My Visit to UK

Last week I was invited to participate in a counselor educational experience at the University of Kentucky.  As a UK grad who had not been on campus for 15 years, I was very excited for the chance to go back to explore the campus and learn more about their admissions process and vision for the university.

In all honesty, the trip to Lexington and the University of Kentucky blew me away.  I loved it!  I have never been so proud to be associated with UK before in my life.  Consider this fair warning... I have a lot of pictures to share with you because I suspect that will be the best way I can give you a glimpse of the college and the opportunities which await you should you be interested in attending UK in the future.






















As with any campus tour, it helps if the weather is nice and we had BEAUTIFUL weather for 2 of the days.  Another aspect that I loved about my trip to UK was the Big Blue PRIDE that was everywhere I turned.  Not only are walls and presentations filled with UK pride, but as we walked around campus I continually passed students wearing their UK gear with pride.  (And yes, we did even pass 1 UK basketball player while touring campus.)

We had the chance to tour the library.  These pictures show the outside of the library and some of the different areas within the library.

There are also some particular areas within the library that included the media center and writing lab which provide great resources and opportunities for students.

While on campus, they took us to see the newest dorm rooms that were opened this past year and they have many more new dorms being opened this coming fall as well as more planned in the years to come.  These new dorms were unreal.  Not only did
they look beautiful from the outside, but the dorm lobby even made me think of a hotel.  The dorm room was beautiful with two people sharing a connecting bathroom with another room of 2 people.








The recreation center, the Johnson Center, has basketball courts, an indoor track, workout equipment, weights, and a rock climbing wall - all with the football stadium just out back through the windows.

We had the chance to meet with the President of the University, Dr. Eli Capilouto, (left) and we had multiple opportunities to spend time with Don Witt (right), Associate Provost for Enrollment Management.  These are 2 very impressive representatives of the university.  They also provided us with the opportunity to meet with representatives from all of the different colleges to hear about the programs and admissions requirements that they are looking for in future students.

One of the things that was interesting to learn about was the cost of attendance at UK and some of their automatic scholarships.  Tuition costs $21,192 for out of state students.  The cost for room and board varies depending on what type of dorm you pick as well as which food plan is right for you.  They have 3 automatic academic scholarships for students who qualify.  The "See Blue" scholarship is for students with a 3.00 unweighted GPA and a 25 ACT and gives $7,000 per year.  The "Bluegrass Spirit" scholarship gives $8,000 per year to

students with a 3.5 unweighted GPA and a 25 ACT.  The "Kentucky Heritage" scholarship awards $10,000 to students with a 3.5 unweighted GPA and a 30 on the ACT.  There are additional competitive scholarships available for students which can be added on top of these automatic academic scholarships.  My guess is that this could make UK a very affordable option for many of you.

They also shared with us that next year there will be an early action deadline of December 1st which will also be their scholarship priority deadline.  So, if you are interested in applying to UK next year, please be sure to keep in mind this updated deadline.

Because the college experience also involves the greater community surrounding the campus, they took us on tours of some of Lexington's highlights.  This included a bus tour of some of the horse farms, a visit to Woodford Reserve, and time at Keeneland.

And, since I always ask for you to take an "Oh the Places You'll Go" picture somewhere on campus, I

wanted to do the same.  I elected to take my picture in the place where I spent the vast majority of my time in college - the athletic training room.  I am pictured here with the head athletic trainer for football, Jim Madaleno.  I had the chance to work with Jim during my senior year.  While there have been many changes to the training room and football facility, it was also nice to see just how much had remained the same and to experience all the

memories that were overwhelmingly powerful.  This wasn't a standard part of the counselor visit to UK, but I am so thankful that I was able to go back to "my home" after the counselor event concluded.

It was, unquestionably, an awesome experience and I hope you will stop by to see the additional pictures or information that I have if you are interested in exploring UK as an option for your future!