Dr. Barbara Beckman, Associate Dean of Admissions at Tulane School of Medicine, spoke yesterday about Tulane and their admissions process. Dr. Beckman mentioned that many students are drawn to New Orleans because of the city's culture as well as its particular challenges post-Katrina. Applicants who have been abroad, doing service work in places with broken infrastructures, are often good fits for Tulane.
Regarding the interview process specifically, Dr. Beckman reiterated what you've hopefully heard elsewhere:
- Know something about the school! Do your homework and make sure you can articulate "Why Tulane" specifically.
- Don't blow off your student interview. Tulane has current med students conduct interviews with applicants and they have a say in the process as do faculty members. The lesson here is to treat every aspect of your visit as the interview (because it is).
- It's okay to wear something other than a black suit to your interview. You don't need to dress in investment banking interview garb.
However, you may hear back your decision from a school as late as October 1. This is the sacrifice you make. If you are not admitted early decision, your applications to other schools would be very late in the application cycle, significantly affecting your chances of admission. So you really need to make sure that you are a competitive applicant for the EDP.
Because of the gravity of this decision, many programs are willing to consult with students before they apply to give them a sense of their competitiveness. It is rare for a Harvard student to apply to an EDP. More info on EDPs can be found on the AMCAS website.
