<p>Congrats! When will you all make your decisions?</p>
<p>My D won't decide until after April 1. She has a few schools that she really likes, and it will probably come down to money. She has dental school ahead of her, so keeping loans to a minimum is important. It won't JUST be money, but that will certainly be a big factor. She hasn't visited Centre yet, although she spent over an hour talking with an admissions rep. She really likes what she knows of the school, and she is looking forward to doing an overnight in Feb. She didn't want to go to their big doings this weekend, because she prefers to see a school as it is on any normal day --- she figures that's the best way to see how it really is.</p>
<p>I understand. My daughter hosts many overnight PS (perspective students) and most hosting students prefer to have guests on a "real" night when they can show a PS real college life. Plus the "liability" of having a PS visitor on a Friday or Saturday night means either giving up your weekend (think "party") or taking a chance that the kid will get drunk :) Most colleges prefer HS students only visit Sunday-Thursday overnight for this reason.</p>
<p>I remember my daughter's athletic visit to Christian Brothers (Memphis). It was over a Saturday night. She didn't get to visit a single class but saw a lot of night life...I don't think it endeared them to her.</p>
<p>I got my acceptance letter today!
I'm pretty excited, even though it will be a while before I can get down there to visit again. I visited on one of their big days (because of auditions), and the weather was bad so I didn't get much of a feel for it.
It's still great to get in though!</p>
<p>Congrats to all of you on your acceptance to Centre. It really is a wonderful school. My oldest son is a senior there this year and has had a wonderful experience. Right now he is in Moscow taking a January term on Russian politics, and last summer he interned for Sen. Mitch McConnell in Washington which was a fabulous experience that his Centre connections made possible.</p>
<p>My younger son is a freshman at Rhodes, and it was his Centre brother that told him that if he wouldn't go to Centre then Rhodes was probably the next best school! Anyway, enjoy these final months of the college search process and hopefully at least some of you will actually end up at Centre!</p>
<p>For you parents with Centre students: I have heard that Centre is relatively generous with financial aid. Do you have any opinion on how they compare with other schools? D received her scholarship letter today, and I was honestly a bit surprised by it. Given the merit scholarships listed in the viewbook they sent, I guess I would have thought D would be a good candidate for at least a Dean's scholarship. She was offered a Faculty scholarship. While I AM NOT complaining (after all, any scholarship is much appreciated), I was kind of wondering how scholarships are awarded. D has excellent stats, strong ECs, etc. I doubt we'll qualify for any need-based aid after the scholarship, so the amount left to pay after the scholarship is still quite a bit. Does Centre add any other scholarships when they send the financial aid package out, or is the scholarship we just found out about all we can hope for?</p>
<p>I believe my daughter was awarded the Colonel's scholarship. She did receive additional money but I'm not sure how that was determined. Although tuition has increased since her freshman year her grant money has not. We do not qualify for need based aid. I think her grant money is about 17k, we kick in about $12k and the rest is a student loan.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. Actually, 17k in grants is pretty darn good for a family not qualifying for need based aid. While I wish D could go for free (DON'T WE ALL??!!), I know that's not a realistic hope. If Centre is relatively generous, that is a good thing. I'll take a deep breath, wait for aid package, and figure it all out from there. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Kelsmom--My daughter also received the Faculty Scholarship. We were very grateful and pleased, but like you, I had to wonder if/why the Dean's Scholarship eluded her. She's got extremely high test scores (35 ACT, 2290 SAT), sky-high GPA, strong ECs, etc. Well, they must be looking for someone very special, indeed, for the Dean's. Plus, Centre has an even bigger scholarship available--the President's, which I'm told students are invited to interview for. My guess is that the top scholarships are reserved for those amazing students who also show a real interest in the school. My daughter, bless her heart, couldn't be bothered.</p>
<p>I love your response "bless her heart" -- it really made me laugh. Some students are so bright but so unconcerned, aren't they. My youngest is like that. </p>
<p>I do know that Centre puts GREAT stock in extra curriculars. My daughter (a junior there) not only graduated in the top 10 of her class but was a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Gold Award. She was a member of Interact, captain of her HS volleyball team, president of the Prom Committee and active in both the Beta Club and National Honor Society--your typical over-achiever. They put a lot of emphasis on having their students actively involved in campus life. In fact, I met President Rousch when my daughter first started there, over a year later when we were re-introduced, he not only knew my daughter by name but remembered her Scouting experience. How's that for hands on? She had a strong interest in Centre, had 2 interviews and an official athletic visit prior to accepting (and ultimately did not play sports). Centre expects a lot from their students. In addition to a double major, she sings in the choir, works at the tech center, volunteers for Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Danville and is active in many on campus events. </p>
<p>One thing I can say about Centre, when she got there as a freshman, she called home and said that the other students were brilliant and for the first time she did not feel out of place because she wasn't the smartest kid in ANY class LOL</p>
<p>Centremom--Your daughter's wonderful and individualized college experience is exactly what I've wanted for my girls, and why I encouraged them both to consider well-regarded, small, liberal arts schools like Centre. My older daughter is a freshman at College of Wooster now, and having a similar experience to what you described with Centre. (She loved Centre, but ultimately wanted something a little farther from home. Perhaps she worried that her busybody, over-protective mother might find a way to present herself on campus too frequently, with only a 40-mile drive.) Anyway, I love schools like Centre and Wooster, where the academics are strong, the professors and adminstrators attentive, and the opportunities for growth boundless. Our daughters are certainly more than a lost face in the crowd at schools such as these.</p>
<p>It has been awfully quiet around here? Are decisions being made? Don't forget to get that FAFSA filled out soon!</p>
<p>Actually, I am driving my daughter down to Danville Monday to spend Monday night & Tuesday morning at Centre! She is looking forward to experiencing what she has heard about. I'll post after the trip.</p>
<p>We got home from Centre tonight. My daughter had a great time! She met some terrific girls who took her & another prospective student all over --- they met lots of great students. She couldn't stop laughing when she told me about the freshman boy who greeted them in his room with a homemade tinfoil "grill" --- it reminded her of her brother! She felt very comfortable. Her concerns about the location were shared by others, and they told her that it's okay ... Centre is good enough to overcome it's distance from real stores (and WalMart looks better all the time). All in all, glad we went. Personally, I liked the $2.98 pint of shrimp fried rice at the wok restaurant!</p>
<p>Just hoping that the scholarship fairy increases her award, though ... that's the sticking point.</p>
<p>yeah, I hear you. Especially since I got the letter in the mail today telling me that tuition is increasing (thank God she'll be a senior!) and what a great bargain it still is at $35k. LOL</p>
<p>On a positive note, dd was accepted to study at Reading University in the UK for fall of 2007 and is VERY excited to be spending a semester as a foreign exchange student.</p>
<p>I hope the scholarship fairy comes through :)</p>
<p>We really need more people on this board...</p>
<p>And Reading...</p>
<p>I just know that the city has a soccer team.</p>
<p>By the way, congratulations to your daughter :D.</p>
<p>How exciting for your daughter! Congratulations.</p>
<p>I was just thinking about your "real" stores comment...
My daughter and her friends often drive to Lexington (about 40 min) to go to the Mall, Target, etc. It's not too far and Target actually has a "student gift card" where you send your child the card and you keep a key-fob card that you can refill with cash on your end for her to use on her end. It's been great!</p>
<p>We did see the mall on our way back home, and it's really not all that far ... but it feels that way to D, since she grew up with every conceivable type of store nearby. We are in the kind of high-density area where there is a McDonald's every mile or so! D thinks 40 minutes to a Target is the other side of the world!! She knows she has to get used to that, though, because the schools she has narrowed her focus to are all located away from the shopping areas ... a good thing from a financial standpoint, in my opinion!</p>
<p>I can deal with refillable Target cards ... but NO refillable J Crew cards allowed!!</p>