LSU-NO vs Tulane

[bngli]

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LSU NO
Pros

• I get in state tuition (~33k per year)
• Newer facilities

Cons

• H/HP/P/F grading system
• Less prestigious than Tulane

Tulane
Pros

• It is the school where most of my friends went and are going (I was a Tulane undergrad)
• Opportunities like DeBakey Scholars and MD/MBA

Cons

• 65k per year tuition
• 65k per year tuition <- writing it again because that's the main concern

Considering the change of Step I to P/F, are the tuition costs of a more expensive private school now worth it compared to a state school? I'm not interested in the uber competitive surgical specialties (or any surgical specialties really aside from ophtho). I'd like to keep options for rads, anesthesiology, and ophtho open, but I'm also open to psych, neuro, and PM&R. Considering the specialties I am interested in, is going to a more expensive school worth it?

As for location, I'm not itching to get out of NOLA. Other places I am interested in are TX, FL, or AZ. I've heard Tulane has more outside appeal than LSU, but is that more relevant for the east/west coasts?

 

[thunderstorm1824]

Hey, I've been debating between these 2 schools too (accepted at LSU, interviewed at Tulane and waiting to hear back). I think LSU is a good choice especially if you'd be happy staying in NOLA or other places in the south like TX and FL because LSU matches well in that region. And part of the reason LSU tends to match more in LA and the southeast is probably because most students are LA residents and want to stay in that area, while most Tulane students are OOS and therefore match more broadly across the country. I think you could definitely match outside of the south from LSU too. Even with Step 1 going P/F I don't think it's worth it to pay double the tuition considering that LSU also has better/newer facilities. LSU's H/HP/P/F grading system is a major con for me, but I don't think it outweighs how affordable the tuition is. Congrats on your acceptances and good luck with your decision!

 

[doctorloading]

I am also in this dilemma. I really like the fact that LSU has WAYYYY nicer facilities, which is crazy because Tulane costs so much more. I really liked that LSU has an actual campus, which gives it more of a community feel, whereas Tulane only has two major buildings. In regards to LSU's ranked grading system, I've talked to current students and they says that it's still essentially P/F and it has made no difference in how they study/take exams. They even said that the teachers will work to give back points on an exams. It's really hard because both of these are great school, so I think I'm just struggling to figure out which school I feel most comfortable with. I'm also trying to figure out if prestige even matters when it's a school like Tulane and not like Harvard, and I don't really want to use that to make my decision, if it's not that big of a deal ya know.

 

[doctorloading]

Have you chosen between LSU vs Tulane or leaning in one direction?
I'm kinda bummed because I still havent heard back from Tulane so I guess its a soft-R.
As for LSU, can you explain more of what you mean with grading? How is it essentially P/F when its basically an A, B, C, D grading scale? And the fact that they does quartile ranking (according to MSAR) does it mean LSU students are far more competitive with each other than Tulane students? I loved the vibe of Tulane since people say its very collaborative, but idk how it is at LSU.

Yes! So, just like in a true P/F school, you have to make at least a 70 on the exam to "pass." If you make anywhere from an 80-89 it would be a "high pass," (or a B in undergrad terms) and a 90-100 would be "honors," (or A). However, all of the medical students I talked to said that nobody stresses out about it, unless there's a personal goal for yourself to aim for honors, everyone is striving to just "pass," which is what it would be like in a true P/F scenario. They also said that when it came for residency applications that no interviewer questioned them about their grades on why they didn't receive an honors or high pass in certain classes. I've also heard that the way it's entered for residency applications is just whether or not you passed the class and not what percent you made. (I could be wrong on that part, but that's what I've heard) And yes, I am leaning towards LSU, but I haven't committed yet!