Accepted
ACT 31
WGPA 3.8
Did not write LOCI
Not likely to get any money if taken off the waitlist, which is very unlikely in itself.
My son waitlisted as well after EA deferral. 34 ACT, 4.0 UW, 4.8 W, AP scholar,
9 AP’s/7 honors, swimmer and violinist, lots of EC’s
Don’t think he will accept waitlist, too much ambiguity in these trying times.
Hard to wait until 6/30 for response. Congrats to all who got in!
Yes, I certainly understood your previous post and while valid, it is really the delivery I took issue with. Everyone is doing their best, no reason to be overly harsh. That was my only point.
Well, the entire point is moot because there seem to be a number of accepted and waitlisted students who didn’t do the Why Tulane essay, an element of the application Jeff emphasizes. I am absolutely certain that every accepted student deserved their spot in the class, but it will be hard for future applicants to take that blog seriously when that essay really isn’t as essential as suggested.
@sapmom I’d have to agree as my son DID do the Why Tulane essay and was waitlisted. It seems its his stats and gpa are in line with the waitlisted kids. I feel at this point it didn’t make any difference despite the work put into it.
An entry from Jeff’s blog as to why writing the Why Tulane essay is better than not, and how the mere act of completing one does not mean that it necessarily enhanced the application:
http://tuadmissionjeff.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-optional-statment.html
It’s not a just a box that gets checked, and when rounding out a class stats are not the only things that matter.
Apparently, his essay, while well written and all about Tulane and New Orleans didn’t hit the spot. Especially since he couldn’t “holler at hookups” But, I didn’t think anyone can deny that what we see on this thread is a lot of kids with SATs in the 1400s or so and a GPA of 3.75UW or so being waitlisted regardless of whether they wrote that essay or not.
Yeah, again, my point has nothing to do with writing the essay or not. It has to do with how certain contributors address people on this thread. Say it nicely or don’t say it at all.
We met Jeff in person, talked to several ad comm members, etc, and over and over we were told in no uncertain terms that the Why Tulane essay is not optional. That’s not true. It is optional.
There are a lot of kids with 1400+ SATS who did the Why Tulane essay or not because they have SO MANY applicants in the plus 1400 range. They can’ t take anywhere near all of them either way. I’m so sorry for those of you whose kids are disappointed but it’s the usual story for schools with this small a acceptance rate - FAR too many outstanding kids who would be great than they can take.
Absolutely. No bitterness here. We weren’t expecting anything and the school is not a solid fit for my daughter, so all’s well that ends well. I’m speaking specifcally of the language used in describing the necessity of the Why Tulane essay this year and in previous years. In past years’ threads, students denied admission have been told that demonstrated interest is an extremely important element of a Tulane acceptance. How interest is best demonstrated has been hotly debated (and addressed by Tulane Admissions–no, visits are NOT required, and no, the Why Tulane essay is not really optional.)
Previous admission cycles had many students (here and on other forums) disappointed in their denied admission status, and have been told by others that not submitting the Why Tulane essay might have very well been a solid factor in their outcomes (that demonstrated interest again.)
This year, the trend has seemed to be heading in a different direction in that a notable number of students have been admitted or waitlisted without having submitted the Why Tulane essay. Anecdotally, things are different this year. Omitting the Why Tulane essay doesn’t appear to have been as much of a factor in admissions decisions as it was in previous years.
I’m a Tulane mom and I don’t think my son did a “Why Tulane” essay, he didn’t visit before he was accepted either and never attended a college fair with a Tulane rep because they don’t come to our state - and that might have been his key to being accepted. There are a lot of kids from some states that apply but not as many from our state. I think his stats helped but they’re certainly on par with a lot of stats I see getting waitlisted. I believe the Admissions staff looks at diversity a lot of ways, including where you’re coming from. I’ll bet acceptance rates from our midwest state is higher than an east coast state.
@sapmom AGREE. No bitterness here either. Just an observation of the anecdotal evidence suggesting the Why Tulane essay did not matter this year or as @threebeans suggests perhaps in other years. Yes, my son is disappointed, but he has other good acceptances and he knows it and knew Tulane was a tough one after being deferred and the RD acceptance rate so low. He was actually pleasantly surprised by the waitlist even if that turns to nothing.
Does anyone see a chance that Tulane will pick students from the waitlist early?
My son got into the guaranteed transfer program for fall 2021 with 3.0 GPA at regional college. I think with covid 19 and unsure about schools opening in fall it may not be a bad option.
He may do Loyola for a semester so he is acquainted with the area
This is Pre-COVID, so I’m pretty sure what they recommend for Spring Scholars will change, but they did discourage using Loyola for the interim semester.
@sapmom Actually, most of the time when the “mid-tier” students are accepted its because they had something Tulane wanted for that year’s upcoming class. In addition to that, they also really do like to see the “Why Tulane” essay because it shows demonstrated interest. Many “top-tier” students apply to Tulane as a backup option, and the admissions office knows this. If a student is considered to be one of those students then they are often times waitlisted or even rejected. Tulane isn’t 100% focused JUST on stats. Thats what makes Tulane so great, they care about the well-roundedness of the student and also the commitment to and love of Tulane. Thats what makes Tulane so unique, you can just walk around campus and FEEL the love that all of the students have for their school. Personally, I can speak to that. Also, since there were around 44 thousand applicants, with most of them being HIGHLY qualified, there are bound to be rejections and waitlisted students who are very capable of succeeding at Tulane and in fact did fit Tulane’s student profile. It is just what has been happening, as Tulane is becoming more and more selective over the years and is starting to become very challenging to get into.
@2024gradmom Taking classes at Loyola is DEFINITELY a great idea! Being accustomed to the New Orleans Uptown area is always a pro, especially if you have that opportunity before starting your time at Tulane! Also, he can still meet people in his class at different events and social outings! I met some of my friends who were first semester students at Loyola, due to being Spring Scholars and they definitely were happy that they chose to spend that first semester in NOLA and at Loyola!
Has anyone on the waitlist been offered a spot? I know it’s a long shot, but did want to ask.