Tulane vs. Creighton

[Emperor Napoleon]

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Although I am still waiting on hearing back from a bunch of schools, I am currently trying to decide between Creighton and Tulane as they are two of my top choices from current list of acceptances. Honestly having a really hard time deciding and it is kind of coming down to whether I should prioritize academics/prestige or quality of life it that makes sense.

Just as some background, I really like public health and I am more interested in EM, ID, and Neurology, don't really see myself doing academic medicine or any of the traditionally competitive specialties. I'm originally from VA so moving to both places will def be a huge adjustment regardless. Both schools also seem to perform the same when it comes their match lists. Should also add I am very much planning on trying to come back to VA to practice.

Creighton
Pros

• I have friends and family here, some of them in medicine, so support system both personally and academically is strong.
• Kinda ties in with the first point, but a lot more familiar with Omaha than New Orleans.
• Strong focus on community-centered care/service which I really like.
• Little more of a "low-key" city. Grew up in a suburb, went to college in a small town in VA, very much do not like to be in a super bustling/busy area.
• Slightly smaller class size compared to Tulane

Cons

• HP/P/F system which is kind of annoying.
• Research opportunities are likely more limited compared to Tulane
• Less "prestige" and recognition compared to Tulane

Tulane
Pros

• More academically prestigious and well known
• New Orleans is a much cooler place to explore, very diverse and will got a lot of exposure to different cultures
• Better research and public health opportunities especially if I want to ID related stuff.

Cons

• New Orleans is cool and all but def does not seem like my vibe with how hectic and touristy it is especially during Mardi Gras or Carnival.
• Little to no family or friend support system.
• Tertile grading system which sounds slightly worse than Creighton's grading system?
• Slightly larger class size compared to Tulane

 

[chilly_md]

If your relationships with the friends and family at Creighton are strong, then go there. You can do any of those specialties at both these schools and neither will hold you back from eventually going back to VA.

 

[Emperor Napoleon]

If your relationships with the friends and family at Creighton are strong, then go there. You can do any of those specialties at both these schools and neither will hold you back from eventually going back to VA.

Thanks for the insight! yeah, I think honestly its just going to be coming down to vibes and location more than anything else.

 

[spork3546]

Thanks for the insight! yeah, I think honestly its just going to be coming down to vibes and location more than anything else.

I agree with the point about family. I will say, however, that New Orleans is extremely laid back and not really "bustling." It's nicknamed the big easy for a reason! It's also very easy to stay out of the way of Mardi Gras festivities if that isn't your thing. Traffic does sometimes get a bit wonky during the season due to roads being blocked off for parades, but otherwise you can almost forget it is going on if you really want to.

 

[sardinetoast]

I don't have knowledge re: which school itself is better. But I grew up in new orleans and moved away as quick as humanly possible once I was an adult. I went to highschool about 1/2 mile away from Tulane, and the area is a huge mess during mardi gras. I don't know how you could possibly avoid it if you are on campus regularly. As someone who doesn't enjoy partying, festivals, etc (no shade if you do, it's just not my vibe!) I could not get away fast enough. The culture in new orleans is party as often as possible, celebrate as often as possible, which again....some people really love, but for me it didn't jive with the kind of lifestyle I personally live. I really struggled to find likeminded people there, as someone who likes to be really physically active, spend time in quiet, read, etc. I'm sure they exist, but I think the kind of people that gravitate towards a place like new orleans are more likely to really enjoy the festival-like culture

 

[spork3546]

I don't have knowledge re: which school itself is better. But I grew up in new orleans and moved away as quick as humanly possible once I was an adult. I went to highschool about 1/2 mile away from Tulane, and the area is a huge mess during mardi gras. I don't know how you could possibly avoid it if you are on campus regularly. As someone who doesn't enjoy partying, festivals, etc (no shade if you do, it's just not my vibe!) I could not get away fast enough. The culture in new orleans is party as often as possible, celebrate as often as possible, which again....some people really love, but for me it didn't jive with the kind of lifestyle I personally live.

I 100% think it just depends on who you surround yourself with. For example, I've worked downtown (right near the med campus) for years and so far have only ran into a parade traffic issue once Uptown on a weekend because I genuinely forgot Mardi Gras was going on since I/my friend group were so detached from it. There is an overall party culture in the city, but you can certainly find a group where if it isn't their priority it really isn't an issue. I've also heard from many med students that within Tulane itself the med school student body has much less of a general party culture than its undergrad student body.

 

[unfazediwnl]

Although I am still waiting on hearing back from a bunch of schools, I am currently trying to decide between Creighton and Tulane as they are two of my top choices from current list of acceptances. Honestly having a really hard time deciding and it is kind of coming down to whether I should prioritize academics/prestige or quality of life it that makes sense.

Just as some background, I really like public health and I am more interested in EM, ID, and Neurology, don't really see myself doing academic medicine or any of the traditionally competitive specialties. I'm originally from VA so moving to both places will def be a huge adjustment regardless. Both schools also seem to perform the same when it comes their match lists. Should also add I am very much planning on trying to come back to VA to practice.

Creighton
Pros

• I have friends and family here, some of them in medicine, so support system both personally and academically is strong.
• Kinda ties in with the first point, but a lot more familiar with Omaha than New Orleans.
• Strong focus on community-centered care/service which I really like.
• Little more of a "low-key" city. Grew up in a suburb, went to college in a small town in VA, very much do not like to be in a super bustling/busy area.
• Slightly smaller class size compared to Tulane

Cons

• HP/P/F system which is kind of annoying.
• Research opportunities are likely more limited compared to Tulane
• Less "prestige" and recognition compared to Tulane

Tulane
Pros

• More academically prestigious and well known
• New Orleans is a much cooler place to explore, very diverse and will got a lot of exposure to different cultures
• Better research and public health opportunities especially if I want to ID related stuff.

Cons

• New Orleans is cool and all but def does not seem like my vibe with how hectic and touristy it is especially during Mardi Gras or Carnival.
• Little to no family or friend support system.
• Tertile grading system which sounds slightly worse than Creighton's grading system?
• Slightly larger class size compared to Tul

Although I am still waiting on hearing back from a bunch of schools, I am currently trying to decide between Creighton and Tulane as they are two of my top choices from current list of acceptances. Honestly having a really hard time deciding and it is kind of coming down to whether I should prioritize academics/prestige or quality of life it that makes sense.

Just as some background, I really like public health and I am more interested in EM, ID, and Neurology, don't really see myself doing academic medicine or any of the traditionally competitive specialties. I'm originally from VA so moving to both places will def be a huge adjustment regardless. Both schools also seem to perform the same when it comes their match lists. Should also add I am very much planning on trying to come back to VA to practice.

Creighton
Pros

• I have friends and family here, some of them in medicine, so support system both personally and academically is strong.
• Kinda ties in with the first point, but a lot more familiar with Omaha than New Orleans.
• Strong focus on community-centered care/service which I really like.
• Little more of a "low-key" city. Grew up in a suburb, went to college in a small town in VA, very much do not like to be in a super bustling/busy area.
• Slightly smaller class size compared to Tulane

Cons

• HP/P/F system which is kind of annoying.
• Research opportunities are likely more limited compared to Tulane
• Less "prestige" and recognition compared to Tulane

Tulane
Pros

• More academically prestigious and well known
• New Orleans is a much cooler place to explore, very diverse and will got a lot of exposure to different cultures
• Better research and public health opportunities especially if I want to ID related stuff.

Cons

• New Orleans is cool and all but def does not seem like my vibe with how hectic and touristy it is especially during Mardi Gras or Carnival.
• Little to no family or friend support system.
• Tertile grading system which sounds slightly worse than Creighton's grading system?
• Slightly larger class size compared to Tulane

M1 at tulane. happy to answer any qs if you have any. grading is P/F preclin btw, we do have MSPE adjectives which are those "tertile" rankings you mentioned. creighton has H/P/F which imo id assume would be less desirable.

work/life balance here is pretty great ngl, class is collaborative and students are able to balance their life here pretty well