LSU vs. Tulane Undergrad - Getting in to Med School

[LA2011]

I know that there are threads regarding relevance of undergrad prestige in getting in to med school but I wanted to ask some specific questions.

I just completed my freshmen year at Tulane University and was able to maintain a 4.0 GPA. I'm on partial scholarship but still have to pay around $25,000 a year. However they have recently raised tuition a few thousand. My parents can still pay for Tulane without taking out any loans. However, they have suggested I transfer to LSU where I would have a full ride (and may be even get paid), so they can use the money they would have paid for my undergrad for medical school.

I know that just because I have a 4.0 now does not mean that I will keep that GPA without hard work. However, assuming I can maintain a competitive GPA at both Tulane and LSU, is it better to do so at Tulane? Let's say at either school I can find time for research/volunteering/shadowing. In other words, if all parts of my application were the same, is it worth it to pay the money so my application indicates I was able to do this at Tulane vs. LSU?

I'm not necessarily looking at top medical schools, but schools such as LSU-NO and state schools in Texas.

I would also have to take in to account that transferring would require me to build new relationships with faculty members in order to obtain a research position and LORs, but I think this can be managed within the next three years. I honestly can see myself happy at either school.

Should I go with the option that will fund my entire education? Or will going to LSU lower my chances of med school admittance in the first place (especially since it involves a transfer)?

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[MedPR]

It wont matter. Go to LSU and save a bunch of money.

A 4.0 from Tulane won't get you in anywhere that a 4.0 from LSU won't.

 

[gettheleadout]

$25,000 a year and rising? Transfer to LSU. You're not shooting for top tier med schools and even if you were or end up doing so, we're not comparing Tulane and Harvard here. Effect on your application would be negligible.

 

[TriagePreMed]

If you're happy at Tulane, I wouldn't gamble it. Happiness can play a lot into how you perform in school.

 

[Charles Darwin]

Lsu

 

[Stumpyman]

I'd go with LSU any day, even if your parents are able to pay off tuition at Tulane. Neither school name will affect your application much.

 

[vayntraubinator]

Think of your parents.

 

[letmebeanMD]

Stay at tulane- IMO school reps do matter-only people who go to low tier schools say it doesn't

 

[minerva3121]

I'm a TX resident who faced a similar situation four years ago when I was deciding between two colleges: a top 20 school or a top 50 school with full scholarship. At the time I was mainly interested in TX state med schools, but I ended up applying to top med schools as well. Everyone advised me to go with the full scholarship because 1) "prestige" of undergrad is so insignificant compared to GPA/MCAT, and 2) I should be saving the money for med school. I'm very glad I made that decision because I was still able to get interviews and acceptances from TX state schools as well as top 10 schools this year. But more importantly, when I was considering med schools with $45K+/year tuition, I didn't have $100K+ in college debt nagging at me. So unless you think you'd be unhappy at LSU (which does not seem to be the case), I'd vote for the transfer.

 

[golgibodies]

All that matters is that wherever you go, if you do well and stand out, you won't be limited. You don't have to go to a top 20 to get into a top tier med school. Just do what you can afford financially--an admissions committee shouldn't look down on your for going to a state school, especially your own.

 

[gettheleadout]

Stay at tulane- IMO school reps do matter-only people who go to low tier schools say it doesn't

My school isn't even top 100 and we *regularly* send graduates to top 10 med schools. We have a mod on here that got a full tuition scholarship to WashU and acceptance to Johns Hopkins from LSU. Personal achievement outweighs where you go to undergrad by an immeasurable factor.

In any case, would the prestige factor of Tulane (not terribly prestigious compared to schools nationally) vs LSU be worth $25k a year? Highly doubtful. It's another matter if the OP likes Tulane more and would be happier there, but he/she said in the OP that it likely wouldn't matter.

 

[Guy Montag]

My school isn't even top 100 and we *regularly* send graduates to top 10 med schools. We have a mod on here that got a full tuition scholarship to WashU and acceptance to Johns Hopkins from LSU. Personal achievement outweighs where you go to undergrad by an immeasurable factor.

In any case, would the prestige factor of Tulane (not terribly prestigious compared to schools nationally) vs LSU be worth $25k a year? Highly doubtful. It's another matter if the OP likes Tulane more and would be happier there, but he/she said in the OP that it likely wouldn't matter.

That mod also got a 40+, but I know what you're saying 😉. I definitely agree. The only way prestige will matter is if you have a mediocre GPA at a school known to be very rigorous for the pre-med curriculum (Princeton, Cornell, Hopkins, Wash U, Vanderbilt, etc). Tulane is a great school, but it's not prestigious enough to matter. If the OP kept a 4.0 there I can guarantee they will keep a 4.0 at LSU. I'd save the money by transferring, maintain the A average, and get >90th percentile on the MCAT. A 4.0/33+ from Tulane is not terribly different than a 4.0/33+ from LSU, particularly when you get out of the region.

 

[david199380]

LSU for sure. Would you pay a 100k for a piece of paper with Harvard's name on it?

 

[Hemorrage]

I have a pre med friend that graduated from Harvard a few weeks ago. He's going to Perelman this fall. During a conversation he told me all his premed friends from Harvard all got into top 20 schools. His stats were also fairly average: 3.55/33

Take what you will from this but prestige does matter. If it didn't people wouldn't be buying a Porsche over a souped up Honda now would they?

 

[Plue00]

Stay at tulane- IMO school reps do matter-only people who go to low tier schools say it doesn't

👍

What if you change your mind about medicine? Tulane would definitely be better.

 

[Plue00]

LSU for sure. Would you pay a 100k for a piece of paper with Harvard's name on it?

It's an investment. Harvard is totally different from Tulane.

 

[gettheleadout]

It's an investment. Harvard is totally different from Tulane.

But we're not talking about Harvard. Who would pay $100k for the Tulane name?

 

[Ironmandoc]

Stay at tulane- IMO school reps do matter-only people who go to low tier schools say it doesn't

This person doesn't know what they are talking about. It doesn't matter. LSU is a good school. Tulane is a good school. Do well at either and you are setting your future up. The name doesn't matter nearly as much as what you do.

 

[LisaFrank]

Tulane--like BU, USC, and NYU--is in an awkward position: it's a good school, it has a decent reputation, and it has high admission standards, however, it's not quite in the same circle as Penn, Duke, and UChicago, and it’s just as expensive. No one here can tell you whether or not it's worth to pay 25k a year for Tulane; this is a decision you will have to make yourself.

Re: LSU. If your state school were UT Austin, the UCs, Michigan, Virginia, Colorado, Washington, Illinois, Virginia, or Wisconsin, it would be difficult to turn-down a quality (and inexpensive) education, however, LSU is not exactly the 'Harvard of state schools.'

In terms of getting into med school, LSU-NO is a good school, but it's not like it has super-high admission standards. Get good grades and do well on the MCAT, and you'll be fine regardless of where you go. Right now, you should be thinking about what you want from college. If the only reason you're in college is to just get good grades so you can go to med school, go to whichever school will make the process easier, however, if you want to attend college so that you'll become an educated and well-rounded person, then attend the institution that will facilitate this goal.

 

[LA2011]

Thanks for all the advice! Of course, ultimately, I'll make the decision on my own, but it's nice to weigh in other people's opinions.

And LisaFrank, I did want my undergrad to be more than just a "med school prep" and rather make me a more "educated and well rounded person" which is why I went to Tulane in the first place. I thought it would be more challenging and open me up to meet more people from various geographic regions, but there's only so much I can pay for that experience. I think there enough pros at LSU that I would adapt and be happy there, too. For starters, I do love all college sports (which Tulane seriously lacks).

It's just if I transfer to LSU, there is no transferring back, so I want to be 100% sure.

 

[LPpostbacc]

This person doesn't know what they are talking about. It doesn't matter. LSU is a good school. Tulane is a good school. Do well at either and you are setting your future up. The name doesn't matter nearly as much as what you do.

Ding. +1

 

[GetThePointe77]

For every anecdotal story about the guy with mediocre stats from Harvard getting in everyone there is one about a guy with amazing stats from Harvard getting in nowhere. I have a lot of friends at Ivies and some did very well this application cycle and some did poorly, same as everywhere else. If they had any boost to their application, I believe it was due to the opportunities for research/mentoring from well regarded faculty rather than the school name itself, and only those who took advantage of everything the schools had to offer did well. This is the same as everywhere else. When it comes to Tulane vs LSU I would say go for wherever you would be the happiest but beyond that the cheaper option will probably make your future financial situation a little easier.

 

[235788]

It wont matter. Go to LSU and save a bunch of money.

A 4.0 from Tulane won't get you in anywhere that a 4.0 from LSU won't.

👍

 

[GeauxTime]

This person doesn't know what they are talking about. It doesn't matter. LSU is a good school. Tulane is a good school. Do well at either and you are setting your future up. The name doesn't matter nearly as much as what you do.

I was in the OP's shoes and chose LSU -- it was probably one of the best choices I've made. I'll take free tuition and a sufficient education/experience over 25k/yr. for essentially the same thing from what all of my green wave friends say.

 

[LA2011]

Will med schools still fully take into account anything I accomplished during my freshman year even if I don't stay at the institution -any academic awards, leadership experience, etc?

 

[gettheleadout]

Will med schools still fully take into account anything I accomplished during my freshman year even if I don't stay at the institution -any academic awards, leadership experience, etc?

Yes. The only thing you lose is the ability to continue those experiences at the same location, and even so you can still continue them.

 

[Praefectus]

Save money, geaux to LSU. It's a much more fun school and it shouldn't be too hard maintaining a 4.0 if you could do that at Tulane. Ace the MCAT and prestige won't matter.

 

[tn4596]

LSU - look at their football team

 

[passerine]

I have friends who are pre-med at both LSU and Tulane. One person I know got into Baylor from LSU, while others have struggled to maintain high GPAs at both schools. In Louisiana, I would say the two are probably equivalent in prestige when you have a 4.0 GPA. My best friend also transferred from Tulane to ULL, in part to save money, and she has been much happier at UL and now no longer has to stress as much about paying for med school. My point is that you can be successful at either institution, so my advice to you would be to visit LSU, talk to some students, and see if you think you can be happy there.

If you think you can be as happy and successful at LSU as you are at Tulane, I would advise you to save the money. But if you can afford to, put your happiness first, and you won't regret it.

Another point to consider: I believe that LSU has a pre-professional advisory committee, but I'm not sure about Tulane. I know the LSU system med schools prefer to have a committee letter rather than individual ones; and as long as you build and maintain a good relationship with the committee, you don't have to run around a big school trying to track down busy professors, so that's something to consider as well.

 

[LA2011]

Won't adcoms frown on a transfer student who switched to a lower ranked school? I hope they could see it obviously wasn't for academic reasons but I don't know if its worth the gamble.

 

[impervious0ne]

People are right about saying the prestige of school won't matter, especially if you are comparing Tulane with LSU.

My biggest fear for the OP is that he will lose whatever "extra" Tulane can offer that LSU can't. In my experience, schools with higher academic prestige tend to have higher quality students and professors who might give an edge that may not be found in institutions without such reputation. Tulane may not be whole better off than LSU, but there is a difference that cannot be ignored.

Also, the OP's GPA may also reflect the support system that Tulane may have. Sure, when you get down to the nitty gritty, it is one's determination and studying habits that really determine the GPA. But school atmosphere and student quality is a significant factor.

I also don't see how LSU's class size helps OP's case. Smaller classes > larger classes.

What if OP decides he doesn't want to follow medicine? It is financially, socially, and academically difficult profession where you see a huge drop of applicants in the undergraduate years ("weed-out" classes). In academic circles, Tulane > LSU no question.

 

[Praefectus]

Won't adcoms frown on a transfer student who switched to a lower ranked school? I hope they could see it obviously wasn't for academic reasons but I don't know if its worth the gamble.

"I couldn't afford private school tuition, so I switched to my relatively prestigious state school". Problem solved.

 

[Filius Lucis]

I have a pre med friend that graduated from Harvard a few weeks ago. He's going to Perelman this fall. During a conversation he told me all his premed friends from Harvard all got into top 20 schools. His stats were also fairly average: 3.55/33

Take what you will from this but prestige does matter. If it didn't people wouldn't be buying a Porsche over a souped up Honda now would they?

I hate to be contradict you, but the analogy isn't really that good...

 

[GeauxTime]

Another point to consider: I believe that LSU has a pre-professional advisory committee, but I'm not sure about Tulane. I know the LSU system med schools prefer to have a committee letter rather than individual ones; and as long as you build and maintain a good relationship with the committee, you don't have to run around a big school trying to track down busy professors, so that's something to consider as well.

LSU does have a pre-professional advisory committee that submits a committee letter to med schools on your behalf.

OP: If you're happy at Tulane and can afford it, stay. Go to LSU if you want to save money. You can easily explain the transfer in an interview, and prestige is nearly a null factor here. This comes down to personal preference and can't be decided on an anonymous internet forum for you.

 

[Parklife]

It really doesn't matter honestly.

If it were me? Tulane.

Go wherever you're happiest. Both camps are right. LSU v Tulane. These aren't UNC, Michigan-Harvard, Yale caliber schools. Plus, it's really what you do that counts. Are clubs, student life, and volunteer opportunities bigger at LSU vs Tulane? Research? Pre-med committee known? LSU is certainly cheaper, so that's a plus? The football is nice? Seems like a nice uni.

Yes, where you go for undergrad matters. Harder curriculum will prepare you better for the MCAT. A state school I know of, professors give "extra credit" points for showing up.. everything is curved, and the exams itself are all mult choice and easy as hell - even orgo exams. Know their matriculation rate? You nailed it. They don't have one, and if they do, it's negligible. They do have high matriculation into their masters programs. Sly.

Your call. You have potential to do great things at either.

 

[bluebillion]

I would choose LSU in a heartbeat. The only things I would miss are the friends and people I had come to know over the last year.