Tulane Early Decision???

[vanilla60]

Hey everyone,

Tulane is my dream school. However, my undergrad GPA is pretty poor. I did the SMP at Georgetown and did alright and I am taking my mcat soon. I have good research, LORs, volunteering etc.

My question is, will applying to Tulane early decision maximize my chances of going there? I really want to convey to the admissioions committee how enthusiastic I am about the school. I want them to know that I would rather go to Tulane over anwhere else. I heard their Dean of Admissions is a very nice lady.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

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[DrCurious]

I think early decision does not help under qualified people get an acceptance who otherwise would have been rejected. However, it definitely favors borderline and qualified people. So don't apply to the school thinking you have a benefit if you feel your numbers are weaker then what they look for, if you do feel qualified then I would go for it. Definitely talk to someone at the school, like the dean or asst dean of admissions, they should give you a good idea of where you stand. Good luck.

 

[psipsina]

Tulane has a definite idea of the type of student it wants, and if you are that type of student showing committment to them does help alot. That being said, they are still going to look at your numbers and your comittment can only make up for so much. If you are applying with really low numbers, the risk of not having apps in early at a whole lota other schools (you can't apply anywhere else until you have been rejected from early acceptance) might not be worth the small benefit of seeming really comitted to one school. Its a risk benefit ratio that would be difficult to analyze even if we had your exact numbers as no one knows what their exact cut off is etc, only you can decide which risk you want to take.

 

[vanilla60]

Thank you for the replies! Psipsina you wrote that "Tulane has a definite idea of the type of student it wants"

Could you elaborate on what that is?

The reason I love Tulane is because I am extremely interested in international health. I love their tropical disease center. I love NO and I think that to be there now in the aftermath of Katrina would be an amazing experience in seeing the administration of medical services in a low income city after a disaster. The students i have talked to seem to love it. They seem like they have a very close class and nobdy seems judgemental or snobby. The school and the city both seem to be diverse in makeup and attitude.

Thank you!

 

[jennifermov]

i say go for it! as long as your MCATs are within range, and your SMP grades are within range, i think you have a shot. During my interview, dr. beckman and i talked about the necessity of having students that really want to be in new orleans right now....because those are the ones that are going to help give back to the community and rebuild during this critical time....

i had a friend who applied EDP to tulane and got in. he had a low undergrad gpa, but kicked GPA ass when he got his MPH. i think having a strong showing more recently will make them a little more lenient about previous grades. he also had a really strong MCAT, which probably helped him a lot as well....

i was an undergrad at tulane and was accepted to the med school this year. so, while i don't know from direct experience, i'm going to try to describe what they are looking for. i think the "type" of student they want is someone who understands the concept of "work hard, play hard" and lives by it. they want intelligent, motivated students who will get along and help each other out, create a community, and interact with the faculty/staff rather than keep to themselves. i understand that there are very few "gunners" there. if you wanna get a feel for the current acceptees and students, check out the tulane c/o 2011 thread in the allopathic forum. ask questions there, too...they are a really lively and helpful bunch.

i hope my point of view helps. let me know if you have any other questions. best of luck!

 

[juleswinfield]

You can accomplish the same thing while not screwing yourself over at the same time by submiting your AMCAS, transcripts, and having your LORs lined up on June 1 or whatever the first day available is. Then go online and fill out the Tulane secondary on June 2nd.

The Tulane secondary is on the web by June 1. They don't email prospectives about it until late July. If you get online, fill it out and mail it in as soon as you can find it, then I would say that makes you pretty motivated. You could also include a cover letter stating your intentions in the same envelope.

If you do early decision and for some reason Tulane doesn't like you, then you are WAY behind the 8 ball for everywhere else...especially with a "subprime" application. If you just do your stuff regular style, but get everything in early then you are being realistic and keeping your options open....all of which are valued physician qualities.

And for the record, I was considering applying early to only my state school. I decided to apply normal style but get all of my stuff in very early. I followed this plan and interviewed at Tulane on 10/4 and was accepted 10/20. I was rejected by my state school without so much as an interview on 10/11.

Word.

 

[vanilla60]

Thanks for all of your replies! Does anyone else have anymore thoughts?

Thank you!

 

[psipsina]

Thank you for the replies! Psipsina you wrote that "Tulane has a definite idea of the type of student it wants"

Could you elaborate on what that is?

The reason I love Tulane is because I am extremely interested in international health. I love their tropical disease center. I love NO and I think that to be there now in the aftermath of Katrina would be an amazing experience in seeing the administration of medical services in a low income city after a disaster. The students i have talked to seem to love it. They seem like they have a very close class and nobdy seems judgemental or snobby. The school and the city both seem to be diverse in makeup and attitude.

Thank you!

They want a laid back easy going type of person who is also a self motivator and involved in interesting activities outside of medicine. The best advice I was given about getting into tulane was to figure out something about yourself that is special that no other applicant has and try to highlight that. They want a diverse group of people to contribute different perspectives, but they want those diverse and interesting people to also fit the laid back vibe of new orleans. Their student interview is actually weighed as heavily as the two faculty interviews for this reason.

 

[braluk]

The best advice I was given about getting into tulane was to figure out something about yourself that is special that no other applicant has and try to highlight that.

I agree with this. It seems that they have accepted many applicants who have some artistic/musical talent (the inside joke is to bring a saxophone to your interview). Im sure there are also a variety of other interesting talents the some of the students have that would make for an interesting cultural/talent show

 

[jennifermov]

the inside joke is to bring a saxophone to your interview

haha. yes! you are almost guaranteed to be asked "do you play a musical instrument?" at least once during your interviews...

...on that note, i am excited about their whole "music in medicine" thing. (that's what it's called, right?) not that i am qualified to participate, but i'm looking forward to seeing my fellow classmates rock out....