<p>That is very true rowerva. I know a few years ago many of us pointed out that there seemed to be a lack of any kind of communication when someone did not receive the DHS, the only full tuition scholarship at that time, for the purposes of this conversation. In other words, not counting ROTC and that kind of thing. Tulane seemed to take note and institute a systematic notification for those not getting the award. So this seems to be a step backwards. I am not sure if each admissions officer is responsible for notifying people in their region or what, exactly.</p>
<p>But like any business, since you (and others) have experienced this and other communication issues, you should send a letter to the head of admissions and, if you are not satisfied with her response, to the VP of Enrollment Management, Earl Retif. Be specific by including copies of your emails and noting which received no response. I completely agree with you that this could be handled much, much better. The best marketing in the world is useless if the customer doesn’t get good service when they go to buy the product, or in this case inquire about it.</p>
<p>Others that have experienced similar issues should do the same. I would like to see Tulane be as excellent in every area as it can be. Pretending there isn’t a problem doesn’t do that, and direct feedback from people such as you can be the best way to spur change.</p>
<p>@fallenchemist thank you for noting whom I should contact after the whole process is over. I wanted to let the rest of the “no word” group know that there is at least one more person in the same boat, and also let anyone else with non-responsive admissions officers know they have company as well. I really appreciate the points of contact and advice!</p>
<p>Still no word for my D. She sent her admissions officer an email providing more info and asking for an update. He is out traveling meeting admitted students, but did manage to send her a quick reply after just 24 hours. When was the last time you sent the admissions officer an email?</p>
<p>@SoCalDad14 – the last email was sent 17 days ago on March 2. I’m effectively counting it as a 15 day window seeing that I got an automatic response stating that the rep would not be returning to the office until that Wednesday due to Mardi Gras. Realistically, I’ll even put the gap at 14 days considering how that Wednesday might have been used as a recovery day from Mardi Gras festivities. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, it’s an awkward place because I am straddling the line between wanting to be persistent to show genuine interest but at the same wanting to avoid coming across as an annoyance. Especially for a school where demonstrated interest is such an integral factor considered in the “statistically top applications,” I can’t help but grow increasingly frustrated that there really should be a better, or at least more reliable, means of communicating continued interest. </p>
<p>EDIT: I’ve decided at this point, there’s really nothing to lose, and I sent another email tonight updating an additional honor I received this past weekend and re-requesting some sort of timeline regarding the scholarship information. </p>
<p>@njl1022 It was a very short 1 or two liner. Something like we will add this to your file and good luck. No info on timing of decision. I do not think it was an auto reply.</p>
<p>I called admissions and was told by a woman who answered the call (could have been a student intern) that some PTA decisions are still pending. Take this for what it is worth.</p>
<p>Not sure if there are still some PTA applications under review, however I just called the Admissions office to ask about it. My D cannot call due to the time zone differences. I was told by a student intern that the admissions officer is my D’s contact for both admission as well as the PTA award, My D was under the impression she needed to speak with a different group re the PTA. Now I am confused since my D has emailed her Admissions Officer multiple times and he has never commented about the status of her PTA in any of his replies. The intern suggested I jump in and email the AO directly, but I am going to leave that up to my D as I do not want to jump in so late in the game. I thought March Madness was reserved for collegiate basketball. I guess it also extends to collegiate admissions.</p>
Great line, and unfortunately sometimes true. (How about them Mercer Bears!) She really should have heard back from Jeff about the PTA, he is usually one of the best about communicating. That tells me they must be incredibly stretched, because while the intern is right that admissions controls the PTA, Jeff doesn’t make the decision about who gets one. I assume that is decided by a group within admissions led by Faye, the head of admissions. So there might not be much Jeff can tell your D about the PTA, although maybe he should just say that instead of leaving her wondering. But Jeff is one of the most senior, well liked and highly competent people in the admissions office, so I will have to assume he has his reasons, besides being extremely busy. I agree with you about not jumping in yourself at this point. All your D can do is either try Jeff again (probably not needed) or just wait and see at this point.</p>
<p>College admissions has been described as madness on several levels by some. I am not not sure I would go that far, but it certainly has its share of frustrations. I suppose anything where you have 20 people chasing every one slot, combined with so much money involved, and add to that the importance of the decision (some perceived, some certainly real), and you get a lot of anxiety and not a little nuttiness.</p>
<p>Hi Fallenchemist, My son applies EA and was deferred to RD pool. He has a 3.6 GPA from a well respected private school, mostly AP and advanced classes, 29 ACT, founded a charity that has raised over 300K for cancer research and underprivileged children to play after school sports (he is franchising the charity into neighboring counties), My husband went to Tulane for undergrad and law school so he is a legacy, he tutors, mentors, etc etc like many of the other wonderful kids on this sight. At this point we have not heard back from Tulane, which is his first choice school. Would you say it is safe to say he is going to be denied acceptance. He called the admissions office with the same question and they told him that just because he has not heard yet it doesn’t mean he’s not in, but after reading so many of the posts on this site it seems that is not true. What are your thoughts? </p>
<p>Hi Conniesdaughter. Wow, put me on the spot, lol. First, I have to commend your son on the charity work. 300K is simply outstanding. I lost my mother to cancer at a very young age, both hers and mine. So that really resonates with me. But, with the caveat that this is of course just an outside opinion, I suspect he will either be accepted or wait listed. I have to think his ACT of 29 is holding him back more than anything else. I know legacy just doesn’t hold the weight in once did at most schools. Not having heard yet definitely doesn’t mean he is not in, but the odds are less than 50-50 to get an outright acceptance at this stage. I think it would be worth him emailing his admissions officer restating that Tulane is his #1 school, his legacy status, his charity work, pretty much everything you said. If he can honestly say that if he is accepted by Tulane he would attend, he should say that. He has nothing to lose, and at this junction he should promote his candidacy. Keep us informed how it turns out.</p>
<p>Thank you Fallenchemist for such a quick response! He has emailed Ms. Udell several times and stated his newest achievements, grades, accomplishments, interest level, etc etc. So many times that I was nervous he was going to annoy her. (LOL Maybe he did…) His last email was sometime in the beginning of this month to let her know that his charity basketball tournament was taking place that weekend and to share the promotional video he had made to market to his corporate sponsors. As far as restating the legacy piece, a high level Tulane person, no names, was visiting my husbands office two weeks ago to connect with Tulane graduates and learn of their businesses for newly graduating Tulane students and the two visitors know of our sons application. I didn’t think it would be appropriate to speak in detail to either the visitors or the rep about the connection. I had initially felt his own accomplishments could/would gain him entrance, but we shall wait and see. Thank you again for your response and I agree less than 50/50 at this point. </p>
<p>Also Fallenchemist, thank you for the acknowledgement of his charity. The benefactors are cancer research because his biological father passed when he was 4 and the after school sports program for underprivileged children because he was a recipient of charity in order to play sports when he was a young child. Both are important to him and he shows it well through his organization. Thank you again! </p>
<p>@socaldad14 Did your daughter’s Gibson change? My son’s changed from the deferred to “Your application is complete and awaiting review…” Are they KIDDING?? It’s still awaiting review on 3/23???</p>