<p>I recently retook the ACT and received a much higher score. However, I already have been admitted to Tulane. Because Tulane is so expensive, the extra money would really help out and Tulane is in my top two. Is there anyway I can appeal to Tulane and receive more money in my merit scholarship?</p>
<p>Yes. See [Tulane</a> University Admission Blog - Jeff: Dear Tulane- Send $!](<a href=“http://tuadmissionjeff.blogspot.com/2012/12/dear-tulane-send.html]Tulane”>http://tuadmissionjeff.blogspot.com/2012/12/dear-tulane-send.html) and read the whole thing, but #9 is especially on point.</p>
<p>Hi everybody, and thanks for all the terrific information on your forum!</p>
<p>I applied EA and my application is still under review. I’m on the West Coast, not sure if that makes any difference.</p>
<p>Shortly after I submitted my application I received updated standardized test results with a vast improvement, putting me well into Tulane’s 75th percent. Although the scores had been sent and received by Tulane before any decision has been made, Tulane Admissions will not consider them because the scores came in after the 15th. This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me – they have the scores. Other schools I’ve applied EA to are eager to see any improved scores.</p>
<p>My sense from reading admissions results from this year and last year is that a higher score often leads to a higher amount of merit aid (for those applicants who receive an award).</p>
<p>Assuming Tulane accepts me and awards me a scholarship, I know from the folks on this forum that I can ask for a reconsideration of the amount. However, after reading Jeff’s essay it looks like increases in merit are rare.</p>
<p>Just venting some frustration …</p>
<p>I know you are frustrated, but the EA deadline is just that…a deadline. If you knew that your scores were not going to be in before the EA deadline, you could have simply applied RD. You want a school to consider scores that were not available at the deadline? That doesn’t make sense to me. Now, if you called the admissions office and told them you’d like to withdraw from EA and be considered in RD, (because a decision has not been rendered) that would make sense. You can’t have the advantages of EA (higher admit rate) with the deadline of RD…Just my opinion.</p>
<p>Lol, true, Bigdaddy!</p>
<p>“You want a school to consider scores that were not available at the deadline? That doesn’t make sense to me.”</p>
<p>With all due respect, it may not make sense to you, however, I don’t think it’s unusual for schools to consider updated scores, given that the other schools I applied to EA are doing just that.</p>
<p>Who told you that your new scores would not be used to make a decision? I have never heard that. When information, whether it be new test scores, a new recommendation, winning a big award, etc. is received it goes into your file. They don’t just let it sit there in a box. So when the admissions officer picks up the folder to make the decision, they will see the information. That is probably one reason Tulane almost always waits to defer candidates until the last minute of the Dec 15 notification date.</p>
<p>Now that is different than saying when new scores will be used to reconsider merit aid. There have been several instances where a student was accepted and got a merit award (or didn’t get one at all at this point) and then got much better test scores. Reconsideration of that student for a larger award, or any award if they didn’t get one, will not happen until later, per the link I gave above. But that is not the same at all as an admissions decision.</p>
<p>That, at least, is how I have seen it in the past, and frankly not looking at the updated scores for an admissions decision would make no sense to me. I wonder if you misunderstood.</p>
<p>Admissions told me they don’t accept November scores for EA. I don’t believe I misunderstood, and I agree it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Could it be Admissions thinks it would be unfair to applicants who’ve already had decisions made without the November scores?</p>
<p>According to this link, “all supporting materials” have a November 15th deadline, so it looks like Tulane includes standardized test results in that broad category.
[Tulane</a> Admission: Deadlines & Forms](<a href=“http://admission.tulane.edu/apply/instructions/deadlinesandforms/deadlines.php]Tulane”>Important Dates, Deadlines, & Forms | Undergraduate Admission)</p>
<p>FC! you are among the most knowledgeable and helpful folks I’ve encountered on CC. In this case I think you are dead wrong. What is the point of an EA deadline if applicants can continue to send supporting documents after the deadline? It’s not fair to the applicants who met the deadline. Now, I can see using updated supporting info to change an admission decision or to upgrade a merit award. But for the purposes of an EA decision, the deadline should be the deadline. I’m confused why this is even an issue!?!? Can a basketball player make a basket after the game and ask the refs to add those points on the game score? Can you show up two hours after a store is closed and expect someone to open the doors for you? Applying EA has advantages and those advantages should only be available to the kids who met the deadlines. Again, I have no issue with additional supporting documents changing a deferral to an acceptance or to increase a merit offer. What am I missing?</p>
<p>MusicMusic - Two things: 1) My interpretation of the statement in the link you give is that if they don’t have the minimum materials required to consider your application by that date (technically, postmarked by that date) then you go into the RD pile. That is different than saying they won’t update data and use it if it comes in between the deadline and whenever they make a decision about you.</p>
<p>2) It wouldn’t be unfair to others because up to this point the only decisions they have made are acceptances. Traditionally, Tulane doesn’t deny admission in the EA round, but instead defers. At least that has been my observation. There are probably exceptions, but largely that seems to be the case. And as I mentioned, those deferrals don’t go out until late. So I still don’t see why your new data wouldn’t be used. Why wait until the RD round when they would be looking at the same data?</p>
<p>I cannot say 100% for sure, but I think maybe you got some bad info. Was it directly from your admissions officer, or from a student intern? In any case, you don’t have long to wait to see what your decision is. Let us know.</p>
<p>I meant unfair to others because they didn’t get one more shot to retake the tests. Certainly, merit money has some limit, so allowing supporting material to arrive late AND considering it in the EA round could be unfair.</p>
<p>I don’t want to beat a dead horse. Let’s just agree to disagree.</p>
<p>Hi Bigdaddy - I think I addressed your points in the previous post to MusicMusic, but just to be clear:</p>
<p>You would be 100% correct if Tulane denied people admission, or even made deferral decisions, on a rolling basis during the EA period. But only acceptances are rolling, they don’t finalize “negative” decisions (defining a deferral as a negative) until the very end. Therefore the advantage of doing EA is still that you are getting a decision by Dec 15 if not sooner. It isn’t like a basketball game after the buzzer, because the buzzer isn’t until Dec 15. It would be closer to instant replay during a football game where there is information the ref couldn’t see before, so they make a better decision. I won’t torture the sports analogies because they are obviously imperfect.</p>
<p>It still could be that Tulane isn’t considering this updated info, I cannot say 100% for sure. It just isn’t consistent with what I have seen admissions do the last 5 years or so. And I still fail to see how it helps admissions to postpone until later using data they have right in front of them now. But I could be missing something, for sure.</p>
<p>One other thing to be clear:</p>
<p>
I am not saying that if your didn’t get test scores in at all before the deadline you should get considered for EA. Of course you have to have all materials in. I am saying that if new and better information becomes available in that relatively short window between the Nov 15 date and the date they make a decision about you, why not use it? It doesn’t disadvantage any other applicant unfairly.</p>
<p>Info came from an admissions officer. Twice, lol. I followed up just to be sure. I accept this as Tulane’s policy.</p>
<p>You’re right, though, thanks to Tulane’s efficiency, I don’t have much longer to wait for a decision. Thanks for your responding.</p>
<p>for responding, I meant.</p>
<p>Well, if that is what they say then I guess that is how it is. It sure doesn’t match past behavior though. Just to satisfy myself, if I get a chance in the future I will inquire about this with others I know in admissions, just to understand the reasoning.</p>
<p>Be sure to let us know when you hear from them.</p>
<p>You’re killing me! THE reason for the policy is because there’s a deadline! IF Tulane or any other school had a suggested timeline, let’s call it a priority deadline that stated applicants with a complete application by 11/15 will be given priority on notification and merit BUT applicants can continue to complete the application process up until the decision date…THEN there would be no issue. </p>
<p>Keep in mind, applying EA is not required. It is offered to those students who have worked hard to complete the process early. The reward for that hard work is generally an early decision, better acceptance rates and more merit opportunities. Lots of schools don’t even offer an EA option.</p>
<p>Well, apparently other schools disagree with you as well, according to MusicMusic. As I said, there is a deadline to get the test scores, transcript, application, and anything else required completed by Nov. 15. Technically there is nothing that specifically states, in plain language, that information cannot be updated after that and still considered. We will just have to agree to disagree about what that “deadline” should represent. I personally see no reason they shouldn’t use the better scores, since they will anyway at some later date. What purpose does it serve to not use them now? (That is rhetorical, I know you don’t agree with that).</p>
<p>I promise this is my last effort. Let’s say you are taking chemistry. You finish a lab and the teacher says the lab report is due on Monday. You get the lab report in on Monday, but it’s not your best effort HOWEVER the teacher has not posted a grade. Can you submit another lab report on Wednesday? Of course not! The teacher posting the grade is totally irrelevant to the due date. </p>
<p>I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!</p>
<p>Well, like all analogies this one has flaws. We are talking about an up or down decision here, not a point grade, and the decision is based on the merit of the student. Of course there has to be an ultimate deadline, but since that ultimate deadline hasn’t happened yet, there is also no reason not to consider the best information available. Comparisons to games or school assignments don’t capture the purpose of the admissions process. How does it help anyone reach a good result to ignore information about the student that is received before the decision was made? Put another way, how does it benefit Tulane to exclude that information from the decision making process, especially since it doesn’t disadvantage other applicants, as I have demonstrated.</p>
<p>I hope you and everyone had a great holiday as well.</p>
<p>Can a student withdraw EA app and go RD, if a decision has not yet been made? If Music feels his/her application is now stronger wouldn’t it be beneficial to go RD in regards to acceptance and possible merit award? I’m also wondering if Music’s adcom is saying it’s too late because a decision has actually already been made although not yet posted on Gibson (most likely a deferral in which case scores would be considered later anyway). Not trying to stir the pot back up, but just wondering.</p>