Thinking about applying Regular Decision to Tulane? Think again!
July 5th, 2022After developing a balanced college list, the next step and some might argue one of the most important is deciding whether to apply Early Decision, Early Action or Regular Decision. Fully understanding the different application options is key to managing your college application process.
The headline of the article linked below may have some readers wondering if applying Early Decision is a must. It is true that some colleges value ED applicants more than others, but ED is only for students who feel 110% certain that they’d be thrilled to enroll if admitted, as it is an ironclad commitment. Do not pursue an ED path for purely strategic reasons.
Early Action, however, particularly if the plan has no restrictions, feels to me like the applicant’s friend. Students aren’t obligated to enroll if admitted; they may continue other applications and wait to compare offers before making an enrollment choice.
How can you know whether colleges value ED and EA applicants? Research acceptance rates for ED, EA and RD, as these numbers are useful when trying to understand how the odds of admission can change depending on the plan selected. Looking at the percentage of entering first-year students admitted via ED is also telling. What you’ll learn about Tulane in the article below may surprise you.
Article linked below from Inside Higher Ed, written by Scott Jaschik published on June 27, 2022
Tulane Admitted Two-Thirds of Students Through Early Decision
Tulane University has become more and more popular with applicants in recent years. Last year, Tulane received more than 45,000 applications, a record, which was 55 percent more than the university received five years earlier.
Last year, the university announced that half of the students who enrolled applied early. At the time, President Michael Fitts said, “While many universities have pared down their expectations and ambitions during the pandemic, Tulane continues to perform at an extraordinarily high level in all areas, including attracting the best and the brightest young scholars from around the country.”
Tulane launched early decision in 2016. This year, the numbers of applicants and early applicants (Tulane has two early-decision programs) were even better than last year.
Rising first-year files: The importance of a great college fit
June 21st, 2022Talk of creating a “balanced college list” is commonplace in the world of admissions but some may wonder, what does it mean and why is it important? Finding the best college for you always begins with self-discovery. What are your core values, your interests, your goals? Then identify the priorities you are looking for in a school: academic, social and financial.
As many of you know, here at Shrop Ed we advise students to break up their college list into three categories of admission odds: red light, yellow light and green light. This is a crucial part of the process so students can remain realistic about each school’s degree of selectivity. Regardless of admission chances, we urge students to think carefully about whether each college on the list truly feels like the right fit.
In today’s blog post Luisa, a Shrop Ed advisee, is kind enough to share her story of navigating the application process. Luisa had her sights set on Harvard and like so many applicants, had to readjust her sights. She was admitted to another Ivy and other highly selective colleges, but ultimately found that her green light option provided an amazing set of opportunities as well as a warm and inviting environment. With the help of her balanced college list and following her intuition, Luisa found the right fit as a Turing Scholar at the University of Texas, Austin. We are grateful that Luisa was willing to share her story, as so many students may relate.
Luisa’s experience of navigating the college admissions process is shared below…
Like many second-generation immigrant kids, I was raised on stories of how the previous generation grew up poor, thousands of miles away in their home country. They saved hard, studied harder, and made their way to the land of opportunity. They made their families proud, and now it was my turn. I had to go to Harvard.
As I couldn’t exactly apply only to Harvard, I applied to eleven schools total, only one of which was a green light school. Though most would probably not consider UT Austin a green light (especially for my major of Computer Science), as a Texas resident I knew I would at least be auto-admitted to the College of Liberal Arts because of my academic record. Besides, I wasn’t really going to go to UT.
In January, I received my UT decision. I’d gotten my major of Computer Science as well as been accepted into all three honors programs I applied for: Turing Scholars (CS honors), Dean’s Scholars (College of Natural Sciences honors), and Plan II Honors (Liberal Arts honors).
I was already excited just to receive the obligatory acceptance letters in the mail. To my surprise, there was something else written on the letter from Turing Scholars. I got a personal handwritten note from the director of the program, and with it, a first inkling that there might actually be something special here.
In March, I attended the Turing Scholars open house event alone. Professor Lin, the director of Turing, waved me over from where I was awkwardly hovering in the corner. I was already freaked out to be talking to him, and even more so that he actually recognized my name. Again, there was that sense of something special—something I’d never felt with another school. After spending the day learning about Turing, that sense grew into the strangest feeling that I’d found somewhere I belonged.
An eternity crawled by before Ivy decision day finally arrived.
Like the vast majority of Harvard applicants–and vast vast majority of non-ALDC (recruited athletes, legacies, those on the dean’s interest list, and children of faculty and staff) applicants–I didn’t get in.
Still, I had been accepted into Rice, UCLA, and Dartmouth.
Of those three, Dartmouth was the top choice. At the admitted students’ day in Hanover, I learned that to be a Dartmouth student, I’d have to take a 100-person-large intro to CS class, be limited to a max of four classes a term, and have far greater requirements in Government and English as part of their liberal arts education. If I wanted to do research, I would have to go around asking professors, as there’s no established undergraduate research program.
Even when I tried to be present, while walking across the Dartmouth Green or sitting in on a sample Linear Algebra lecture or visiting the little shops lining the streets of Hanover, I found my mind wandering back to what I would have at UT Austin.
At UT, I would be one of 50 Turing Scholars in a department of 600 CS majors for my year. I’d take front-loaded classes with the same small cohort of Turing Scholars–five honors CS courses in the first year–a structure that allows 75% of Turing Scholars to get internships as freshmen. A requirement of the program is to write and defend an honors research thesis, many of which have been published and presented at conferences. As a Dean’s Scholar, I would write another research thesis. I’d also be automatically admitted into UT’s Freshman Research Initiative where I could spend up to two semesters in a research stream of my choice, ranging from autonomous robots to fish behavior. Truly a STEM kid’s paradise.
I was caught between the old dream and what was growing into a new dream that was all my own. Blinded by “prestige,” it took another eternity to realize the old dream wasn’t right for me. Dartmouth was not what I wanted. Even Harvard wasn’t really what I wanted. I’m proud to be a Longhorn of the class of ‘26, and I wish you all the best of luck as you fine-tune your college lists to represent what you truly want.
Jump start college applications this summer
June 6th, 2022The early bird gets the worm. We’ve all heard that adage a million times over!
When it comes to college applications, I can assure you the early bird will certainly feel less overwhelmed this fall. Getting a jump start on your college application checklist this summer will relieve some of that added pressure senior year can bring.
I know what some of you are thinking: summer is for relaxation and a break from your long to-do list. However, if you stay organized and designate a set time each week to get ahead of just a few things, you’ll be able to enjoy your down time even more. Below is a list of five action steps that will give you a jump start on the application process this summer. Many of our advisees are already well along on this list!
- Request letter/s of recommendation
- Create a Common App account
- Create an activities list
- Finalize your college list
- Brainstorm and write the Common App essay
Although not a participant in the Common Application, the University of California system has great worksheets to guide students through the writing process for their personal insight questions. Whether you’re applying to UC campuses or not, this guidance is relevant for any college essay you may tackle. Note: if you are indeed applying to any of the UCs, you’ll need to complete the UC application separately this fall.
Article linked below from University of California
What are the Personal Insight Questions?
These questions are about getting to know you – your life experience, interests and accomplishments. Think of your responses as a conversation with the admissions office. Be open. Be reflective. Find your individual voice and express it.
While this section of the application is just one part we consider when making our admission decision, it helps provide context for the rest of your application.
“Life is for service” – Mister Rogers
May 24th, 2022Seniors, the day has come. You are now – or will soon be – a high school graduate. What does this mean to you? A diploma in hand and so many opportunities at your fingertips; as you head off with great promise in whichever direction you choose, think about what kind of a person you will strive to be in the months and years to come.
This time of the year, I love sifting through commencement speeches. I find them motivating and inspiring for my own life. When powerful enough, I believe the words will stick for a long time to come. I recently came across a speech from a non-speaking valedictorian with autism at Rollins College. The most simple statement, a quote from Mister Rogers (also a Rollins graduate), really spoke to me, “Life is for service.” In the article linked below, Elizabeth Bonker communicates what this statement means to her and how we as a community can see the worth in others as we keep service in mind. I hope you will take the time to read this incredibly well-written speech, which was delivered with the help of technology.
Article linked below from Rollins College, published on May 9, 2022
Be the Light: Elizabeth Bonker’s 2022 Commencement Address
Greetings to my fellow members of the elated class of 2022 and to the relieved parents, cheering siblings, and dear friends who supported us. Salutations to the caring faculty, administrators, and staff who fed our brains and nurtured our souls. I would also like to thank my fellow valedictorians—Emily Curran ’22, Sofia Frasz ’22, Charlie Mellin ’22, and Jessika Linnemeyer ’22—for giving me the honor of addressing you.
Rollins College class of 2022, today we celebrate our shared achievements. I know something about shared achievements because I am affected by a form of autism that doesn’t allow me to speak. My neuromotor issues also prevent me from tying my shoes or buttoning a shirt without assistance. I have typed this speech with one finger with a communication partner holding a keyboard. I am one of the lucky few non-speaking autistics who have been taught to type. That one critical intervention unlocked my mind from its silent cage, enabling me to communicate and to be educated like my hero Helen Keller.
