Singletary and other competitive scholarships

@AuntieFascist…We felt exactly the same way about UMich. While they guarantee to “meet full need” for IS students, their definition of need was substantially different from ours and they didn’t offer squat for merit scholarships even with great stats. I wish our IS flagship U’s offered significant money for NMFs (MSU does for OOS kids) but in the long run D1 has loved her time at UMinn and D2 is thrilled to be heading to UKy. Everything happens for a reason, and we’re thrilled with the choices they both made. :-c

@Wolverine86, I’m a tad miffed at UMich. They deferred my daughter and asked for her 7th semester grades. She’s gotten 2 B’s I her career; AP Calc and AP Econ. Dunno what they expect to see in semester 7 that they haven’t already seen. As Flip Wilson said, what you see is what you get.

Thank you! I will call the office, that would be great if it could all work out. He has other offers, but has decided that he wants to attend UK! I appreciate the advice here!!

@yyyyzzzz…Great to hear!! Keep us posted and let us know how things work out. As long as he’s already admitted to UKy, the Patterson is supposed to be guaranteed for NMFs who name them as a first-choice school, so the sooner he changes the better so UKy will receive his name from NMSC the next time they report first-choice selections to the universities. Jessica in the UKy scholarship office has always been very helpful when we’ve talked to her, so she should be able to help get everything in order.

Has your son sent in a housing application yet? If not, he should do so ASAP. Not sure if he’ll still be able to get into one of the newer dorms, but he should have a better chance than previous years since they’ve opened Haggin and Champion’s Court now as well.

@Wolverine86 When we were at Merit Weekend this past weekend our tour guide indicated that UK is “closing” the old dorms this fall and will only be using the new dorms–which, as you know, are beautiful!

@CoMoMom…I wondered about that, since when we went to the first Merit Weekend there was no mention of the Dining Hall (Commons I think it was called?) that I thought was on the ground floor of one of the towers. They only mentioned Blazer and the new 90 facility (which sounded pretty amazing!!).

Now I understand, Wolverine86. My D probably did not get an interview because she has 2 legs, played trumpet, and is from Illinois! I think you bring a lot of perspective to this. If a student would be getting a guaranteed scholarship that is pretty much the same as the Singletary, why not offer the Singletary to another deserving student who is not eligible for the Patterson? I am not sure of the deadline for naming UKy as the first choice with NMSC, but I believe that during our year it was in April. As stated before, the best thing to do for those who have questions is to contact the appropriate people at the University who can actually give correct and accurate information. Every person who we have interacted with at the University got back to us quickly with answers to our questions. The staff there is AWESOME!!!

yyyyzzzz, when I said “the best of the best of the best,” I was actually making a reference to a movie, Men in Black, where the candidate for a position was not the person with the highest test score or the most prestigious resume, but was the person who had other qualities that made that candidate stand out. In the movie, Will Smith had “street smarts” and was able to use common sense. Sorry if I was not clear. If you haven’t seen the movie, it is a hoot and well worth your time!

Just to answer the question about when to list with National Merit – I listed it as first choice near the end of April and got the Patterson notification a few days later. They said through April 30 was okay in an email to me. @NaperMom if your daughter still plays trumpet at UK I’m sure I’ll meet her in the fall!

Unfortunately, my D gave up the trumpet a while ago. I am not sure if it was the braces or the frequent throat infections, but she just decided it was not for her. As soon as she stopped, she immediately saw relief from throat issues.

So glad to hear that you will be continuing to play while at UK. D has taken a music class that allowed her to experience many different music performances by students, which she would not have attended if not for that class. We picked her up last Friday after finals. She has had an awesome first year, and is looking forward to returning in the Fall. UK has been a great experience for her so far.