A Little Confused with Apps

<p>So I completed my app a couple of days ago, and have some questions since Im a little confused.</p>

<p>I answered the Why Tulane question but not the other one because I thought we only had to do one. Now its saying I need to submit a Personal Statement. Do I have to do both?</p>

<p>Also, Im trying to complete the scholarship application, and it says to submit a portofolio. What kinds of things are they looking for?</p>

<p>Also, how generous are they with scholarships/financial aid?
I have a 3.7 Unweighted GPA and 2030 SAT as well as 5's in 5 AP Exams for reference</p>

<p>Thanks in advance</p>

<p>Starting at the bottom, Tulane is probably the most generous top 50 school when it comes to merit based scholarships. It is hard to say what they might offer you, if anything, based on your stats alone but of course there are other factors. But going just off your stats I would say you are borderline for the lower tier scholarships (there are $7500, $15,000, $20,000, $22,000 and $25,000 merit scholarships for which all applicants are considered. At least that is what it used to be, it may be different this year). Your 5 5’s in AP exams in quite excellent and might help push you up, because your SAT score and GPA are only slightly above Tulane’s average. Which don’t get me wrong, those are really good stats. But if 35-40% of the class has equal or better stats, it doesn’t place you in a great position for a lot of merit scholarship money. But it is hard to say, they see the whole picture and we don’t.</p>

<p>I honestly am not sure about a portfolio, I have never heard of that being asked for except for potential architecture students. You might want to contact your regional admissions counselor (you can find out who yours is on the Tulane admissions website [Tulane</a> Admission: Meet Your Counselor](<a href=“http://admission.tulane.edu/counselors/]Tulane”>http://admission.tulane.edu/counselors/) and look on the right hand side) and ask what that means.</p>

<p>Finally, why not answer both? This is one of the most important choices you will make in your life. Give it the effort that kind of weighty decision deserves. Besides, it tells Tulane you really want to go there (assuming you do). If Tulane is just a back-up for you, then you have to decide what kind of effort you want to put into it.</p>

<p>Thanks for the quick response.</p>

<p>As for portofolio, I guess its more of a project, but I won’t worry about that now.</p>

<p>I guess I’ll give Tulane a call today or tomorrow and ask them about the Personal Statement and how I can submit that now.</p>

<p>In my case, Tulane is a strong choice. It all comes down to money. If I can go to a state school in Florida for close to free, why would I pay so much to go to Tulane even though it is amazing. Especially when I wanna go to med school after</p>

<p>But if I can get good money btwn. financial aid/scholarships, then I’ll definetely consider it.</p>

<p>I think your reasoning is spot on. As great as Tulane is, IMHO, it is still a value judgement consideration. There is no question in my mind that except for the wealthy where the money is relatively inconsequential, no school is worth $30-50,000 per year if you can go to a very good school for free or for far less.</p>

<p>The experiences at BSU (Big State U) in Florida will certainly be quite different than at Tulane. That doesn’t mean worse, just different. And if you can come out with no debt, then your future experiences are likely to be that much better.</p>