I’ve posted on other threads that my D reluctantly went to UK. She had other, more prestious private schools on her list that she was accepted to, but we ultimately could not afford.
It came down to UK or U Alabama and she refused to even visit Bama. So, Lexington it was. She had 3 other schools she liked MUCH better.
So, even with that entitled attitude of hers, the school has grown on her, she has made friends, and she is involved on campus. UK is going to take her where she wants to go, career-wise. She is blooming where she was forcibly planted.
By time March Madness rolled around, she was WOW. School. spirit. on. steroids. She’s not much into sports of any kind, and yet she was sucked in for the NCAA Basketball Tournament and how it brought all the students together, cheering for the Wildcats.
She went to a small high school and had never experienced that kind of thing before.
She also liked to send us snapshots of the Lexington weather report, as we continued to wear our winter jackets in Chicagoland.
The U of Kentucky forum here at CC is quiet. But don’t take that as a negative thing about the school.
My daughter just switched one of her majors from chem to neuroscience. There’s a pharmacology course she’s all psyched for. We first visited UK in the spring of her junior year of HS, 2014. At the end of the visit, I asked her what she thought and she said “I’m here now.” In spite of a great senior year (summa cum laude, swim team co-captain and prom), I got the impression that senior year could just hurry up, so she could get to Lexington. My daughter has never been happier. Lexington is small enough to be charming, but big enough to have attractions a small town lacks. UK was nowhere on our radar, but I don’t think my daughter’s college career could’ve turned out better.
Definitely feeling better and better about the idea of UK (even without the honors program.) We honestly have no idea what merit will look like from the LAC’s she is applying (Kenyon, Wooster, Denison) but if they are not close to full-tuition we can’t consider them anyway. There has always been that nagging feeing that we discounted the big schools too early. She’s an introvert (not shy, but prefers small gatherings to huge parties etc.) prefers going to plays/speakers over basketball games, likes discussion type classes etc. and all of these things drew her to LAC’s yet she is a risk taker and not afraid to be outside her comfort zone, so there has always been a part of me that wonders if she’ll get bored in a tiny town. Really won’t be making any decisions until the schools put it all on the table. Deep down I know if by some miracle she gets full tuition at Kenyon that will be the end of it—she really loves that school. But I know we can’t bank on that, and knowing that UK offers a full-ride (hopefully still) is encouraging especially hearing all of these wonderful success stories.
@2manycollegequestions4me I totally understand your thought process. My S loves Centre College and I think he will likely attend there if he manages to get one of their big scholarships. Key word being “if”.
In his case he would happily attend UK also. Seemed like we had a pretty simple and solid plan until UK forecasted changes to merit awards. If the Patterson full ride isn’t available, Louisville, Cincinnati and Bama are in the picture.
This more recent quote seemed to suggest it is going to be bad news:
"The strategy doesn’t mean no aid for high-scoring students – Tracy pointed out that top-performing students often still have unmet need. Yet he acknowledges Kentucky might lose some elite students.
“Our modeling suggests that we will probably have fewer National Merit Finalists,” he said. “We had 105 this year.”
While Tracy said UK is proud to have so many National Merit Finalists, he also pointed out that they’re 2 percent of the university’s first-year class of 5,100 students"
Why would their modeling suggest fewer NMFs if they are going to keep the Patterson?
Oh well, at least the painful wait will soon be over. We will know for sure in a few weeks.
My D will be starting this fall at UK. One thing in regards to the Honors College, they should not feel like they have to live in the Honors dorm to be an Honors student. UK has a lot of great Living Learning Programs (LLP) on campus. Someone made a statement on campus that stuck with me… Is the student going to major in Honors? No, it will be pre-Med, Engineering, etc.
The merit package will be different in the fall. The offerings were different for some of the scholarships for this incoming class. They are shifting dollars from merit-based to financial need, and as stated previously, they will lose some top merit students in the process.
@2manycollegequestions4me I have a son starting at UK this fall. He did not make NMF so he did not get the Patterson but did get a full tuition scholarship (Presidential). Some of his stats were lower than others on here who were not awarded the Patterson (not much lower but lower) making me think that process is more holistic. Every time we have gone to UK my son is more convinced this is the place he needs to be for college. He is majoring in Business but wants to double major in Russian. Meeting with the head of that department showed him just how a big university can be made smaller by making connections with the right people/departments He graduated with less than 100 kids so he knows he needs to feel personal connections at school and needs to find ways to make it smaller. He is in the Honors program and has decided to live in the Honors LLC for his 1st year. He is also part of Global Scholars in Gatton Business College. There are generally about 40 students admitted into this program each year and they have some smaller cohort classes in Business just available for them. They also are required in this program to interact with local business leaders and perform community service. My son has always been heavily involved in many EC activities. As a UK student he can audition for and participate in any choir/musical theater or drama production which was important in choosing a school. At some schools those opportunities are reserved only for students major in Music or Theater type majors. These types of opportunities are why he, and we, felt UK was the best spot for him. With each interaction at the school, my son was impressed by how he was treated to individualized attention, fast responses, a willingness to go out of their way to help and and a strong attention to remembering details about him (every letter comes to him addressing him by his preferred name rather than his full first name). Small things make a big difference. I would be happy to update you as he goes through his 1st year at UK starting next month. Hope that helps.
2Many…the NMF designation does carry a lot of weight for college scholarship $$. My DD was a NMF. Basically, once you make it through the PSAT, unless you have a problem with your HS transcript (a C or lower grade will reduce your chances) or problems getting a recommendation from your HS (usually due to disciplinary problems), you will advance to finalist status. Just submit your application on time. You can change the school you list as your #1 choice multiple times on the NM website. Just be sure to check the final deadline to be sure the school you have listed on that date is correct.
We also did the “pick the best school you can attend with the least amount of expense” route. We put down multiple housing deposits across the country but got them all back when she made her final choice in April.
When your DD evaluates offers, make sure you look at what minimum GPA must be maintained. My DD chose TAMU because of their scholarships/engineering program. She has always sailed through school but was challenged by their honors freshman engineering program (suspect it had a lot to do with her busy social life!) and is now learning HOW to study. Just keep it in mind when looking at offers.
There are several threads on CC that list colleges offering full rides or close to FR $$. Check them out. Good luck!
PS On this thread because my youngest is definitely going to UK in 2018 if they’ll take her. She is OOS and was told that merit scholarships will be more competitive this admission cycle during her campus visit.
Thank you @collegecue and @tryn2keepup. I love hearing all of the positive things about UK! We have a tour scheduled in early August. I guess based on your experience @collegecue, we shouldn’t discount UK if the patterson doesn’t end up being a full-ride. At least could try for a presidential. She’s in love with Kenyon, but we need a back-up plan if she doesn’t get full tuition there. @tryn2keepup, when do most housing deposits need to be in by? That’s good to know that you were able to get them back—I’m assuming that’s not the norm?
Where we put deposits down, you could get a refund minus an admin fee (ranged from $50-100). But you have to check the policies of the particular colleges. Varies from school to school.
My S who started in the Fall got some money for UK vs our state university, he is living in the honors dorm. He loves the school, his room mates, the kids on the floor. He says he made the right choice. He prefers the Honors dorm over the other living learning option he had, you have a better cross section of kids just not your major.
Somethings you need to be aware of for the Honors College, first the Honors courses are not a give me, he is busting his tail in the one he has now, second getting a scholarship award and getting into the Honors program are 2 different things, the process is a mystery as far as I am concerned. My recommendation is to apply early and apply to different types and locations of schools (the longer distance matters), all have their own way of doing admissions. As a safety you should apply to Alabama since there process is purely based on test scores and grades, with nothing else mattering. If you are from the south apply to Washington State, U Maine, UNH, Buffalo, Minnesota, U of North Dakota, you need to separate your kid from the pack both grade wise and location wise, then buy him/her an expedition weight winter coat and fur lined boots!
Thanks for the info! So glad to hear that your son is loving UK! My daughter will apply and see if she gets accepted to honors. They keep putting off their decision about Patterson… It was supposed to be decided Aug. 1st, then mid September, and now the website says late September.
My son absolutely loves his honors classes! He does not participate in many of the honors get togethers, but he loves the perks of being in the program. They get priority registration, and the professors compete to teach the classes. He says he wishes that all classes were set up the same.
