Son who was admitted EA and applied for Paul Tulane and Dean’s Honors Scholarships received email inviting him for optional phone interview with Tulane alum. Just wondering how many of these invitations go out, or how they decide whom to invite? Also, is interview like the generalized meet-and-chat ones that some other colleges have alumni do for admissions, or is it somehow targeted to specific questions that Tulane is trying to answer in making the scholarship decisions? Thanks.
No idea. One person last year led us to believe there were about 200 people interviewed, but there is no way to know how correct that is.
Completely unknown as well. Are they students that are nearly eligible because of stats but at the lower end and so they want to know more? Or is it the opposite and they are the highest stat students and so the interview is just another part of selecting from that group? Or is it something else completely? No way to know. What we of course know at this point is that it must be regardless of the quality of the projects or essays (I am not even sure if this was DHS only. I am assuming it is not PTA only, which could also be wrong). They would not have had time to look at those yet.
From the way they were described last year, it sounds pretty informal. So maybe they are just trying to get a handle on how students are thinking this year, about college in general and Tulane in particular. Heck, now that I think about it I could even make an argument that the selection of students is random, but from within the group of DHS and/or PTA applicants of course. It just depends on what they are trying to learn, and we just don’t know that. And of course that is just the way they want it I am sure.
The only thing we do know for sure, and what they apparently made much clearer this year, is that this in no way indicates that one will win an award. As it happens, based on last year we also know that not getting interviewed does NOT mean not getting an award. Hmmm, that is three negatives. Better put: you might still get an award even if you do not get interviewed.
D16 received the $32K/year scholarship too and only applied to PTA. Didn’t have time to do the DHS. She received the telephone interview request 2 weeks ago. Not sure when she will hear from the interviewer. She received the Top Scholar weekend information last week and I made reservations for flight and hotel for her to visit in March.
OK, that tells us a great deal, but mostly about what it isn’t. It isn’t only for one scholarship or the other, so it also is not for Stamps. I am beginning to suspect that it is a way for Tulane to accomplish several things without overwhelming available resources, and mostly these things probably revolve around information gathering, answering questions students they have identified as having certain qualities might have, etc. Still entirely speculative on my part as to “why”, but at least we can dismiss some reasons.
@fallenchemist I agree with you that it seems to be more an information gathering interview. I read her email and felt that it is for the student to find out more about Tulane and for the interviewer to find out how interested she is in the school before offering her anymore scholarships.
100%, with no doubt at all absolutely. Being chosen for an interview says nothing about your chances for a scholarship, and NOT being chosen for an interview says nothing about your chances for a scholarship. So please relax and think about anything except these scholarships until February 29 (Yes folks, it’s Leap Year again!!). Why February 29? Because by then they will have most likely awarded them and you will have survived it all.
That is my inclination at this point. This is one of those times when a university is somewhat similar to a regular company, in that they would be negligent if they don’t try and segment their customer base and try and gain further understanding of each segment. The group of super-scholarship applicants is certainly an interesting segment for Tulane!
DHS is UPS 2nd day for winners. Not sure if others are regular mail or email. I cannot recall about PTA, but I think it is either same or another 2nd day service. I know both get a nice Tulane embossed pleather case for legal pads, in which they place the award letter. @pdxcwa
I received an email back in Dec saying PTA app received, and that it would take a few weeks to show up as complete in admissions. I haven’t seen or heard anything else about it. Should I have?