<p>So I got a letter today offering me a Personal Application from Tulane. </p>
<p>"Congratulations," it reads. "As a top student, your Personal Application offers you great benefits -- you will pay no application fee, there is no formal essay required and simply by completing your application you will be automatically considered for many scholarships."</p>
<p>Under most circumstances I'd be flattered by this offer, but how (or why) did they choose my name? I'm just confused, considering I've never expressed interest (or even visited) Tulane.</p>
<p>At any rate, I can't refuse this offer any more than I can refuse free samples. They're free!</p>
<p>They send such an application to literally thousands of students. How they decide to do so is most likely based on PSAT scores and possibly SAT/ACT scores as well. </p>
<p>That said, I do highly recommend taking the time to fill it out. My situation was the same as yours; I had never really thought about or considered Tulane, positively or negatively. But, all the same, my logic was also the same as yours; hey, a free application, why not? Nothing to lose whatsoever. And the automatic scholarship consideration is great; the highest which doesn't require a separate application is $24,000. Very nice for no extra effort. And if you get accepted, I strongly advice looking into Tulane. It really is a wonderful school.</p>
<p>I just received such an application. However, I am VERY interested in Tulane. After all, I just came back from a campus visit around two weeks ago. Just a question though...it says that letters from teachers are not needed but if our SAT is not quite up to parr...could this help any?</p>
<p>I got one of these personal applications to- i signed up to request some info and my SAT/PSAT scores were mid decent i would say... and No Application fee or No Essay is kinda hard to believe. Plus Tulane wasn't a choice much for me. I dont know if i should take the time and apply for the hell of it. Seems like a scam to me?</p>
<p>I also got one. I think it's based off of SAT/PSAT scores.</p>
<p>In terms of scams, how can it be a scam? I just don't see why anyone would take that much time on a scam, I don't see how people benefit from it from a scam point of view, etc etc.</p>
<p>These posts are reminiscent of those from last year. Tulane sends out the free apps to bring attention to their school and to increase the pool of applicants. Of course, the increased number of applicants lowers their acceptance rate which may positively affect their ranking. </p>
<p>However, many, many students who have never heard of Tulane fill out that application, are accepted and end up attending Tulane, and can't imagine having gone anywhere else. </p>
<p>Remember however, that while the application is free there remains the cost of sending your SAT scores. For some, another consideration is how many applications your high school allows before they charge a fee (my son's school was eight) So, if you absolutely cannot imagine attending Tulane it may not be worth it to apply. However, if you are slightly interested it is certainly worth a shot - you may be pleasantly surprised.</p>
<p>The "personal application" isn't a scam. It is a very serious way of Tulane contacting students they believe will be successful in college, mostly based off of PSAT/SAT scores. For many students who may not have seriously looked at Tulane it offers an opportunity to consider it. The ease of application is what attracted my D to Tulane 2 years ago. If your scores are not what you would consider to be the best reflection of you, then most definitely send in supporting documentation, recommendations, etc. to boost your application.<br>
If you aren't interested in Tulane then you are under no obligation to fill out the application.
If you would consider it then I would recommend filling it out. If you fill this out sooner in the application cycle you will indeed have a turnaround of 4-6 weeks for an answer. The longer you wait the more applications they have to consider and the turnaround may be delayed.
My D was one of the "hadn't considered Tulane" people that now view it as her second home and feels she definitely made the right decision for her.
Good Luck!</p>
<p>I received this offer from Tulane as well as from a number of other colleges. I was seriously interested in Tulane before getting the offer, and am even more interested now.</p>
<p>But wait--does this count as an Early Admissions application? If so, would sending this in preclude you from applying to an ED or SCEA school that doesn't allow you to apply elsewhere early?</p>