Showing interest at Tulane.... Question/need advice

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
1

Tulane hit my son’s radar late in the game this fall. He was initially looking at big state schools but, after looking at a few smaller/mid sized options, decided smaller was a better fit. Given the timing, he did not visit Tulane. We live about 900 miles away. Over the last two months, Tulane has inched up his list. The more he learns, the more he likes.

I am concerned he did not do enough to “show interest” and we are seriously considering squeezing in a last minute campus tour before the 1/19 EA decision date. So far, all he has done to “show interest” is visit the Tulane desk at a local college fair and apply/complete a local alumnus interview. He was already on Tulane’s mailing list, and missed the Tulane rep visit at his school (which happened very early in the school year). He did apply for one of the scholarships due yesterday.

My question: At this point in the application process, is the time and expense of a campus visit in the next 10 days worth it? It would obviously be helpful for info gathering (if he is deferred and wants to consider ED2 for example). But is it “too late” to impact his EA application?? TIA

2

What’s his stats? In general, at this point I would not make a special trip this month unless he is seriously considering ED2.

3

Stats are below. Definitely not a slam dunk.

Early Action
1510 SAT (one sitting, 790 M, 720 R)
SAT II Chem 720 (took as a freshman) and Math2 730 - but I don’t think he submitted these scores since not required or recommended by Tulane?
GPA 3.5 UW, 4.7 W (but our school has a generous weighting system)
AP Chem (4), AP Physics (4), AP Calc AB (5), AP Bio (4), AP Human Geo (5), AP Lang (3)
All other courses Honors level except PE; taking AP Stats this year
Live in the midwest
Chemistry major
Honors Chem Teacher’s Assistant this year
Decent EC (two sports, volunteer work, some clubs - not president/captain though – and summer job)
Started high school in 7th grade through a highly selective public test-in program so has a weird course progression – lots of requirements were done early so there are many more electives his last two years (e.g., organic chem, biochem, forensics, PE “buddy” for disabled peer, etc.)
Essays: Common App essay is about chemistry (prompt # 6 - topic you find engaging). EC essay is about a service trip (clean water initiative) to the Dominican Republic. Why Tulane essay probably on the weak side since no campus visit.

UW GPA is probably the biggest problem?

Don’t think he would seriously consider ED2 without first visiting…

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

4

Unless you are thinking about ED2, and a visit would obviously make that a more comfortable option, visiting just for the sake of demonstrating interest is probably late in the game at this point.

I would likely have my student reach out directly (and very quickly) to his admissions rep to tell the honest story of his interest and application journey to this point (as you told it), and how currently timing and circumstances are preventing a visit until after acceptance. As long as the rep understands that the interest is genuine he should be ok.

He can use this as a guide in telling his story, and the section on not visiting not being held against you should provide some comfort. Good luck!

http://tuadmissionjeff.blogspot.com/2019/07/apps-101-demonstrated-interest.html

5

Why is he applying EA and not ED2?

IMO visiting would still be helpful in demonstrating interest for EA…of course we don’t really know the impact of said visit over the next couple of weeks. I doubt Tulane AOs will be reading many EA apps until ED is pretty well wrapped up, which should be happening right around now.

Applying ED2 per se demonstrates relatively more interest than EA because it is binding…but the conundrum is that although a visit may be less important for demonstrating interest purposes in ED2, making that commitment sight unseen is probably not advisable.

So…all roads lead to visiting, if OP can make it work given the tight timeline and expensive proposition.

If you do visit, I would still make contact with the AO…maybe your S won’t be able to meet with the AO, but they will know S’s application journey and the effort made to visit.

Good luck.

6

If it is his number 1, maybe do ED2, if you can visit before deciding that.

ED 1 decisions came out last week and my S was accepted and will be attending! He did visit and interview and saw AO at high school visit and college fair. Your s’s scores are higher and GPA is similar to my S. I think your S has a very good chance if he did ED2. He might also have a decent shot at EA but they seem to really want ED now. It sounds like you can wait and hear about EA and then switch to ED2, though, right?
But you might want to have that visit by then if so.

They have significantly more women than men at Tulane so I think being a high stats male helps as well. Good luck!

7

Thanks, everyone. Your input was very helpful. I just booked an overnight trip and we leave in 3 days! I got a great deal on airline tix…

As suggested, my S sent an email to his AO explaining his story and upcoming visit. Unfortunately, he quickly received an automatic email reply that the AO was not responding to email inquiries during “read season”. So it looks like this visit will not be considered as part of his EA application. However, it should provide my S some valuable information if he is deferred. And if he’s outright rejected this month… well, then I guess we got a night in New Orleans.

8

Don’t consider the “automatic reply” that the email is not read, the rep will see it but simply not use it to start a conversation with your son. Also stop by the admissions office when you are on campus, take a campus tour and info session. This info will definitely be part of his pending application.

9

@DebmomNY - Actually my son did get a very nice, personal email later last night. Yet one more thing that has impressed me about Tulane!

10

@aewlmom We are in the exact same boat! Tulane came on my daughters radar this fall. She’s done everything she can in terms of research and interest, but we were not able to make it down there for a visit (we live in the Boston area and have a lot of family stuff going on for right now). She ended up applying EA, but is pushing the switch to ED2. I’m having a really hard time getting my head around EDing to a school we haven’t seen, and it doesn’t look likely that we’re getting down there. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep us posted and let us know what your thoughts and impressions were.

11

@cafe22 – We had a nice visit. Weather was a bit dreary (cool and overcast, but at least no rain) and it is finals weeks there, so not a ton of fun action on campus. But we still left with a good impression. We were a small tour group (4 students total, 3 of which were seniors doing last minute tours like us) and I felt the admissions office made an effort to really personalize the experience for us. The admissions presentation focused on campus life, Tulane’s connection with NOLA (including the TIDES program) and academic flexibility. The campus was nice and felt pretty enclosed, which I liked (we only crossed one relatively quiet street with traffic during the campus tour). It seemed to be located in a good area of NOLA, about 5 miles west of the downtown/french quarter area and surrounded by neighborhoods, a park and Loyola University New Orleans. My son asked about housing, the social scene / greek life, and transportation. Happy to try to answer any specific questions you might have.

Overall, I’m glad we made the effort. It confirmed our initial impressions regarding Tulane being a good “fit” – and as a bonus provided an opportunity for my son to personally connect with his AO.

12

@aewlmom Glad the visit helped confirm your S’s interest. Would you be able to elaborate on what makes it a good fit for him? What is he looking for in a college? Does he have a major in mind?

13

Just a head’s up to prospective parents…there are a number of us parents here who currently have students at Tulane. We would be happy to share our thoughts, knowledge and experiences (as well as those of our children).

14

@homerdog – Sure. Happy too elaborate. Let me start by saying that my S is very bright (I know, I know, all moms say that about their kids), but he can be disorganized, distracted and sometimes a bit lazy. He is, however, extremely passionate and motivated in his area of interest - Chemistry. He is an extrovert and very social. Also, it is relevant that we live in a very big city and he attends a large public high school.

Given his high school and social interests, my S was convinced he wanted a large state university. However, after visiting a few smaller schools, he realized that smaller class sizes and personalized relationships with staff would help him stay focused and engaged. But “small” to him was around 10,000 students (his high school is about 4500). Tulane initially hit our radar because of its size.

Tulane stayed on our list because it is Tier 1 research institution with an ACS (American Chemical Society) approved BS in Chemistry. A strong science program with excellent research was his #1 consideration, regardless of size.

Tulane was also a good match in terms of test scores / GPA. (Although, with such a low acceptance rate, I would still categorize it as a reach.)

Several other factors moved Tulane up on his list. He liked the academic flexibility offered. My S does best when he has choices and control over his academic path (greater interest and more “buy in”). He also liked the hands-on learning opportunities through programs such as TIDES and service learning. He learns best outside of a lecture hall. Warmer weather and Div 1 sports were benefits too.

The visit revealed some more positives. As I mentioned, the campus was in a nice area and fairly enclosed despite being in a city. The immediate Tulane area feels quiet and student-focused, but a 20 minute Uber ride puts you in the heart of downtown if you’re looking for more action. My S enjoyed the whole French Quarter scene – not my thing, but I can see why he liked it. (Worth noting that we live in a much larger city ourselves – and we are actually city peeps, not the burbs – so I’m comfortable with him in a city environment. However, it is a little seedy down there.)

Finally, even though the campus was quiet during our visit, the tour guide and admissions presentation both emphasized social opportunities (e.g., Craw Fest, tailgating, etc.) that appealed to my son’s social needs.

Sorry I wrote a novel! I’ll stop there. Hope this helps.

15

What did he find out about housing? I have read that the dorm you get is random but also that you can rank them or something. Did he get any answers about that? Or roommate selection? My son was accepted ED and we haven’t received anything about that yet.

16

@aewlmom now that he has visited is he going to take advantage of the ED2 option if he doesn’t get in EA?

17

@chardonMN - The tour guide made freshman dorm assignment sounds pretty random (you get what you get, kind of thing), but mentioned that incoming students should spend some time looking at the options online (Tulane housing website, I think). So while there might be some kind of ranking, it sounds like freshman should be prepared for anything. My son did not ask about roommate selection because he has already decided that he prefers a university-assigned roommate, and doesn’t want to use social media to try to find someone. (My extrovert loves the idea of getting a random roommate.) Also learned that some new dorms are in the works which may increase the on-campus housing requirement from 2 to 3 yrs., but probably will not impact this year’s incoming class.

@burghdad – ED2 is officially under serious consideration now. The visit definitely solidified that (would not have felt comfortable w/o the visit). However, my S hasn’t said “for sure” yet (I think he is still really, really hoping to get a yes next week), and I haven’t pushed. Obviously will have to re-visit if he is deferred next week. Are you waiting for a decision next week too?

18

No I have a D21 who is interested so I am just lurking to on these threads.

The ED thing is a real tricky issue when you are looking for merit and would be a full pay 70K if no merit money ultimately given. But schools like Tulane, Vandy etc. make it almost impossible to get into if you don’t apply ED.

19

Crossing my fingers— did he end up getting accepted EA?

20

@camblanch – He did! And he is super excited. I guess we will never know if the visit impacted his admissions decision, but it definitely helped my S confirm his own interest. My S also reached out to his AO prior to the visit as suggested, and they were able to connect and chat for a bit the week before decisions were made. Great advice provided here! Thanks, everyone.