I am wondering if I have a shot at the Deans’ Honor Scholarship. I did a video for the project and I think it is pretty good. I am a little worried about my stats, though. I have a 4.12 weighted gpa (about 3.7 UW, the school doesn’t calculated UW) and go to the top ranked school in my state. I’m definitely not in the top 5% because my school is very competitive and rigorous, but my school doesn’t rank anyway. I have 6 APs total, and all other courses are honors, with gifted math/english. 32 ACT and didn’t submit my SAT because it was significantly lower. I did a solid and specific Why Tulane essay. I also submitted an art portfolio as a supplement and am in the gifted art program at school. My common app essay was about my unique cultural heritage. I am very involved with my church and heritage, so most of my extracurriculars are dealing with that, and I am president of my church youth group. I also have a part time job. If I have a solid project, do you think I have a chance?
Also, does it matter that my teacher who did the recommendation form for dhs also did my other letter of recommendation? (I had another teacher do a letter of rec too, though). And with sending the form in, my teacher emailed it to Tulane. Does it have to be mailed and signed too?
Does not having SAT scores hinder my chance?
No, absolutely not. Tulane accepts the ACT and SAT equally.
No, that’s OK since Tulane doesn’t really require letters of rec. for the regular application. The teacher will need to have filled out that part of the DHS form that asks specific questions about you, though.
I was under the impression they were supposed to attach the letter of rec. to the back of that form I just mentioned, and I think there are pretty specific instructions on how to mail it in. But you could check with admissions on that.
As far as your chances, you are definitely at the lower border of the map, but if you had asked me before doing your project I would have encouraged you to try. You have a small chance, perhaps, and better not to have regrets for not trying.
Do you know examples of people who have gotten it with stats on the lower end?
Yes. I have seen it a few times over the last 5 or so years with stats similar to yours Very rare, I will be honest, but if I had never been made aware of at least several examples, I would have been more discouraging. It’s a very long shot, please know that, but I don’t think impossible. Besides, it sounds like you have already done the hard work. Why wouldn’t you see what happens at this point?
Just out of curiosity, are you affiliated with Tulane? I’ve just seen you on a lot of other forums and you seem to have all the answers haha
Not officially, in the sense of working for them. But I am an alum and my D just graduated from there a year and one half ago. I have stayed current about the school for a long time, but especially after Katrina. I know a lot of colleges to some extent, some more than others. It arises from just my own personal interests, as well as my career taking me to lots of campuses over the years (the business side of research science in chemistry and biochemistry and related areas). You get to know the landscape after awhile, especially when you have a curiosity about various aspects of higher education and therefore ask certain questions along the way that others might not and observe certain things that others might not notice.
Also you see me on some threads because of my being a moderator for this site, so I sometimes post on threads I probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise. When you see something typed in all italics, that’s me in moderator mode only.
I have a question regarding the actual project. If you did a video, do you still need to write anything on the actual box on the application? Or do you just put your name and email on that page and leave the box blank? The place to put the link is on the page before that one.
Well, you never have to write anything on the box on that page. You just are supposed to use the box in the project somehow. So for example, as Jeff says in his blog, someone once made a bench out of boxes, or something like that. I doubt they did anything with the box on the actual application page.
So I think I understand your question, and the answer is no, the box on the page itself is not the focus, it is the box as a concept to be used in you project. Although I have seen projects where the use of the box seemed pretty thin, forced into the project like a square peg in a round hole. I have no idea how the committee looks at that or cares, if the project is still creative. I would think ones using the box more organically get looked at more favorably, but that is, as I said, only what I think.