<p>@vandyeyes - While getting accepted to an HYPS school might make the decision more difficult, I agree with your son to let it play out. It will always be nice for him to know that he got accepted by X and/or Y, even if he doesn’t go. And if he doesn’t get in, then it will hurt a little but he has a huge comfort mat to fall back on for ego support. But I also agree that if he already knows he will be going on to grad/professional school, then the monetary savings are highly significant.</p>
<p>It sounds like he wants to be an engineer. Is he thinking about BME? If so, is he thinking about med school after, or a graduate degree in engineering?</p>
<p>I had a 35 on my act, 4.39 GPA weighted with a 96 unweighted average, no rank. I’m an active participant in several extracurriculars and hold leadership positions in three, as well as having several hundred volunteer hours. Before getting the DHS (which I spent a ton of time thinking about the project, although the project was very simple), I got the Presidential scholarship and was accepted to the honors program.</p>
<p>@fallenchemist,</p>
<p>As you know, part of the precarious nature of the college selection process is that that it revolves around very young adults (in our case, a still 17 year old) who, by design, are just starting the process of figuring out how/who they want to be. So, as perhaps you have gleaned from his list of schools, while he was definitely thinking engineering during the early part of the college visit/selection process (thus Mich Eng, Purdue, Pratt, etc), he also is considering pre-med…thus others like Centre, Tulane, Case Western (also good in Eng) entered into the cross-hairs. This being the case, my hope is that Tulane offers a lovely fit for my son since double majoring and/or moving in/between the various schools is very possible, if not specifically encouraged. It seems like a fabulous place to “figure it out”, so to speak.</p>
<p>By the way, I hope Tulane sends you a wonderful holiday card every year since you do such an amazing job of advocating for them, yet not in an overly zealous manner. Thanks for being out there!</p>
<p>We have had a similar journey here, @vandyeyes. A year ago, D was planning to be a chemistry major & participate in choir/music activities on the side or as a minor. But after touring a few university chemistry and music departments, she knew where her heart was - now she is full speed ahead music. So Tulane became less of a fit as the year passed, compared to campuses with full music schools or conservatories, but we loved it so much, we kept kind of pulling for it. Since D will not received a DHS or PT, that makes it much easier to take it off the table at this point. So I will sign off the Tulane forum now - but be sure I will be back in a few years for D2!!</p>
<p>good luck to you and your D. Make a joyous noise wherever you end up. :-" </p>
<p>@vandyeyes - I couldn’t agree more with what you say. It is the Catch-22, if you will, of this process that pre-college kids are being asked to figure out which school would be best for them based on no real experience with what college is really like. Having parents that went to college helps; can you imagine how much harder even this is for the child who will be the first to attend? And even harder than that for that same student who attends a high school that doesn’t send many kids on to college, especially 4-year privates and/or out of state schools? As you can tell, this is something I think about. I wish I had the resources to help more of those types of students. Anyway…</p>
<p>I think you are dead-on that Tulane makes it easier than most schools to explore areas of study and change majors, no matter what school that major resides in. In theory he could even change to architecture, although in that particular case he would already be behind. But I am sure it happens. My point is that because Tulane accepts everyone to Newcomb-Tulane College and therefore to all 5 undergraduate schools, choosing a major is equally open to everyone, even though there are practical considerations for a couple of those majors if you start late.</p>
<p>Thanks for you kind comments. No holiday cards from Tulane, but they know I am here and who I am. I think we both keep a bit of an arms-length as I do this voluntarily and I don’t think either of us want any appearance that I am doing this at the request of or under the guidance of anyone at Tulane. While obviously I am generally positive about the school, sometimes quite enthusiastically, there are also things I do criticize. No school is perfect, of course. I certainly contact administrators, professors and Deans from time to time to get information and make sure I have it right, and they are gracious and timely in their replies, almost without fail. In fact, I was fairly shocked when I first contacted some of the higher ups and they knew about “fallenchemist” and College Confidential. I really wasn’t sure before that how much anyone outside of admissions really followed this stuff. But many do. I only got into this at first because after Katrina, there was so much misinformation out there about Tulane and New Orleans. I just couldn’t stand it. The rest, as they say, is history, or at least a footnote in it.</p>
<p>@GertrudeMcFuzz - Don’t be a stranger, even though you are moving on from Tulane at this point. We love hearing about how other schools compare and how they do things. And of course how your kiddo is doing! Truth be told, we are kind of a nosy bunch. So pop in every now and then and let us know where she is and how things are going.</p>
<p>Thanks FC! Will do - I’ve so enjoyed this forum & your gentle guidance. D2 (Class of 2018) is already interested in Tulane after our visit for D1, so I’m sure another app is in our future. </p>
<p>We will get one of them!! LOL. I remember one parent that I got to be friends with through here that has 3 kids. All applied to Tulane, all got a DHS, all got it down to one of their last 2-3 choices, and none ended up at Tulane! I still give her a hard time about that, but of course it is because they got similar offers at other schools and just made a choice. The oldest, the same age as my D, is now in med school so she did well.</p>
<p>There is nothing more important than that a student end up at the school that is best for them in as many aspects as possible. For us with Tulane ties it is always nice when it is Tulane, but it all works out best. Tulane ends up with a full class of students where they want to be and others like your D end up where they can have an amazing experience that fits them well. I am confident that will be the case for your D. Music is such a joy in life and so fulfilling. It was very important to me at Tulane. I am glad she is continuing to pursue it. I am always jealous of those who can sing. I had to play an instrument because my voice would drive anyone insane. Can’t sing a note.</p>
<p>Thanks again FC - I’ll drop a note when D1 makes a decision & I’ll get D2 to start planning her DHS project now!!</p>
<p>Congrats to you all! My daughter didnt get the dhs or pt but she just found out this morn she got into Wellesley -her dream school…really good news and good timing. If she would have won one of the full tuition scholarships she would have committed to Tulane on the spot. Personally I like Tulane better than Wellesley but it may just not be the right fit for her. She does have the presidential so Tulane is still on the radar though. I need to remember its her choice 
I wish I had gone to Tulane lol. </p>
<p>Congrats on her acceptance to Wellesley! Obviously a great school. Sounds like the final financial packages will still make a difference in the choice? At least you know that she cannot go wrong picking either school. But if she has a “gut” feeling that Wellesley fits her better, then you are right. If money isn’t the issue, it should be her choice, especially since you know she will have the chance for a great experience at either school.</p>
<p>Thanks FC…im so proud of her…I have concerns about Wellesley, particularly their disability services and left that meeting with a pit in my stomach…where as at Tulane we left the disability meeting feeling good and confident about accommodations. Tulane has the right attitide about accommodations and said all the right stuff. She had her annual eye appt a few days ago and lost a lot more sight…bad news…but then this Wellesley acceptance…and shes so excited…she wants to ultimately be a lobbyist for the disabled so im kind of thinking maybe she can start with herself lol…and not let her disability determine where she goes to school. She has never let it define who she is, never mentioned it in her app essays because she didnt want to be admitted based on pity or any type of “hook” so we cant let our fear of their possibly incompetent services stop her from attending her dream school.</p>
<p>ugh…we r full pay…so the Presidential is awesome and we are so thankful for it…the DHS or PT would have been wonderful and a load off…and she knew she would be happy at Tulane…she still may. We need to work it out on paper and see if Wellesley (they do not give merit money) is really doable witnout debt.</p>
<p>Wellesley is a fine school and they give quite a bit of grant money (in our case, at least). D didn’t apply, but I was impressed by the school. You have two very good choices, CCMom, and I wish you (er, your D) luck making the decision. Do let us know, either way, okay?</p>
<p>Oh, wow. That is a huge difference then. Now let me say this is JMHO, I know everyone perceives value differently, especially a teenager. But I just wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t bring up that saving about $28,000 a year is pretty huge. My goodness, just put into the bank with no interest, you could hand her a check for $112,000 when she is done to get her personal life started. I guess I am just saying that I have a hard time believing that a Wellesley degree and the overall experience there is worth $112,000+ more than at Tulane (or many other schools). I probably shouldn’t say anything, I know this is already tough since she has her heart set on Wellesley. FYI, I got that number because Tulane has already published their est. 2014-2015 Total Cost of Attendance (TCA) at ~$63,000. So -$30,000 = $33,000/year. Wellesley hasn’t published 2014-2015 yet that I could find but let’s assume the increase is similar to last year’s so their TCA will be ~$61,000. Hence $28,000 difference. Both are exclusive of transportation.</p>
<p>I had just sent off my previous message when I remembered about her virtual blindness. But I just assumed (bad of me) that Wellesley would be as accommodating, so I didn’t edit anything back in. I am very sorry her condition continues to degenerate, but it sounds like she is rolling with it with a lot of strength. Good on her, that is impressive. You have so much to be proud of on several levels.</p>
<p>Just a thought: Since Tulane requires two semester of service learning (and of course there is nothing that says they cannot do more) and she is keen on making a career being of service to the disabled/blind, I wonder if there are opportunities at the Lighthouse for the Blind near campus to do her service work. I have no idea, but perhaps they even have an office that lobbies Baton Rouge, so she could get her feet wet on a state level. They would at least have a relationship with people that do, I am sure. Anyway, it just seems like a strong resource for her not only personally, but perhaps academically and preprofessionally.</p>
<p>If I am stepping over a line, my apologies. I just hate seeing people go into debt when that kind of gap in potential costs exists, especially when the schools are both excellent academically. I do understand that Wellesley presents a different atmosphere than Tulane, being a top LAC. I guess she (and you as a family) just have to decide if that difference is worth over $100K more.</p>
<p>Thanks guys… yep… FC I am right there with you. And in four years our youngest will be entering college. Sigh… and we don’t want debt. I think we can do it but disregarding 30K/year is not easy to do! That’s a fantastic chunk of change and quite a load off this mega burden.</p>
<p>She is over the moon excited about finding out about Wellesley. She texted me a few times - she told a bajillion people and did a happy dance in the college office and they celebrated with her… Honest to God I was hoping for the DHS or PT… and I still don’t understand why she missed out on it (I know I know long shot etc… but she has the stats, the LORs, the ECs…did what we thought was a terrific job on both - she seems to have everything - but then I think… do they think she’s not a great fit?! I know stupid thoughts… but I have them because I don’t understand the process or what they were looking for) And I don’t mean to begrudge anyone that won by these comments… I’m just in such a quandry. And also because I really really liked Tulane a ton - and was less than thrilled with Wellesley… I knew it was her #1 choice from the start and maybe it just feels so good to her to feel “wanted”? Not only is she losing her sight… she lost her older brother a few years ago… and that is what she wrote her college app essay on… she is such an amazing girl and so strong and smart. I just wish Tulane recognized that (more) and made this easier on us… ugh. I think I’ll let her feel the joy of this acceptance and maybe be back to reality in a few days. I have the shakes lol. I’m so so happy for her, but so so nervous about this $240K four year commitment. </p>
<p>Thanks for the congrats and feedback. Very appreciated to not feel so alone in this process :)</p>
<p>
Yes, but that grant money is when a person applies for need-based financial aid. From what I understood ChocoChipMom to say, they are full pay so I take that to mean they are not applying for need based aid.</p>
<p>I wasn’t sure about “grant money”… if that’s just handed to you vs what they’d call merit money. we don’t qualify for need based FA unfortunately. (haha… i reread this - no it is good we don’t need aid, but they do kind of stick it to the middle class) I told my daughter that if this is what she REALLY wants she needs to pick up the pieces of her crushed ego (she is kind of discouraged by the time and effort put into the DHS and PT) and get her tail in gear looking for outside scholarships. So she’s going to have to be motivated enough to really hunt and be a part of coming up with some cash. NFB has some good ones. She needs to find the time and heart to get on it. </p>
<p>I am feeling your quandry, I really am. But of course Tulane wants her and thinks she is a great fit. They awarded her the Presidential at $30K. Naturally the DHS or PTA would have made it that much more attractive financially, but sounds like she would still be wanting Wellesley. After all, it seems to me the issue is the same whether you save $28,000 a year or $43,000 a year by her going to Tulane. I mean, if saving $112,000 over 4 years isn’t persuasive, then is saving $172,000 over 4 years going to make her feel differently? Perhaps she isn’t so aware of these numbers yet. I agree with you it would be difficult to rain on her joy right now. I don’t envy you having to show her the difference in $$.</p>
<p>But as far as her not getting the DHS or PTA, I can only tell you that there are several hundred with similar resumes that didn’t get one either. It is just the usual case of more excellent students applying than scholarships available. It is analogous to several thousand students that get turned down by Harvard every year. Harvard even says that they could wipe out the 2,000 students they do accept, take the next 2,000 they would have otherwise taken, and there would be no drop in the stats of the class or the overall quality. There are just that many more absolutely great students than slots they have available. The DHS and PTA awards are exactly like that. Your D is certainly as deserving, they just have to make what, in the end, is a subjective choice between very similar students. It sucks when you are on the other side of that decision, of course. Still, in the end, I wonder if it really changes the issue, in her mind at least.</p>
<p>I just read your post about money from the NFB, @ChocoChipMom. That sounds promising. I hope that she does go for it. Looks like the deadline is March 31.</p>
<p>Looks like there are several other organizations that provide scholarships. <a href=“http://www.afb.org/info/other-scholarships-and-grants-for-students-blind-or-visually-impaired/5”>http://www.afb.org/info/other-scholarships-and-grants-for-students-blind-or-visually-impaired/5</a></p>