<p>We are within driving distance to Rhodes and drove to Memphis yesterday to do the official visit. The day was absolutely beautiful, almost 60 out and gentle sun. The campus is lovely, well laid out, and everything is easily accessible. Rhodes is completing a new library to open in 2005-2006 school year, and it looks wonderful. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful, the interview is typically short and informative rather than inquisitive. I was impressed by the attractive area of Memphis in which you find the college, lovely residential section, safe-feeling, with a wooded zoo across the street, and attractively designed boulevard leading to campus. Very easy to get to the campus on I-40. S really seemed to like the campus, and wanted to explore a little on our own after the tour; none of the buildings were locked, they let him try out a piano in a practice room, etc. All in all, a very good experience.</p>
<p>We really liked Rhodes, too. At this time, it's at the top of D's list. After the tour, we walked around and D felt like she was already very familiar with the campus. It was lovely and comfortable. Where else has your S looked? D has looked at Emory (loved it), Sewanee (not her cup of tea ... sadly have also heard some not-so-great things recently from three other parents), and Western Kentucky University (hubby and my alma mater). We have an appointment with someone in the UT honors department next week. She wants to visit Centre in Kentucky, too.</p>
<p>Hi Splashmom,
I was beginning to think I was alone out there. S is looking at several places we think are major reaches and I hesitate even to mention, but Rhodes is one of his favorites. He did apply to Sewanee, which we know extremely well since it is very near us; yet if we can afford it, I think he would be happy to get a distance away from home. I wonder if you are concerned about the social or the academic aspect of Sewanee? </p>
<p>I was interested that according to literature S read, students were only welcome to spend nights on Rhodes' campus on school nights! While we were there, a mom whose daughter attends Syracuse noted that she likes the fact that Rhodes didn't seem so "secular" to her.</p>
<p>I certainly didn't mean to offend regarding Sewanee. That was a place that I had always imagined would be a real possibility for our daughter. We visited there a few months ago and it is in an absolutely gorgeous setting. D's concern was that it appeared to be in a remote area. Within a two month span of time, three different parents (two who had students at Sewanee, but removed them) told us that it had become quite the party school with lots of drinking. One parent said his son complained that there were lots of pot heads there. Remember, this is only info I heard from other sources. I did not observe this myself, so I am giving secondhand information. I in no way want to sully the name at all. </p>
<p>D would absolutely love Wash U, but it's quite pricey. Rhodes isn't cheap, either, but at least it's in state and she will qualify for the HOPE Scholarship which will help some. She loved Emory, too. D would like to get away from home, too, and I agree that it is important to spread her wings and be more independent. We live close to Vanderbilt, and that has kept her from showing an interest there. She did recently say, though, that she would be crazy not to consider Vanderbilt. She has mentioned wanting to look at Centre in Kentucky, too. </p>
<p>Personally, I loved Rhodes. It was very, very easy for me to envision our daughter on that campus.</p>
<p>Hi again, Splashmom, I am in no way offended. Sewanee has always had this party reputation, I am afraid it is partly because they had quite formal "Party weekends" for years and years, including the time I was in college there, and now they have informal party weekends. I never took much interest in the partying, and was not at all estranged from my peers. Don't really know about the pot part. I know S is going to be exposed to this where ever, and hope he has the strength to face the temptations. So far, so good. We like Wash U, too, and Pomona and Swarthmore, but who knows. I did a graduate degree at Peabody, and liked the ethos and feel of that campus, so I can surely understand your interest in Vandy. Let me know what you think of Centre if you go, I have not heard much about it. The lottery scholarhsip would be a big help, YES. Especially if they raise it a bit.</p>
<p>Good luck to you!</p>
<p>Thanks! Good luck to you and yours, too. The mailbox is full daily, just as I'm sure yours is. It's amazing how much paper and postage is ... I hesitate to use the word "wasted", but that's how it seems. You're right that they will be exposed to many things when they are away, no matter where they go. Are there plans for the HOPE scholarship to increase in $$? That would be great! We certainly don't want D to feel held back based on $$, but she wants to continue on to law school after graduation. Cha-ching. She has mentioned on numerous occasions that she does not want to graduate in debt. Unfortunately, that's not so realistic. We're keeping our fingers crossed for semi-finalist news in September, but the index cutoff for seniors (2005) this year is 216. She (class of 2006) got a 213, which is what the cutoff was last year for Tennessee. We're crossing our fingers, but not holding our breath.</p>
<p>I know what you mean about the $$. It is wise to plan way ahead, if possible. There was some talk awhile ago about increasing the 4-year college lottery amount to $6,000, but I read in the Tennessean on Sunday that more kids than anticipated are presently in line to renew their current scholarships, so I doubt there will be an increase. And I know also your anticipation about PSAT,my S made 215!! Can you believe that? 216 is the highest I have ever known it to be. Hope things work out for you better in that realm. </p>
<p>Actually, concerning mail, it really comes to a virtual halt on January 10 or 15 except for schools S applied to. Guess they figure they have either got ya or not! Frankly, I am just looking forward to getting S's pile of old mail out of the house. He is a PACK RAT. The mailings just make me glad it is possible to recycle. H and I noticed the other day that something Pomona sent was NOT slick, and was on recycled paper. YEA!</p>
<p>Been to Rhodes, Sewanee, and Centre - liked all three in different ways. Daughter would probably rank them in that order. She really liked the feel of Rhodes, the urban setting, the academics, and has a friend who is a freshman there. Sewanee - likes the academics, the setting (but not the isolation!), the traditions. She doesn't mind rural, but does mind the isolation. Centre has so much going for it, but just didn't hit the right note with her. Danville is a cute town, an easy drive to Lexington. We were quite impressed with the array of performances at the Norton Center. We also like the Centre Commitment. I'm puzzled why there isn't more discussion of Centre.</p>
<p>momofthree, waiting til September for your s to find out about the cutoff has really got to be hard for y'all, especially considering how close to the 216 he is!!! Hopefully the index cutoff will drop a few points this year (keeping my fingers crossed for the 213), but I would almost be willing to bet that your son gets semifinalist. Congratulations to him for such a great score! I thought I was keeping up pretty well with the lottery scholarship, but hadn't heard about the $6K. It would be so nice if it happened, but you're right about the number of students who have retained their scholarships. I'm happy for those who were able to maintain their grades. I'm sure those who didn't are very disappointed. </p>
<p>fireflyscout, I don't know why Centre isn't discussed much. We haven't visited yet, but I hear wonderful things about it. Where else has your D visited or considered?</p>
<p>Thanks for your kind words, SplashMom, but S is a senior this year, so we already know he's commended, not semi-finalist. It hurt for a little, but not long, really. It may have made his choices a little simpler that he didn't get semi-finalist, since he was not really drawn to any of the schools which give good merit awards for NMS. DD, who graduated last year from Swat, got a corporate National Merit Scholarship and only got to count it one year, and then only partially. I am sure the adcoms will see the 215 if they choose to look at those scores.<br>
And you are just beginning The Great Pursuit! It really is kinda fun. I have a S#2, my Step-S is a junior, and we will be going through this along with you for the coming year. S#2 is looking at Beloit, Earlham, Kalamazoo, and other places which have Japanese.
Fireflyscout, glad your visits have been good, too!</p>
<p>To be commended is an honor, and I'm sure it was probably a shock seeing the index cutoff go up by three points. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but not holding my breath, that it will drop again, but I doubt it will fall as far as the 213 D needs. I never realized shopping colleges was such a job, but it is fun, too. Did your D enjoy Swarthmore? D has been getting some letters from them, but we haven't really given it much consideration ... based soley on location. She's an only child and I'm afraid her father and I may be trying to hold on a bit too tightly. I've recently come to realize we have to let her go ... but how far? Hubby would love to see her stay in the area and go to Vandy. I'm at the acceptance stage and feel she really does need to get away ... I just don't want it to be so very far. I'm impressed that one of your sons has an interest in Japanese. I understand that is a difficult language to learn. Best of luck to all!</p>
<p>Second son is a language-oriented kid. He has not got the academic motivation of the other two, yet I think he will do okay. He is very engaged when he loves something, but refuses to play the game. I admire his determination to do it "his way" and just hope it doesn't end up making life hard for him.</p>
<p>DD absolutely loved Swarthmore, and got everything out of it she could possibly get. She is very academically inclined, but also musical, and that environment was wonderfully supportive of everything she wanted to do. I was emotionally prepared for her to go some distance away, perhaps cause I had other youngins, but mainly because she was so ready to go herself. Very independent young woman. I do like the idea of son being somewhat closer, but I am steeling myself for whatever comes!</p>
<p>Hello, ladies! Daughter has started getting the post-PSAT deluge (mostly email, though). It's funny, but we visited 10 colleges last summer, and none seem to have any memory of it, at least from what we can tell from the one-size-fits-all letters. So here is where we've toured: Southwestern, Davidson, William and Mary, Williams, Skidmore, Hamilton, Allegheny, Centre, Sewanee, Rhodes, and Tulane. Drove around Emory and Vassar. Intend to tour Carleton later. And that will be it! At least, for this child. Things will be entirely different with my computer-geek son. He's kind of a sleeper, but every now and then he does something really surprising (in a good way).<br>
Anyway, with daughter I have to laugh at her list - she positively hates being cold! But she claims she'll be able to handle it when it's HER choice.</p>
<p>D mentioned Davidson the other day, fireflyscout. What did you all think of it? I'm not familiar with it other than it's in NC. We are willing to visit any schools in which she shows an interest. I had to laugh when I read your last line about your D hating the cold weather. My D is exactly the same. Centre College has Junior Days February 26th and April 30th. D has mock trial competition on 2/26 so we are definitely planning to visit 4/30. </p>
<p>momofthree, has your son completed all his college apps? If so, where all did he apply? Thanks for any info you can share regarding the college application process. Since you're a year ahead of us on that, it really helps!</p>
<p>Wait until you see Davidson! It is very,very difficult to gain admittance,but the rewards are huge.Academically way beyond the other schools you've mentioned.Very friendly students and faculty.Serious students,beautiful,safe campus,perfect weather.Good luck.</p>
<p>Davidson is about 20 minutes north of Charlotte. Another person on this board thought it was mired in suburban sprawl, but I live in suburban sprawl and can tell the difference. Davidson is a cute small town, and yes, Charlotte is expanding northward, but I didn't feel like the integrity of Davidson (the town) had been lost. Most of the buildings are in the red brick Georgian style. Awesome academics, great faculty relations, good study abroad options, has a quasi-Greek life (self-selection for fraternities and women's eating houses). There is a lake campus that offers water sports, including sailing (one of my daughter's passions). There are merit scholarships available, but there seems to be quite a bit of competition for them. </p>
<p>Now, since we are on the Rhodes discussion board - has anyone had an overnight there? The dorm room configuration in the one women's dorm we toured seemed rather confusing.</p>
<p>Thought I would share our good news with my Rhodes buddies that S1 was invited to attend the Bellingrath Scholarship weekend at Rhodes! The invitation came with the letter of admission in yesterday's mail, son's first acceptance and a great big thrill! I have to think maybe it helped to go visit; so glad we did!</p>
<p>Splashmom,
I'll do anything I can to help with the application process; have gone through it with two kids now, and have one left, a junior. I would say that the best thing for kids to do right now is begin to sense what size school would best suit their needs, big uni or LAC (though I guess LAC might already be your focus) and think about majors and whether the school has what is needed. The app process seems a lot more complicated to me than with D five years ago, though that might be because she is naturally organized and S1 had to be MADE more organized. Try not to stress too much, and enjoy the interaction with kids as much as possible. I cannot believe how fast this year is going and that it will soon be gone.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the good advice and offer to assist with application process. Although it is a lot of work, we are enjoying shopping colleges. We're heading to UT this weekend and have an appointment to speak with someone in the honors department on Monday. We had UT football season tickets for several years and D has grown up bleeding orange. She said she wouldn't feel right unless she at least talked to them. We've signed up for the Junior Days at Centre in April and we're looking into the possibility of visiting Davidson, too. I've said it before, but I can't stress how helpful this board has been to me. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Ooh, Momofthree, that's fantastic news! Congratulations on the acceptance and good luck with the Bellingrath. When is the weekend?</p>
<p>SplashMom, isn't it funny that UT and bleeding orange means something entirely different to me? Maybe it's because so many early settlers of Texas came from Tennessee?</p>