<p>After reading all the posts, I find it curious and distressing that my daughter, who applied EA and applied for the Dean’s Honor Scholarship, has a 3.9 U/W GPA (4.6 weighted) and got a 2280 on the SATs - with great recs and extracurriculars - was deferred. I just don’t know what to think.</p>
<p>We can only ask the usual questions. Did she fill out the “Why Tulane?” or, if not, follow up with an e-mail later saying why she really wanted Tulane? Did she visit the school or attend local events sponsored by Tulane? Finally, Tulane is not just about scores and grades, but truly does put a premium on service. You say she has great EC’s, but are any of them service oriented? Probably, but I had to ask the question anyway. There could be other reasons, but those are the most obvious, short of her having a disciplinary incident or something like that, which seems unlikely.</p>
<p>Beyond that, it is hard to say. I only “know” that Tulane would not defer a student as strong as your D unless they thought she was only using it as a safety, and had no reason to think she was really all that interested in the school. Just to repeat what I have said in other posts, I know that sounds bizarre at some level, until one realizes that predicting what the final class size will be is almost impossible, and Tulane has been significantly oversubscribed for 2 years in a row. They are trying hard to make sure this class is a more manageable size, and part of that means focusing on students that seem likely to attend if accepted.</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, where else is she applying?</p>
<p>While she didn’t originally answer the Why Tulane question, she did follow up with an email to that effect and expressed Tulane as her first choice. She attended a regional Tulane visit in NJ and has significant service. She applied to Brown, U Chicago, Brandeis, Vassar, BU and a couple of others but is in love with Tulane (and no disciplinary issues). She’s still hoping she ultimately gets admitted but I can’t figure out why she hasn’t been yet. Also, she hasn’t received any response to her Dean’s Honor Scholarship application - not even the “no” letter. I know there’s no easy answer here but it sure is a mystery.</p>
<p>Hmmmm - that really is a mystery. I would strongly recommend she directly communicate with her regional admissions officer and ask all her questions. If you are in Northern NJ that is Rachel Kohn. Otherwise it is Kasey Bruns.</p>
<p>You are correct that Rachel Kohn is her Regional Admissions Counselor - that’s who my daughter emailed after being deferred to affirm Tulane as her #1 choice as well as add some recent honors. My daughter is reticent about pleading her case, as she doesn’t want to come across as a pest nor seem to be begging for a slot - which she feels could jeopardize her possible acceptance. Do you really feel there is enough of a potential upside to sending an email now that would outweigh my daughter’s fears? I really appreciate your advice.</p>
<p>Hard to say without knowing exactly what exchange took place earlier. However, I would say that if she is that convinced Tulane is the school for her (smart girl! LOL), then I think rather than just e-mail back and forth she might check with Rachel to see A) if there is going to be a Tulane session in your area soon, and arrange to meet her then, or if not then B) set up a time for a phone call and she and Rachel can just have a chat. There is nothing wrong with wanting to express an important message more personally than what an e-mail can offer. She should treat it like an interview, even though technically it wouldn’t be I suppose. In other words, be ready to talk about why she wants Tulane, why she feels she should be accepted, etc.</p>
<p>I see it as one of those situations where it is good to sound confident without coming across as arrogant. For example, there is nothing wrong with knowing that she is above average stats-wise than most Tulane students, but also acknowledging that she knows there is more to it than that, and if there is anything she can provide more edification about regarding her app, she is happy to do it.</p>
<p>There must be a reason they are delaying a decision on her, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with probing as to why. Usually with students that have stats like hers, the reason turns out to be a snafu of some kind, and a little “elbow” to admissions can shake things loose.</p>
<p>To all of you who are concerned regarding whether or not you received Honors College/Scholarships to Tulane: it may take several weeks, if not months, before your final award is updated. When I applied, I was accepted in late November (3 weeks after I applied) and was not given Honors admission or the $22k scholarship until February.</p>
<p>Also, if you any of you guys have questions about Tulane, feel free to pm me. BTW, I am a freshman at Tulane double-majoring in Finance and Economics within the Honors Program.</p>
<p>I am surely glad to have much patience while I helped fix system problems with my application and got into my dream school. Now comes the hard part: paying for it with financial aid (with no CSS profile sent yet).</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>[ b]Objective:[ /b][ list])
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 650(r) 640(m) 600 (w) = 1890 (did not send)
[ *] ACT: 29
[ *] SAT II: n/a
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.728
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 61/285
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): 2 AP Lang & Comp (did not send)
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: 3 AP, PE, Leadership, regular English (All A’s)
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[ /b][ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government (PR for Senior Class and High School BETA Club), Choir (secretary), National Honor Society, Key Club, Theater, Church, Track (as a freshman)
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Work at a fast food sandwich place for 6 months
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: BETA Club, Church, Gift shop, Key Club, NHS, park clean-ups, cafeteria worker
[ *] Summer Activities: not really anything but Leadership camp and church
[ *] Essays: Probably a 9, an admission counselor only had a few things to say, and the two AP English teachers at my school really liked it
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: My choir director; I have it: it is really positive
[ *] Counselor Rec: IDK, but it is probably at least positive
[ *] Additional Rec: n/a
[ *] Interview: No
[ /list][ b]Other[ /b][ list]
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: I’ll have to file the CSS to get aid!
[ *] Intended Major: Chemistry/pre-med/Vocal Performance
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): Washington State
[ *] Country (if international applicant): n/a
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian
[ *] Gender: Male
[ *] Income Bracket: 166000 from both parent and stepparent
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a
[ /list][ b]Reflection[ /b][ list]
[ *] Strengths: Why Tulane? essay, ACT, essay, upward trend in grades and rigor of classes
[ *] What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Community service, choir, and upward trend
[ *] Weaknesses: GPA, Class Rank, Class rigor, extracurricular (gotta get some sports in there!)
[ *] Why you think you were accepted: Upward trend, asking the most questions at the student reception, showing interest
[ *] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Loyola University New Orleans (accepted)</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): n/a
[</em>] ACT: 31 (28S 27M 31E 36R)
[<em>] SAT II: n/a
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 4%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 4,4,5
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP US Gov, Pre Calc, English 12
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
XC (4 years varsity) (2011-2012 captain)
Track (3 years JV)
Work (10hrs a week)
Numerous clubs that aren’t super significant
Volunteering around town
[<em>] Essays: Pretty good, I worked really hard on them and they did a good job of showing who I am.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Hopefully good</p>
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[</em>] Intended Major: Intl. Relations, Pub. Health, not sure yet 
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): OR
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: 100-150k
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Absolutely none!!!
[/ul]Reflection[list]
[<em>] Strengths: My essay, my grades, and my dedication to a select few sports
[</em>] What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:None really, I just tried my best to give them a picture of who I really am.
[<em>] Weaknesses: Volunteering/Community service is what I really should have done more of.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I wrote a why Tulane essay and included a letter of rec from an alum. </p>
<p>I’ll update with merit award when/if it comes. Hopefully it will be generous! So excited!</p>
<p>Oh, another question. How long does the letter usually take to come? And is there any way to see if I got merit online or do I have to wait for the letter?</p>
<p>About a week, maybe 10 days, and you only see the award in the letter. At least that is how it always has been until now. However, DHS winners are saying they can see their award online, so you might want to check.</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted, $25,000 a year!</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 760 CR, 700 M, 710 W - 2170
[</em>] ACT: superscored 34, 35 E 31M 35R 33S 11W
[<em>] SAT II: 610 World History, 620 Biology E
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): I honestly don’t know the conversions, but 94.6 UW and 97.21 W
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~Top 5%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (3), Music Theory (4), United States History (3), Psychology (5), Language and Composition (5), US Government and Politics (self-study) (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: College Writing 110, College Writing 120, AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Macroeconomics, Child Psychology, Wearable Art, Gym
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 3rd place in NY State for Voice of Democracy Scholarship, if that counts? 
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Girl Scouts (since kindergarten), flute lessons (7 years), local youth symphony, member of pit orchestra for drama club, president and co-founder of philosophy club
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Cashier, babysitter, piano teacher, trading post operator at girl scout camp, waitress at New England Music Camp
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Girl Scout Silver Award (40 hours), miscellaneous Girl Scout stuff, volunteered at my music school and for NYSMMA festival
[<em>] Summer Activities: New England Music Camp (2008, 2009, 2010) and worked two jobs in 2011
[</em>] Essays: Writing is definitely my strong point, so I’d say my essays were good! I mentioned working with a Tulane professor at summer camp in the Why Tulane? essay, so that probably helped too.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t see them, but I’m assuming good!
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Again, didn’t see it, but I was one of her strongest students, if not the strongest, so I’m guessing it’s good!
[<em>] Additional Rec: N/A
[</em>] Interview: N/A
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes, but I doubt I’ll get anything
[</em>] Intended Major: Psychology
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): New York
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: Somewhere in that lovely bracket where you don’t qualify for financial aid, but can’t afford to just go wherever you want! 
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[/ul]Reflection[list]
[</em>] Strengths: Essays, ACT, relationship with Tulane professor, music supplemental CD
[<em>] What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Music! It sort of made itself, that’s my main thing
[</em>] Weaknesses: SAT IIs (granted, they were freshman and sophomore year and I never really bothered retaking them), no hooks, not a minority
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I’m a pretty strong applicant overall, I’m glad they thought so too!
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to University of Rochester, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Stony Brook. Deferred from UChicago. Still waiting to hear back from University of Delaware, Boston College, and Harvard (did that just to see what would happen, hehe :P)</p>
<p>I was an Early Action applicant and got accepted back in October, but I just got an account now, so this is a bit delayed! I hope I’ll be able to fly down for one of the Honors Weekends so I can see the campus for myself, it’s been moving up my list over the past few months Good luck to everybody!</p>
<p>Fallenchemist–I checked the fin aid tab on my gibson portal. I clicked award history and it brought me to a page that said “Fund: Dist Schol-Honorable Mention, Status: Offered, Award: 25000, Paid to Date: 0” </p>
<p>Is this where everyone else is seeing their merit awards?</p>
<p>I think that is the right place. That is a new feature, putting it on Gibson at this stage. Before it was only in the paper letter until you actually enrolled and had a “bill”, so this is a nice improvement. Nice award, congrats.</p>
<p>I checked Gibson and saw that I had received a 17k academic scholarship on there!</p>
<p>I’ve been accepted but still waiting for my official (paper) letter. If I had received a scholarship would it be listed in the financial section of Gibson?</p>
<p>Well, based on the above postings by AMPH007 and jmplayer, it would appear likely. So if it isn’t there is means either A) you did not get a merit scholarship; or B) they simply have not updated the records in Gibson yet. The paper letter will be the most definitive.</p>
<p>son was deferred in EA but he is now ACCEPTED…</p>
<p>When did he find out?</p>
<p>Accepted yesterday after being deferred RD. After spamming Gibson’s ‘award history’ page for the past 24 hours, this finally arrived about 30 minutes ago: </p>
<p>Dist Schol-Honorable Mention Offered $25,000.00</p>
<p>Elated! Now I just have to pray for a community service scholarship for the next month :D</p>
<p>P.S: Special thanks to FC for their help and input after I was deferred. Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>I am just very happy for you, avery. Super award. Continuing to keep my fingers crossed for you for the CSS.</p>