If you have Tulane high on your dream college list, you need to seriously consider Early Decision II. In 2022, it was reported that Tulane admitted two-thirds of the first-year class through the EDI and EDII cycles. More recently, and perhaps in response to this statistic, half of the students who applied to Tulane applied in an early round.
Please note that accepting so many students in the early rounds is not standard across college admissions. It is very rare for such a high percentage of applicants to apply early, and it’s as rare for such a high percentage of the first-year class to be accepted through the ED programs.
Whichever way you choose to apply, getting into Tulane is hard. The most recent overall acceptance rate was about 13%, a meaningful rise after falling below 10% during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this post, we’re going to break down everything you need to do to strengthen your application to Tulane ahead submitting in the Early Decision II round. And remember, you can switch an EA or RD application to EDII after the fact (although you can’t change the content of the application. Either way, the deadline is January 15th.
Now take out your proverbial notebook, and open your mind to making alterations on pieces of your application you perhaps would rather not touch. We help strong students get into Tulane every year by doing things a little differently.
If you want an expert eye on your side, contact us. We’re pros at this.
Choosing to apply ED II can feel a bit intimidating. Maybe you didn’t apply anywhere in the first Early Decision round because you weren’t quite sure what you wanted. Or maybe you applied to a dream school ED I only to receive a deferral or rejection. Now we’re encouraging your to either make a big commitment for the first time, or to bounce back from disappointment and try again. We understand that either ask is a big one, but stay with us. If you want to go to Tulane, data shows that you must apply early. So, let’s get into it.
Resume
Tulane allows applicants to attach a resume as part of their college-specific questions. The resume section is optional, but that doesn’t mean it’s actually optional. Yes, you can submit the application without attaching a resume — but that doesn’t mean you can get in.
Optional pieces of the application are very misleading. You may think: “Well, I don’t have a resume, so I just won’t submit one.” And, technically, that’s logical, but it doesn’t lead to an acceptance. Applications without resumes serve one purpose — to boost the application numbers at Tulane, and subsequently lower the acceptance rate. Neither of those objectives involve actually accepting the applicant.
Hopefully we’ve gotten our point across, then, that you must include a resume. Now onto the details.
Your resume must be one page. Not two sides of one page. Simply one page, with a readable font size. To accomplish this, we recommend using a template from Google or Microsoft Word paired with a heavy dose of restraint.
If you are thinking, “but I do too much to fit on one page!” We have good news for you: you don’t need to include everything. In fact, you shouldn’t. Instead, tailor what is on your resume to Tulane. This means focusing on what you think Tulane will care about most, and what won’t otherwise be emphasized in your application. Often, the best way to figure out what to include is to write the supplement first and then use the resume to highlight things that haven’t otherwise made their way into the application past the activities section.
Supplement
The supplement for Tulane, like the resume, is optional but not optional. We won’t reiterate why it isn’t optional, but remember what we said above. If you want to get in, you have to do the supplement.
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.
It is really interesting to us that Tulane doesn’t simply give a word count. Instead, they have a whole explanation about how to use the word count. 250 words is short, so it’s not as if they give you up to 500 and say you don’t need to use them all.
In our experience, strong applicants will use most, if not all, of the 250 words allowed. You should still take their advice regarding efficiency to heart, though. They are looking for specificity and knowledge of the university in a compact package. This is how to do it:
First, you need to do research. Even if you think you know Tulane really well, you should spend at least 30 minutes (set a timer) exploring the website, and specifically areas related to community engagement and working with others like student groups, research opportunities, collaborative learning environments (labs, project-based courses, etc.), and even just being an active member of the campus community. Remember as you research that while New Orleans is at the heart of Tulane, Tulane is more than New Orleans. This supplement should mention a way that New Orleans will be part of your experience, but shouldn’t be completely reliant on what is around Tulane.
Once you have your research in hand, it’s time to start writing. We believe that most strong supplements begin with a hook. Sometimes this is story. Sometimes it is a moment of dialog or observation. Sometimes it is an internal dialog reflecting on what has taken you to this moment. Regardless, you only have 250 words to make your point so it must be both impactful and space-efficient. Probably no more than 50 words.
Next, you need to make the case for how you’ll contribute to Tulane. This is the most important piece of the puzzle for this supplement, and will help to communicate the “why are you interested” mark. Spend about 150-180 words of this supplement offering specific ways that you will engage as a member of the community that are also reasons you wanted to apply ED II.
Finally, you need to very clearly and directly state that you want to be at Tulane. They need to know that you truly want them. Deciding to apply EDII obviously says that, but now you need to drive it home one last time.
What about the Common App Essay
If you applied to schools in the Early Decision or Early Action rounds and received decisions you aren’t entirely happy with, it’s worth giving your Common App essay a fresh look. You can change it, and it’s quite possible that you need to if you want to get into Tulane ED II. We highly recommend reading our 2024-2025 Guide to the Common App Essay, as well as some sample successful admissions essays. What you’ll see in these essays is that every student takes their own approach that is unique to them, but that there are some commonalities. All of the essays are story-centric, and none of the essays spend time saying things like “what I learned is…” or “and that is why…” The essays make the case for the student through the story, and this conveys meaning and power while making the best use of every word you have to work with.
So, give your essay a look and consider adjusting to be bolder, be more story forward, and, always, more you.
Applying to Tulane ED II gives you the best chance of getting into Tulane, so we highly recommend it if Tulane is high on your list!
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