Tulane is a private research university in New Orleans. Tulane is a great choice for students who are looking to go to school in the south. They also house a business school and many research programs. Last year their acceptance rate was about 8%. Tulane’s competitive to get into so if you apply, you have to make sure you are handing in a strong application. Part of that is their supplement. It’s only technically 3 questions, (more on that later,) and they are optional. While Tulane says they are optional, with an 8% acceptance rate, we don’t really consider them optional. With such a low acceptance rate, you need to take any opportunity to put your best foot forward and make your case as a student. In that spirit, we want to give you tips and tricks on how to approach the Tulane supplement.
Please briefly describe why you are interested in attending Tulane University.
This statement should be 500 words at most; however, it is neither necessary nor expected that you reach this maximum length. We strongly encourage you to focus on content and efficiency rather than word count. While submitting this prompt is optional, we recommend that all applicants do so.
This is the question we see the most from colleges. “Why do you want to go here?” Because we see it so often, we have a little formula that we like to follow. The first step is to choose a major. These essays should mainly focus on academics and they are far better structured when you choose a specific major. Don’t worry, if you are undecided, no one will hold you to this essay.
Once you have chosen a major, start this essay by introducing your intended area of study with a personal story about how you first became passionate about it. For example, if you chose Environmental Biology, you could write about planting trees with your grandfather which sparked a love of environmental conservation. Once you have told your personal story, add how your passion grew since then and how it lead you to your intended major. After you have introduced your passion and your major, it’s time to back that up with specifics.
You will most likely have to do some research into the specifics of the major and Tulane for this essay. You should mention at least 2 specific higher-level classes in your intended major that you would be excited to take and why you are excited for them. Stay away from any 101-type classes. You want to find ones that feel specific to Tulane. You should also find a professor that you would want to do research with and write about what drew you to them. After you have talked about classes and professors, you can mention anything program-specific that drew you to the major at Tulane. This could be concentrations, research opportunities, honors, etc. Feel free to also talk about academics outside of your major. If you want to do a minor, that is fine to mention. You can also talk about any school-wide academic opportunities that you find interesting.
Once you have fully talked about academics, you can now talk about campus life. You should find a club or extracurricular on campus that aligns with something you are already doing. For example, maybe you write for your school paper, you could talk about wanting to join the Crescent Magazine staff. It doesn’t have to be the exact thing you are doing now, but it should be related.
Lastly, you can mention anything you are excited about on campus or even off campus. This could be specific on-campus traditions or how you would like to get involved in the greater community of New Orleans. Some words of caution, we know it’s NOLA, but keep this PG. It should be more museums than mardi gras beads.
You should end with a short conclusion that wraps up all the points you made and leaves the reader thinking, “wow Tulane is the perfect school for them.” This essay can be up to 500 words, so you have time to go deep into your rationale of why Tulane is a good fit for you and why you are a good fit for Tulane. Show how passionate you are about the school and its opportunities.
Tulane values the lessons gained from pursuing an education alongside a student body that represents a wide range of experiences and perspectives and is reflective of our multicultural world. If you would like to share a perspective related to your family, cultural group, sexual or gender identity, religious group, or some other aspect that has shaped your identity, please do so here.
This statement should be 500 words at most; however, it is neither necessary nor expected that you reach this maximum length. If you choose to answer this prompt, we strongly encourage you to focus on content and efficiency rather than word count. Keep in mind this prompt will not apply to all applicants, and it is completely optional.
This is a great opportunity to write about a community you are a part of or part of your identity that you haven’t been able to showcase, however, we want to stress that you do not have to write about something you are not ready to write about.
Every year, we have students come out to us and struggle with how to approach questions like this. First off, we are always honored when students want to share themselves with our counselors. We love that we can be a safe person and an ally to them in whatever way we can. We want our students and other queer students everywhere that you don’t need to come out to get into college. You might not be ready to write this essay about that experience and that is fine. Don’t push yourself to write about something you aren’t ready to write about. If you don’t think it is safe for you to write about being queer, don’t write about it. Your safety is more important than any college essay. Trust us, you are still valid even if you don’t want to tell Tulane about your sexuality/gender identity. (Also, if you are a queer kid who feels like they don’t have anyone to talk to, reach out to us. We’re here for you.)
We also would love to talk to Tulane for a second. If you are reading this, we really suggest you give students an option to send this type of essay directly to you over email instead of using the Common App. Often counselors and parents have access or insist on reading over Common Apps before they send it out. Not all students feel comfortable with their parents and counselors knowing this type of information and we think it would make your school a better ally and safe space for students if you gave them more options if you choose to ask a question like this that could potentially out them.
Ok, back to advice. This essay also gives you a lot of options. The perspective can be really from any community you are a part of. For example, you could write about your gender identity or an identity that your family helped shape. We believe everyone has something that they can write this essay about, however, if you really feel this doesn’t apply to any aspect of your experience, they say that it's okay if it doesn’t apply to you. Start by thinking about the communities you are in and if any shaped your perspective, we believe you will most likely think of something.
If you choose to do this prompt, it should be a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Think of a time that you were impacted by your community and craft that into a narrative. It should feel focused and personal.
This last question isn’t actually part of the writing supplement. Instead, it’s in a supplemental activities section, but we still thought we should talk about it briefly.
If you would like to elaborate on one of your activities, you may do so briefly here. 250
This question is also optional, but we think all students should do this one. The activities section gives you very little time to explain your activities so every student probably has an activity that they want to say more about. This mini-essay should be a story and give some context to one of your most important activities. You should choose to write about an activity that you spend a lot of time doing. Don’t write about the volunteering you do for an hour a month because you think it makes you look good. Trust us, it does not.
Your story can be about an achievement you made or just something you are proud of in your activity. Let’s say you dance, it could be about the first time you got to choreograph something, or a time you traveled to perform, or a time you took on more responsibilities, etc. Any achievement or moment that feels important to you is a great place to start.
While Tulane’s essays are optional, we think most students should do all three and at the very least, do two of them. The supplemental essays give you a fairly long word count and while you don’t have to use it all, it gives you a lot of freedom to go in-depth on subjects that are important to you. Take some time, do some research, do a draft or two, and you should get this supplement done with no problem.
Having trouble starting? We can help! Reach out here.