Chance me for Tulane EA?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
1

Hey all so I applied EA.

I am a senior that goes to a private all-girls catholic hs in a suburb of Chicago.

Not sure if this is worth mentioning but I’m a first gen Mexican-American from a low-income background.

I have a 3.38 GPA (I know, it’s very low… had a rough start freshman and sophomore years. Its been an upwards trend from there)

I am a partial IB student. I take mostly college prep classes and 3 IB’s (IB History HL, IB Art HL, and IB Psych SL)

My SATs and ACTs are also VERY low… I think I know my answer to my question, but a gal can dream I guess…Yes, I’ve retaken them… I’m not a good test taker. SAT- 1080 ACT- 22

My extracurriculars / awards

I am an officer of a diversity club and of an art and design club

I am the Officer of Reports for the National Art Honor Society

I am the Vice President of the International Thespian Honor Society

I am a Dominican Preacher for a club that plans my school’s masses, liturgies, and prayer services (I had to attend a conference in Michigan over the summer in order to be in this leadership position)

I am a Leadership and Ministry Program leader (it falls under campus ministry)

I have written for the school newspaper for the past 3 years

I am a member of Micah 6:8

I have won 2 different scholarships, 1 was an essay contest and another one was based on leadership in my school

I have won student of the month (I don’t even know if this is worth mentioning lol)

I have some volunteer experience, probably somewhere around the 100-120 hours range

I have a part time job (I explained on my common app how the money I earn from this goes towards my tuition for my high school)

I am a part of a group called Youth Conference and it is a group of hs students from 3 high schools in my area including mine. We all come together to plan a leadership conference and we meet once a month for 4 months up until the event. We then open up the conference to everyone in our high schools and let them choose workshops and talks that we created and invited speakers for.

I was on the junior class council and also played soccer my junior year.

(I genuinely enjoy all my extracurriculars, I know it’s a lot)

I know my stats are very low, but I also know that that’s not all that factors into my admissions chance, but it is important. I’m really nervous because Tulane really is one of my top schools, but it’s so competitive and I haven’t heard of anyone getting in with stats similar to mine. My letters of recommendation are really good, they are written by teachers who know me very well and have seen me struggle, succeed, and everything in between. I have shown interest (I heard they look at this a lot?) I did do the why Tulane essay and I mentioned something in there about the creative scholars program. I also included some of my IB Art portfolio pieces in hopes that maybe that would add some weight to my application, but I’m wondering now if that was pointless…too late now I guess.

I know my chances are probably very slim, so if I don’t get in EA I will most likely attempt to transfer and hope that works out…Hoping for a miracle at this point.

2

I’m sorry but I just don’t see how you would be able to get in with those stats. The problem is that the rest of your application will most likely not get looked at since your stats are below their 25th percentile.

3

Tulane is a high reach with your stats. Have you applied to other schools, including matches and safeties?

4

Hang in there! Tulane is working very hard to up its racial and socio-economic diversity. And your ECs are quite strong. Depending on the rigor of your classes and your teacher recs, you might be a compelling candidate. Keep your head high and fingers crossed! Good luck!

5

I have! I applied to Loyola NOLA and got a great scholarship offer from them. I’ve already gotten into 6 other schools and I’m still waiting to hear back from some more. I applied to 14 schools because I really wanted to have a variety of options.

6

I don’t think you should count yourself out, but I would encourage caution. Even if you do get in, your stats do not typically get merit scholarships. This may be an issue if you come from a low-income background. Good luck!

7

@mig2701
Interesting because Loyola NOLA and Tulane are polar opposites. I would probably plan on going somewhere else. You have to get in and are counting on them offering substantial aid which means lightning has to strike twice in the same place! Possible but highly unlikely!
Best wishes regardless!

8

@JBSeattle
Yeah, I got a $20,500 scholarship to Loyola (per year, so 82k for four years) which helps a lot because after financial aid, I won’t have to pay too much. I enjoy the atmosphere at Loyola too, so I think if Tulane doesn’t work out I’ll end up there.

9

@WeLoveLyman
Right, I was thinking even if I got in, finances would be an issue, but I’m willing to take out loans to be at Tulane. They just offer everything I’m interested in so it would be worth it for me. It’s a lot to take on especially being low-income, but I’ve applied to several outside scholarships so I hope it works out. Thanks!

10

@Hopper2019
Thanks! I’ll be hearing back in 20 days so I’m hoping for the best!

11

Tuition, room and board at Loyola are $54,000/year. Even with $20,500/year in grants that will leave $33,500/year to pay plus travel and incidentals. You and your family cannot borrow that much.

12

@TomSrOfBoston
Yeah, I understand that. So far all my financial aid letters have reported that I won’t be paying more than 15k a year because of need-based aid. For example, for Saint Xavier University, I’m only paying $3,426 a year if I attend and they gave me less than Loyola (19,500 a year). I know it’ll vary from school to school, but I also won’t put myself in a situation where I’d have to pay a lot more than what we can handle…I’d take out loans, but not an excessive amount, especially since I’m only allowed a certain amount anyway.

13

You can only take out $5500 in federal loans your freshman year. I’m sure the COA at Tulane is $70k+.

An anecdote: I was an URM student with a 3.7 GPA when I applied to Tulane. Still, my FA package was filled with Parent PLUS loans, upwards of $20k/year.

I’m not saying this to discourage you. I just want you to know that if you don’t get enough money from any school, crippling debt doesn’t have to be the answer. That’s not a “dream”–that’s a nightmare.