Tulane bans HS from ED for 1 year after student backs out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t soft/unstated bans happen all the time, and wouldn’t they be almost as effective? At my kid’s private school, “everyone” knows that certain top 20 schools love our students, some like select students (= admit fewer overall, but an extremely qualified candidate has a reasonable chance of admission), but one hasn’t admitted a single student from our school in years, since a last-minute ED acceptee withdrew. The soft ban effectively still keeps kids from applying to that univ from our school. I don’t know the family and we did not discuss with the college counselor since the school didn’t interest my child. Are others aware of rumored soft bans at their schools?

Yes, there is a top10 school that does not accept from my DC’s big3. Everyone knows the name of the school. Rumor has it that there were 2 students that backed out of ED over a period of 3 years. I am not sure if it is true, but no one gets into this school. No one.

I wonder if I am thinking of the same schools? Do they sound like Puke and Sadwell? If so, thar dynamic has existed for a long time. My youngest graduated Sadwell in ‘22

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can hold two thoughts in my head at once. I can recognize that people should honor their ED commitments, and I can recognize that colleges are the ones who gain the most by filling a significant % of the class through ED. The vast majority of students do not benefit from this system.

Ok. Breaking the rules of the ED application has consequences. Live with the consequences of your behavior.

But who is suffering the consequences here? Not the student who backed out of ED. Instead, it’s any student in the class below who has his or her heart set on Tulane. Because Tulane games the system with ED, it is almost impossible to be accepted without applying ED.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can hold two thoughts in my head at once. I can recognize that people should honor their ED commitments, and I can recognize that colleges are the ones who gain the most by filling a significant % of the class through ED. The vast majority of students do not benefit from this system.

Ok. Breaking the rules of the ED application has consequences. Live with the consequences of your behavior.

+1 It's terrible the way so many people today try to rationalize dishonesty.

This. NPC can help you determine which school to apply to ED. There is no excuse for withdrawing, barring change in financial circumstances. Which was clearly not the case.

+1 so true!!

+2 We were targeting WASP schools and used the NPC to compare financial aid before settling on an ED. DC was fortunate to get admitted, and the aid corresponded exactly to the NPC. The only thing that would have improved our financial offer would have been to drop a tier or two to chase merit, and we decided not to do that. We're donut hole and some NPCs showed no aid at all, so we were happy with where we landed. NPC allows you to consider your options and make an informed decision about an ED application. It's simply no true you can't compare financial aid ahead of time. The only exception is merit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/business/tulane-early-decision-colorado-academy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wU8.1dV-.na_H6egmYJU8&smid=url-share

And I thought this was an urban legend. Really not fair to the seniors at that high school.

Meh. It’s only Tulane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can hold two thoughts in my head at once. I can recognize that people should honor their ED commitments, and I can recognize that colleges are the ones who gain the most by filling a significant % of the class through ED. The vast majority of students do not benefit from this system.

Ok. Breaking the rules of the ED application has consequences. Live with the consequences of your behavior.

+1 It's terrible the way so many people today try to rationalize dishonesty.

This. NPC can help you determine which school to apply to ED. There is no excuse for withdrawing, barring change in financial circumstances. Which was clearly not the case.

+1 so true!!

+2 We were targeting WASP schools and used the NPC to compare financial aid before settling on an ED. DC was fortunate to get admitted, and the aid corresponded exactly to the NPC. The only thing that would have improved our financial offer would have been to drop a tier or two to chase merit, and we decided not to do that. We're donut hole and some NPCs showed no aid at all, so we were happy with where we landed. NPC allows you to consider your options and make an informed decision about an ED application. It's simply no true you can't compare financial aid ahead of time. The only exception is merit.

+3. You used ED/NPC the way it is intended. Hope posters here who are already thinking of how to abuse the system is few and far between.

[Anonymous]

Tulane is so dramatic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can hold two thoughts in my head at once. I can recognize that people should honor their ED commitments, and I can recognize that colleges are the ones who gain the most by filling a significant % of the class through ED. The vast majority of students do not benefit from this system.

Ok. Breaking the rules of the ED application has consequences. Live with the consequences of your behavior.

But who is suffering the consequences here? Not the student who backed out of ED. Instead, it’s any student in the class below who has his or her heart set on Tulane. Because Tulane games the system with ED, it is almost impossible to be accepted without applying ED.

Doesn’t Tulane still have EA, which is the round where they give the most merit $?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tulane is so dramatic.

They got nothing on some of the parents on this thread.

[Anonymous]

AI will make admissions better imo.

We'll go back to testing with an essay , which will reduce "edited" essays and reduce student stress.

Colleges will be able to see how past admits from Springfield High did at their college - even the ones who got a B- in Mr Smith's AP Calc class. (they do better than the kids who got an A in Mr Black's AP Calc class).

The economics and enrollment management will be a lot more straightforward and predictable.

no more "Dartmouth hates our high school". I mean, that is a real thing now and it's often based on that one kid that one time or some such nonsense

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tulane is so dramatic.

Yeah, imagine thinking students and their parents should be honest. The nerve! Guess honesty is a novel concept for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can hold two thoughts in my head at once. I can recognize that people should honor their ED commitments, and I can recognize that colleges are the ones who gain the most by filling a significant % of the class through ED. The vast majority of students do not benefit from this system.

Majority of students also don't benefit from financial aid and don't benefit from having hooks. Should schools eliminate all these? ED is fine, just like giving needy families financial aid is fine. No system is fair to everyone. I cannot afford a Maserati or Porsche and am totally at peace with my inability.

+1. DD used her ED at a public flagship because won’t get any need based aid. I am 100% ok with that. Stop the whining. Your rich snowflake will be ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some high schools are playing fast and loose with ED agreements. They knowingly allow students to apply ED to multiple schools if the parents press them.

Things must have been pretty crazy at Colorado Adademy for this to happen. I bet stories will start to come out.

A lot of public high schools do this where counselors have no idea

[Anonymous]

lots of homeschoolers ED everywhere. they dont give a crap. why should they?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m wondering about Colorado Academy’s CC’s specific role in all this. Did she have any say over the kid backing out of the ED agreement? Did she communicate with the parents and remind them that they too signed the agreement? Does the school have a separate ED agreement saying if a student backs out of an ED agreement, then the school will withhold transcripts from other colleges?

Read the article. There are quotes from the Colorado Academy college counselor.

Three other high schools also received the ban from Tulane. The NYT ended the article with a short form to fill out if you have more information about this. Stay tuned. More will come out.

Those quotes were basic and bland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some high schools are playing fast and loose with ED agreements. They knowingly allow students to apply ED to multiple schools if the parents press them.

Things must have been pretty crazy at Colorado Adademy for this to happen. I bet stories will start to come out.

A lot of public high schools do this where counselors have no idea

Who is signing the ED form from the school?