apply early to US schols? Why?

[HeatherMD]

I'm a Canadian student, but I'd like to attend Tulane, and am considering other US schools.

I will be applying to some schools here in Canada (all the big ones: UBC, UofA, UofT, etc), but I'd really like to go elsewhere just because I enjoy traveling and living in different places. I discovered Tulane because a prof that teaches at my school graduated from there, and I really love their global perspective, especially the opportunity to do electives in Africa or South America.

I've seen lots of people talk about how applying early is so important in the US. Why?!
Here, all the applications are due Oct/Nov and that's it.. there's no benefit to applying earlier than later because everyone's considered equally after the last day to submit.

Is it really important to send in US applications in the first day you can?

Does this mean I should have everything ready for Tulane by June 1 (for matriculation in September 2010 -- I'm in my 3rd year right now, and want to finish my bachelor's degree).

Also, I don't really know how competitive Tulane is..? Does anyone go there or been interviewed there that can give me some insight?

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[Mobius1985]

If you apply to AMCAS between June 1, 2009 and mid-July, your advantage would be similiar. Med schools start reviewing applications as they receive them for several months, until their application deadline is past. They have a limited number of interview spots. The later you apply, the more competition there is for the decreased number of remaining spots.

Tulane acceptees have a mean MCAT of 31 and a mean GPA of 3..5. As an international applicant, you'd be expected to exceed these stats significantly.

At Tulane: total international applicants=218, internationals interviewed=12, internationals accepted=2 Total in the class=175.

 

[HeatherMD]

so do they do rolling admissions then? If you apply early and are interviewed early, do they let you know acceptance/rejection soon too?

I received only a 31Q on the MCAT and have around a 3.6-3.7 GPA. This meets the Tulane average but doesn't really exceed it by any means. Is it a wasted application fee to apply then, or would I potentially still have a shot?

 

[Mobius1985]

Some schools announce all admissions decisions at the end of the cycle. Most start offering acceptances October 15, and continue to offer them until classes are filled, sometimes through the first day of class. An exception is Early Decision Programs, which interview very early and give all decisions by October 1.

Considering the statistically small chance of any international applicant being accepted to Tulane, and further considering your average stats, I suggest it would be a good idea to reconsider applying there, unless you retake the MCAT and get a much higher score.

 

[chiz2kul]

Some schools announce all admissions decisions at the end of the cycle. Most start offering acceptances October 15, and continue to offer them until classes are filled, sometimes through the first day of class. An exception is Early Decision Programs, which interview very early and give all decisions by October 1.

Considering the statistically small chance of any international applicant being accepted to Tulane, and further considering your average stats, I suggest it would be a good idea to reconsider applying there, unless you retake the MCAT and get a much higher score.

uh....what?

 

[chiz2kul]

If you apply to AMCAS between June 1, 2009 and mid-July, your advantage would be similiar. Med schools start reviewing applications as they receive them for several months, until their application deadline is past. They have a limited number of interview spots. The later you apply, the more competition there is for the decreased number of remaining spots.

Tulane acceptees have a mean MCAT of 31 and a mean GPA of 3..5. As an international applicant, you'd be expected to exceed these stats significantly.

At Tulane: total international applicants=218, internationals interviewed=12, internationals accepted=2 Total in the class=175.

Not necessarily true. I'm 31 mcat n not 4.0 GPA, and international, and just got accepted there.
OP: Just get your stuff in on time, so you'll hav a better advantage.Plus, you're Canadian, which is international, but really kinda not...if you get what I mean.

 

[HeatherMD]

I thought about retaking the MCAT, but I think I'm going to apply with these scores & GPA, and if I don't get into med, I'll do grad studies or another year of school, re-take the MCAT and try again.

But since a 31Q and 3.7 is still "competative" by most standards, I'm a little reluctant to fork over another $220 for the MCAT =p lol 2yrs from now I can justify it because the scores would be getting old!

Thanks chiz2kul! That's really encouraging =)
And I agree Canada is not really international. Plus all (most?) of the universities here are really good, so I would hope the prestige of my undergraduate institution should carry some weight? Hopefully?? =p

October 15th acceptance is so early.. that's before applications are even due here! Weird!

I'm glad I found out about this or I would not have been prepared at all. Now I know I have to have everything together next semester -- scary thought!

 

[stixx]

Tulane is known to be a Canadian friendly school. I'm not sure whether this is because they explicitly consider Canadians as OOS, or just considered more highly than other internationals. But definitely year after year canucks find success there. Again, hard to tell whether they had average or above average stats, but mdapplicants.com might help there. It helps if you attended McGill or UofT.

 

[Catalystik]

For Internationals applying to Tulane, a 1% chance of acceptance doesn't seem like very good odds, but maybe if the professor you mentioned who graduated from there wrote you a letter, it would tip the balance in your favor.

 

[HeatherMD]

I've never had any courses with this prof, I just know him because he's in the department and I work in a research lab and teach the intro ochem to first years.
I'll try to see if/what he's teaching next semester and get in his class, then maybe I can get a letter.
I actually have NO idea who to get my academic letters from, which is why finding profs next semester is going to be rushed no matter what US school I apply to.

I'm curious about how many of those international applicants to Tulane were Canadian.. I would assume most of them so the odds totally suck, but a lot of us here are under the impression that it's easier to get into a US med school than a Canadian one, so it's possible some lower than average Canucks tried.

I'm really hoping they notice my grades are competitive for my Canadian med schools but I'm CHOOSING Tulane even though it'd would quadruple the cost of medical school for me..

 

[stixx]

I think you have the right idea...you need to convince the school you actually have a compelling reason to want to attend. Some of the Canadians I've heard of have family in LA, or helped out with Katrina relief, or are dedicated to the underserved and/or minority populations etc. I'm not sure if a prof from Tulane would be enough, but it would certainly help.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I'll back Mobius up on this one. Internationals generally need to have pretty outstanding credentials to be considered in the U.S. Exceptions to the rule will always occur. I got in with a 3.1 and a sub-3.0 BCPM, but you don't see me telling people with similar grades they have a good shot. Perhaps Tulane readily accepts Canadians, though. I don't know much at all about their admissions habits.

 

[student1799]

I know that at SUNY (my state's public university system), Canadians are considered OOS students rather than international. But I don't know if this is a standard approach, and Tulane is a private school. However, I do have some anecdotal evidence in your favor: I attended a presentation called "Choosing Your Med School" by the director of admissions at Pritzer, and a Canadian student asked a question about international admissions. The AD immediately told her, "Oh, if you're Canadian, make sure to tell them so, because you're in a different category."

But the bottom line is that you have to call the school and ask how Canadians are viewed before applying.

P.S. If you're thinking of applying to SUNY, I'd stick to SUNY Upstate (in Syracuse). Of the 4 SUNY campuses, they seem to admit the most OOS and international students.

 

[HeatherMD]

I'll look at SUNY for sure -- never considered it before but I would definitely enjoy the experience of living in New York!

I will call or email the school and ask about Canadian applicants -- if there's some kind of "minimum" for Canadian/international applicants that I don't meet, then I won't apply, but if there's opportunity -- however slim -- I'm going to give it a shot.
All I really have to lose is the $75 application fee! And a little ego, but I can spare that because undergrad has already beat most of it out of me anyway.

Someone has to fill those international spots, and it's not the people that didn't try.

 

[canuck20]

I am a Canadian applying to US schools this cycle. I did my undergrad at a US college so my situation is a little different from yours, but there are a few things you should consider. An American medical education is extremely expensive and as a Canadian, you often have to prove how much you can afford to pay before they will even consider you for acceptance. Plus the loan/scholarship is often tricky because you can't apply for American loans, and studying abroad cuts you off from Canadian money as well. Just something to think about...

 

[HeatherMD]

Thanks for the heads up!

I did my first year of undergrad in the US (in hindsight, finishing there may have been more in my favor than transferring oh well!), my parents still live there, and the expense is not an exceptionally large concern.. I have some savings and no debt from undergrad (I worked a lot), and if private loans are not accessible to me, I have family to beg & borrow from lol