Flew here from out of state. All tours canceled school is closed. How can we get an idea of how my son will like University of Kentucky?
@kitty11…Sorry to hear your scheduled campus tour got weathered out. At least for us, the biggest loss if we were in that situation would be the inability to ask questions to the tour guides regarding their experiences, activities on campus, research/internship opportunities, etc. The “feel” of the campus itself we could get by walking around on our own, and we have done a few “modified” campus visits that way. When we toured UKy any of the stops inside the buildings were touch-and-goes so you won’t be missing a lot there. If you had planned to sit in on any classes or anything like that, there’s really not much you can do to replace that unfortunately. If you haven’t seen any of the new res halls inside yet (our tour went through Central I) I can tell you that they’re hands-down the nicest living facilities of any school we’ve toured over the last 4 years with our 3 kids. Central I is now about 3 or 4 years old but several res halls (Central II, Haggin, Champions Court, Woodland Glen) are brand new. You can look at the pics/videos on UKy’s website to get a feel…but they’re fantastic!!
I highly recommend a swing by Hugh Jass Burgers and the Kennedy Book Store if you have time. Nothing will make up for the lost events completely, but some good food and some Wildcat swag will help ease the pain a little. :-c
FWIW…our whole family loved UKy when we visited last Spring, and our D2 and her bf will both be Wildcats in the fall. They’ll be attending Merit Weekend in 2 weeks…hopefully the weather will be more cooperative that weekend!!
So sorry to hear about your tour being cancelled. Unfortunately, you will probably not get a good feel for the campus right now, as many of the students are hibernating in their dorms, venturing out only to go to the dining halls. Hopefully you were able to take advantage of today’s “warmer” weather, and walk around a bit. I heard it was up in the 30s.
Please don’t let this bad experience sour you on UK. My daughter and her boyfriend are loving it there. Wolverine is right about some of the videos about the campus that are on the UK website. It is not the “real thing,” however. If you have specific questions that you would like answered, I am sure that the admissions staff can get you in touch with one of the guides or a current student. Your area recruiter can also answer questions for you. I am not sure where you are from, but our local UK recruiter makes at least one visit per year to our high school, and is in our area a lot visiting other schools. Also, people on this board are more than happy to answer questions as best we can.
Again, so sorry that this happened to you. When we were visiting schools, we traveled over 6 hours to see a different school to be told that our tour was cancelled because it was raining. It was barely a drizzle. The Honors program representative did get us a quick golf cart tour of the campus on the way to seeing the Honors housing.
My daughter is absolutely psyched for UK. That said, living in Cleveland and seeing what passes for bad weather in Lexington is absolutely laughable.
Hi, NaperMom. Quick question that AuntieFascist might be interested in, too.
From online research and anecdotes, Kentucky seems to be known as:
- A school with a strong Greek presence
and - A school that may require an adjustment to Kentucky culture coming to Lexington from a Midwestern city like Chicago or Cleveland. The student body, not surprisingly, is a big majority of people from Kentucky (you could say the same thing about Ohio dominating OSU student body or Michigan dominating U of Michigan, etc.)
Has your daughter found it easy to have fun and fit in at UK if you’re not Greek and not from Kentucky?
I think it all boils down to perspective. If you compare UK to Bama, which has a Greek Row like one I had never seen before or since, it is not very Greek. If you compare it to an urban school in a large city where many students commute, it has more of a Greek presence.
We live in a Western suburb of Chicago, with a population of about 144,000. My D has not found a culture shock. Many of the same stores exist there. Many of the same restaurants exist there. UK has a mix of people, with a good number coming from Illinois. The Greek system does not appear that much different than what exists at some Illinois schools. Other Illinois schools have very low numbers of students in fraternities and sororities. Every school has a different feel. UK, though a “Southern” school, is also kind of “Midwestern” in some ways. Some of the buildings are older and there are some cracks in the sidewalks like you see at Illinois schools. People sound the same when they talk as they do here in IL.
Her randomly assigned roommate is from Missouri. People in her classes are a mix of people from Kentucky and students from other states. There is a lot to get involved in that is not a part of the Greek system. Some students choose to go Greek. Really, a personal preference.
She is enjoying herself. She likes it. Her activities resemble those she did in high school. She has not “changed” because she went to school in Kentucky. She has recently went to a music performance and volunteered last semester in a needier area of Lexington as a part of an English class. What you get out of any school is dependent on what you put into it.
Thanks for all the info - really appreciate it!
Well we drove around the campus quite a bit, went to the bookstore, and saw the UKY vs. Auburn game for less than $50 a ticket. Probably due to the weather. Loved the city and feel of the school but wanted to hear more about internships and study abroad for his major. (Finance/Investment Banking) We came from Maine so we won’t visit again. Headed to Temple next week where he got a great package. Hopefully he will decide after that.