Located in New Orleans, Louisiana (aka “The Big Easy” for those city-nickname-enthusiasts out there), Tulane University is a private research university known for their work-hard play-hard vibes and we consider them to be one of the friendliest colleges in the US. Tulane has also become increasingly competitive over the last few years, with last year’s acceptance rate at around 12%. We know parents reading this will be shocked, but Tulane’s just really popular with the kids these days! Tulane is also notorious for accepting the vast majority of their students from the Early Decision round, and they take demonstrated interest very seriously. That means if you’re serious about Tulane, you should absolutely take a tour (can be virtual!) and apply early to give yourself the best shot at success.
Tulane remains test-optional for 2024-2025, and the majority of the Class of 2028 did not submit test scores, but with acceptance rates like those, we still recommend sending those scores in. The admitted student profile for the Class of 2028 had an average GPA of 3.71 (unweighted), average SAT of 1461, and average ACT of 33. Because they’re test-optional, these skew a little higher than their past averages pre-Covid. That’s because students are more likely to submit their best scores than submit a more average-leaning score.
Their supplemental question is short, straightforward, and the same as last year’s. They say it’s optional, but here at TKG, we don’t believe in optional. With an acceptance rate that’s been hovering around 10% for the last few years, you need to take advantage of every opportunity to make yourself stand out. We’re going to provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to write the best Tulane supplement possible.
Describe why you are interested in joining the Tulane community. Consider your experiences, talents, and values to illustrate what you would contribute to the Tulane community if admitted.
This statement should be 250 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 quintessential college essay question – like, they almost all ask it, and they want to know why you want to go to their college. That means we have a pretty straightforward way to answer this prompt, and as long as you touch on both parts of it – why have you chosen Tulane and why are you a good fit for Tulane – you should be good.
The formula is simple: choose a major, tell them your origin story, provide evidence (read: research classes and professors), and end with some campus life stuff.
“What if I don’t know what I want to major in???” This essay is not a legally binding document. If you change your major (which most American college students do, multiple times), they’re not going to print out your supplement and interrogate you about your choices. It’s important to choose a major so you can show why Tulane is a good fit academically. If you just write the essay on vibes, that won’t do much for you. Declaring a major provides a starting point to which you can connect all sorts of other information about yourself and the school.
To declare your major, you want to start with an origin story. What we mean by that is telling them how you came to be excited about the topic you say you want to study. For example, if you’re applying to Tulane’s business school, you could write about how you ran your childhood lemonade stand like a tycoon, making spreadsheets to maximize profits, which in turn led you to join a teen entrepreneurship incubator.
Next, you’ll want to pull in specific upper-level classes that help back up your interests. Remember, every college has Marketing 101, so you want to dig deeper into the course catalog and pull from the expertise that only Tulane has. When you write about these courses, you don’t want to just say “they’re cool” or “will help me achieve my goals.” Be specific! What would taking that advanced corporate finance course help you actually do in real life? After you talk about at least two courses, you want to find a professor you’d want to research with. Same thing here, not just because they’re interesting, but because they’re doing work in something you’re really excited about.
Tulane is also asking how you’re going to be a cultural fit at their school, so you’ll want to pull in some extracurriculars that you want to engage in at Tulane. A note to the wise: this should draw a line from things you’ve done in high school or that are already on your resume, otherwise it won’t seem congruous. If you were really involved in female empowerment business clubs in high school, find a club at Tulane with a similar mission. If you were in band in high school, maybe you want to join the drum line. Tulane is super proud of being in New Orleans, so feel free to reference that here as well, just don’t talk about how excited you are to party on Bourbon Steet, plz.
Remember, you only have 250 words, so your first draft might be a skosh longer than that. You have enough space to hit all the major points (background, major, examples, extracurriculars) and leave Tulane admissions officers with a great impression.
And of course, you’ll want to make sure that the rest of your Common App is in good shape, too. We have guides on the Common App essay, the activities section, additional information (if needed), and so much more. And, btw, if you need help with those, we’re here too.
Need help with your Tulane app? We got you, reach out today.