<p>UVA: it is puzzling that Tulane gave my son merit aid but not yours. They sound like they have very similar profiles. Did your son visit Tulane? Apply ea (single choice)? I think that’s what did it for my son–they knew he was serious about Tulane. But if your son did all of that too–then it must have been just random.</p>
<p>thx for the advice Fallen Chemist. I am guardedly optimistic because the classes he does best in are often the most challenging! I think he’ll far prefer college to high school because he’ll have a sense of ownership over his education. And, of course, if he wants to stay in New Orleans he’s going to have to produce!</p>
<p>Tulane was SCEA for my son plus he has a sibling there, so he’s visited. Still, as I said, we weren’t expecting any money because his GPA is marginal. Guess they figure he’s just lucky to have gotten accepted. His mind’s not made up though. He’s still waiting on a few schools and the possibility that he might get merit/department incentive money from one of those schools.</p>
<p>4 years ago my son who had a 3.8 UW GPA and a 31 ACT score got a $15k scholarship offer from Tulane. He retook the ACT and got a 34 and also got high grades his senior year. He sent a letter to the scholarship committee asking them to reconsider their offer, along with a more recent writing sample (his original essay, I thought, could have been better). They upped his offer to $23K and he was also admitted to the Honors program.
We were middle class and not eligible for much financial aid (since then our incomes have gone down), but I think the school liked his initiative and saw that he deserved more.<br>
His scholarship grants have increased every year, as his grades have been good.
I think if you feel you have a case, it is worth it to have your child ask for a review - it can’t hurt!</p>