Strange way of being admitted... I need some help with merit scholarship questions.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
1

<p>so basically i applied ea to tulane, got deferred, contacted my regional counselor, sent him my resume after he told me he could have the admission committee look at app again, and then i got admitted a few days later (sorry for the terrible grammar/punctuation its 4 15 am on christmas and im dead tired and worried as hell). </p>

<p>when i got my acceptance letter there was nothing about a merit scholarship and when i called they told me to leave a message on my regional counselor's voicemail. </p>

<p>my question is will i get any merit money?? im applying for the community service scholarship and if i end up getting over 25k a year from tulane i'll end up attending because i honestly f'ing love the school. </p>

<p>here are my stats:</p>

<p>GPA: 3.5 unweighted (3.4 frosh, 3.43 soph, 3.72 junior, 3.77 predicted 1st semester senior)
All advanced/ap/honors classes except for regular geo soph, regular us junior, and regular american lit junior. Our school limits us to 3 ap's junior and 3 ap's senior year. I've taken 4 AP's and 2 honors classes out of a possible 6 ap's and 3 honors classes.
Scores: ACT 33
Extracurrics: outstanding (writing a book, loads of community service, started 2 companies, leader in almost all my extracurrics, community impact, led a 1 man service trip to iran where i worked on improving a neighborhood and funding a study hall/gym for teens, internship with SF district attorney).
Awards: 2 national comm service awards, school level awards, CTY Johns Hopkins award, NHS Latin
rec letters: top notch, got an additional rec letter from the assistant district attorney of San Francisco
Sports: Varsity Wrestling, Club fencing
Hook: low grades frosh/soph were due to racial abuse (wrote my essay about it)
Nationality: iranian
essays: outstanding
state: California
random: i speak 2 languages </p>

<p>thank you!!</p>

2

<p>Since you are new to the Tulane board (at least as far as posting), let me say again that while I do follow Tulane closely and post a lot here, I am not part of the school and what I say is just an opinion. Sometimes people think otherwise, so I feel I need to be clear on that.</p>

<p>Your case is an interesting and difficult one to predict. The way you got admitted is not the usual path for Tulane in other years, but this year is different because they have to limit the incoming class to about 1400 due to a very large freshman class that is there now. So the way yours was done makes sense, they were deferring almost everyone after they had apparently hit some kind of threshold, but then you showed extra interest, you have good stats, and you are an URM not to mention your fairly rigorous schedule. I think the fact that you did not get a merit offer probably has more to do with the “off track” way your admission was done and was probably an oversight. While your GPA is a bit on the low side for a top merit award, your ACT is excellent as are your other factors. If this were last year I would have predicted the $20,000 award for you, with a shot at the $22,000. However, given your upward trend in grades and your difficulties in early high school, these could affect the consideration in a positive way for you. Still, my own best guess stays the same.</p>

<p>I recommend the following:</p>

<p>1) Wait until you have your first semester grades in. If they really are 3.77 as you hope (or better), get those to your regional counselor and ask for merit consideration. This really can work at Tulane, they are extremely fair in this regard. But I don’t think Tulane will do anything until they have those grades, and that is in your best interest anyway if they are better than your average so far.</p>

<p>2) Apply for the Community Service Scholarship. It is due January 15 so you still have time. You can get as much as $15,000 for this and it i added onto your merit scholarship. So let’s say you “only” got the $15,000 merit scholarship. If you got the CSS, even if it was a lesser amount like $10,000 you would still be at $25,000. The CSS does vary, in the past it was $5,000-$15,000 which is what it says here [Tulane</a> Admission: Community Service Scholarship Applicaiton Deadline](<a href=“http://admission.tulane.edu/livecontent/events/210-community-service-scholarship-applicaiton-deadline.html]Tulane”>http://admission.tulane.edu/livecontent/events/210-community-service-scholarship-applicaiton-deadline.html) But this could be a bit out of date, I have heard some reports it is now $1,000-$15,000. I’m not sure, but at least it gives you a good shot at some more funding and I think you have a very good chance at a merit scholarship after they see your new grades.</p>

<p>Congrats on your acceptance! Best of luck.</p>

3

<p>I just reread your post and I missed that you said you were applying for the CSS. Sorry about the repetition, but at least we are thinking along the same lines.</p>

4

<p>If your acceptance letter didn’t say anything about merit money, they’re probably not going to give you any.</p>

<p>You can do the CSS, but it won’t net you 25K a year.</p>

<p>You could also go for need-based, although that’s nowhere near as strong as merit at Tulane.</p>

5

<p>

That isn’t necessarily true. A number of people have appealed their merit award from either nothing to something or from something to something more in the past, and this year there are a few that have already told me they got their award raised on review.</p>

6

<p>I have similar statistics and did not get offered a merit scholarship either. I scored a 33 on my act with an 11 on the writing. My gpa is 92/100 uw and 95.12/100 w. I have about 90 hours of community service, a LOT of extra curriculars, and have taken a decent number of APs and honors classes. My grades junior year were not as good but my counselor explained that I had survived an incredible trauma that year and was overcoming PTSD during that year. I also wrote a really really powerful and well written essay about confronting the boy who raped me at a therapy session and going from victim to survivor etc. We have a private college counselor who told me that I should no doubt be offered money and be accepted into the honors program, but I got neither. I wrote a letter to appeal and asked to be reconsidered for the honors program and merit money. I got an email back basically saying too bad about the honors program and nothing about scholarship. I emailed back asking about merit money and was told I can’t appeal it until April. None of this makes any sense to me. I’ve gotten offered money to every other school I applied to (Fordham $10,000, SMU-$12,000, and Denver-$19,000). I have visited Tulane and loved it there. It was my number one school by far. I fit in better than anywhere else. We also have family friends in New Orleans who are huge beneficiaries to the school and incredibly involved so I have support and a family there in a way. I cannot go there though without a scholarship because it is so expensive. I really don’t know what to do. If someone could give me some feedback I would really appreciate it.</p>

7

<p>This last post (#6) doesn’t smell right. A 92 converts to a 3.7, and a 33 is obviously a very high score. As stated, it is not at all consistent with numerous other people that have already gotten admitted with similar or even lesser statistics and gotten merit money and the honors program. The reply claimed to the appeal also does not sound like the way they have handled these things so far, including this year. Don’t know, just saying it doesn’t fit any other data point we have seen so far.</p>

<p>New Year’s Eve, so people can draw their own conclusions.</p>

8

<p>I’m like 100% serious. I’ve tried everything which is why I came here. I think I’ll probably call them next week because I am so confused as to how they’re handling this. I don’t know what the black mark is on my record that is barring me from getting a scholarship. My family and college counselor are perplexed as well. And I’m nervous because next semester I’m transferring to public school (I go to catholic school right now.) I am worried because I know that is going to look really bad. I’ve been bullied really terribly, which is primarily why I am switching schools because it is really unbearable. Because I was already denied a scholarship, I’m nervous that now I really won’t be considered for any sort of merit reward. I don’t know I posted here because I seriously need help because Im out of ideas but if no one is actually interested in helping me then whatever I guess. I’m just kind of desperate because Tulane was basically my perfect school.</p>

9

<p>Well, even though I am a bit skeptical, I will take you at your word for now. In that spirit, you never actually say you were admitted, although you imply it. So for starters, just to be sure, have you already been admitted?</p>

10

<p>Oh oops yes I was admitted toward the beginning of November. I’m really not kidding. I can send you my resume and sca my acceptance letter if you are seriously that doubtful. I don’t know why I’d be making anything up? I have a lot more important things happening in my life then to pretend Tulane didn’t give me a scholarship.</p>

11

<p>Well, I don’t know how much time you have spent on CC reading posts before you finally posted yourself, but if you have you know there are many pranksters (■■■■■■) that make up stories because they think it is fun. Others like to make certain schools look bad by posting erroneous information and making up things. The information in your post is completely inconsistent with what has happened with Tulane in the past and with others, for the most part, hence the skepticism.</p>

<p>I will send you a PM with my e-mail address.</p>

12

<p>I emailed all of my stuff.</p>

13

<p>Thanks, got it. I’ll look it over and get back to you.</p>

14

<p>What is the best way to appeal a merit award? I was accepted in November without a scholarship offer, also, but it is my first choice school and I will not be able to go if I cannot get money. I can post my details if it would help anyone with suggestions of how to approach this?</p>

15

<p>Hi soccer - I saw your details on the accepted students thread. I think your chances are rather low, because your GPA is on the low side for Tulane. Your SAT scores are great, but I don’t think that will be enough to overcome your unweighted GPA. However, the only thing you can do is to write to your admissions counselor and tell them what you said above, that Tulane is your first choice but you need aid. However, before you do that, are you sure you won’t get financial aid? Have your parents filled out the FAFSA and CSS, or done an EFC calculation yet? Merit scholarships are only one source of funding. Merit scholarships and FA are two very different things.</p>

16

<p>Fallenchemist - I received a reply back about my merit inquiry</p>

<p>"Hi *****-
Thanks for the e-mail and congratulations again on your admission! I am so glad the committee changed their decision. That very rarely happens. At this point you have not qualified for a merit based scholarship. We will let you know if anything changes with this. In the meantime, you should definitely apply for need based aid using the FAFSA and the CSS profile. Both of those documents are due at the end of this month. For more info, check out: [Tulane</a> Admission: Financial Aid](<a href=“http://admission.tulane.edu/aid/financialaid.php]Tulane”>http://admission.tulane.edu/aid/financialaid.php)</p>

<p>If you have any other questions, let me know. Sincerely,</p>

<hr>

<p>Should I email him back and ask about submitting my senior year grades? Should I sign up for the next ACT test date to try and up my score?</p>

17

<p>They will get your first semester grades anyway, high schools automatically send them (or are supposed to anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure yours get sent). Certainly getting a higher ACT doesn’t hurt, but that isn’t your “weak spot”. I put quotes because a 3.5 isn’t weak! But when competing for top scholarships, it is lower than the usual recipient.</p>

<p>I would be patient. Tulane will know much more towards the end of March than they do now. If you can stand it, wait until late March and send another e-mail, pointing out your strong first semester and, if you have your second semester mid-term grades, that you made a 3.XX through mid-term 2nd semester. Unlike previous years, Tulane is holding off on these kinds of decisions until towards the end. I think what he said is true, this year Tulane is not changing their mind about many deferred students, so you should be very pleased about that. Make sure you get your FA documents in, as he says.</p>

18

<p>Alright sounds good, thank you! I currently have a 3.58 for semester one ( A- AP Lit, B AP Calc AB, A Music, A Latin 4, A- AP Government, A- Social Justice, B Honors Physics), but hopefully I’ll be able to reach a 3.7 or higher for my midterm grades. How do my chances look for merit aid? I’m turning in my cs scholarship app this week too.</p>

19

<p>I think you have a decent shot. You have done all you can so far, so just focus on getting the best grades you can through mid-terms, send those in, and make one more appeal around the third week of March. With luck, they will look favorably on how you compare to the other applicants and the students they plan to accept at that point.</p>