
S
Top