I'm in love with Tulane, but my overbearing parents? Not so much. Help!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
21

<p>I am a physician whose S is NOT applying to a science/pre-med program (he's a humanities type -- good for him!). Your post caught my eye, though, so let me weigh in:</p>

<p>You sound like you are sincerely called to medicine -- congratulations! We need more young people who want to be true healer/scientists, and not just looking at medicine as a "high-paying career."</p>

<p>Since you are on a path to medicine, then you should know that there is somewhat of a hierarchy of "importance" or status when it comes to medical training, especially if you plan to do medical research.</p>

<p>First, where you do your Residency is way more important than where you go to medical school.
Where you go do medical school is important, but don't spend a lot of money here (i.e. don't get into too much debt), and don't think that the IVY's are tops in this category (they are NOT).
Where you go to college then, should be good enough to give you a very solid pre-med curriculum, AND . . ... puhlease . . . . . . get a well-rounded education.<br>
Physicians need not only science, but heart and humanity. Learn who you are, become a better person, spend time in a college environment that allows you to grow (I didn't say party).</p>

<p>The medical profession is full of physicians who've never had a chance for personal growth and thus are emotionally lost or stunted. The best physicians are those who are not only clinically astute, but who are centered, grounded and have a capacity for connecting with patients.</p>

<p>I vote for where your heart is pointing. Following your intuition is a good quality every doctor must cultivate.</p>

22

<p>tell your parents that no matter how well known re name of a school is, you will only benefit from leaning environment where you are happy and that fits you. Explain that newsweek rankings are not designed to fit you as an individual student, and only you can determine win is truely the BEST school. You will get a much better education from a school that meets your needs as a student than one that has a fancy name. Also, you certainly would not be throwing away all your hard works, since that work got you a big scholarship (which, even if you dont really need it now, will definatly help you later) and into the honors program which will give you tons of unique opportunities. You also might re telling them that being among the top kids at tulane will get you more opportunities in and of itself because profs will be excited to have you.my dad went to city college of new York cause it was free for ny residents back then and it was really advantageous for him for this reason. (I know tulaneis full of really smart kids, but your parents dont seems to believe this based on what you described). Good luck!!</p>

23

<p>I think I have a very good idea for how to approach this with your parents, given your goals. But first I have to tell a short anecdote, the theme of which is that a lot of what makes a school are your peers and how you "stack up" against them.</p>

<p>I am a Tulane grad, and I was a very good student, but not a genius or Ivy quality. Tulane was a great fit, and I found it to be pretty competitive. There were slackers, sure, but there were far more that were serious about their grades and their future. Being a chemistry (non pre-med) major, I was in with some pretty intense people that were very determined to go to med school, so they had to have the grades. And even in non-science courses, which I took a lot of, there were very sharp people. Bottom line is that to get good grades, I had to work pretty hard. Not around the clock by any means; it was a great balance. For example, I was in 2 music groups (a pop-rock group and the orchestra), did independent research that resulted in 2 publications with my name on them in the top journals in my field, and dated a lot. I don't say for any reason other than to point out that it is indeed balanced and fun.</p>

<p>When I took some courses at a local branch of my state university, even though we used the same books in most cases and the teachers were fine, it was sooo much easier simply because the competition from the other students were at least two notches lower (my measuring system, lol).</p>

<p>What's my point? Well, the schools that your parents want you to go to are even more competitive than Tulane. That's not a knock on Tulane, it is just a reality. Therefore, a really bright student like yourself has a better chance of standing out at Tulane which, given your goals, increases your chances of getting into med school. Yet Tulane has a fine reputation and, as it has been pointed out elsewhere on here, it is not your terminal degree. For career purposes, people will look more at where you got your M.D.</p>

<p>You will get a GREAT education, and enjoy it at the same time, and improve your chances of staying on your career plan. Oh, and save a small fortune also. How can your parents argue with that?</p>

24

<p>Excuse the grammar errors, I should really proof this stuff before posting.
* I don't say <em>this</em> for any reason other....."
* "...the competition from the other students <em>was</em>..."</p>

<p>Also, I know you probably can't say this to your parents, and they might really think they are doing it for your own good because they have more experience and all. Bbut they should take a very honest assessment of their motivations and decide if this is really more about them and being able to tell their friends "Oh, my child is at Princeton" or wherever. Oh well, stick with Plan A and see what happens.</p>

25

<p>There were two rapes near the Tulane campus this fall, and another a few weeks ago. Soon after students arrived in the fall, they were evacuated for a hurricane. (By the way, the school's preparedness plan involves simply telling the parents it's time for junior to go home.) Guide books often say that a way to tell the caliber of students or culture of a school is to read the student newspaper. Two of the most widely read articles in Tulane's paper, the Hullabaloo, complain of a shortage of pot on campus following the arrest of student sellers, and, more recently, not one but two articles on why female students should give "hand jobs." As a parent, that gives me pause.</p>

26

<p>tess - not sure what your game is, but the statement saying "...the school's preparedness plan involves simply telling the parents it's time for junior to go home" is simply false. There are extensive discussions about what do in case of a hurricane, and a very detailed web site with numerous layers. Tulane</a> University - Hurricane Procedures</p>

<p>I am not sure what else you want them to do.</p>

<p>As far as the rapes, while this is always serious and troubling to any parent, the crime statistics for Tulane and the nearby area are no different than for schools like University of Chicago, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Duke, etc. Caution and common sense have to dominate ones decisions. Lest you think I am being too light about this, I have a daughter that has Tulane as one of her 2 choices, having been offered a DHS. So I look very carefully at these issues.</p>

<p>Not that I completely disagree with you about everything. I also am not impressed by the column regarding sex. However, once again this is not unusual behavior at a university, and I really doubt it is much more than a source of amusement for the vast majority of the students. Juvenile and crude? Perhaps, although they would probably argue is is simply realistic and blunt. Nonetheless, it is hardly an issue that differentiates Tulane from just about anywhere else except schools like Wheaton in Illinois, Hillsdale, etc. I am not knocking those schools, just saying that they are very conservative and somewhat unique. Most of the others are..., well, they are like Tulane, at least in this regard. And is it really a bad thing that they are complaining there is not enough pot? LOL, I could argue that is a very good thing.</p>

27

<p>Thank you for the insight!</p>

<p>benel- It is just as refreshing to find a physician who is not trying to outright deter me from the field. my mother works in healthcare and I've worked in a hospital setting as well, and i've met few doctors who are encouraging of what I want to do. I have heard that where you go to Med School is more important than Undergrad, but I think the fact that residency is in fact more important is overlooked(for lack of a better term) by the general public, so it is a good point. </p>

<p>Despite taking an overwhelming large number of science classes throughout high school, I have done very well in my other subjects, particularly the humanities(unlike science I have to exert little effort). I do strive to be well rounded but I have heard that it is important to take classes you are truly interested in. My dilemma is that I am most interested in the human body but I do not want to burn myself out before med school by taking a relevant major. I have ruled out biology/chem/bio chem etc etc. I am very interested in Psych/Cognitive sciences so I might do that route OR public health. I know it is typically advised against to take a science major Pre-Med, but I can't help what I am interested in.</p>

<p>fallenchemist- You make some very valid points! I was in no way expecting to surpass my peers at Tulane! From what I have seen those who have already been accepted into the Class of 2013 are incredibly bright. I think its a good fit for me in the sense that I can be close to the top of the pack while still being incredibly challenged. I like that I will be forced to push myself yet still have time for other things I enjoy.</p>

<p>I'm feeling better and better about Tulane each passing day, and my parents are warming up to it too. I really am apathetic about hearing back from the other schools I applied to, as horrible as that sounds!</p>

28

<p>Skymeadow, my nephew is in year three of med school at Tulane and absolutely loves it. He was undergrad from Vandy. All 8 of the Vandy suitemates went on to med schools throughout the country and he claims that the collaborative atmosphere of Tulane med school sets it apart and makes it a much more pleasant experience as compared to what he hears from his suitemates. The goal is to turn them all into doctors as opposed to turn them all against each other, which he has indicated is the competitive spirit of some schools. The med school campus is downtown, he lives off Magazine Street which is a fun, funky area. My S is a sophomore and yes they did evacuate and the notifications from the school were nothing short of outstanding. We received e-mails every day regarding the status of the campus. Students who didn't have a evacuation plan were put on busses and sent to a college in Mississippi to wait out the storm, with the expenses paid by the school. Tulane' response was conservative (evacuate early) and was nothing short of excellent. As for crime, my S lives on campus, the Tulane police are "REAL" police and patrol 2 miles off campus as well. We go to NOLA a couple of times a year and the undergrad campus is in a very upscale part of town, I have never felt unsafe. The crime statistics at Tulane are similar to other schools, no better or worse, certainly an unfortunate reality. My D is a HS senior and has also been accepted to Tulane. Skymeadow feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.</p>

29

<p>I know how you feeel.</p>

<p>I'm taking my parents to Honors Weekend in April because they still aren't sure they want to send me to Tulane.</p>

30

<p>The undergrad campus is in a very good part of town. The vast majority of crime is limited to the not-so-nice parts of town. I think the uptown area crime would be comparable with most urban-located schools.</p>

31

<p>Personally, were I planning on med school, I would do the cheapest possible undergraduate education I could - even considering 2 years of junior / community college, then transferring. Med schools look primarily at a combination of MCATs and GPAs - the higher the better on both. I'm sure that undergrad reputation plays a part, but med school admission is largely a numbers game, even more so than undergrad. After that, it is really a matter of personal choice - where do you want to spend 4 years. Have you visited all the colleges? Penn, for example, is a city university and doesn't have quite the same feel as the campuses of Notre Dame, BC and Tulane, which are all very traditional campuses - though Philly is a great city (yet the crime rate is worse than NOLA...but in I know kids in both cities and if you take reasonable precautions, you'll be fine). I'm surprised your parents consider Fordham a better choice than Tulane - Fordam was a safety for my daughter.</p>

<p>FYI, Tulane's med school has a pretty good reputation...</p>

32

<p>The best I can offer is to let your mom know (gently) that how she views a school is not necessarily the reality of the situation. Case and point:</p>

<p>My Harvard Interviewer was an undergrad at Tulane, and she encouraged me to seriously consider Tulane's offer, and told me that as long as you apply yourself, the jump to a school like Harvard for grad is totally doable. She chose to attend Tulane Honors on the Presidential Scholarship and was able to go into grad school debt free, which is a HUGE consideration. I can put you and your mother in touch with her to give an insiders perspective on the doors Tulane can open up.
Also, Tulane cares about their students and is hugely accommodating to the needs of Honors students. The benefit of undergrad at Tulane has a lot to do with the individualized attention and consideration offered at a school that is rebuilding and is aware of its reputation. For example, the president of Tulane came to talk to our Honors group individually and address all our questions. Tulane is a great school, and if its a good, affordable fit for you, it is silly for your mother to let an untrue notion about its level of integrity affect your decision. </p>

<p>If you need any contacts to better convince her, let me know, I'd hate to have a future classmate stuck someplace else!</p>

33

<p>kochampolska - very very well said</p>

34

<p>My son is weighing Tulane and Boston College and we just returned from visiting Tulane yesterday. I was very, very impressed in every way. Why are we so hung up on the so -called “prestige” names? You know, a BMW is a more prestige name than Prius, but I’d rather drive the Prius. It’s a better fit for me. No wonder you are an exhausted senior; your folks have probably been wearing you out for years trying to make sure you would go to the college they want to see you at, not the one that would be right for you. The kids we met at Tulane were the happiest bunch of students I’ve ever met on one campus. They are serious about school, but not in an oppressive way, and they LOVE their school. The talk to prospective students and parents by the University president was both impressive and thoughtful. Another outstanding feature of Tulane is the school-wide commitment to community service, an outgrowth of Katrina. Parents need to stop living their lives through their kids and give their kids the freedom to make these decisions (with parental input, of course). I’d be thrilled if my son chose Tulane – it’s a great fit for him.</p>

35

<p>

Well yeah, that’s you. Other people want prestige in cars, too, and they often do choose prestige.</p>

36

<p>pFNMCp - of course it is him, clearly all these are opinions that we post unless we are stating facts like statistics. No need to get snarky. However, it is funny how many people that worried so much about the nameplate come back later in life to say that it was ridiculous and that they wish they had focused more on where they actually would have been happier. And can there really be any doubt that there are lots of overbearing parents that are trying to live their kids lives for them, or worse, their lives through their kids? Clearly that was the message of the OP, and if you want to defend that, feel free. Lastly, you didn’t really even contradict Lord JeffZ, because if the nameplate is that important to the person ACTUALLY ATTENDING THE SCHOOL, then it is a better fit by definition.</p>

<p>But I think it is hard to argue with the idea that the HYPS syndrome is seriously overweighted in many cases. Sure those schools are perfect fits for lots of kids. And for lots of other kids they get to those places only to find out that they would much rather have been at a school where all the professors are more interested in actually teaching the students rather than when they will win their Nobel Prize. I have been around both situations, so I know of what I speak. No doubt, that doesn’t bother most of the kids that go to HYPS, but it sure does bother a healthy minority that swallow hard and make the best of it because Mummy and Daddy won’t hear of anything else.</p>

37

<p>That’s exactly my point. If you’re hung up on designer labels and prestige names maybe Tulane won’t fit the bill the way Harvard will. But Harvard isn’t for everybody, even many of the kids who get in. It was VERY prestigious to invest with Bernie Madoff, too, and people who did felt very smart…for a while. But folks who did it themselves on eTrade might be better off for it. </p>

<p>The key point is what is the place that will make the student – not the parents – happy? What school will make them a thriving, engaged student? If my son went to a school that was a real grind where everyone studied 20 hours a day, even if it had a big name and #1 USNews ranking, my guess is he’d be a college drop out. For him there is much more to life. And, frankly, I know plenty of very happy, successful people who didn’t attend the most prestigious schools. And I know some perfectly miserable people who did.</p>

38

<p>You do know that medical schools don’t care which undergraduate school you went to, right?</p>

<p>Another thing to note, you probably know this already, is that Tulane grades on a +/- scale, meaning A- (3.67, <94%) is not the same as an A (4.0). This could also affect your GPA.</p>

39

<p>Meresa - I think you overstate it a bit. Certainly if you get a 3.8 from a school they never heard of or they know is not academically challenging, it makes a difference, especially if you are borderline. But between Tulane and the other schools this person is considering, I agree with you.</p>