Thank you! I just called about the Volunteer Impact Academy and they didn’t recommend he apply with Chancellor’s and This Cook Grand, as he can only do one, though I think the Cook email said people do Chancellor’s and that together. Though he’s our high-stat kid, don’t want him to be overwhelmed with outside responsibilities as ME is so hard anywhere you go and want him to have some balance. Maybe there will be a departmental scholarship or something that comes along later. Thanks again and best of luck to you as well!
Hmm…interesting about Volunteer Impact Academy. My son was accepted with Chancellor’s Honors (into the Business School) but didn’t make the cut for Haslam. I was hoping he could perhaps pick up the extra money for the volunteer impact one. But sounds like he won’t get that if he is in Chancellor’s? But there isn’t extra money associated with just getting into Chancellor’s Honors. So that doesn’t seem entirely cool! Oh well. It is what it is…
Hello. The campus was beautiful - the tour guide did a great job. I think doing a walking tour of the hill buildings before or after the tour would be useful - the tour does a good job at the main pieces close to the Union but doesn’t go further out so depending on the major of your child, you may want to venture out after. Also the tour really doesn’t go in anywhere other than the student union and the library. Not sure if that was because school wasn’t “back in session” yet or because of Covid. Outside of campus - a good place to see is Market Square in downtown Knoxville. Enjoy the tour and enjoy the time away from your house! For us that was nice as well.
Thank you so much for the info. My D21 is nursing, very excited to get away this weekend.
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We actually walked by the College of Nursing Building on our tour…
Also if your daughter is interested in sororities, that may be an area you want to walk around before or after the main tour. That part of campus wasn’t part of the guided tour.
For anyone awaiting a response on their first choice major (in my daughter’s case, nursing), do you know when UTK will send out responses? Thanks.
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i am wondering the same thing! i emailed them a while back and they said 3 weeks after decemeber 15th but it’s been over 3 weeks haha
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Why is it too hard to get into Nursing? Students keep changing majors all the time at UT. Is the Nursing program too competitive?
Switching in to nursing, as are some engineering programs, are difficult because classes must be taken in sequence.
Most Nursing Programs have limited spots due to space in clinicals and classrooms. They may just have one scheduled class for each nursing topic for that years cohort. That would constrain class size to room size.
Also, when it comes to clinicals there are only so many willing places available and only so many clinical instructors. Normally, the nursing students are divided up into smaller groups of 6-10 and do clinical rotations with the instructor assigned there.
I went through a community college nursing program in 2014. There were over 500 applicants for 110 spots. The decisions were made simply by stats. So many points for TEAS score, GPA and number of required non-nursing classes completed. When they got to score number 110, about 10 were waitlisted, The rest denied.
My S21 and I did a tour on Tuesday afternoon – there just is no substitute for actually being on campus and esp. with student guides who know their stuff and have a love and enthusiasm for the school. Our two guides were both from OOS (like my S21) and the biggest thing for both of them was the feeling of being “home” even far away from home. The UTK Ambassadors even did a short group presentation indoors (everyone in masks) before sending cozy groups of 5 students with family members out on tour. As @Mom2sonnc mentioned, the base is the Student Union and the library, but we got to see inside the business school building as well. Outdoor tour portion also went by Brown Hall, the theatre building, the college of music, the Rock, Stokely Hall, Circle Park, Torchbearer statue, Neyland Stadium, the nursing school, the education school, McClung Tower, and finished on Pedestrian Walkway on our way back to the Student Union and the Vol Shop (they joked that it’s like an amusement park ride where they drop you at the gift shop). Couldn’t be more impressed with the campus – it’s large, but so well laid out, feels close-knit, and everything looks symmetrical in look and feel (in a good way). We stayed at the Hampton Inn - Downtown Knoxville which is walkable from campus and also is on the edge of downtown. Dinner on Tuesday night was at the famed Calhoun’s on the River (BBQ). Everyone we met was universally friendly and welcoming, and of course loved UTK. S21 and I have been on a number of campus tours and this one was definitely the best of the bunch. The guides were in absolutely no rush and we loved their commitment. Enjoy!
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We had the same impression when we toured campus in November. One of the best college tours ever!
Also, I love how excited UTK is to have its newly admitted Vols! Daily posts on social media and every time my daughter accesses her account there’s a cute, animated “show”! A couple of the other colleges she got into haven’t said anything since sending out the acceptances. Like I said to me daughter, it feels good to be wanted 
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Understood. It actually makes Nursing very competitive.
I agree - they are really killing the social media game. I find myself comparing other schools’ online presence to UTK’s. So far, UTK is outshining everyone else and making it a fun experience all around.
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Yes! Gotta admit, the music-playing orange card was a unique touch as well! I really like schools who look and act like they are “trying” to stay connected to their applicants and esp. their admits and eventual enrollees. UTK’s philosophies along these lines start at the top, and they show in everything they do and put out there. I find myself in the strange position of possibly liking the school even more than my S21 does…we will see if any extra merit $ comes his way and makes a difference (we are OOS). The other boxes are checked so far - admitted to engineering, Chancellor’s Honors, and a nice Volunteer Scholarship.
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How is an appointment set up for a campus tour? Are students invited for a campus visit based on their stats?
Anyone can sign up for a tour here The University of Tennessee, Knoxville - Campus Tours
Anyone can go their website and sign up.
We recently did one and it was one of the better tours we have done.
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The thing is that UTK is one of only a handful of schools actually doing tours right now, which I think is a huge advantage for them as they try and reel admitted students in. When you sign up online, I highly recommend an afternoon one as it will be warmer :). We ended up walking over to the Student Union at 12 pm for a 2 pm tour, seeing the engineering complex along the way, and then getting some Steak and Shake there for lunch (there are little kiosks upstairs in the Student Union to sit and eat if you desire). Then, looked around the Vol Shop before our tour. Note: if you plan to buy any UTK merchandise, do it AFTER the tour as they give you a 10% off coupon in your tour materials.
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UTK really does a nice job on the tour. The student guide was excellent; he was enthusiastic with lots of good information. My daughter and I went in late November, and it definitely moved the needle for her. We both thought the campus was walkable, attractive, and not too overwhelming for a big state school. I think UTK is now at the top of her list if she doesn’t end up getting in our state flagship.
UTK is smart to send their admitted applicants the nice envelope with the Rocky Top card, and the small “welcome” box. It is really nice to feel wanted by schools in this crazy admissions year.
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I agree. Kids & parents are having a tough time having to pick a school based on virtual tours - especially if they are halfway across the country.
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