Yeah, I am really wondering about that PTA.
I would like to say that the personalized letter for DHS is a nice touch. Especially with how around this time everyone’s getting tired of all the generic mail/email from various schools (even for acceptances), I really appreciated how they talked about specific parts about my essay (and my EA app and resume from the fall) that really stood out to them. Later on in the letter, they also mentioned how they think I’d be right at home in one of their laboratories-- since in my EA app I emphasized my cancer research experiences and how I want to continue doing research as an undergrad.
I know it’s another way to make students feel special and get them to enroll, but hey- it’s totally working. My family and I are really excited, and whereas before I couldn’t really consider Tulane a feasible choice because of the financial aspect, they’re definitely a real possibility for me now!! 
Best of luck to everyone else still waiting!!!
My PTA envelope says 2-day air. I live in Colorado, so I don’t think it’s a matter of geography. It’s weird that so many people are getting DHS notifications, but I haven’t heard from anyone else that got the PTA.
I also received a personalized letter that talked specifically about my essays and about my EA application to Tulane. I’m excited that I can afford college now! For those who are curious: ACT 36, SAT 2310, GPA 4.0 unweighted
Good luck to everyone who is still waiting on the mail!
I just got the PTA! 2330, 3.9 GPA. They are all out.
OK, and there we have it. Just one of those weird things like flipping a coin 10 times and the first 5 all came up heads.
Good to hear that they are all coming out at the same time. It will be interesting to see if people still get deliveries tomorrow.
Not all DHS winners got STAMPS interviews. In my case, I was deferred until last week, so probably missed out on the opportunity to interview. Does not make much sense that if I were not strong enough to admit EA, but strong enough for DHS. As if admissions office made a mistake. In any event, celebrating here now.
35 ACT, 5.1 weighted GPA, 3.9 unweighted. Many AP and dual enrollment classes. Several leadership positions in and out of school. Letter was personalized and talked about the box project I did.
@StagNation Congratulations! Time to change your picture again 
@iampia You know it!
Really happy for you stagnation and all the other winners…congrats…roll wave!
@fallenchemist As you predicted long ago, D2 did receive one of the full tuition awards. Thanks for the vote of confidence and all of the advice along the way!
Like a few others on this thread, she also got Paul Tulane, and had been interviewed for Stamps. The package included the portfolio and a nice letter that referenced one of her PT essays, and made it clear that they really understood the point of the essay. She – and we – felt that her PT essays were stronger than her DHS project, so this isn’t a particular surprise.
So the trip to TSW this week is seeming even more exciting – and important! Congrats to those who heard today, and best of luck to those who are still waiting. With the wild weather we’ve been having, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some of the packages have been delayed.
@Arlmom2
That is so great! I have definitely enjoyed our conversations. Although I hope I didn’t actually predict, because I try to stay away from that for obvious reasons. But clearly she was an exceedingly strong candidate. I am confident everyone that is going to TSW will have a great time. I just hope the weather cooperates.
@fallenchemist – As usual, you’re right. I think you said what you repeated here, that you thought she would be an extremely strong candidate for one of the major awards. I believe you did predict the Presidential, which was also correct!
That I did venture a guess about. It is more stat based and there is no limit on how many they award.
Yes, congrats to all of you. 
Feeling grateful about our Presidential scholarship but wondering about the rolling nature of the PTA scholarship awards. Are these truly “rolling” as Tulane’s website says, or in general have they been awarded all at once? Grasping at straws.
There is only 2 years of history for the PTA, @gettingaclue. The first year the awards came in 2 waves, one about now and another about 2 weeks later. Last year I believe they pretty much all came at once. So we just don’t know. Hang in there for a little bit more and let’s see if more info comes out.
@Dreamer21
You are right, of course, that they are making very effort to market to you in a very personal way. But this is something I feel very strongly about with regard to how Tulane stands out from so many other schools in that it is small enough to allow for very personalized instruction and relationships with great faculty, yet it is a top flight research university, one of only 60 that has been accepted to and continues to be a strong member of the American Association of Universities. If you are not familiar with this organization, look it up and you will see that the universities most famous for world class research make up the membership. As recently as 2 or 3 years ago Tulane’s recently retired president, Scott Cowen, was president of this group as well.
But even more compelling, perhaps, than that is the experience I had as a chem major several decades ago and the one my D had as a humanities double major just in the last couple of years. I was able to work with a fantastic professor in the chem department who made the experience very enlightening, surprisingly empowering, and fun. When the project he assigned to me fizzled out in the early stages, as the data did not support the hypothesis he had, he challenged me to come up with a new project for my honors thesis. I came up with an idea that was a bit odd, but he encouraged me to try it, with some insightful suggestions he made that improved the chances of seeing something interesting. Well, lo make a long story a little shorter, it worked spectacularly and we ended up with a series of published papers in the two top journals in chemistry, and one of our results has been cited several times in textbooks. I honestly cannot imagine that happening at very many places, because without the relationship and the time the professor gave me, there is no way things could have developed in a way to allow that. And even though I didn’t stay in the laboratory end of chemistry for my career, it remains one of my proudest achievements. And believe me when I say that while I was a good student, I definitely did not have anything resembling the achievements you people have shown already. So if I was able to do this at Tulane, the sky should be the limit for people with your smarts and ambition.
As far as my D (who was a DHS winner and had many choices for attending other, more selective universities), she also had a couple of close relationships with professors at Tulane that encouraged her work in combining her interests in creative writing, fantasy in literature, and Chinese culture. Those same relationships also helped a great deal in her obtaining a full grant from the Chinese government to study in Beijing for a year, and also in getting a coveted position with the Department of State for summer internships, which put her in DC last year and this year will take her to Taipei. She is also going to build on her honors thesis research for her masters thesis at Stanford. I will also add that her observation is that Stanford is a wonderful place to be an undergrad, but that when it comes to research it is so grad student oriented that the undergrads don’t get much attention for that. A limited observation so far to be sure, but she is quite sure she was better off picking Tulane for undergrad rather than Stanford or a couple of other schools that are similarly graduate research oriented.
Now these are only personal experiences, and the ones I can obviously illustrate best. But dozens of students have written to me about similar experiences over the years, and dozens more get written up every year in the Tulane newsletters. In fact, they even started a peer reviewed journal to highlight undergraduate research being performed at Tulane, and I assume they are also accepting papers for work researched by undergraduates at any university. At least that is how I understand it. It just started so I don’t know a lot of details. But it shows the emphasis at Tulane on undergraduates doing research.
All of which is to say that what Tulane is telling you in that letter is not just PR puffery. Over many decades and in widely varying areas of academics, Tulane undergraduates have performed high level research and received high level recognition for it. Also, it is worth looking into the Tulane Scholars program, an extension of the Honors Program. Those of you attending Top Scholars Weekend will no doubt hear more about that. And for you young women, also look at the Newcomb Scholars Program. Both represent focused opportunities to do great academic work in a collaborative atmosphere.
Sorry for the long post, but I think it is important, as the students who have won these scholarships, and who represent the best in academic achievement, weigh their choices in where to spend the next 4 years, that they are aware of this aspect of Tulane. As I said, I think it is truly one of several aspects of the school that separates it from most other undergraduate experiences.
I would like to chime in as well to report the experience of my son who is a freshman DHS recipient. Thus far, his experience has been everything that he has hoped for. Just yesterday, he received a congratulatory and introductory letter from the Chairman of his department who has been assigned (after my son picked his top 3 choices from a list of potential choices) to serve as his mentor as part of the Tulane Scholars Program (which is new this year). The professor is soliciting information from my son regarding his interests (academic and otherwise) and is planning to meet with him, both individually as well as with the small group of his other Tulane Scholar “Sponsees”. My son was particularly happy that the professor wanted to know about what foods he most enjoys (my son likes to eat!!). My son will be working through this professor to do an extended research project of some sort over the course of his time remaining at Tulane. Also as part of the Tulane Scholars Program, my son is enrolled in a Pass/Fail Colloquium which meets in small groups this semester to discuss various topics of interest. Upcoming is a lecture by another Chair of a Department (closely related to my son’s intended major) who has recommended videos to watch in preparation for their class. It all seems very stimulating! Finally, as part of the Scholars Program, he is guaranteed Housing in Weatherhead Dorm which serves as the Honors Dorm for sophomores; this has eased his mind about living arrangements for next year.
Good Luck to All!
Thank you very much for that report, @vandyeyes. I definitely think the Tulane Scholars Program was a very smart move, as was the Newcomb Scholars Program 6 years or so ago.
Hey for those of you who received the DHS notification, did you receive only a physical letter, or an email as well? Is there any update in your gibson? I’m an international student, so I’ll have to wait for a while to get the letter, if I did…
No email for sure domestically, no change in Gibson I don’t believe. It might be worthwhile to contact your admissions person and just ask if you happened to win. Either way, at least you will know.