<p>i got into tulane. (early action, free application) i got a scholarship from tulane. (15k i think) i visited tulane…and i’m not going to tulane. i just didn’t feel at home there (even though i did like the school), and i could not see myself spending four years of my life there. it was too far away from home (maine) and visiting tulane in feb. reminded me of how much i actually enjoy new england winters. part of me is sad that i’m not going there, but the rest of me is thrilled with where i actually will attend.</p>
<p>go_habs10</p>
<p>Sounds to me like you did exactly the right thing. Good luck and best wishes wherever you go.</p>
<p>I attended the June 22 -23 orientation earlier this week. I didn’t hear anything about SAT scores this year. I didn’t think to ask either. I was having too much fun being a pseudo college student for a couple of days; staying in a dorm and dining in the cafeteria (read that: not shopping, cooking, or cleaning), and not having a car.</p>
<p>Oh, speaking of which. United cab worked out great. $30 to Tulane for two. $24 from Tulane for two. It was much cheaper than any rental rates we could find.</p>
<p>That said, Enterprise car rental offers a discount for Tulane students. Look for them at a table outside the conference room. They’re not there the whole time; afternoon of day two only, I think.</p>
<p>The Enterprise discount code is also listed in the Tulane travel portal.</p>
<p>I also got into Tulane early action, free application. And yes, I am going to attend a school that is considered less competitive than Tulane. But I did some research on Tulane and found out that the retention rate is under 90% (~88%), which isn’t too flattering. Most private institutions ranked around Tulane boast 90-95% at the least. Add one of the lowest yield rates for a private institution in the country, and there seems to be a problem. There is probably a missing link. I did love the campus, but it wasn’t going to keep me there. So I guess I am saying that the reason I chose not to go to Tulane was that it is too selective yet not appealing enough for it’s applicant pool.</p>
<p>75% of the university comes from more than 500 miles away. I would bet that the distance that the average student is from home has a lot to do with a higher than average transfer rate. It is much more geographically diverse than many in it’s peer group.</p>
<p>It looks like our family is the outlier (again). Visited tons of schools. Rigid requirements for a mid-sized university in a fun place with good Med School placement and a strong Latin American studies program. Liked Tulane and W&M best. Attended Tulane as part of the Katrina class. No regrets whatsoever.</p>
<p>Our family’s experience with people’s perceptions has been similar to those described above. Most persons who haven’t visited NOLA have a very poor image of the place … and EVERYTHING associated with the city. My D has wonderful memories of Tulane and NOLA, with only a tiny portion of those involving alcohol. It bears repeating that there is an enormous chasm between how the general population sees the city, and how Tulane students see the place. Pity.</p>
<p>Personally, I have been extremely impressed by the information I have gotten about Tulane from a variety of well-placed sources. I also believe that a well-disciplined student who understands how to balance his/her responsibilities with social activities will thrive in any environment; those who don’t will likely fail in any environment. Tulane (or for that matter, any top university in a vibrant/urban setting) is not the place for students who cannot find that balance. It’s that simple.</p>
<p>We have yet to visit Tulane, but it is high on S2’s list of schools. Everything we hear about the school is appealing and S2 likes the idea of NO. He plays in one of the nation’s top HS Jazz Bands and wants to continue playing in college. We plan on visiting this fall. S2 has a good GPA in a tough curriculum and strong SAT scores (in the upper 25% for Tulane) so if he receives any scholarship at all, it would be hard to turn down. We live in the PNW and most we talk to around here have a very good opinion of the school. Main competition will be USC (great jazz opportunities) and UChicago (great academic opportunities and a family history). S2 likes none of the Ivy’s except Columbia and then only a little.</p>
<p>As a former Tulane student, the biggest thing I noticed about the school is that almost everyone has the same story. It was a school that no one had heard of until Tulane sent them that darn thing in the mail telling us that applying was free and without an essay. Then when you receive that financial aid package and find out that the school is giving you anywhere from 15-20k a year, it’s hard to turn them down considering that it used to (and still somewhat does) have a great reputation. The typical Tulane student could’ve gone to a better school, but decided to choose Tulane after receiving the financial aid package. </p>
<p>There is no doubt on my mind that Tulane will not slip further than 51. I used to hate Scott Cowen because I thought he was a terrible president, but I honestly think he’s helping the school do what it needs to after Hurricane Katrina. The free application is really helping Tulane get some of the brightest students in America. With the economy the way it is right now, a generous school like Tulane is picking up some of the very best students.</p>
<p>Tulane is finished “slipping” and about to start ascending. As an apparent alum (or more likely a transfer student judging from your ignorant remarks), you should know that admissions records have been shattered for two consecutive years now. I also highly doubt your “no one had ever heard of it” take.</p>
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^^^ Transfer student or dropout??</p>
<p>Speaking of which, the retention rate seems to be climbing as well. Partly because of this, housing is somewhat tight for the returning students. Nice problem to have…</p>
<p>MonStar - who are you yelling at? Thesecrtazrman? His comments were generally positive, and Tulane had slipped in the ratings so that observation was accurate. Now you know I think the ratings are bogus, and Tulane’s case was somewhat unique anyway because of Katrina. I completely disagree with his phrasing of his comment
but again that is a matter of perspective, especially if you put stock in those rankings. Unfortunately a lot of students and parents do. I think anyone that really knows anything understands that Tulane has always been a fine school. But he didn’t say anything wrong. There are universities out there that are stronger academically than Tulane, which is what I think he meant by “better”, as most people do when they use that term. So that’s a good thing that students that could have gone to Duke or Chicago or other higher rated schools chose Tulane. That is how we keep breaking admissions records. As far as his saying it was a school no one had heard of, there are parts of the country where Tulane is not as well known, and besides that is a personal take for his community of friends and relatives, even if he did state it overly broadly. Finally, while I disagree with him about President Cowen, everyone is entitled to an opinion like that.</p>
<p>Lighten up. It is one thing to go after the Tulane haters and people that regurgitate incorrect information. Let’s not alienate our friends too.</p>
<p>
Agree 100% with this.</p>
<p>Your point is well taken, fallenchemist, that outside of the NE and South,Tulane may not have the name recognition that some other schools do. I have been amazed at the schools (eg Emory) that people have never heard of.</p>
<p>2009 statistics are now posted on the Admissions page. 26% of applicants were admitted this year.</p>
<p>There’s not much detail:</p>
<p>Applied: 39,926<br>
Enrolled: 1,500</p>
<p>25th %tile SAT: 1260/1880
75th %tile SAT: 1430/2150</p>
<p>[Tulane</a> Admission: Getting Into Tulane](<a href=“http://admission.tulane.edu/apply/gettinginto.php]Tulane”>http://admission.tulane.edu/apply/gettinginto.php)</p>
<p>That’s the usual amount of detail. Not as much of an increase in the test scores as I think they originally anticipated, only about 10 points. Still, a step in the right direction again. I am sure it would have gone up more if they had known ahead of time how many superior students they would have to waitlist because of their taking so many early. Like we have said many times on here, admissions is a very tough job with a crystal ball requirement. Also of course their commitment to Louisiana students brings down the average some. That isn’t a knock, I think it is a good thing. Just a statistical fact.</p>
<p>Anyway, bottom line, the best class ever. It will be interesting to see how some of the changes they have made will affect the next admissions cycle.</p>
<p>Tulane should have been ranked higher than 51 last year. If SAT scores were the only measure, you would note that it should have been in the low 40’s. For some reason, the peer assessment score brought the ranking down.</p>
<p>Probably all the media misinformation regarding New Orleans and Katrina, especially regretful in that Tulane was not physically affected very much. As you say, if you go purely off academics, Tulane would at least be in the low 40’s. But the rankings are garbage anyway. It pretty much tells you what you already know, which is that Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. are extremely selective schools that get very high achieving students. But does it rank by percentage of classes taught by tenure track professors? No. Does it take into account how much these faculties care about undergrads as opposed to winning all their grants and prizes? No. For these and many other reasons, the rankings are garbage based on reputations and perpetuations of perceptions.</p>
<p>That’s not to say I would make the statement that Tulane is a “better” school than Harvard, or Duke, or … but it just might be better for a lot of students, even those with perfect SAT’s etc. Rankings only measure certain things, and these things may or may not be important to the student or in “real life”. The only reason it would be good if Tulane rose in the rankings is because the reality is that it matters to a lot of parents, who in turn push their kids to go to certain places. And there are kids as well that think the rankings matter. So to the extent it helps Tulane get higher quality students, it would be a good thing.</p>
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<p>I think a better word would be “hoped” bcos there is absolutely no reason to have expected/anticipated a big jump in test scores. That would cost even more bucks, such as what Vandy did in going no loan. Given the HS graduation peak, (nearly?) all competitive colleges saw an increase in their test scores. Thus, a college would have to do something extraordinary to matriculate a group with a higher increase than its peers. Moreover, while Tulane is generous with merit aid, it does not meet 100% of financial need. Thus, high scoring kids with large $ need can and will go elsewhere (Vandy, Emory, Richmond, etc) where they will receive more money, and graduate with few or no loans.</p>