I am a transfer student and will be a junior in the fall. My other choice that I am struggling with is the University of Rochester and I have to decide sometime soon, but I wanted to clarify a few things before making a final decision.
Are professors easily accessible during office hours/outside of the classrooms especially for science? I am worried that I won’t be able to build a strong relationship with the professors due to the lack of time.
I am having a hard time choosing Tulane over UR also because of Rochester’s higher ranking and it’s reputation in the science field. How important is prestige and ranking (both U.S. and World) when it comes to applying to medical schools?
I know this might sound like a stupid question… but can you actually study/focus properly in the library? I have heard that the library on campus is more of a social site than a studying site.
And last but not least, I am quite introverted/shy at first when it comes to meeting new people– will I be able to fit in at this school?
Totally not an issue at Tulane. In fact, Tulane is well known for profs being very accessible during office hours and otherwise.
I always feel that when people ask this question, they are already biased by rankings. But in the hope that you really have an open mind about this, the rankings mean absolutely nothing in this regard. Nada. Even if they did (and they don’t), med schools won’t distinguish between a ranking in the mid 30’s and one in the mid 50’s. It is all about overall GPA, science courses GPA, and MCAT score. Besides, Tulane’s graduation rates finally are having Katrina completely absent from the calculations USNWR uses. By the time you graduate, Tulane will most likely be back in the mid 40’s. It is Katrina that pushed them into the 50’s, and while Katrina was in 2005, the way USNWR does the calculations the years that Tulane’s 6 year graduation rate was still Katrina depressed are in last years calculations for 2 different factors. For one factor it will not be there this year, and for another it will still be there for another year.
The first floor is a social site, and is meant to be. It has a coffee shop and community meeting spots. The other floors are quiet and easy to study at. Besides, there are several other specialty libraries and other spots on campus that are wonderful places to get absolute quiet.
This is hard to answer. Transfers are always at a bit of a disadvantage. But Tulane students are extremely welcoming, I think. You will have to make some effort, whether it is joining a club or two, a pre-professional society, and/or just forcing yourself to mingle some. But I cannot believe this will be any different between the two schools.
That’s great news, @sakura94. I am sure it will work out great for you. I should also have mentioned that undergraduates get involved with research at Tulane quite a lot. That might be something you will want to consider fairly shortly after you get acclimated.