<p>Are there any stats available yet on how difficult it was to get into Tulane this year? I know the acceptance rate dropped significantly, but I'm wondering about other numbers, like the 25/75 percentile SAT scores, etc.</p>
<p>Stats like that will probably be released in a few months</p>
<p>When i went to Destination Tulane, they said the average ACT score for the incoming class was a 30.</p>
<p>^^How does that compare to SAT score?</p>
<p>Do you know what it was last year?</p>
<p>As Tulane tries to “recover” from Katrina, it’s best to apply early for the best chance to get in. This is the situation. After Katrina, Tulane was desperate for students to help them improve and recover from all the students they lost. That’s why they made their application free and easy and sent it to the whole country. This got the school on their radar. As people started applying, Tulane started accepting because they wanted to take as many students as possible. However, Tulane didn’t realize that so many people would end up applying (their application was literally just filling in boxes about info and clicking submit) and were forced to put some outstanding students on “waitlist”. My friend’s sister just applied this past year and she got into some amazing schools (she’s attending emory this fall), but she got waitlisted by Tulane. There’s no doubt she would’ve gotten in, but Tulane had already accepted so many students that they had to put a lot of great candidates on hold. I would highly recommend applying as early as possible if you want to get in.</p>
<p>thesecrtaznman, suggest that you double check your facts regarding the history of the admission process. Tulane is fully recovered from Katrina, in fact the entering class for Katrina just graduated. Nearly all of the students who were currently enrolled at the time of the storm returned, after having spent a semester elsewhere. It is a real testament to their love of the school that they did so, creating a school spirit that really is unmatched elsewhere, as these students were already settled on another campus but chose to come back. The Tulanians who are now seniors did have an easier admission process (first year post-Katrina) but that was a one year event and the selectivity increases every year. Katrina was the impetus for a number of building projects most of which are completed, so the campus is in great shape. There has been no evidence of Katrina’s aftermath on the campus for over two years, all of this has been covered exhaustively elsewhere on this forum. Tulane is one of many schools that offer free applications, feel free to use CC and search free application, one of the sites lists 280-plus schools that also have free applications including other highly competitive schools like Colgate and Case Western Reserve. Regarding the application being “just click the boxes and submit”, Harvard’s application is the same with an optional essay, just like Tulane. Not to say that Harvard and Tulane are comparable regarding selectivity, but your post says that ease of the application process is one reason for the many applicants. I think it’s realistic to say that Tulane runs a different model than some other schools, admitting a higher number of applicants expecting a lower yield rate, but don’t mistake that easier admissions for less competitive applicants. Tulane operates on a type of rolling admissions process instead of a common response date, so yes once they have extended their magic internal number of acceptances, they don’t admit any more candidates. Qualified applicants then go to the waitlist. So for Tulane it definitely helps to apply early.</p>
<p>As the mom of a recent Tulane grad (the Katrina Class), I wanted to clarify a point made above regarding the free application process.</p>
<p>I know for a fact that the 2 years PRIOR to Katrina, there was a free application in place as D applied (class of 2008, from a different university) and S (Tulane class of 2009).</p>
<p>In my kids’ application process, no other school they applied to offered the free applications, but that was just within their universe. Yes, the application WAS easier as well, but since both my kids had prepared application packages for other schools, it may have seemed “easy” since they simply sent in stuff they’d already compiled.</p>
<p>Re the low yield problem–yes it’s true that particularly in the aftermath of Katrina, parents were reluctant to allow their students to attend. And in fact, the draw of New Orleans is powerful for some, but a turn-off to others who assume that the “party” factor will overwhelm students. </p>
<p>I think there are multiple factors at play here, but it is incorrect to say that the free applications was instituted as a response to Katrina. Simply isn’t so.</p>
<p>PS My son loved his time there…we wondered if he’d go back after his Katrina semester since he wound up at the school that was vying for “1st place” when he chose Tulane. It was that opportunity to experience both his first choice schools that cemebeted that Tulane was right for him.</p>
<p>So it sounds like the normal rules don’t apply. Scores can be high, but if you’re relatively late, you’re out of luck. Likewise, it sounds like there might be pleasant surprises for those who apply early.</p>
<p>One of the admission counselors did write in his blog that this year they were much tighter with acceptances during early admission so that they wouldn’t shut out so many great candidates.</p>
<p>Exactly. As they see the emerging patterns, and Tulane moves up in the rankings, they will hold off on accepting too many early that might have turned out to be borderline later. While final SAT stats are not in yet, it looks like the average will be somewhere between 1365-1400, if I understood where things are heading correctly. I think for sure this will statistically be the strongest class ever, and with the lower admissions rate Tulane should move up in the (worthless) USNWR rankings. If so, that will even further allow the admissions office to hold off on so many early acceptances and attempt to strengthen the next class even more.</p>
<p>BTW birdrock, that last thing you said is not unique to Tulane. Many extremely competitive non-Ivy schools ended up waitlisting many RD candidates that were accepted by Ivies. There are lots of theories about this, but there is no doubt that being early is better. Of course the ED schools have more of a motivation since that is supposed to mean you will definitely go if accepted, while Tulane is just EA, no committment involved. Big difference, but if Tulane thinks you really want to go there, they will certainly weigh EA into the decision as well as being more likely dangle more money at you.</p>