So Close, Yet So Far Away

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Jack

Hello there, let me introduce myself. I’m Jack and I’m a freshman at TU. I’m a petroleum engineer and I’m a little new to this whole blogging thing. I look forward to sharing with you all over this next year and giving a little of my two cents. Sorry if things get confusing but engineers aren’t quite known for their ability to write.

I was born at St. John’s hospital, a whole 2.5 miles from TU. I’ve lived a whopping 3.5 miles from TU my whole life. I went to high school located between those two places of interest, 3 miles from TU. So naturally, when I finally got the opportunity to get out of my parents home and leave Tulsa, I chose to attend The University of Tulsa.

As a high schooler, I never thought I would have stayed so close to home, but I have no regrets. Living close to home is all about what you make of it. I can be as close or as far away from home as I want. In fact, most of my friends that attend universities out of town are back in Tulsa more often than me. There is always the convenience of driving 5 minutes to pick up forgotten things, letting my mom do my laundry, and being able to take my pledge brothers to a good family dinner. Don’t mark TU off your list just because the school is so close to home.

I could ramble on and on about my decision to come to TU but I’ll just hit some of the main points. Have you ever driven through campus? Did you notice how awesome campus is? I mean, the grass is green, there’s fountains, swimming pools, beautiful architecture, and it’s maintained daily by an army of workers. One of my favorite things is just driving visitors, family, and friends through campus. They are always impressed and jealous that I live on such a beautiful campus. I tell my friends that I feel like I live on a country club.

I also chose TU for its petroleum engineering program. My grandfather is a PE from TU in the “good ole days”. Since then, the program has grown, won great respect from employers, and moved into Stephenson Hall, the PE department’s $16.1 million baby. While there are other schools with great PE programs, not many universities offer the perks that TU offers outside of academia. Having a successful D1 football program, an active Greek life, and faculty who strive for the best are just a few of the many perks.

So, don’t cross TU off your list quite yet. Visit campus, talk to some students, and Get Golden!

Happy Holidays

Posted on December 5, 2011 by The Office of Admission

May your days be MERRY and BRIGHT!

Happy Holidays from the Office of Admission.

Admission Decisions

Posted on December 2, 2011 by The Office of Admission

As you know, our office mailed out our Early Action admission decisions last week. They went out on November 22nd, and we have been getting phone calls and emails since then from excited students who are thrilled to have been admitted to The University of Tulsa. We love hearing how excited you are! I got this email from one of my students earlier in the week, and I just had to share it (I got her permission of course)!

Casey,

I was SO EXCITED to receive an acceptance letter on Wednesday!

My dog and I sat on the stairs by the door anxiously waiting for the mail to come!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I can’t wait to become a part of the TU family!

Lindsley

Thanks for sharing, Lindsley! Congratulations to you and all of our other students who were admitted to TU under our Early Action policy! We can’t wait for you to join the TU family, either.

For those of you who haven’t finished your application yet, this could be you in a few weeks! Notifications of Rolling Admission decisions will begin right before winter break. So make sure your application is complete!

Congratulations!

-Casey Reed

EARLY ACTION DECISION LETTERS MAILED TODAY!

Posted on November 22, 2011 by The Office of Admission

Today’s post is from Earl Johnson, Associate Vice President of Enrollment and Student Services and Dean of Admission:

During this season of Thanksgiving, we often find many things to be thankful for. At The University of Tulsa, we have witnessed the growth of our campus facilities, a rise to 75th nationally in the U.S. News and World Report rankings, and most importantly we have seen unprecedented student success, academically and in the job market. The word is spreading about all of the wonderful things happening at TU, as evident by the number of students who submitted an application under our Early Action Plan. We are indeed thankful for your interest. Today, I have the pleasure of offering admission to a record number of Early Action applicants. The letters will be mailed today and I hope you will share the good news with family and friends as you gather for Thanksgiving. From the Golden Hurricane family at The University of Tulsa, congratulations to all of our students who have been granted admission under the Early Action Plan. I look forward to welcoming you to the TU class of 2016. Happy Thanksgiving!

-Earl Johnson

Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services and Dean of Admission

Campus Visitors

Posted on October 21, 2011 by The Office of Admission

I love fall break. Well, let me clarify…I love high school fall break. TU students don’t get a fall break (they DO get the entire week of Thanksgiving off, which is even better, since most of our students come from out of state and have a long trip home and everyone could use an entire week off right before finals).

Some Prospective Student Visitors

Anyway, when high schools have fall break, it means that we have a TON of visitors on campus.

The fountain in front of Collins Hall

So things are pretty lively here in Collins Hall.

Most of our admission counselors are back in the office after all their fall travel to high schools and college fairs across the country, so they are thrilled to be here to meet with families who are visiting. One admission counselor, Karen Chen, said she hadn’t spent a full day in the office since September 1st!

Lindsley, a prospective student, and Earl Johnson, Associate Vice President of Enrollment and Student Services and Dean of Admission

Our University Ambassadors have been working overtime giving extra tours and taking students to lunch. What would we do without our great UAs? Have I mentioned that they don’t get paid? They just love TU!

Some of our University Ambassadors about to give a tour

A campus tour leaving Collins Hall

Since we didn’t offer an official visit program this week, most of our (hundreds) of visitors this week planned individual campus visits. Some of them came with friends, and many of the visitors brought their parents, but they all got individual itineraries planned for their own personal interests. I met with one student who was thrilled because her class visits solidified her interests in biology and pre-med, and another student who decided to change his major after he really connected with a professor in another engineering discipline. It is exciting to see students exploring their interests and figuring out how TU will help them become the people they want to be.

Students and Ambassadors eating lunch

Some schools have fall break next week. It looks like it will be another busy week for The Office of Admission! See you then.

-Casey Reed

Tulsa Time

Posted on October 17, 2011 by The Office of Admission

We just had our first Tulsa Time event of the year! The Tulsa Time Day Program on October 16th was so much fun.

Students went on tours, attended special interest sessions, and sat in on TU classes. Our University Ambassadors helped us with the program by giving tours, eating breakfast and lunch with students, and participating in student panels to answer questions about campus life.

Beverly Wheeler and one of our University Ambassadors

Grace and Solange, University Ambassadors

Thanks to everyone who came! We enjoyed meeting you and showing you around campus.

If you missed out on the Tulsa Time Day Program, be sure to sign up for our next event- the Tulsa Time Overnight Program on November 13th and 14th. We will offer all of the same great opportunities as the day program, as well as additional options (like staying overnight with a student host and going on a tour of the city of Tulsa)! Spaces are limited, so sign up soon!

See you in November!

I hope to see you on campus this fall!

-Casey Reed

Your Friendly TU Admission Counselor

Posted on October 6, 2011 by The Office of Admission

Every student who expresses an interest in The University of Tulsa is assigned their own personal admission counselor, based on the high school the student attends. As Admission Counselors, it is our job to work with families during the entire college search process, from the first time you pick up a TU brochure until you enroll in your college classes. We offer information, read applications, and assist with scholarships and financial aid.

I think being an admission counselor might be one of the best jobs in the world. Each year, I have so much fun getting to know prospective students and their families as they go through the college search process, trying to find the university that is the best fit for them. Every spring I attend graduation and watch another group of students, who entered TU as teenagers, leave as men and women ready and able to change the world.

During the fall, our admission counselors hit the road and travel across the country to meet students. We go on high school visits, attend college fairs, and host information sessions so we can make sure students know about TU and all of our unique opportunities.

Do you know who your admission counselor is? Is TU coming to a place near you? Send an email to admission@utulsa.edu and tell us your name, grade, and which high school you attend. We will have your admission counselor contact you right away! He or she would be happy to answer any questions you have, schedule a campus visit, arrange an interview, or just say hello and thank you for your interest in our university. One of these admission counselors is waiting to get to know you!

Another great way to get to know your admission counselor is through the applciation process. We try to reach out to all of our applicants in an effort to get to know each one personally. Visit apply.utulsa.edu to start your online application today! Don’t forget, November 1st is the Early Action deadline!

-Casey Reed

Gates Millennium Scholarship Workshop

Posted on October 3, 2011 by The Office of Admission

On Saturday, The Office of Admission had the pleasure of helping three TU students host a workshop for area high school students about the Gates Millennium Scholars Program.

If you don’t know about the Gates Millennium Scholarship, you have to check it out in case you are eligible to apply. It is one of my very favorite outside scholarships and is life-changing, because because it covers a recipients’ entire unmet need and self-help aid. That means, that if you receive the scholarship, you can attend any accredited college or university in the United States, and Gates will cover the remaining cost after your other grants and scholarships. All you have to do is get admitted and choose a university!

GMS awards 1,000 of these scholarships every year to outstanding minority students with hgh financial need in order “to make a significant impact on the future direction of the nation.” The GMS Program wants to guide the way for the future leaders of the country.

I think it’s working.

After school started in August, I was approached by three Gates Scholars who currently attend TU. The girls, all juniors, wanted to host a workshop to help spread the word about the Gates Millennium Scholarship and offer their advice on how to apply. Of course, I thought it was a fabulous idea, so I helped the girls plan and market the event.

The girls didn’t stop there! They voluntarily got out into the Tulsa community and visited high schools to encourage students to attend the workshop. They must have done a good job, because I had to close registration to the event early because of a full-house!

The students did a presentation on the GMS program and walked participants through the actual application so families could get a feel for the essays that are included and how they might manage their time and energy for the application. They shared their own (inspirational) stories and talked about how the scholarship has changed their lives.

It was a great event! I loved looking at the audience and thinking that some future Gates Scholarship finalists might be sitting in that very room! I hope everyone who attended the workshop applies for the scholarship. Good luck!

Shaliah, Laura and Leah, you each did a fabulous job! I am so proud of you. You are already wonderful leaders. I can’t wait to see what you accomplish in the future.

If you want to learn more about the Gates Millennium Scholarship and see if you are eligible to apply, please visit http://www.gmsp.org/default.aspx.

-Casey Reed

THE APPLICATION: What’s a PART I?

Posted on September 28, 2011 by The Office of Admission

PART I: APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION AND SCHOLARSHIPS

PART I of the Application includes your personal information (such as name, contact information, birthday, high school, etc) and your educational plans (what you plan to study, the semeser you are applying for, plans for talent-based scholarship auditions, etc.). It won’t take you long to fill-out, but it will get your application started and take a bit of the stress off (you can honestly say, Yes, Mom, I’ve started my college applications!)

You can do the paper PART I or submit it online once you have registered at apply.utulsa.edu.

PART II: APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION AND SCHOLARSHIPS

If you did the paper PART I, PART II will be mailed to you and we will create an online username and password for you at apply.utulsa.edu (in case you want to complete the rest online). We will mail you your username and password or you can contact your admission counselor to ask. Then, you choose whether to do the paper PART II or complete it online.
If you did the online PART I, just log back in at apply.utulsa.edu and complete PART II.

PART II is the real “meat” of the application and will take more time to complete. This is where you tell us about your college entrance exam scores, your academic information, your academic honors, work experience,extracurricular, community and volunteer activities, family background, you answer one essay question and complete the verification signature/required disclosure.

Whew! Are you tired yet? Don’t be! I promise it won’t take as long as you think.

PART III: APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION AND SCHOLARSHIPS/Secondary School Counselor of College Advisor Evaluation Form

PART III is attached to the paper copy of PART II or you can print it online here.

All you have to do is complete the top section and then give the form to your high school counselor, who will fill it out and send it in. See, you are practically finished!

THE REST: TRANSCRIPT, TEST SCORES AND APPLICATION FEE

Have you paid the application fee? Now, just have your high school send us your official transcript. If your ACT or SAT scores are on your transcript, your application is complete. (If not, call the testing agency and request that they send them. Now your application is complete!)

IN SUMMARY: So, you can do the application online, on paper, or a combination of both. Or, you can do the Common Application. Or, you can do our PART I and then submit the Common Application!

We don’t have a preference on how you apply, as long as you apply! And be sure to do so by November 1st to be considered for our Early Action Deadline.

Now, get to it!

-Casey Reed

6 Ways to Show a College You Care

Posted on September 23, 2011 by The Office of Admission

As an admission counselor, I am going to let you in on a little secret…I love it when students contact me. It can be via phone, or email or Facebook. It can be to ask me a question or check on the status of an application- it doesn’t matter the reason. I love hearing from my students. I like to know who is truly interested in TU, because it makes me happy and it makes my job easier. I’m here to help.

So, how do you show a college you are interested? Try one (or all) of these: