Tulane with $15k/year scholarship vs. LSU-New Orleans

[hd316]

Tulane Univ. SOM with $15k/year scholarship
Pros

• Pass/Fail curriculum in preclinical years
• Better national name recognition
• Did an SMP here, and have strong connections at the school
• Many student-run clinics and opportunities for research

Cons

• Tuition is $45k/year (with scholarship), and close to $80k/year with living expenses

Louisiana State Univ. – New Orleans

Pros

• Tuition is half the cost. $60k difference in all (after scholarship from Tulane)
  
• Rotate at a new, large teaching hospital (University Medical Center)
• Newer facilities in general than Tulane.
• Pretty good research opportunities

Cons

• Honors/High Pass/Pass grading
• Potentially not as many options for residency spots outside of the Southeast

Summary: As a Louisiana resident, LSU would be much cheaper, has great facilities, and I think I would be happy there, but I think the Tulane name would carry more weight when applying for residency. FWIW I’m not trying to be a neurosurgeon or anything, from previous experience I think I’m interested in EM, anesthesia, IM, and maybe surgery.

Major question is… Is the Tulane name and potential to open doors worth the extra $60k?

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[Hirro]

Nope. Definitely go LSU-NO here. Sounds like a great decision for you personally for both your well-being and for your finances.

 

[hd316]

Nope. Definitely go LSU-NO here. Sounds like a great decision for you personally for both your well-being and for your finances.

That's what I've been leaning toward all along. A few recent conversations with current Tulane med students that are rotating through the lab have me second guessing myself.

 

[Hirro]

I mean it's essentially broken down to this:

LSU = Happiness and $120k less. If this was $30 or $40k, maybe that's a different story. $120k is a ton.

Tulane = Name recognition by residency PDs (potentially).

You figure out what you prioritize out of those. I think most students at any given school genuinely do think well of their school; that's why they are there, after all. If this was Harvard/Stanford/Mayo, this would be different because that type of name recognition will get you anywhere you want to be assuming you have the Step scores/research/letters to back it up. But Tulane over LSU? Not really. You may get more love from OOS but you can also opt to do away rotations in a desired location. Is that name recognition likely to influence what you match into? Nope. Can it maybe affect location? Possibly but noone can say that for you. Is this possibility worth $120k? Definite no from me; maybe a yes to you. As soon as you mentioned you think you'd be happiest at LSU-NO, I would have made my decision then and there. You're spending the next 4 years of your life there, possibly more. That's a pretty big factor imo.

You decide. Name recognition vs. $120k/happiness. I think it's a no brainer, my dude. You can always visit the Tulane students if you want to talk/hang out with them as well. I think the schools are only 5 minutes from each other if I remember correctly.

 

[hd316]

I mean it's essentially broken down to this:

LSU = Happiness and $120k less. If this was $30 or $40k, maybe that's a different story. $120k is a ton.

Tulane = Name recognition by residency PDs (potentially).

You figure out what you prioritize out of those. I think most students at any given school genuinely do think well of their school; that's why they are there, after all. If this was Harvard/Stanford/Mayo, this would be different because that type of name recognition will get you anywhere you want to be assuming you have the Step scores/research/letters to back it up. But Tulane over LSU? Not really. You may get more love from OOS but you can also opt to do away rotations in a desired location. Is that name recognition likely to influence what you match into? Nope. Can it maybe affect location? Possibly but noone can say that for you. Is this possibility worth $120k? Definite no from me; maybe a yes to you. As soon as you mentioned you think you'd be happiest at LSU-NO, I would have made my decision then and there. You're spending the next 4 years of your life there, possibly more. That's a pretty big factor imo.

You decide. Name recognition vs. $120k/happiness. I think it's a no brainer, my dude. You can always visit the Tulane students if you want to talk/hang out with them as well. I think the schools are only 5 minutes from each other if I remember correctly.

It was a no brainer for me too, until about a week ago. I know I'd be happy at Tulane as well. I'm familiar with the faculty and have taken SMP courses taught by them already, so I kinda know what to expect. But honestly, I don't really anticipate leaving the southeast, so LSU-NO seems like the pretty reasonable option since it would save me $120k.

How big of a deal is the grading system? Tulane is P/F with quartile ranking, while LSU-NO is honors/high pass/pass and standard ranking.

I also want to add that I plan to be involved in academic medicine. Should that be taken into consideration at all?

Lastly, if I could get some $$$ to go to Tulane, would you choose Tulane over LSU?

 

[Hirro]

Lastly, if I could get some $$$ to go to Tulane, would you choose Tulane over LSU?

I haven't interviewed at LSU, only Tulane, since I'm out of state but-

I'm choosing the school where I'm happiest at. I have learned that my happiness is more important to me than the cost. The only thing besides my happiness that I'm considering is my fiance's happiness. Those are my two big factors for choosing. The only kind of $ I'm taking into account is a difference of >$60k-$80k across the 4 years.

I don't think grading scheme really trumps much here, honestly. I used to be pretty big on P/F, now that I have interviewed I'm realizing that I would much rather see what the environment is for myself from current students. That gives me a much better idea of how the class environment is versus the grading scheme of the class.

As for academic medicine, I can't say. I don't really know the ins and outs of that path. I know pedigree matters for it but only for the T20. I have no idea how Tulane vs. LSU-NO fares in academic med.

 

[BunsenBeaker]

I'm more interested in LSU-NO over Tulane because of cost for sure.

Also, keep in mind about the residency piece... many LSU-NO peeps go into residencies in LA by choice. Tulane has more out of state folks, so I'd wager they're more likely to shoot for an OOS residency. There may be a difference in opportunity and connection, but my big assumption in comparing the two match lists is that slant towards IS at LSU-NO. Not sure if your thoughts on residency were purely based on match lists or conversations with med students or what.

 

[hd316]

I'm more interested in LSU-NO over Tulane because of cost for sure.

Also, keep in mind about the residency piece... many LSU-NO peeps go into residencies in LA by choice. Tulane has more out of state folks, so I'd wager they're more likely to shoot for an OOS residency. There may be a difference in opportunity and connection, but my big assumption in comparing the two match lists is that slant towards IS at LSU-NO. Not sure if your thoughts on residency were purely based on match lists or conversations with med students or what.

That was my logic as well. The residency placement stats are skewed by default bc most LSU students are from LA. Most of my info on residency has come from current students and looking at the match list (or map) during my interviews.

I'm leaning more and more toward LSU, because I honestly don't think Tulane will open that many more doors for me than LSU, and its ~$120k cheaper. But, it won't be much of a decision if Tulane rejects me.

 

[hd316]

Still looking for advice. My gut tells me Tulane but my mind tells me LSU. Any current students out there?

 

[Boola Boy]

Go with your gut!

 

[puahate]

LSU. Tulane barely has pedigree over LSU.

 

[CarpeDiem1993]

So, initially, I was going to tell you that there is not much of a prestige gap between these two schools. I mean, personally, I was not very familiar with Tulane. However, after doing more research. It looks like (in general) residency directors do score Tulane higher than LSU on name recognition/prestige. Also, Tulane's match list does seem stellar, and it looks like graduates TEND (emphasis word here, because if your step score is high enough you can break any mold!) to match at more well-known institutions across the country. All that considered, I decided to vote for Tulane.

As someone mentioned above, this really will come down to your own preferences. But my motto in life has always been- have no regrets! At the end of the day, if YOU want to deep down go to the "more prestigious" school, then go for it! Don't let finances stand in your way. I believe it's totally worth it to go into debt for something that you care deeply about. I mean, what is more valuable than your education?? You don't want to spend the rest of your life wondering "what if?" You WILL one day become a physician and be able to pay off those loans in a reasonable time-frame.

That being said, every person has different preferences. If you genuinely liked LSU more, and feel like the finances are a significant factor for you personally, then go to LSU! The name recognition/prestige factor matters more if you want to match into very competitive specialties at big name places which could eventually open doors for academia. However, both these schools can make you an outstanding clinician in any field you want!

 

[hd316]

So, initially, I was going to tell you that there is not much of a prestige gap between these two schools. I mean, personally, I was not very familiar with Tulane. However, after doing more research. It looks like (in general) residency directors do score Tulane higher than LSU on name recognition/prestige. Also, Tulane's match list does seem stellar, and it looks like graduates TEND (emphasis word here, because if your step score is high enough you can break any mold!) to match at more well-known institutions across the country. All that considered, I decided to vote for Tulane.

As someone mentioned above, this really will come down to your own preferences. But my motto in life has always been- have no regrets! At the end of the day, if YOU want to deep down go to the "more prestigious" school, then go for it! Don't let finances stand in your way. I believe it's totally worth it to go into debt for something that you care deeply about. I mean, what is more valuable than your education?? You don't want to spend the rest of your life wondering "what if?" You WILL one day become a physician and be able to pay off those loans in a reasonable time-frame.

That being said, every person has different preferences. If you genuinely liked LSU more, and feel like the finances are a significant factor for you personally, then go to LSU! The name recognition/prestige factor matters more if you want to match into very competitive specialties at big name places which could eventually open doors for academia. However, both these schools can make you an outstanding clinician in any field you want!

That's pretty much what I discovered too; it seems that Tulane is definitely a bigger name and would likely hold the advantage for more competitive residencies. I also want to be involved in academia as a physician, so that's important to me.

Also, while it is $120k more, will that really be a big deal when paying back my loans? It doesn't appear that the difference in monthly loan payment would be drastically different.

Do you/anyone know about how likely it is to receive scholarship money? LSU has more money to give and is initially cheaper. I also have decent stats (4.0 via the 32-hour rule, 510) and extracurricular activities that align well with LSU, but probably less competitive for Tulane scholarships. So, is it more likely that I will get money from LSU and not Tulane?

Lastly, I can't really decide where I feel more comfortable. The interview day at LSU was great and everyone I met was very friendly. However, I did do my Master's at Tulane, so it obviously feels like home.

 

[el_duderino]

100% LSU. Not only is it cheaper, which is very significant, but Tulane doesn't seem to be doing super well at the moment. You might know more about that than I do, having gone there, though. Going to LSU vs Tulane will not significantly affect residency options.

 

[hd316]

100% LSU. Not only is it cheaper, which is very significant, but Tulane doesn't seem to be doing super well at the moment. You might know more about that than I do, having gone there, though. Going to LSU vs Tulane will not significantly affect residency options.

Thanks for the advice. What makes you say Tulane isn't doing well right now?

 

[Quantal Reasoning]

LSU

 

[hd316]

Edit: Just received a $15k/year scholarship to Tulane. This essentially halves the difference in tuition. Really leaning toward Tulane now. Should I hold off on a final decision until LSU offers/doesn't offer a scholarship?

 

[BunsenBeaker]

Edit: Just received a $15k/year scholarship to Tulane. This essentially halves the difference in tuition. Really leaning toward Tulane now. Should I hold off on a final decision until LSU offers/doesn't offer a scholarship?

It sounds like you want to go to Tulane, so I'd just go with that if you want to go there more than you want to wait to find out what LSU offers. I'm pretty sure LSU's financial offers aren't coming til next month.

 

[Pharaoh95]

Edit: Just received a $15k/year scholarship to Tulane. This essentially halves the difference in tuition. Really leaning toward Tulane now. Should I hold off on a final decision until LSU offers/doesn't offer a scholarship?

They’re already giving out scholarships? Were you notified by email?

 

[puahate]

So Tulane is still more expense?

 

[hd316]

They’re already giving out scholarships? Were you notified by email?

Yeah, received the email earlier this week.

 

[hd316]

So Tulane is still more expense?

Yeah it is, but “only” $60k more versus the $120k that it was. From some rough calculations, it’s about $600 more per month (Tulane compared to LSU) when it comes to loan repayment.

 

[Boola Boy]

Dude, go to Tulane, you know you want to!

 

[931408]

Yeah it is, but “only” $60k more versus the $120k that it was. From some rough calculations, it’s about $600 more per month (Tulane compared to LSU) when it comes to loan repayment.

OP, it seems like you have wanted to go with Tulane even before the scholarship came, and the scholarship is only going to make you want to go more. I don't believe 60k is that much money to sacrifice happiness over. A lot of us may choose LSU if we were in your shoes, but that doesn't mean that it's best for you. FWIW, my friend had the same decision a year ago (between LSU and Tulane), and she ended up choosing Tulane because she didn't want to stay in Louisiana for residency. That might be another factor to consider, as Tulane does have more recognition on a national landscape than LSU does.

 

[el_duderino]

I'd recommend Tulane.

 

[hd316]

I'd recommend Tulane.

In a previous post you mentioned that Tulane doesn’t seem to be doing well right now. What exactly were you referring to?

 

[Pharaoh95]

In a previous post you mentioned that Tulane doesn’t seem to be doing well right now. What exactly were you referring to?

As someone strongly considering Tulane, I would like to hear this as well @jonnythan

 

[el_duderino]

I've heard some things, but just rumors. I can't find any actual data or sources to back that up. I don't stand by it and certainly wouldn't recommend anyone make a decision based on that. Tulane has always been well respected in the city and region.