<p>My school is pretty good for South Carolina.
GPA= UW:3.5, W:4.0
Rank=74/210 (I know, it's low)
SAT= CR:720, M:610, W:630 (should go up a little w/ retake)
Currently taking 3 AP's:Spanish, Eng Lit, and Psych
Took one community college class (Comp apps, grade=100), taking another currently (Soc)</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:
Interact club 4 yrs (leadership position)
Volunteer at a hospice
JV/Varsity Soccer (co-captain of JV)
Held job for 4 yrs
I have more but I don't know if they're significant enough to list.</p>
<p>It’s free, how can it not be worth it? But even if it were not, yes, you have a chance. Admittedly it is probably a somewhat less that 50-50 chance, but your SAT scores are good and your UW GPA isn’t bad at all. Do you have a fair number of AP courses? Anyway, go to as many local Tulane events as you can and visit the campus if possible. Showing interest helps.</p>
<p>I agree with the 50-50 chance…just a slight increase in the SAT, say to 1370/2000 is going to be helpful. I think your AP’s are really high quality. What really stood on your background is volunteering at a hospice. That’s great. I know Tulane has that shorter application, but if an essay is still required, I think you may have a really heartwarming story to tell. And don’t underestimate working for 4 years.</p>
<p>Find out who your admissions counselor is for South Carolina. It’s on the website. Start communicating with him/her.</p>
<p>I would agree that you should give it a shot. My son is a current sophomore and his grades were comparable to yours, although his class rank was somewhat higher. He did not take the SAT but did fairly well on the ACT (31). He took 2 AP classes and the rest honors classes. He was accepted at three different schools and was captivated with Tulane and New Orleans in general - he has not regretted his decision to attend Tulane! I should note that the number of applications has increased in the past two years, but I wouldn’t let that deter you.</p>
<p>You could look at it that way. On the other hand, there are hundreds of schools that have free apps, and none match the number of apps Tulane gets and most don’t even come close. So obviously there is a lot more to it than that. In fact Tulane’s strategy is to get a few of those students that might have gone to Harvard or Yale, and even more so those that might have picked Duke, Wash U, Vandy, and similar highly ranked non-Ivy schools. Granted that students that get into those schools usually choose them, but there are a few hundred every year that pick Tulane for a variety of reasons. Out of 1500 or so new students, that’s pretty good, and many say they never would have considered Tulane without the free personal app. Then they get the nice scholarship, look into the school, visit, like what they see, and decide to come. So the low acceptance rate, which looks like a positive for Tulane, is indeed something of an artifact, just as is the low yield, which would normally be considered a negative. Out of context from the marketing strategy, neither can be properly understood, and neither is particularly meaningful.</p>
<p>The bottom line is not to focus on the acceptance rate, or the yield, or anything like that. Focus on the quality of students, what Tulane has to offer in so many areas, and the city in which the school resides. Few schools are as closely tied to their location as Tulane is to New Orleans. Very unique in so many ways.</p>
<p>S2 did not formally choose Tulane over Chicago. His brother attended and he had visited many times, including taking summer courses; and though he loved the academics he experienced there, he felt it was not for him. He wanted a U of C education in a somewhat less intense environment in a much better winter climate. Of all the schools to which he applied, he felt Tulane provided the best mix of academics, service, and fun. He chose Tulane over the Univ. of Washington, UCSB, UCSD (honors), USC (with scholarship), and UC-Berkeley. All of these schools are “ranked” higher than Tulane. He was also admitted to Occidental College with a nice scholarship. One might notice that the word “snow” is not typically used to describe the areas in which each of these schools resides.</p>
<p>Well, I knew Chicago was in the mix somewhere! Thanks for that, I think as you have said, it demonstrates a lot of Tulane’s strategy. Your son is the prototypical example, and there are dozens more that have posted just on CC. Thanks for that update.</p>