<p>My son just added Tulane to his list (it's now his #1 choice). He had been focused on U of Miami, but when he got a letter from Tulane he looked into it and got very excited about the school and the prospect of living in NOLA. </p>
<p>He was 10 when Katrina hit and he was so moved by the post-Katrina disaster that he ran a fundraiser (hitting long drives at the driving range for a donation) and raised $7500 on his own for the Red Cross and the Humane Society. He was featured live on the CBS Morning Show doing his "Driving for Dollars". He is writing about this in his "Why Tulane?" essay.</p>
<p>He has a 32 ACT but his GPA is barely a 3. His trend is markedly upward (great grades in Junior year) and he has a backstory (debilitating ADHD and he lost his dad to cancer). He has very good ECs, including Habitat for Humanity which he hopes to continue in NOLA, but only one AP (Environmental Science) and one Honors (Latin...with a National Foreign Language Honor Society award).</p>
<p>He's "first generation" but otherwise no hooks. We live in New York. He'll apply EA. His focus is biochemistry and/or biomedical engineering. Generally a strong Science/Math guy.</p>
<p>Oh, I hope so. He seems to have so much heart for the school, and we haven’t even visited. They are coming to his HS in October and he is also writing to them to schedule a local interview. Do they do that? I know some schools don’t.</p>
<p>I don’t think Tulane does local interviews using alumni, but if they are actually coming to his high school, as opposed to holding a local event in a hotel, I would think he would have a chance to have a real conversation with the admissions officer.</p>
<p>But to your real question. Definitely not a pipe-dream. He has a lot of positives, and the one obvious negative. But as you point out, even that negative is mitigated by both the strong junior year grades and the external circumstances.</p>
<p>It is certainly possible that he will get a decision by December 15 and that it will be positive. I think another outcome might be that he gets deferred into the RD pool, simply for the reason that they want to see his first semester grades to make sure he is continuing to achieve at the higher level. That wouldn’t mean that he wouldn’t hear until April 1, since Tulane tends to respond once they feel they have all the information they need.</p>
<p>He may be able to help his case if the high school will send Tulane copies of mid-term grades, assuming they have such a report. Some schools don’t. Hard to say, but if Tulane saw the same strong grades continuing that way, and given the excellent record he has otherwise, it might be enough to get a decision by Dec. 15. No one except Tulane admissions can decide that, of course.</p>
<p>But certainly I would think he will be in the mix. In the end, what every admissions office wants are motivated students that are likely to be successful both in the classroom and outside of it. If they can come to the conclusion this is probably the case for your son, then it should come out OK.</p>
<p>FC beat me to it. The suggestion to get facetime with your regional rep at a college fair is excellent. He/she should get to know your son personally, and hear his story. The Katrina and loss of dad issues are strong. An upward trend is also positive. Its sometimes hard to say how they will hear the ADHD issue. Sometimes its an explanation, sometimes it might be heard as a rationalization, though certainly if it was identified, treated and he has responded positively, thats all a good thing.</p>
<p>And if you haven’t yet, GO VISIT. Have him arrange to meet with faculty, sit in on a class, etc. in addition to attending the tour/info session. Demonstrated interest is a big plus. I am assuming the cost is not a deterrent for you, as its tough to know if he ouwld be a candidate for merit aid.</p>
<p>He has life insurance money from his dad, probably not enough for all four years but maybe three… we may still apply for financial aid and loans (and then he can use that money to pay the loans back rather than deplete his savings). </p>
<p>Does Tulane get a lot of kids from the NY area applying there?</p>
<p>We haven’t visited the school yet, and initially thought we’d wait to see if he gets in before taking the trip down. Now I’m wondering if we should try and go in November. He will already have sent in his application, so is that too late (in terms of showing interest)?</p>
<p>Also, I’m sure there’s a thread here about nice places to stay that won’t break the bank, but also won’t have bedbugs! haha</p>
<p>Mavitale - I think your son should definitely say in the application that he’s visiting in Nov. (if that’s what y’all end up doing). It can only help!</p>
<p>As for where to stay I’ll put in my pitch for Maison Perrier. It’s 3 blocks from St. Charles Ave where you can then catch the streetcar to Tulane. It’s not too expensive and it’s very well kept.
[A</a> New Orleans Bed and Breakfast - Maison Perrier](<a href=“http://www.maisonperrier.com/]A”>http://www.maisonperrier.com/)</p>
<p>I have heard good things about Maison Perrier as well. The Hampton Inn on St. Charles is right on the streetcar line, and you can often get a good rate when there is not much else going on in town. However, check that the streetcar is running that far down. I know they have about half the line down for maintenance, and I think that part of the line is not in service right now. But I don’t know what the timetable is for it coming back online.</p>
<p>I’ve heard good things about the Hampton Inn too. It’s on St. Charles and Foucher so that part of the street car line is still open. The streetcar is closed from Louisiana Ave. to Canal st., but they have busses that run in place of the closed line.</p>