25% of Tulane’s entering class this year has SATs over 1500 and ACTs over 34, so being picky about admitting only students who want to go there has not hurt Tulane’s efforts to recruit high stats kids. The OP needs to get into the weeds about Tulane’s academic offerings and connect the dots for the admissions committee regarding how those offerings – preferably taking an interdisciplinary approach – will help the OP reach her career goals. The OP needs to be as specific as she can. The other thing that the OP can do to help her case is to familiarize herself with Tulane’ relationship to New Orleans and the many ways students serve the community, envisioning how she would like to take part and what motivates her.