<p>Congrats on these last two. SurvivorFan, Wildcat! Has a certain ring to it @-) </p>
<p>@jkeil911</p>
<p>Baylor’s one negative is its religious component, as, while I am of the right, I am not religious. Kentucky has some good programs, but the one outstanding question for me is the idea of being a Kentucky fan. Bama and OU are my top ones of the ones that have already accepted me.</p>
<p>fortunately, you won’t have to be a wildcat unless like Paul you’re knocked from your horse on the road to Lexington.</p>
<p>I am starting to feel a ranking develop:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Vanderbilt- it seems like a near-perfect fit (and I love the way the college is in relation to Nashville- it is the best integration I have seen), but I wish that it had a more specific International Business (or even business program). I have been leaning this way for a couple weeks, but this is the first time that I am admitting that it is my #1 right now, though that is very fluid.</p></li>
<li><p>Richmond- It is a great fit academically, and the sports are decent (but nothing like the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 schools), but I wish that Richmond itself were more accessible.</p></li>
<li><p>Penn- Yes, Wharton is great, but I do not feel quite the same fit or vibe that I do at the top two.</p></li>
<li><p>Tulane- I love most of the programs, but I have not yet seen it. I had planned to go on Friday, but this massive snowstorm messed me up.</p></li>
<li><p>Alabama- Especially with the Honors College, it seems like a great fit and I would love having football games be such a big deal, but I worry about the loss in prestige and the fraternity culture a bit (what is the frat life actually like)?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Then, Oklahoma, Drexel, Miami, and Kentucky make strong cases. I like South Carolina and Baylor too, but I have some concerns. I have mellowed a bit on Davidson, but it is right with SC and Baylor. I am no longer considering F&M or Rhodes.</p>
<p>my bad, that was Saul. </p>
<p>okay, what accounts for the change, OP? Have you seen any schools in the last week? did you get in on that tuition scholarship at Richmond?</p>
<p>@jkeil911 I was just thinking more about what the colleges offer relative to what I want.</p>
<p>Anyway, I am now accepted to Tulane.</p>
<p>CONGRATULATIONS!!! Have you received your financial aid letter yet?</p>
<p>I never applied for need-based aid (my dad makes millions), but I will hear about merit aid in a letter. It only said that I was accepted in a blurb on the portal.</p>
<p>Looks like your guidance counselor was right! 
Would a merit scholarship make a difference? Wasn’t Tulane a favorite of yours (since you’d applied early)?</p>
<p>Congratulations, SF! I think D’s admissions notice was a letter snail mail with mention of the scholarship. Maybe there’s something coming for you, too. Or maybe one of the tuition scholarships! Here’s hoping. I’ve not seen the campus, nor has D, but everything about this community strikes me as attractive. Just the way admissions goes about doing things, the little birthday card for D from the AO, the posters like fc and dlvr, the frequent contact, makes me feel good about the attention my D might get at Tulane. It doesn’t hurt that they have a major in neuro, with a large faculty, and a hospital, to boot. but it is the former that sets Tulane apart from, say, Pitt, a similar comprehensive research uni. There is a hint of this at URochester and Vandy, too, that keeps these schools in my mind in front of Pitt. I don’t get this feel at WashU any more than Pitt, but I haven’t been on any of these campuses yet–and these are just a dad’s observations. D is holding her cards close and is still visiting campuses.</p>
<p>@jkeil911</p>
<p>My decision is still very much in the air, but I am less and less thinking that a LAC would be good for me. Rhodes and F&M are off my radar, while Davidson (the only LAC that I liked when I toured) is still on my list, but has fallen down it quite a bit. </p>
<p>It really, in my head, always seems to come down to Vandy, Penn, and Richmond (with Vandy having a slight lead). Tulane could make a late push (especially with the Paul Tulane), as I have not visited it yet, but my dad may or may not pay for it, as he HATES New Orleans (without ever having been). Alabama could be in the mix, too, but I have never seen such a big school. The program at UK is great, but I still have a hard time getting past the basketball allegiance issue. Drexel and Bucknell are great, except for their locations (Drexel too urban, Bucknell too rural). I will probably not get to tour Oklahoma, as it is hard to get to, and I would not go somewhere that I did not tour. South Carolina would have to be really impressive with its program in International Business to get over the fact that I would likely only be able to get into the Honors College after one semester, as I applied too late. The only two that this leaves are Miami and Baylor. Miami is a wild-card that looks great on paper, but there is something pulling me back that I can’t quite put my finger on (though, I will know more once I tour). Baylor is offering a full scholarship, but I think that the religion may wind up being a bit too intense for me there, though I love the Conservative politics.</p>
<p>I’ve said this before, but it’s a great list. Hang in there. You’ll probably choose the right one for you because you’ve put so much work into it. I’m with you about Penn, esp for business, but Vandy, Tulane, and Richmond are great fallbacks if you get in.</p>
<p>I now have 7 acceptances in 7 different states after hearing from Drexel and South Carolina (that late app didn’t do me in). I also got $25K a year in merit aid from Tulane, but I could still get the Paul Tulane scholarship.</p>
<p>Once you have them all, just list the name and the cost before loans along with how much your parents had said they were able to pay out of pocket (once again: not talking about loans). We’ll try to make a value analysis for you. :)</p>
<p>@MYOS1634</p>
<p>I will not be getting loans or any sort of need-based aid. My parents will be willing to pay the full cost, but, despite my dad making a couple million a year, the scholarships are nice.</p>
<p>congrats on Drexel and SCarolina, SF. </p>
<p>@SurvivorFan I’m sorry you got deferred from Tulane- you seem like a great candidate. Despite what people are saying (that you are too smart for it), I think you should still highly consider it. In addition to the great programs that Tulane offers, they give away tons of merit scholarships. Make sure the Tulane rep for your area knows you are interested (via email), because they track interest. If you have the means, then go visit! I think that if you are accepted, you will get an amazing scholarship. I was accepted this fall and I do not have the grades or scores that you have but I got about 1/2 off tuition. So, I assume you could get even more. I haven’t committed yet, but I’m looking forward to visiting so I can commit soon (just have to see the campus to make sure). </p>
<p>A side note: Aside from Louisiana, the most popular states that Tulane students come from are California and New York (I think). And Cali is a very very close second to Louisiana. This does not make the student body inherently conservative. So, that’s something to consider if you visit campus. You could address the Tulane page on here with that question, too. </p>
<p>@shk909 If you read back in the thread, I have now been accepted there with a 25K scholarship and an acceptance into the honors college. It definitely feels like the deferral was an interest issue.</p>
<p>Also, I toured Alabama over the weekend and liked it, so it is nice to have another thing that has accepted me that I know I like.</p>
<p>I am starting to narrow things down in my head, as I do not expect to be able to tour Oklahoma or Baylor (time and feasibility constraints). I am also starting to think that Davidson (in addition to F&M/Rhodes) are too small. My knee-jerk reaction is also that I preferred Alabama to Bucknell and Drexel, but those are close enough to not eliminate as of now.</p>
<p>Here is how my list is looking:
TOP CHOICES: Vanderbilt (kind of 50-50), Richmond (moderately likely), Wharton (unlikely), Alabama (accepted), Tulane (accepted)
SCHOOLS THAT COULD MOVE UP AFTER A TOUR: Kentucky (accepted), South Carolina (accepted), Miami (highly likely)
SECOND TIER: Drexel (accepted), Bucknell (a little above 50-50) (these would be right up with the first tier if I could transplant them to in/near a Southern city)
(Oklahoma, Baylor)- accepted</p>
<p>I will not tell them no yet, until I am 100% certain that I will not be able to tour (I would never go anywhere without touring).</p>
<p>Update time: I toured Kentucky over the weekend, and, other than the basketball issues, I liked the school by in large. The Global Scholars Program is great, and the campus is nice, although it is a little spread out (whereas Alabama is a bigger, but more compact campus in that there is one central quad). I was also accepted to Miami with a $24,000 a year scholarship. I now have acceptances from:</p>
<p>Alabama- full scholarship + stipends + honors college
Baylor- full scholarship + honors college if I apply for it (I am no longer really considering it)
Kentucky- full scholarship + stipends + Global Scholars (part of honors college)
Oklahoma- full scholarship + stipends + likely honors college
Tulane- $25,000 scholarship + honors college
Drexel- full scholarship + likely honors college if I apply for it
South Carolina- out-of state tuition waiver + $6,000 annually
Miami- $24,000 scholarship</p>
<p>Also, let me post something from another thread that was never seen:
While I am still waiting to hear from several schools, I have pretty much narrowed my decision to six schools: Vanderbilt, Penn, Richmond, Tulane, Alabama, and Kentucky, with a few others that I may consider if I have the chance to visit, such as South Carolina, Miami, and Oklahoma. I have not yet seen Tulane, but really like it on paper, so I was thinking about going to the Top Scholars Weekend on April 6-7. However, Penn has its accepted students days from April 7-9, which I would want to go to if I get in, but I doubt that I will. I went to a similar type of weekend at Kentucky this weekend and found that really helpful, so I would want to go to that at Tulane, but I would not want to miss the Penn Preview Days should I somehow get into Wharton.</p>
<p>Also, I really like Vandy, but I have not seen it in a while (but I have seen it), so I will go back if I am accepted. What would you recommend as the best way to do this in the context of making a then-imminent decision? I plan to know where I am going by mid-April.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>You may want to remake your list of admissions and scholarships with the following numbers, in addition to the non-financial likes and dislikes:</p>
<p>Cost after deducting scholarships
GPA needed to retain/renew scholarships (be careful if this is a high GPA like 3.5 or higher; 3.0 is typically much less of an issue for a top scholarship student to make)
Cost if scholarship is lost</p>