<p>SeekingUni…I did not think it was a surprise after he announced it in front of all the parents. It kind of seemed like …ooops…here’s the big secret…and of course we told our D! That was a major reason for her for going to the weekend! Perhaps it is different every year. I think we would all advise that no one in the future should “expect” anything, because as the rankings keep getting better, previous expectations should be gone.</p>
<p>seekinguni - oh my gosh, I’m sorry! but I’m confused - Foote Fellows was for some reason supposed to kept a secret from all the students attending? When they announced it to the hundreds of parents/family members in the auditorium - that was certainly an unexpected and happy surprise! oops I’d better go back to lurking here…</p>
<p>No…don’t lurk! Finish your wonderful review! Dr. Gillis did not say to keep it a secret from the kids…I didn’t hear that at all!</p>
<p>He specifically said to keep the Foote Fellow thing a secret. I didn’t tell my kid, and when my husband almost slipped he quickly caught himself. The Foote Fellowship has just as much value as the scholarships in my opinion, so I’m hoping that if my kid gets FF, it may offset the disappointment for not getting the Singer or Stamps. It’s hard to be realistic and optimistic at the same time.</p>
<p>My son got his invitation to the honors college in the mail yesterday. Still hasn’t shown up on his MyUM though. I’m a little confused about it though. Another thing Gillis said was to NOT accept the honors program because it would hold you back from the freedom of being a Foote. (That’s when they let it slip that all would be ff’s I think). But isn’t it worth something to graduate “with honors”?</p>
<p>Yeah, it was supposed to be a secret… When my dad asked Gillis personally (he sat with him at lunch or sometime) my dad asked and Gillis (jokingly, but not really) said “you ruined the surprise” lol. But yeah FF is a big deal… We decided that the U would be worth it even with FF and not the scholarship.</p>
<p>Someone said that cristi posted to kids that she would let them know next week “as they come out”. Does that mean they are working through a list and we can expect that not everyone will be notified on the same day? I was sort of hoping that we would hear today, since they said “6 days”. I’m not nearly so stressed as DS is though. The FF designation is totally worth the price of the weekend.</p>
<p>DinDune and Dumbo11 - I’m trying to get Illinois Mom to finish up her trip report, but she’s just lying on the couch talking to my dad about Chicken Broccoli soup and what movie we should watch tonight. (I’m her D, I just got a CC account so I could stalk her posts more easily!)</p>
<p>I feel like this is the opposite of the horror that some people feel when their parents get a facebook. :)</p>
<p>Welcome to our world on CC! illinoisD93, she needs to finish! I keep checking every hour and can’t wait to read the ending, or at least Part 4! I did send her an email, so tell her to stop relaxing (we moms aren’t very good at it anyway) and email me back and post! Hopefully you are all caught up from your trip to FL and are counting the days until your spring break! You deserve a real break! Good luck on Monday!</p>
<p>IllinoisD, welcome to CC! I keep checking this thread, hoping for the next post from your mom with how your interview went, etc. I am glad you loved Miami and I wish you get good news on Monday. One thing to keep in mind is Zinc’s experience last year, where they sweetened the pot after the awards were announced. Oh, and you are going to love the Allure. We sailed on her over the winter holidays…what a ship! By the way, love the pictures your mom posted.</p>
<p>Rankinr, I wish there was a like button on CC. Your post made me LOL.</p>
<p>Re: Post #25 by Mithwhizmia</p>
<p>“I’m a little confused about it though. Another thing Gillis said was to NOT accept the honors program because it would hold you back from the freedom of being a Foote.”</p>
<p>My son was a Foote Fellow (Singer scholar) and in Honor’s Program. (Graduated last May.) Foote Fellows offers special seminar classes, adventures off campus, etc. Foote Fellow means you do not have to take any specific classes outside your major. id- none of the gen ed requirements of the rest of the university. This frees up the Foote Fellow to have plenty of room in your schedule to explore your interests and take classes you want to take. Most Foote/Singers come in with credits from AP classes as well. You do not take Foote Seminars every semester, not do you have to take them at all, though I recommend them. Students will have plenty of time to take Honor’s classes (they are classes you want to take anyway, just take the H (honors) section or have your prof make it an honors course for you (will require extra work).</p>
<p>Though Singers scholars (at least my son and his friends) could have graduated early, they opted to stay for 4 years, do study abroad, take an extra major or minor as well, and take part in the Honor’s program.</p>
<p>Ha! illinoisD93 has gone back to her studying for a bit, I believe 
As to her assertion that I was just lying on the coach goofing off, well that’s from her perspective. Here’s my side of the story: first of all, it wasn’t chicken broccoli soup we were discussing, it was broccoli cheddar! And we had to get the movie decision made before H went to get the soup because Redbox is located at the grocery store of course (we settled on Hugo, was that a good move?). And I was also quite busy composing a lengthy email to dindune at the same time (she can back me up here) and that’s multitasking, not lounging around on the sofa in my book 
</p>
<p>So regarding the comments made at Singer/Stamps weekend about the Honors program, it did seem a bit confusing. My initial impression was that the honors program was/might be changing so they just wanted us to focus on the many wonderful opportunities provided by the Foote Fellows program for now. Or perhaps the emphasis placed on the significance of FF as “an honors program on steroids” over the honors program was intended to make clear how vastly superior FF was in contrast to the standard honors program that I believe admits the top 10% of each incoming class? The U’s honors website does list three different categories of honors - general honors, departmental honors, and latin honors and it did sound as if the general honors program was the one referred to at S/S based on the comments about taking one honors level class each semester or making a regular class into an honors level (pinksheeting?).</p>
<p>illinoismom I love your review!! Is there more coming soon??</p>
<p>Illinoismom is telling the truth. I did get a lovely long email! But, we’re anxiously waiting for the final installments! We did not see Hugo, so I don’t know if it was worth the 1.00 that redbox charges. Probably since it was up for many awards, it is worth it! Enjoy!</p>
<p>What did the girls wear to the interview/dinner the night before? I’m such a girl. I just wanna be prepared!</p>
<p>My D wore a casual black lace belted dress. (sounds dressier than it was) On interview day she wore a cotton sundress (loose and flowy) with a shrug. Ballet flats both days.</p>
<p>My daughter wore slacks and colorful top to dinner with lightweight sweater, ballet flats. This is where you are going to make your first impression, meet Cristi Busto, perhaps your rep, as well as deans, etc. </p>
<p>For interview day, she wore a casual dress with a lightweight cardigan and cute sandals. My advice is to wear something that you feel great in, that makes you feel confident, comfortable etc. You don’t want to be managing your skirt, etc., in your interview, and remember, you’ll be sitting down, so nothing that you’re going to feel awkward about when seated. </p>
<p>The a/c is ON, so the sweater was helpful, and easily removed for walking around midday when it was a bit humid. Comfy shoes both days. We chose to do the tour on Saturday after the interview, not wanting to show up for dinner after the tour not as fresh as we’d like. </p>
<p>Lunch is with your mentors. Parents should sit elsewhere, even if there’s room at the table IMHO. It’s a great opportunity to get to know one of the people who may be conducting part of your interview.</p>
<p>You will start interviews after lunch, having had the morning to attend the model class, etc. So, maybe a small purse to carry some necessities in so you can freshen up if you want.</p>
<p>Tell your parents that Friday night dinner is business casual, but on Saturday they can dress more casually, even nice shorts. Everything on Saturday for parents is group sessions, and walking around. </p>
<p>Remember, you have been invited to this event because UM really wants YOU. The weekend is a great opportunity, and whether or not you get S/S, or Foote, you’ll get an more in depth look at the university than you ever could with the basic tour and info sessions, and maybe a little extra money to thank you for your efforts.</p>
<p>Mine wore a tailored sundress for the Friday tour and dinner. They said to dress casually and be prepared for lots of walking, but we really didn’t want to go too casual because of the dinner. For the interview she wore a ruffled tank top with a short sleeved cropped sweater over it and a black pencil skirt in a conservative length. And ballet flats for both days here too!</p>
<p>We all very much enjoyed Hugo last night and I’m working on the end of the trip report now : )</p>