<p>After having to cancel this weeks trip to USC due tofamily problems, S just got called from Admissions for the McNair interview for this coming weekend,someone dropped out!!
Travel arrangements being made right now,they pay for kid and one parent to fly and hotel for Sat and Sunday.</p>
<p>Any advice for him from the Carolina Scholarship kids who just went on their interviews?</p>
<p>Did McNair with another child last year. My advice: remember what you wrote on your application, relax, and show enthusiasm! Even if you do not win the McNair, you still get a great deal!</p>
<p>They really do a nice job showing off the best of the school. I am sure you will both enjoy the trip.</p>
<p>Gorge on the food. Enjoy the gift basket. Get a good feel of the campus. Do not spend your time worrying too much.</p>
<p>As far as the interview, it was very, very lax (at least it was for almost all us Carolina Scholar Finalists). It's informal, but at the same time, I think they're able to evaluate your personality. </p>
<p>Congrats to your son, he's already a winner.</p>
<p>Congratulations!!!!</p>
<p>thanks all
What I didnt realize when he was called that the finalists also are rewarded with $,the scholar designation just means more $ !!
Everyone we've dealt with so far today have been wonderful,hope the visit is the same.
He's practicing his yes Maam's, and I told him he will have to hold doors open for ladies.:)
Any advice on the dress code for a guy?</p>
<p>Yay Cathy...Hope to hear great things about your trip!!!</p>
<p>For the interviews definitely coat and tie, suit if he has one but navy blazer, grey or khaki dress slacks, nice shirt, tie and polished shoes.</p>
<p>For other tiimes I would say dress casually but not sloppily.</p>
<p>Congrats cathymee!!!</p>
<p>Congratulations!!</p>
<p>hi, I just found this site through a google seach of the McNair Scholarship to SC. Hope you're still around. My daughter went to the McNair week-end and is now going to SC next fall. I was really miffed she didn't get selected scholar since her credentials were stronger (from our conversations) than most finalists...still can't figure out why.</p>
<p>Hi - I'm not sure I'm doing this right. I already thought I replied, but it's not showing up. Hope you guys are still here - I just found this site looking around for discussion on U. of South Carolina. My daughter is going there next year - I wondered if any of you (or your kids) did the McNair thing.</p>
<p>Hello pprmom - My daughter is attending USC as a Capstone Scholar in the fall. I think there will be a nice group of cc'ers attending. We have been to campus to visit several times and and are looking forward to this new adventure for her.
Hope all goes well for your daughter as well!</p>
<p>My son, Paul, was not selected as a finalist. He will be attending USC anyway. He received a Cooper Scholarship, and in-state tuition.</p>
<p>We attend orientation on 5/30/06. He is really looking forward to college, and hopes to live in Maxey.</p>
<p>Let me know when you are going for orientation.</p>
<p>I'm here!
Just came back to the USC threads.S went to the McNair weekend,is a named finalist but not Scholar designate.He also got a Lieber scholarship for being named a NMF,and his department now sent a letter(this past week) giving him an additional small scholarship (seperate app he filled out before he knew he'd be a McNair).We discovered they will package you for scholarships up to the cost of education.We were also told once the May 1 deadline has passed,they will redistribute monies so kids might get bumped up a notch or two.
He's attending Orientation June 9,He and H fly in on the 8th.He put Maxcey down as his first choice housing and is attempting to use the "UChoose" option to find a roomate.
He's been in contact with some of the McNair weekend participants,and his major department as well.He's really looking forward to starting college there and cant believe the personal attention from a large institution.
By the way Mom of Paul,Cooper was what S was slated to receive before he got bumped up to McNair.we only know he got the call b/c someone was nice enough to call ahead of time and turn down the interview weekend offer and he was next on the list. I've told this story many times in case it helps another kid somewhere get a better offer.</p>
<p>Even though my daughter is a Capstone Scholar rather than in the Honors Program, we have been pleased with the degree of communication we have received from USC. My daighter was also accepted at Penn State and has received little more than a standard acceptance letter. She really liked the feeling of being wanted at USC and not just another number. I hope this trend continues through her time at USC. </p>
<p>We did not do the UChoose thing because my daughter was fortunate enough to meet her future roommate through CC! We were able to meet cc'ers at the Scholars weekend and the girls really hit it off so they decided to room together. I think they are enjoying getting to know each other through IM now and are already planning their decor. KInd of cool.
Good luck to all of you !
BTW, I recently heard that there are a number of students from a high school across town planning to attend USC as well - I did not know it was so popular here in PA! Guess they all want the palm tress and sunshine!</p>
<p>Thanks for all your replies. SC is indeed attentive compared to other schools. cathymee, do you know what the actual cost of attendance is? Counting in my head I'd think that the McNair Finalist Award of $11,000 plus Leiber of $6,000 would take you over it already even without the departmental award - what dept, out of curiosity? E is majoring in biochemistry. </p>
<p>I'm just coming to terms with the fact this is really happening. E also won the Lanier Scholarship to Vanderbilt (full cost of attendance for all 4 years) and TURNED IT DOWN for SC Finalist, which is less than full cost. She really loved SC, obviously. This Mom really loved Vanderbilt :) oh well.</p>
<p>I've been looking at that site on SC where they show the winners of McNair and Carolina - hasn't been updated in a week and E isn't on it yet. Is your son on it? E really wants to get on it so they can all start really getting to know each other and is a bit frustrated they don't seem interested in updating it anymore since they now have all their acceptances as of May 1.</p>
<p>She will be living in Maxcey and has found a roommate through UCHOOSE from Long Island who seems really compatible - they can't wait to meet each other in person.</p>
<p>E also has a friend who graduated from her high school last year and is, I think, a Capstone Scholar and living in Capstone. He loves it there. I didn't know about the orientation yet since she only committed this week. June 9? She must know about it, but hasn't told me yet.</p>
<p>SC sure does offer an array of merit scholarships - I'm impressed with that. So, you were told S might have his award bumped up after May 1? I'm still hoping for something more from SC since E was offered full everything from Vanderbilt. We really enjoyed the McNair week-end, but she wasn't happy with the interview (as the interviewers must not have been either :)). She really enjoyed her Vanderbilt interview and they honed right in on her real strengths and interests - journalism and research. She was surprised when all the McNair interviewers wanted to talk about was dance and politics. I'm wondering if the decisions were really already made. Her application was pretty sloppy, all the interviewers were sort of glowering at copies of it at the interview, and I think that was the reason she didn't make scholar - they surmised from her sloppy app that she wasn't really interested?</p>
<p>SC was the only school she applied to without an online application, she decided to apply at the very last minute, and had to whip it out before rushing out to meet a deadline for her news publication that night. A $16,000 mistake? OUCH!!!!</p>
<p>The minute she set foot on the SC campus though, she knew that was where she wanted to go, and wouldn't consider anywhere else from that point on.</p>
<p>If orientation is on June 9 I guess we might see you all there! Hope our kids will all get to know each other! Congratulations to all of you!</p>
<p>PA MOm
you must learn to call them Palmettos,not palm trees..we were corrected (nicely) when we called them palms! Geez,what do us northerners know! But the sunshine will be nice..S is looking forward to not packing a winter coat,gloves or boots.</p>
<p>Thanks for the heads up cathymee- I'll get it straight before the next visit!
pprmom- go to the orientation section of the USC website for more info. There are many dates to choose from - not just June 9. We are not out of school in PA until June 14 so we are going to a later orientation.</p>
<p>pprmom, Congratulations!!! Our daughter will (sadly) not be attending USC, deciding instead to attend a smaller college in California. USC was the only other school that was "hard to let go of". The personal treatment was outstanding, especially for a large school. DD had received the McKissick Scholarship, and it is nice to know that some other deserving student will now receive the award she is not accepting. Not every college does this with scholarships that are not used. It's a great school and a great town. Good luck to your daughter.</p>