Tulane Spring Scholars - Fall study abroad options

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC was a spring scholar. It is not great to be a just turned 18 year old in Europe (or in a house in New Orleans) with no RA, etc. It was really, really wild. My DC came to Tulane in January with a group of Spring Scholar friends. 3 of them dropped out of Tulane within a year. It is hard to break into other friends groups and rushing sucks unless you have a connection to one of the sororities or fraternities because they basically pick their pledge class in the fall during dirty rush. The college experience is just off. My older DC at another school has so many close friends from their dorm freshman year, but my Spring Scholar DC has none of that. I would never agree to it again. Should have gone to a different school.

14:10 here and I agree with all of this. Yes, John Cabot itself was a good enough experience as far as schools go, but for every reason PP lists here, I would not agree to this again for my second DC. The road back at Tulane is bumpy at best. It’s worked out well for DC in the end but it was more difficult socially to adapt than it should have been.

I’ve come to believe that it’s a scam that only benefits Tulane. Not the students involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone bothered by the freshman study abroad programs? To me, the freshman dorm experience is important to a student’s social life in college. Maybe it’s me…

It is a scam. Pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid had a friend who did tulane spring scholars fairly recently. I think she went to either Paris or Rome. Had a great experience abroad and transitioned well with their cohort into the tulane campus in spring.

Yes, some kids handle the transition well. Many others do not. Keep in mind, OP, that your Tulane student will room abroad with a mix of students from other schools around the country, many of them juniors and not freshmen. My DC had other Tulane spring scholars in classes, but it was not as easy to meet and keep up with them because they didn't live together. That is all random and assigned, at least for the Italy program.

I agree with other PPs. Unless your child really, really, REALLY wants to go to Tulane (eventually,) I would pass on the spring scholars option. Wait and see what options your DC has for ED2 or RD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid had a friend who did tulane spring scholars fairly recently. I think she went to either Paris or Rome. Had a great experience abroad and transitioned well with their cohort into the tulane campus in spring.

Yes, some kids handle the transition well. Many others do not. Keep in mind, OP, that your Tulane student will room abroad with a mix of students from other schools around the country, many of them juniors and not freshmen. My DC had other Tulane spring scholars in classes, but it was not as easy to meet and keep up with them because they didn't live together. That is all random and assigned, at least for the Italy program.

I agree with other PPs. Unless your child really, really, REALLY wants to go to Tulane (eventually,) I would pass on the spring scholars option. Wait and see what options your DC has for ED2 or RD.

Yes, my child really, really, REALLY wants to go to Tulane, that's why they applied ED, and wants to move forward with the Spring Scholars program. What can we/DC do proactively to set up DC for success for the fall semester abroad and the transition when arriving at Tulane? Would really appreciate any advice & suggestions because it looks like we're heading this route.

[Anonymous]

This sounds like a scam. Proceed with extreme caution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid had a friend who did tulane spring scholars fairly recently. I think she went to either Paris or Rome. Had a great experience abroad and transitioned well with their cohort into the tulane campus in spring.

Yes, some kids handle the transition well. Many others do not. Keep in mind, OP, that your Tulane student will room abroad with a mix of students from other schools around the country, many of them juniors and not freshmen. My DC had other Tulane spring scholars in classes, but it was not as easy to meet and keep up with them because they didn't live together. That is all random and assigned, at least for the Italy program.

I agree with other PPs. Unless your child really, really, REALLY wants to go to Tulane (eventually,) I would pass on the spring scholars option. Wait and see what options your DC has for ED2 or RD.

Yes, my child really, really, REALLY wants to go to Tulane, that's why they applied ED, and wants to move forward with the Spring Scholars program. What can we/DC do proactively to set up DC for success for the fall semester abroad and the transition when arriving at Tulane? Would really appreciate any advice & suggestions because it looks like we're heading this route.

Make sure you know which credits will actually transfer. Heard this is an issue on top of all the other issues.
Be proactive about trying to get him a freshman roommate when he gets back in the freshman dorms. Not sure it will work.
Does he have friends there? If so, he should keep in touch with them.

[Anonymous]

Can you appeal Spring Scholars with some sort of new info (all A's senior year; new, higher test scores)?

[Anonymous]

I studied abroad in Rome and London and both were amazing.

I'd try to find out how many Tulane students are at each place and if one has more.

London is a great place to be a student. TONS of students all living in dorms all over the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid had a friend who did tulane spring scholars fairly recently. I think she went to either Paris or Rome. Had a great experience abroad and transitioned well with their cohort into the tulane campus in spring.

Yes, some kids handle the transition well. Many others do not. Keep in mind, OP, that your Tulane student will room abroad with a mix of students from other schools around the country, many of them juniors and not freshmen. My DC had other Tulane spring scholars in classes, but it was not as easy to meet and keep up with them because they didn't live together. That is all random and assigned, at least for the Italy program.

I agree with other PPs. Unless your child really, really, REALLY wants to go to Tulane (eventually,) I would pass on the spring scholars option. Wait and see what options your DC has for ED2 or RD.

Yes, my child really, really, REALLY wants to go to Tulane, that's why they applied ED, and wants to move forward with the Spring Scholars program. What can we/DC do proactively to set up DC for success for the fall semester abroad and the transition when arriving at Tulane? Would really appreciate any advice & suggestions because it looks like we're heading this route.

Doesn't it relieve them of their ED obligations? Perhaps have your DC apply to some other dream schools for RD and wait to decide? Better to have an option to compare and then be able to talk about the negatives of the program which I think are well laid out on this thread

[Anonymous]

The "scam" is just that these first semester abroad kids' HS stats don't count towards the incoming freshman class stats; so schools can wiggle a little and take kids with lower stats and promise them this opportunity. So many schools offer it that it may become more normalized, but until then, I would also be wary of the social and academic implications choosing this option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid had a friend who did tulane spring scholars fairly recently. I think she went to either Paris or Rome. Had a great experience abroad and transitioned well with their cohort into the tulane campus in spring.

Yes, some kids handle the transition well. Many others do not. Keep in mind, OP, that your Tulane student will room abroad with a mix of students from other schools around the country, many of them juniors and not freshmen. My DC had other Tulane spring scholars in classes, but it was not as easy to meet and keep up with them because they didn't live together. That is all random and assigned, at least for the Italy program.

I agree with other PPs. Unless your child really, really, REALLY wants to go to Tulane (eventually,) I would pass on the spring scholars option. Wait and see what options your DC has for ED2 or RD.

Yes, my child really, really, REALLY wants to go to Tulane, that's why they applied ED, and wants to move forward with the Spring Scholars program. What can we/DC do proactively to set up DC for success for the fall semester abroad and the transition when arriving at Tulane? Would really appreciate any advice & suggestions because it looks like we're heading this route.

Make sure you know which credits will actually transfer. Heard this is an issue on top of all the other issues.
Be proactive about trying to get him a freshman roommate when he gets back in the freshman dorms. Not sure it will work.
Does he have friends there? If so, he should keep in touch with them.

Yep. My dc had an issue getting Tulane approved courses at AUP (Paris) to count for requirements. Tulane was so rude about it and wouldn’t even count my DC’s English class. Dc submitted the syllabus and Tulane deemed her writing assignments not rigorous enough—after the fact and after marking it as an approved class. It was luck of the draw which section English class you got and other Tulane kids had their English class approved just based on the assignments. So my kid had to retake English. I fought with the Spring Scholar people to no avail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid had a friend who did tulane spring scholars fairly recently. I think she went to either Paris or Rome. Had a great experience abroad and transitioned well with their cohort into the tulane campus in spring.

Yes, some kids handle the transition well. Many others do not. Keep in mind, OP, that your Tulane student will room abroad with a mix of students from other schools around the country, many of them juniors and not freshmen. My DC had other Tulane spring scholars in classes, but it was not as easy to meet and keep up with them because they didn't live together. That is all random and assigned, at least for the Italy program.

I agree with other PPs. Unless your child really, really, REALLY wants to go to Tulane (eventually,) I would pass on the spring scholars option. Wait and see what options your DC has for ED2 or RD.

Yes, my child really, really, REALLY wants to go to Tulane, that's why they applied ED, and wants to move forward with the Spring Scholars program. What can we/DC do proactively to set up DC for success for the fall semester abroad and the transition when arriving at Tulane? Would really appreciate any advice & suggestions because it looks like we're heading this route.

It is a catch 22. Sending them abroad is completely unsupervised mayhem for 5 months. My DC had no kitchen and no cafeteria so they ate out for all meals. Travelled every weekend all over Europe. Clubs on the weekends. It was a lot for a just turned 18 year old. The good part is they meet Tulane kids so they have a friend group when they arrive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This sounds like a scam. Proceed with extreme caution.

Disagree here, getting to be a more common practice.

Simple enrollment math. Colleges tend to have more space in the spring than in the fall (due to first-time first semester withdrawals/dropouts, December graduations, etc.), so a spring semester start on campus helps balance housing and class size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I studied abroad in Rome and London and both were amazing.

I'd try to find out how many Tulane students are at each place and if one has more.

London is a great place to be a student. TONS of students all living in dorms all over the city.

Rome, London and Paris usually have about 40-50 kids each. They are with additional kids in a similar program at USC, so there are a lot of American kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The "scam" is just that these first semester abroad kids' HS stats don't count towards the incoming freshman class stats; so schools can wiggle a little and take kids with lower stats and promise them this opportunity. So many schools offer it that it may become more normalized, but until then, I would also be wary of the social and academic implications choosing this option.

It is a scam to your point because it fudges the admissions number-making a school look more prestigious than it actually is. If they did this on ED I would walk. Ironic coming from a university that banished a high school for walking away from ED last year. What hypocrisy. Tulane is a joke. Notch them up with Northeastern and NYU for a school for fools.