Wiley

To Greek or not to Greek?

2008-11-25T14:55:00.002-05:00

I'll be the first to tell you that during my years at UTK ('79-'83) I was not into the "Izod" scene ... the Greek life of the Fraternities and Sororities was another world that I just didn't enter into. Maybe I was too busy in the "Geek" life! I left UTK having never set foot into a Fraternity or Sorority and until the few weeks prior to my daughter arriving on campus I didn't give it a thought. The subject did arise during the summer though and although we didn't have first hand experience we did have help with this via other family members ... the encouragement was to "at least go through Rush"... so we gave our blessing for that.

So, now your child comes to you after Rush and says they were accepted by 1,2, maybe 3 different organizations and they want to join a Sorority of Fraternity... what then? What is the cost was one of my first questions? Who are they really with anyway? Will this be a good influence or not? Maybe you did the Greek life and they are a legacy and will pledge your Fraternity/Sorority and you have it all lined up. In any case, for more information see http://sorority.utk.edu/ and http://fraternity.utk.edu/ .

I'm not sure there is a simple answer. The cost most likely varies but my best guess is that it will be at least $1K/year and with formals, fundraisers, etc there are other "hidden" costs that will likely increase that amount. The parents will get a lot of mail asking for additional support. Is it "worth" it? So far we have to say yes. The support network created by my daughter's sorority has been great and we believe her transition to school has been made easier because of the many new friends she has made. They help each other study as well as provide accountability in other ways. There have even been family friends that have said "I was in that Sorority in college" and further networking is made available.

Another question is, who are they really with??? I think you have to know your child and what keeps them grounded (or not). They may be searching for something "new" to experience or they may be looking to surround themselves with like minded people to act as a support structure. My guess is that one way or the other they will get a little (maybe a lot) of both. With the various meetings and events that they are required to participate in they create what will prove to be life long bonds of friendship and maybe just that support structure that will see them through to graduation.

Happy Thanksgiving... we have much to be Thankful for.

What about medical care for your kid?

2008-11-12T13:04:00.003-05:00

I guess my Blogs are showing a theme... experiences we're living as we send a child out of state to college!

Many activities, a lot of fun, a lot of new friends, stress of a new environment, class work, freedom to choose when to sleep or not to... a pretty good recipe for getting sick... so what do they do???

Our experience is that the Student Health Service http://web.utk.edu/~shs/ on campus has been great. Appointments apparently have been easy to make. Location is convenient on campus ( 1818 Andy Holt Avenue ) & hours are 8:00-4:30 M-F with urgent care available nearby for after hours care. When records need to be transferred to doctor's offices at home then the student signs a records release request http://web.utk.edu/~shs/records.html and the necessary information is sent. We have not experienced any insurance coverage related issues to date and don't anticipate any.

There are many services available and it's been very comforting to know that my child is in good hands with the Student Health Service clinic.

Do you have family history with UT?

2008-10-22T14:06:00.004-04:00

If you have family history with the University of Tennessee then you should check out the following links: http://yearbook.lib.utk.edu/ (Most of the UT yearbooks have been scanned in); Sign up to get UT's on-line newspaper, here is the one from November 2008 http://pr.utk.edu/etorch/2008/11/ ; and add your UT family here history here http://pr.utk.edu/etorch/photos/family/generations.shtml

It is a nice way to show and share your UT Tradition and find a link to the past. I was able to see my Mom's yearbook photo for the first time (1944); my aunt's (1948) and my mother-in-laws (1955) as well as add my family history to the "generations" website.

For out of State Residents wanting to go to UT

2008-09-24T20:19:00.005-04:00

The Academic Common Market (ACM) ... What is it & why do I care???

There is a seemingly rarely heard of and little used "opportunity" for out of state students to obtain in-state status at many southern universities including the University of Tennessee.

For those of us residing outside of TN, what does it mean to our wallet to obtain in-state status? 2008 Fall Applicants that were enrolled full time (12+ hours) paid a total of $3125 for tuition/fees as in-state students vs. $9604 for out-of-state students (http://web.utk.edu/~bursar/undergradrate.html)

In our case we were fortunate that our daughter wanted to study in one of the options available for VA residents (Logistics). For more information on the ACM see (http://www.sreb.org/programs/acm/acmindex.aspx). Follow the simple directions on the website and see if there is a fit.

Even if there is not an "EXACT" fit you may want to compare curriculums. You can do this by navigating through the University's web site. In our case it was the College of Business ( http://bus.utk.edu/undergrad/curriculum/index.htm). Some programs are similar and the more you learn the more the program may be suited to you afterall.

If you find a fit then the process goes like this. Get your paperwork into the university for enrollment. Get accepted to the University. Get a letter from Admissions that you have been accepted into the "College" of interest that matches what is avaible for you via the ACM. Fill out the ACM paperwork for your state and send to your state's ACM director along with your acceptance letter. If all goes well then you receive positive news from the ACM, they contact your University, then the Universtiy contacts you with the great news that you have in-state status. At least this is the way it worked for us.

Good luck... I hope you are as successful as we were!