Tulane SOM Class of 2012!!!

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thanks for the map and yes I'm pretty seriously considering the MD/MPH program as well.
 
Hey everyone!
Still haven't decided, but Tulane just seems so amazing I don't know that I'll be able to say know. Anyway, for current or future students, I'm considering Army/Airforce HPSP (scholarship) and I was wondering if any of you are doing it/know people at Tulane who do it.
Thanks so much and congrats everyone, so excited 😀 !!
 
So I fedexed my check and it was received on the 9th. I was wondering if anyone else sent in their deposit around this time and has heard from the school?
 
so, do yall think a facebook group is in order yet??? somone has to create it...
 
Wow you guys all seem really excited.

I am completely torn between Tulane and Emory, I absolutely loved Tulane and it seems like everyone who is going to Tulane is laid back, my type of people, but the only thing is when I was in NOLA for the Sugar Bowl I learned I have quite an addiction after spending like 7987345 hours straight at the blackjack tables at harrah's (and I did pretty well by the way woohoo)

I'm just really torn, I got a student on here to show me around again and loved the school and NOLA (who doesn't) It's just that I'm from about an hour away from Emory and my parents really want me to go there, and the new building was amazing, and I do like Hot Lanta'. I wish Tulane had a second look w/e because that's something I'm going to at Emory that's really gonna help me out.

But congrats to everyone!!
 
synoohe said:
Depends on what you wanna do in life. if you wanna have the MPH in front of your name or want to be involved in administrative work do it. It won't help you when it comes to residency and you are better off doing research.
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At a post-Match panel last year, the TropMed T4s said that the MPH was one of the main focuses of their residency interviews, and most or all matched at their 1st or 2nd choices. If you are legitimately interested, you should do it, and it will help. If you just want more letters after your name, then it's probably not worth it.

I'm doing Tropical Medicine, so if you have any questions on that, feel free to PM me. I'd say Tropical Medicine/International Health and Health Systems Management are the most common departments for MD/MPH, with some crazy Epi and Biostats lovers out there too.
 
PlayMeSomeMusic said:
just bumping... was just in nola for the beginning oof mardi gras and it was so much nicer than the sub zero windchills here in illinois
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I have nola weather on my iphone right next to chicago weather. Kills me everyday I see it. I also have Wash D.C. weather on there. I flip through the weather in those cities every morning. Oh, and Rochester, MN, just in case. But nola wins every time.... 😎

Thinking I might take a trip back to nola/tulane to check it out again in the spring. Not sure when though. How was mardi gras?
 
Congrats to everyone in this thread!!
You'll truly enjoy Tulane, I guarantee. As great of a school it is, students also have time on the side to do hobbies and really enjoy the city.

Some small parades have already begun but the official, largest, outta control stuff won't start till this weekend (so in two days?). Unfortunately for us first years, we got our exams spread around the whole event week ... luckily, we still have more extra time off than we usually do for block exams to enjoy the festivities.


Lookin' forward to meeting everyone soon.
Oh yeah and Phoenix, I was your student host. :-D
 
Phoenix. said:
Thinking I might take a trip back to nola/tulane to check it out again in the spring. Not sure when though. How was mardi gras?
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It was good.. yea we purposefully went when there were less people an still parades aka the week before this weekend when fat tuesday will roll around.. Found a cheap hotel, less people, we ended up with some cool beads and it worked out well.. Was glad to be back..
 
gwiddlebones said:
Congrats to everyone in this thread!!
You'll truly enjoy Tulane, I guarantee. As great of a school it is, students also have time on the side to do hobbies and really enjoy the city.

Some small parades have already begun but the official, largest, outta control stuff won't start till this weekend (so in two days?). Unfortunately for us first years, we got our exams spread around the whole event week ... luckily, we still have more extra time off than we usually do for block exams to enjoy the festivities.


Lookin' forward to meeting everyone soon.
Oh yeah and Phoenix, I was your student host. :-D
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Hi gwiddlebones! Thanks for stopping by. We are definitely extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to attend Tulane. The school has A LOT going for it. Are you aware of any curriculum changes coming up? I'm kind of keen on a systems/block based curriculum with less lecture "seat time"....
 
Phoenix. said:
Are you aware of any curriculum changes coming up? I'm kind of keen on a systems/block based curriculum with less lecture "seat time"....
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from what i've heard, next year's class will have a much more integrated curriculum. you guys will benefit from the changes we suggested to the administration. having said that, even for us this year, i don't feel we are overburden with lecture time. the bulk of lectures are in the morning with an occasional afternoon lecture or lab. there is definitely a lot of down time to study or do whatever you want.
 
Silence said:
from what i've heard, next year's class will have a much more integrated curriculum. you guys will benefit from the changes we suggested to the administration. having said that, even for us this year, i don't feel we are overburden with lecture time. the bulk of lectures are in the morning with an occasional afternoon lecture or lab. there is definitely a lot of down time to study or do whatever you want.
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What kind of changes do you think those may be? What have students suggested?
 
Silence said:
from what i've heard, next year's class will have a much more integrated curriculum. you guys will benefit from the changes we suggested to the administration. having said that, even for us this year, i don't feel we are overburden with lecture time. the bulk of lectures are in the morning with an occasional afternoon lecture or lab. there is definitely a lot of down time to study or do whatever you want.
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I agree, Tulane is known to be a pretty laid back school while still carrying much weight in its name during matching. At least for first year, the materials are taught at a bit of a leisurely pace (don't get me wrong though, it's still a LOT of stuff you gotta know). And the students still get to have a life outside of school and do activities other than studying which is a plus when maintaining your sanity. 👍
 
Hi-
Was hoping that some of the 2nd and 3rd year students could enlighten me:

1) The match lists for the past two years have been pretty south-heavy as far as locations. I am really, really hoping to match somewhere on the west coast. Will it hurt me to come out of Tulane? Is the name fairly (still) well known/respected out there? I feel like the northeast has love for Tulane, but not sure about the west. Not really sure about specialty yet.

2) How is the 3rd year shaping up for people? I know the clinical experiences are not what they used to be. Are you all rotating through private hospitals now, without Charity? Are the attendings/interns/residents eager and happy to teach, or are they overworked to the bone? What is the general feeling about the clinical experience?

Thanks...
 
Hey all, Congratulations again! and sorry for leaving you hanging, life got a bit busy there for a while, I'll try and address some of you questions...

Xswim57 said:
Page - Do you have any thoughts on the MD/MPH program?
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Sure do! Obviously you need to figure out if you are really interested in it. You seem to be on the fence, if you give me an idea as to what programs you're considering I can give more specific advice. In general, I'd say the MPH is a great opportunity, one you shouldn't pass up. That said, it all depends on what you want to do in your later career, which is why making the decision to do the MPH or not can get difficult.

I wouldn't say the MPH is your best ticket to a hot residency if all you're after is padding that application, research is tops more often than not. If you're shooting for a top residency (derm or integrated plastics etc) I'd say forgo the MPH unless you really really want it (in which case you'd be ignoring my advice anyway), put your effort into showing interest in your specialty of choice and get some publications (yet I'd also advise not to pigeon hole yourself into a track to any specific specialty too early, but really thats what it takes for some of the ubercompetitive spots).

For more reasonably competitive residencies the MPH seems to be a great asset. As others have said, it will be a big topic in residency interviews.

It doesn't put much burden on you academically. Most will take near half or even more of their requirements the summer before classes. You could theoretically finish all your class time first year and just have the rotation to do fourth. I didn't do that, I only entered the program this semester so I will end up taking more courses throughout the regular year (I currently have a full time course load in public health on top of all my med school classes). So get them out of the way early.

Tuition can be a bit daunting when you see it stack on top of med school debt, its not bad by any means, comes out to about 32k not counting any living expenses you need covered over the summers. Thats cheap in comparison to other programs, so don't let it deter you. You could never get the degree so quickly and cheaply later on, so if there is any chance you'll want to be doing any sort of public health, epidemiology, administration work etc, get the degree now. More and more residencies and fellowships are offering concurrent MPH degrees because they are so useful, and Tulane is a very well respected program.

I won't delve too much into the specific tracts, let me know what any of you are considering and I'll give my two cents. I will say that you should really consider all the varying programs, don't just do what everyone else is doing. As far as I know I am the only MD/MPH student in the environmental health sciences department (just so you know my bias ha.)



fitnesspremed said:
Hey everyone! So my computer is currently dying a slow death and I'm looking at getting a new one. I was just wondering if there was any type that is popular at Tulane or works best with their technology, etc. I was thinking about a mac, but I don't want to be the only one there with one. This may be a stupid question, but just thought I'd ask. Thanks!
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Go with what you're comfortable with. There will always be issues with compatibility and macs, but you most definitely won't be alone.

andymac08 said:
Anyone have any kind of information on how grants/loans work? Are you able to cover most expenses with Stafford loans or do you need to take out the Graduate Plus loan as well??
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Most everybody will need to take out grad plus loans, unless you get a pretty hefty scholarship. Stafford etc all have maximums and tuition plus living expenses will put you over the top. If you do the MPH thats all grad plus. I suggest you vote democrat in the fall and hope they knock down student loan interest rates asap.


TouchOfGrey said:
Hi-
Was hoping that some of the 2nd and 3rd year students could enlighten me:

1) The match lists for the past two years have been pretty south-heavy as far as locations. I am really, really hoping to match somewhere on the west coast. Will it hurt me to come out of Tulane? Is the name fairly (still) well known/respected out there? I feel like the northeast has love for Tulane, but not sure about the west. Not really sure about specialty yet.

2) How is the 3rd year shaping up for people? I know the clinical experiences are not what they used to be. Are you all rotating through private hospitals now, without Charity? Are the attendings/interns/residents eager and happy to teach, or are they overworked to the bone? What is the general feeling about the clinical experience?

Thanks...
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Well I'm a first year, but... Obviously a southern school will have a south heavy match list. Thats not because reputation only extends throughout the south, its based more on geographical preference of the applicants. As for the northeast's love of Tulane, thats true for sure, but California/west seems much the same. Tulane has a national reputation, and while the general public in certain regions might not be overly familiar with the school, residency directors certainly are. I have spoken to quite a few Tulane grads and haven't gotten word of anyone having much trouble getting a spot in any specific region. Coming out of Tulane you'll be in no worse of a position than anyone else outside of the west. If your heart is truly set on the west, I have to say that you should consider your options very closely, especially if your considering a very competitive specialty. If youre dead set on a rad/onc spot in southern california, youd be best off going to school in southern california, better off than going to hopkins, harvard or wherever. That goes for any region, but outside of that Tulane would in no way put you at a disadvantage, and I'd argue is a plus, or else I surely wouldn't be here.

Thats all for now, keep the questions coming.
 
Page said:
I won't delve too much into the specific tracts, let me know what any of you are considering and I'll give my two cents. I will say that you should really consider all the varying programs, don't just do what everyone else is doing. As far as I know I am the only MD/MPH student in the environmental health sciences department (just so you know my bias ha.)

Thats all for now, keep the questions coming.
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Thanks for your answers and the time you took to answer them. They were very informative and appreciated.

The concurrent MPH program was a strong factor in choosing Tulane for me, as I have only heard great things about the program. Public health is an area I definitely want to include in my future career.

I'd like to know what your thoughts are specifically in regards to the Trop Med. and Int'l Health tracks?

Thanks in advance.
 
Hi everybody, I look forward to seeing you all in August(or June):banana:
 
Xswim57 said:
Thanks for your answers and the time you took to answer them. They were very informative and appreciated.

The concurrent MPH program was a strong factor in choosing Tulane for me, as I have only heard great things about the program. Public health is an area I definitely want to include in my future career.

I'd like to know what your thoughts are specifically in regards to the Trop Med. and Int'l Health tracks?

Thanks in advance.
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I'll first say that I'm just starting out, and that I am in the environmental health sciences program, but I have some general advice for you

A lot of students think "oh, I want to do international work, that means international health is for me" and so on for each program. What so many aren't thinking about is their scope and depth of learning. Is an expert in a specific area more useful abroad or is someone with general knowledge lacking the depth to put anything into much practice. You'll be getting your MD, and thats a huge asset, but if you plan to go abroad, consider what sorts of knowledge falls into the "learn as you go" category, and what falls into the "you better sure as hell know this beforehand". To me that would push strongly towards trop med, and seriously its hard to think of a better place in the US than Tulane to learn it. In my opinion TM gives a skill set more valuable than the INHL program. But my advice on considering the scope and depth of knowledge as well as the skill set you'll gain goes for all the concentrations in international health as well, and across the board in all programs. If you already have a pretty good idea of what you want do with the degree and what you want to be capable of coming out of the program, there is certainly no harm in shooting an email to the department head or a professor thats teaching a few courses you find interesting. Ask them if what you want out of the program fits in with what its designed to accomplish. I shopped around quite a bit before settling in with the ENHS department's disaster management program, I was first in international health in their emergencies and disaster management track.

You should shoot an email to the student group leaders for the programs youre interested in as well, they can give you more insight into the specifics.

http://www.sph.tulane.edu/mdmph/studentgroup.htm
 
Is Tulane still pass/fail first two years?
 
I just got my letter of acceptance. I interviewed 2 weeks ago. I am so excited to meet you all.
 
TouchOfGrey said:
Is Tulane still pass/fail first two years?
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Yes. I believe this was a change that was made after katrina and the administration decided to make it permanent for the preclinical years.
 
fitnesspremed said:
Hey everyone!
Still haven't decided, but Tulane just seems so amazing I don't know that I'll be able to say know. Anyway, for current or future students, I'm considering Army/Airforce HPSP (scholarship) and I was wondering if any of you are doing it/know people at Tulane who do it.
Thanks so much and congrats everyone, so excited 😀 !!
Click to expand...


I think that I'll be doing the Navy HPSP scholarship. They're all pretty similar, let me know if you have any questions.

I just got on this website, but I got accepted back in October. I'm from NOLA and am very excited to be going home. I'll be more than glad to answer any questions any of y'all have about the city. Looking forward to meeting all of you out-of-towners!
 
Hi everybody!
I just wanted to say hi and congrats for getting in! I'll see you all in August!
 
Hey if any of you have facebook and are going to be attending Tulane join the Tulane medical school 2012
 
Hey does anyone know about the Saulet apartments. They look really nice. I dont know the area but does anyone have any imput.
 
Trigeno said:
Hey does anyone know about the Saulet apartments. They look really nice. I dont know the area but does anyone have any imput.
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i was warned to stay away. they had some major problems a couple years back with poor construction and even worst management. i did go check it out for myself but i felt there was more to it than what they showed me. i also didn't like the area so i quickly passed.
 
can you recommend some nice apartments to look at when I come out there to check out housing. Thanks
 
Does anyone know anything about the westbank? How far is it from the school and transportation methods? Thanks.
 
Do not live at the Saulet.

It is KIND of nice, but the fact is that represents everything that one should hate when it comes to gentrification. It's kind of like a giant prison to keep OUT poor people, that has been dropped in to a slightly more run down part of uptown, the Irish Channel. It also has ZERO character, and in a city that offers amazing and unique apartments for bargain basement prices, you'd be foolish to pay so much for a little box that could be in any city in the world, just to feel "safe". My advice is to go out there and become part of your new community. You all are going to be laying hands on patients soon, so I think this is really important. That being said, the Saulet does offer parking and a good gym (but really, parking is readily available everywhere uptown, and we will have free gym access at Tulane's Reily center, which is sick!).

As for the West Bank, I wouldn't recommend it. It is definitely separate and cut off from the city, and a bit more, um, run down. It has its plusses, but I can't think of any. Algiers is the only part that is kinda cool; it has a ferry to the Quarter, which I don't know much about.

A while ago, I put together a google map for some of you looking for housing:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=e...853971664500668752.00044341012e5ff91b61b&z=13

I hope it is helpful!
 
Thankfully I am trying to decide where I want to go to medical school. Tulane is definitely some place I could see myself for the next four years and I am very excited about the opportunity to attend...however, I haven't heard much about the service opportunities available to students. I was hoping someone could enlighten me! I am also very interested in international health/service trips and I wanted to know if the med school had any opportunities for this? I don't want to do the MD/MPH program (because I feel like it will take up too much of my time) and I know this program is pretty amazing, I just want to know if the school offered anything for "normal" MD students?

Thanks!
 
nskittles57 said:
Thankfully I am trying to decide where I want to go to medical school. Tulane is definitely some place I could see myself for the next four years and I am very excited about the opportunity to attend...however, I haven't heard much about the service opportunities available to students. I was hoping someone could enlighten me! I am also very interested in international health/service trips and I wanted to know if the med school had any opportunities for this? I don't want to do the MD/MPH program (because I feel like it will take up too much of my time) and I know this program is pretty amazing, I just want to know if the school offered anything for "normal" MD students?

Thanks!
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Let me take a quick study break to answer your question. There are TONS of service opportunities here at Tulane and in NOLA. In fact, the administration feels so strongly about it, that they make it a mandatory part of the curriculum and built in some "free time" in the schedule just for service learning (as it's called here). There's already a service learning council in place with many established opportunities you can choose from. And if you can't find anything to pique your interest, you can seek approval for your own idea. As for service trips, someone else could probably give you a better answer. I'm not sure about school sponsored trips but a few students in our class and previous years class have organized their own trips to places like central america, africa and asia. Hope this helps.
 
nskittles57 said:
Thankfully I am trying to decide where I want to go to medical school. Tulane is definitely some place I could see myself for the next four years and I am very excited about the opportunity to attend...however, I haven't heard much about the service opportunities available to students. I was hoping someone could enlighten me! I am also very interested in international health/service trips and I wanted to know if the med school had any opportunities for this? I don't want to do the MD/MPH program (because I feel like it will take up too much of my time) and I know this program is pretty amazing, I just want to know if the school offered anything for "normal" MD students?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

With regards to the international health/service trips, this was important to me as well. In my interview I asked and was told they have a number of opportunities that are already set-up for students to pursue, but if you had a unique idea, they were willing and eager to help.
 
Silence said:
Let me take a quick study break to answer your question. There are TONS of service opportunities here at Tulane and in NOLA. In fact, the administration feels so strongly about it, that they make it a mandatory part of the curriculum and built in some "free time" in the schedule just for service learning (as it's called here). There's already a service learning council in place with many established opportunities you can choose from. And if you can't find anything to pique your interest, you can seek approval for your own idea. As for service trips, someone else could probably give you a better answer. I'm not sure about school sponsored trips but a few students in our class and previous years class have organized their own trips to places like central america, africa and asia. Hope this helps.
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mmpete26 said:
With regards to the international health/service trips, this was important to me as well. In my interview I asked and was told they have a number of opportunities that are already set-up for students to pursue, but if you had a unique idea, they were willing and eager to help.
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I wanted to say thanks for the help. I never got around to asking these questions at my interview, or if I did they always mentioned the MD/MPH program...which I thought I was intereted in! Now I just get to sit tight and wait for financial aid before I make my final decision!
 
Hey All! I'm going to be one of your TAs next year for anatomy and histo, along with being in the class of 2012. If you have any questions about those classes or living in New Orleans, let me know. Also, if you are coming down here for a visit, I'd be willing to show you around. Congratulations all of you who will be coming down here!
 
nskittles57 said:
I wanted to say thanks for the help. I never got around to asking these questions at my interview, or if I did they always mentioned the MD/MPH program...which I thought I was intereted in!
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not interested in the MPH any more?

I only just now got your PM, sorry, I don't check the site very often.

Anyway I thought others could use the info as well....

If you want the MPH and can't take classes the summer before it is certainly doable. It might seem like a bit much to load up on top of medical school classes, but honestly its a very very nice change of pace. On top of that, I have to say that med school kicks your learning abilities to a new level, and a few non med classes is nothing you can't handle thats for sure. You'll just need to keep on top of your work so you aren't stuck studying at the last minute for public health exams or writing papers around the same time as med school exams.

Also, in rereading my post about MPH tracks, I think I came off a bit harsh, and want to clarify. I am very biased, but basically what I was trying to get at was that if you really want to do work abroad, just realize they need epidemiologists in Africa too. So keep an open mind when picking your public health track just like you would keep an open mind about your medical specialty. You'll most likely be starting out with the intro core courses regardless, which are the same for all programs and will give you a better idea where your interests are, you can certainly switch between programs later on (though if you are starting late you need to be a bit more focused).
 
Hi all. Anyone out there looking for a roommate? Myself and my current roommate (also Tulane 2012 ) are looking for a third person to fill up a three bedroom at the Saulet, wondering if anyone is interested.
 
This thread is kind of stagnating . How about we get some discussion going.

Did you all or are you all having a good spring break?

The Hornets are right at the top of the conference and CP3 is doing great! We beat the Celtics in an incredible comeback lead last night. Anybody follow them?

Also, what are your interview highlights/lowlights and most odd or embarrassing moments so far?
 
I had a great spring break 🙂

Would any current Tulane students mind posting a link to the 2008 match list? In particular, I'm curious to see which specialties the 49(ish?) MD/MPH students decided on. Thanks!
 
Sorry to be a party pooper, but I'm trying to fill out the Financial Aid Addendum which is recommended to be sent/faxed to Tulane before April. The last part is about choosing a lender--are we locked in once we check off a lender or can we change our minds later? I frankly have no idea which lender to choose and have been told not to decide until June at the earliest anyways. Thoughts?
 
enigma85 said:
Sorry to be a party pooper, but I'm trying to fill out the Financial Aid Addendum which is recommended to be sent/faxed to Tulane before April. The last part is about choosing a lender--are we locked in once we check off a lender or can we change our minds later? I frankly have no idea which lender to choose and have been told not to decide until June at the earliest anyways. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I don't know if we are locked in or not, but I was reading the 2011 threads a while back and noticed some people saying Sallie Mae is really terrible and that T.H.E. is much better, so that's what I checked off.

Also, if we check off that we want to be awarded the maximum amount possible, is it possible later to not accept some of those funds if we get scholarships, help from parents, etc.? I'd like to be offered as much as possible and then make a decision about how much to accept once I know better how much financial support I'll be receiving from other sources.
 
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