Dean's Honor Scholarship

<p>I feel really stupid but I find the application really confusing.</p>

<p>They say to submit the project inside the box (those of you who have seen the app know what I'm talking about), but then they say the project should be no bigger than 8.5"x11"...which is much larger than the size of the box. Does this mean that I can make my project larger than the box or not?</p>

<p>Also...does the teacher rec have to be from a different teacher than the one who wrote the recs for the initial application? I'm probably going to use a different teacher anyways, but just in case I want to use the same one...</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

<p>My daughter emailed admissions yesterday to ask if they could use the recommendation letters sent with her original application or if she needed to submitt the scholarship recommendation form. They said they preferred a new recommendation.</p>

<p>The "box" on the application is more of a concept than a physical item.. You should not feel limited by the actual dimensions of the box on the application. The reason they specify something no larger than 8.5 x 11 is that they want your project to still fit within the file folder with your application materials. They have said that they take CD's / DVD's / photos / etc. You can interpret the box to be whatever defined boundary you want it to have but the actual physical submission needs to be of a 2 dimensional nature.
I know my d drew a picture that fully utilized an 8.5 x 11 paper then did the essay.
Also, the teacher recommendation should be a different one from the original ones submitted.</p>

<p>Hope this helps! Good Luck!</p>

<p>Hovermom,</p>

<p>So basically, if I were to record a sampling of a music solo I've performed, and put it on a CD, that would be an acceptable form of the project? Even though I didn't really use the "box" at all?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Regarding the "box" - so it's okay if "2" sheets of paper are used, meaning it does not all have to be contained on that "1" sheet, as long as it's 8 1/2 x 11. Asking a teacher at this late date for a recommendation and then say you have to have it done by yesterday is going to be very awkward, I only hope they have the time. Good luck everyone!</p>

<p>Another question...</p>

<p>If I send in my forms & project, am I implying that I AM going to go to school there? I have an ED app that I'm still waiting to hear from and Tulane isn't really one of my top choices. But if I send in this app, does it mean that I HAVE to go to school there?</p>

<p>no, sending it in doesn't mean you have to go there.
they don't say anything about that- - I think they're more using the scholarship to attract more desirable students. (aka if students get the scholarship, they're more likely to go but they don't have to)</p>

<p>yeah I second Yoshukiu's question.
Does a cd / video of singing sound ok?
I wanted to have a couple kids from my school's jazz choir sing background while I solo. . . would that still be ok? the choir is pretty intense- we sing professionally/volunteer at bat mizvah's / local galleries / benefits etc etc and the money goes back into the choir and I'm pretty passionate about it.</p>

<p>That sounds like a good project for the DHS.</p>

<p>My project = an acrylic painting of a photograph of an infant who survived Katrina (I'll credit the photo, its from Flickr)...I think it's safe to say I'm pretty darn good at painting, and I absolutely LOVE community service and I think that will show both sides of that...(I'll write about why I chose my subject and how it relates to my want to help Katrina victims/ down-and-out people in general in my explanation...and how I think Tulane's com. service requirement is an incredible idea)
Does this seem like too treacle / clich</p>

<p>Be creative with the box--two of friends here are on the DHS. I know one 'elaborately' drew in the box and included a short essay and a picture of a matching sculpture, and the other proved some sort of complex geometric theorem in it. (I don't know which... or how, sorry.)</p>

<p>Apparently, someone a few years back cut the box from the sheet and mailed in the remainder--and followed up with regular handmade ransom notes explaining he'd return Tulane's precious box in exchange for the scholarship. He got the nod.</p>

<p>Yah...I thought I heard the BOX was pivotal...anyone can just "be creative" it's alot more challenging with a 3 1/4" box</p>

<p>The box is not pivotal. I got the scholarship and I just wrote a creative story. It had basically nothing to do with the box.</p>

<p>For incoming freshmen who won Dean’s Scholarships for 2009 -
What did you do with the box? Just curious. Although Tulane might be a great fit for my Louisiana-loving son, who will be applying to colleges two years from now…</p>

<p>“…depth of thought, imagination or creativity?” Does it have to be something that shows “originality” or “creativity”?</p>

<p>This was an old thread, you might want to start a fresh one. Just a suggestion.</p>

<p>But since I am here now, I might as well respond to you MidwestMom. My D won one this year and she used the box as if it was a square on the periodic table of elements and created the element Tulanium (Atomic # 175, since this is Tulane’s 175th anniversary), and then wrote an article as if she was reporting the discovery and naming of the element for a newspaper. She had a lot of clever references that combined properties of an element with things associated with Tulane. As you can imagine by my screen name, I was very pleased, LOL. But she was taking AP chem at the time, so it was kind of a natural thought progression for her.</p>

<p>A lot of people use the box but it’s not necessary. My D won it as well (chose to attend elsewhere and not follow a siblings’s footsteps) but you need to have excellent credentials as well. The box is a catalyst for your thoughts, maybe that opens up new ideas for you but don’t get all wound up about the box theme. My D submitted a multi-page paper and didn’t tie it to the box idea at all.</p>

<p>For those of you who have experience with what sort of projects have been successful, what do you think about this?
One of my passions (unrelated to academics/my prospective major) is amateur graphic design; over the last two years I’ve individually designed full length calendars and sold them for charity, making a little over $700 last year. Anyway, I was thinking of playing off this a bit and designing a sort of “magazine” (think the color inserts to the NY times, a few pages long, type things) that “features” some of the things I’ve done/am passionate about/am interested in. I’m thinking that could show my talent/creativity on the artistic side, but also talk about some of the more unconventional (not found on application, in other words) things that make me a strong candidate.</p>

<p>I suppose my dilemma in all this is that I’m not sure if the intent of the project is along the lines of the application in general, i.e. to make yourself seem both desirable through academic/community depth and to make yourself seem like a real person/humanize yourself…or if the intent is to research/write/design something entirely unrelated to the application process/Tulane, and that is unrelated to the main subject of you, your life, your achievements, etc that pervades much of the rest of the application.</p>

<p>My problem also is that my main strength is writing (and an interest in history and politics) but without going for a creative story (which I could do, but I"m not going into creative writing) will anything else I do with writing will just seem a boring, old, non-creative/forward thinking essay? <em>sigh</em> These are the times I wished I played the violin phenomenally well instead…</p>

<p>Relax and go with what you love and what you really want to say. Don’t try to guess what they want. They want to see what is inside of you, however that comes out. The best project will be the one that comes most naturally to you. I guess I would only say in response to your musings that they can see your application already, so why tell them more about something they already know? Sometimes one learns the most about a person when they are not talking about themselves.</p>

<p>flying_phoenix - it sounds like your ‘magazine’ idea would indeed be the type of thing that has been successful in the past. It would highlight your interests/personal side much more than they currently see on an application and would be very ‘viewable’ by the application committee. My D did a similar thing with a drawing where she placed all things important to her and wrote short essay on what they represented and why they were important. Not a long project but more a window into who she was. </p>

<p>Good Luck on your project!</p>

<p>Totally agree to go with what feels right for you. My s gave his friends post-it note pads and asked them to write/draw/create/describe whatever they felt represented him, as he felt he was who he was because of his relationships and his friendships. He selected one of the designs, put it in the square (though the post-it note wasn’t square, it was from some company and was in the shape of their product) and wrote a short essay on why he chose this and what it meant to him. </p>

<p>YOu don’t have to write a symphony to win this scholarship-- just let yourself shine through.</p>