Westminster full tuition offer

Parents Forum
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<p>My son just got the info pack from Westminster today. They really do a great job of selling their school! Lots of impressive stuff.</p>

<p>Seems to be a lot of emphasis in the skiing. My son has only been skiing once, when he was 5, and he is interested in it but I'm not sure how much he'll be into it once he gets there. He's not normally the outdoorsy type too much (but that might because it's very hot where we live and he hates the heat, so that could possibly change).</p>

<p>Are most of the students into the skiing? Would someone feel left out, socially, if s/he were not heavily into skiing?</p>

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<p>lealdragon:
Sorry I've been so slow getting back to you re: heavy metal; I asked my parents to send me a paper with the SLC metal happenings in it; I'll PM the info when I get it.</p>

<p>Skiing is big in Utah (my dad moved there expressly to ski), but not required. I know many Utahns who don't ski or ski very casually as they find it too cold, dangerous, expensive, whathave you. No one would go up to mountains every weekend (too expensive!) anyway, even though some may like to. And who knows? Your son may like skiing; I've found it great fun myself.</p>

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<p>Awesome - thanks!</p>

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<p>


</p>

<p>The most recent entering freshman class mostly came from outside Utah. The school is making massive efforts to reach outside of Utah, because it wants more recognition that is so massively deserves. Don't let its current statistics fool you (the rate of addmittance is largely due to the smaller amounts of applications, which is primarily due to lack of people knowing about it, and that it's in a very monetarily conservative state where the general public only looks at the sticker price of a school, and not the value it provides--meaning most of the higher education in Utah flows to BYU, UofU, and USU--as with all schools, with more apps, the school will definately become tougher to get into), the school is a gem, a true prize of a place to study, learn, and socialize. If you want a supportive environment (not just academically, but socially, spiritually (not simply LDS, but anything from Jewish to Yoga), physically, and emotionally), then Westminster is very worth checking out. If you want a liberal environment, where professors have the tendency to talk smack about the current administration, or, on another note, encourage you to drink margaritas while studying Spanish, then Westminster is worth checking out. If you want a place where you will be looked at and respected as a human being, and your professors will each know you by your first name (and you will usually call them by their's--something I really, really value), and you are welcome to have one on one conversations with them about all sorts of subjects and even life in general, then Westminster is worth checking out.</p>

<p>Let's just say, don't write it off, because it's a school on the up and up, where all the attributes are in place (they just finished a beautiful health and wellness center--BEAUTIFUL, and are about to break ground on an undergraduate research sceince center) to make a top notch liberal arts school--I really think it's one of the top 20 liberal arts schools/environments in the country--now it's just down to getting people to recognize it, and remove the "Utah is overwhelmingly LDS conservative" monkey off of its back. Personally, I don't mind the conservative people who reside in Utah, becuase it makes the state safe--in regards to violent crimes--and like some posters have mentioned, it's much more of an accepting conservativeness, allowing you to be liberal and feel just fine about it, without fighting.</p>

<p>Anyways, that's my .02, and now I need to hop in the shower and get ready for school at Westminster... I'm excited (and I'm a senior!!):)</p>

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<p>Let us not forget that there are a large percent of people who call themselves conservative but are fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Taint nothing wrong with that. There's an abundance of conservatives walking around that agree with the fiscal policies of the conservative political arm, but don't want their personal freedoms to choose tromped which I'm sure extends to religious beliefs. I imagine Utah is not all that different from many parts of the country. We're off to Utah, will post a trip report next week.</p>

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<p>311Griff, thanks so much! Your comments are VERY helpful, especially coming from a senior at Westminster!</p>

<p>It's actually looking better & better...</p>

<p>What's the social scene like? My son is very into music (mostly metal) but not the drinking & drugging that often go with it. Around here, the people who don't drink/drug are usually not into rock music either. So, he doesn't quite fit the mold: he's into the 'cool' music scene (underground metal concerts), is vegetarian, politically liberal, but likes to have fun without getting wasted.</p>

<p>I'm glad you mentioned freedom of religion - he's very eclectic and definitely not into dogma of any sort. (I do know some LDS people and they're actually very open minded on other religions, but are conservative politically. At least the ones I know are. Definitely very nice people.)</p>

<p>What do people do socially, other than skiing? He's only been skiing once in his life (when he was 5) and is generally more of a metalhead/gamer/geek rather than the outdoorsy type.</p>

<p>Any comments on how he might fit in socially?</p>

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<p>"fiscally conservative and socially liberal."</p>

<p>momof3boys, you are so right! People often don't see the distinction.</p>

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<p>Hi, </p>

<p>Sorry I took so long to reply, but it's been a rather busy week (2 mid terms to study for, and a project to work on!). To start, I want you to know that, at one time, I was skeptical of Westminster myself. All the ideas of having a supportive environment that cultivated learning with engaged professors just didn't seem like it was a reality. Now that I've been here for two years, I know that they do what they say, it's not just flattery. When they say they have engaged students, who learn both by reading and doing, they mean it.. just know that. </p>

<p>Westminster has a very open-minded and diverse social scene. What I mean by that is there are students interested in all kinds of things. There are people who ski like there's no tommorow, then there's those who don't ski. There are those who like to rock climb, and those who like to mountain bike, and those who like to run rivers, and those who like to read, and there are a lot of liberals, a lot of conservatives, and a lot who pay little attention to it (I feel like it's a good mix, really). Salt Lake City, and more specifically Sugarhouse, has a good mix of activities ranging from golf to "underground" clubbing. Personally, I've never seen any heavy metal shows (not that the opportunity isn't there, but I'm more of a Bob Marley/311 type of guy), but I've heard a lot about them from fellow students who are out at the concerts whenever they can be... From what I can tell, there's a rock concert or the like every night of the week in SLC (we have a lot of smaller venues that attract all sorts of bands--most I've never heard of). </p>

<p>So, I guess if I were to describe the Westminster social scene in one word it would be "accepting". I think we have a vast mix of personalities, and philosophies, but at the end of the day, everyone accepts and supports everyone else. It's just how the place is cultivated, and those who judge and look down on others are usually the ones who don't fit in. </p>

<p>Much luck in your search for schools. I know it's a very mind boggling task, especially with soooo many options out there. You really have to do your homework.</p>

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<p>Sounds wonderful! You've been very helpful! thanks so much!</p>

<p>One last question: do you happen to know any of the names of the clubs where they have those metal shows with bands you aren't familiar with? I thought maybe we could do a search on those clubs to see what sorts of bands they attract. Thanks!</p>

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<p>here are a few of the places I know of, but there are surely more (kids into the music scene know all sorts of places to check out great live music):</p>

<p><a href="http://www.inthevenue.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.inthevenue.com&lt;/a>
<a href="http://www.liquidjoes.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.liquidjoes.com&lt;/a>
<a href="http://www.depotslc.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.depotslc.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Also, here's a little on Sugarhouse, where the school is located:</p>

<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarhouse%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarhouse&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>So we're back from our visit. The campus is really lovely. It is a small (acre-wise) campus in a residential area. It is very deceiving from the street. After a walk into the center of campus it feels much larger and the greenspace areas are very nice. We learned that Disney has "shot" the campus for a couple movies and the campus certainly has the collegiate feel to it replete with a bell tower that chimes. The new buildings have just stunning architecture internally that make the spaces very airy, spacious and light. The older building are in great shape and lend some historical weight to the campus and the streetscape. The gym is unbelievable, simplyl unbelievable. They are planning new science facilities but I missed abit of the conversation so I'm not sure of the timing of this activity. The freshman dorms are the very traditional dorm style but they have more closet/drawer space than we have seen in many colleges. The dorms were clean and they have a monitor at night and any "kid" that isn't living in that dorm checks in. The upperclasses live in new apartment style dorms that are spectacular and furnished right down to leather couches. Again they are monitored at night. These "dorms" blew away my family. They are located at one end of the campus and you access this area over a footbridge that crosses a rapid creek that has walking paths and benches and feels very secluded from the hustle of Salt Lake City and the other end of the campus. There's a large greenspace in front of the dorms where I imagine kids hang out in summer. The physical plant of the college was clean, well kept up and the grounds were very nice.y landscaped or natural with trees, flowering shrubs, flowers and the like. The kids, the profs, the employees all love this school. They really feel like they have a hidden gem and they are proud as heck and like to tell you why. My son said that although he didn't meet anyone that he thought would be a "fast friend" he got along well with everyone he met and he knows he would make friends there. Although the female population exceeds the male population we did not see that many females and the few we saw were not my son's "type" so be that what it may, I told him the girls he'd like were probably still sleeping since it was early morning on a Friday. The kids seems to fit a range of "types" from the atheletes to the non atheletes to the studious types to a lone longborder (my son longboards and the campus is perfect for longboarding from one end to the other, but now "allowed") but all were friendly and outgoing and made my son feel very welcome. Lots of "hehs" as he walked around. He had conversations when I wasn't around about drinking and while Westminster is a wet campus, the kids do not party hardy on campus although alcohol is around and students do drink. If he had conversations about pot he did not share with me. I was happy with how he described the drinking scene as I do not have my head in the sand about stuff like that and it was obviously from several things my son told me that its casual at that school and the kids are pretty responsible about their behaviors. They do get around Salt Lake City and over to the U of U (or is it UU?) and to the Gateway area regularly and don't hole up on campus. Salt Lake City is easily navigable and everything is "7 minutes away" as we were frequently told. The cafeteria was above average with mall-like food courts covering everything from smoothies, to grill food, to full hot meals to sub/sandwich place. Again, everything was clean, well designed and the food was good to boot. I have no doubt in my mind that the profs are engaged and that the academics will suit my son. May Term seems very appealing and virtually guarantees that unless he goes absolutely upside down he could finish his BA in 4 years. They are generous with merit money and reasonably priced to begin with. Anyway, this one is still number one on my and my husband's list and a top contender now for my son. I'd not have a single qualm about sticking him on a plane with a big hug in the fall. He's playing his cards close to his chest but he did tell me he wants to go and visit what was I think his #1 choice so that tells me he liked Westminster and is now undecided. In general, if your kid is not emotionally committed to a large state U, likes the idea of being in Salt Lake City and doesn't want a college where everything revolves around campus 24/7 then Westminster is worth taking a look at.</p>

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<p>U of U or the U...</p>

<p>Glad to hear a report on Westminister.</p>

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<p>That's a great report momofthreeboys, and I'm glad to hear that you were impressed with the school's facilities and campus environment. I can totally see your point about it being deceiving, because until you get to the "courtyard" the school seems like it's not very personable, but once you get behind the Gore building and Converse Hall, it opens up into a nice grassy area to study and hang out in. </p>

<p>I think they break ground on the new science center in 2007, but don't quote me on that... here is some information about it:</p>

<p>"WESTMINSTER COLLEGE
SCIENCE BUILDING
FACT SHEET </p>

<p>PROJECTED TOTAL COST: $30 million </p>

<p>PHYSICAL SPACES: </p>

<p>60,000 square feet on 3 floors.
14 undergraduate research labs, 14 regular labs, 2 seminar classrooms, 2 general classrooms, 1 informatics lab, greenhouse spaces and vegetative roof.
A 10-fold increase in the amount of space available for undergraduate research. </p>

<p>Designed with an open architecture providing multiple shared and integrated learning environments.
High-performance
classrooms and laboratories can be easily reconfigured as the curriculum evolves over time.
Clustered faculty offices and student work spaces promote interaction among faculty and students across disciplines. </p>

<p>BUILDING FEATURES: </p>

<p>The new building will support cutting-edge and evolving technologies such as wireless computing; image capturing microscopes; modeling and miniaturization capabilities, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) capability. </p>

<p>The adaptable infrastructure will create a mechanically superior and safer working environment for research. </p>

<p>The design allows for maximum flexibility to integrate new technologies as they emerge over time. </p>

<p>ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT: </p>

<p>The building will model the college’s commitment to environmental responsibility and is designed with a goal of achieving “gold” recognition as a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certified building. LEED is a rating system developed by the US Green Building Council (<a href="http://www.usgbc.org)%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.usgbc.org)&lt;/a>. The goal of the USGBC is to get organizations to build high performance, sustainable buildings. </p>

<p>This recognition will further distinguish Westminster as among the leading colleges and universities across the country and as one of the few college science buildings with this certification in Utah. </p>

<p>We have made a commitment to create an environmentally sensitive building, from the materials that are used to the heating and lighting systems.
WESTMINSTER’S SCIENCE PROGRAMS: </p>

<p>The science curriculum is vital to our science students as well as to nursing students, our education students, who will teach science at the elementary and secondary school level, and to promoting essential scientific literacy among all our students.
11 full-time faculty teach in the undergraduate science program at Westminster College.
Our science majors include biology, chemistry, and physics."</p>

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<p>Very good info!</p>

<p>What did your son mean by the girls being 'not his type'?</p>

<p>Well, now I'm really bummed. After all that, just when we were started to look at Westminster in his top 4 choices, they called and said the scholarship offer was only for freshmen. </p>

<p>So they are willing to pay full tuition for him for 4 years but not for 3 years.</p>

<p>???</p>

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<p>leal -- I can't remember, did you graduate your son early or did he attend college under the dual enrollment program? It is a very important distinction when it comes to scholarships! Colleges can still admit students as freshman and transfer in dual credit classes, thus reducing the number credits they have to earn.</p>

<p>My son is not enrolled in any official dual credit program, but he has attended community college classes since 9th grade and will graduate with quite a few credits -- however, they are indicated on the transcript as dual enrollment credit, allowing him to keep his freshman status and be eligible for scholarships. I guess I am confused as to why you cannot do this same thing?</p>

<p>The colleges always have the option of deciding which credits to transfer in (except state colleges which have official transfer agreements) and students can usually graduate early, spend a semester abroad or take lighter loads if they transfer in credit</p>

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<p>Leal -- I looked back over your postings and saw that you just "considered him graduated early" when he started taking cc classes at 16.</p>

<p>If you are interested in him being eligible for scholarships, like the one at Westminister (and it won't be the only one that will disqualify him for non-freshman status) then you need to change how you communicate those credits to the colleges he is applying for.</p>

<p>He will need to take some type of standardized test (ACT and/or SAT) and a few college require the SAT II's (you can skip applying to those schools or have him take the tests).</p>

<p>Next, you need to do a high school transcript. Google "home school transcript" and you will find lots of choices. The key is to make it look like the high school transcript that regular, public schools send (it makes it easier to evaluate). </p>

<p>The transcript should show 4 years of math, 4 years of english, etc. Indicate how the class was taught on the transcript (community college, tutor, private school, self-study, etc). Where he took the community college classes, award him 1 full credit for each semester of work. For other types of classes, award him 1 credit for a full year of work. He will also need to request a transcript be sent by the cc to all colleges he is attending.</p>

<p>This puts the cc credits where they belong -- in high school, where he was advanced enough to earn dual-credit.</p>

<p>That should work fine -- it is common for high school kids these days to earn college credit at the local cc or university and then use those credits to meet high school graduation requirements and apply as a freshman. Some kids even graduate with an AA degree (60+ hours) and still enter college as freshman.</p>

<p>you can PM if you need a sample transcript or have more detailed questions, but I think that what you are saying to the school when you talk to them is causing the denial of the scholarship. If you told Westminister he would be applying as a transfer and not as a freshman, that would do it. You can now go back and explain that you misspoke.</p>

<p>Also -- homeschoolers are much more flexible in how they do things. He can use the dual-credit transcript when applying to most schools and submit a transfer application when applying to UT-Austin (although I think you need to check on merit aid there that is available to freshman).</p>

<p>good luck</p>

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<p>That's very good info - thanks! I have learned alot. I spoke with 4 admin. officers today from 4 different colleges, with 4 different polices. I had no idea!</p>

<p>Nebraska, who also offered him full tuition, insisted that he MUST apply as a freshman. No problem, except he has absolutely zero interest in U of Nebraska. Not a good fit for him at all.</p>

<p>Westminster turned him down flat. I explained about the dual credit but the guy just got very firm and said 'that's our policy. This scholarship is for freshman, and someone who has taken college classes is not a freshman.' End of discussion. He even said he thought it was unethical for the colleges who did admit these students as transfers! And he was not open to even discussing the possibility of finding a way to make it work.</p>

<p>Just when he was starting to think of Westminster as a serious contender, it gets crossed off the list. Ah well...</p>

<p>It's just as well. I realized something today. Now that he's not getting the full tuition scholarship, I don't think he's going to apply to Westminster. Whereas, there is another school, also out of state and priced about the same, that he will apply to, even though we know it's a financial reach unless he gets some other fin. aid.</p>

<p>So, I guess that answers it for us!</p>

<p>I also finally got the answers I needed from UT Austin. </p>

<p>Thanks again to everyone who helped on this, and best wishes on your application to Westminster. It does seem like a really good school in a really nice area.</p>