How can something big also be something small? How can no
transform into yes? If these questions sound like Zen Koans, they aren’t.
Kate’s words about her experiences in applying to schools and
choosing to attend a big school with an honors program that shrinks things into
a size not often found even in small liberal arts colleges should be useful for
many. Her efforts to find funding to attend the school should also serve as an
example of the kind of student and person who isn’t afraid to ask. Anyone who wants to learn how to get the most
out of the opportunities in a school, in class and out will benefit from her
words. I certainly learned a great deal.
****************************************************************************
Can you start out with a
little background about where you are from and where you went to high school?
I was born in Nijmegen, Netherlands, but I grew up in
Charlottesville, Virginia. I went to Charlottesville High School.
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| Kate attending Fall Fiber Festival while in high school |
What did you like about
your high school and what would you change?
I really liked my high school for the most part. I was involved
in sports, theatre, orchestra, AP classes, etc. I was offered a lot of
opportunities there and I really appreciated it. All that being said, a big
aspect of my high school that made it really unique was that the student
population was nearly half black students and half white students, which
created positive and negative dynamics. I think the school has a sort of
colorblind way of handling things, but I don’t think that was the best way to
handle it. They occasionally acknowledged the diversity of the school, but it
was pretty broad and often in the form of assemblies and whatnot. But the fact
still stands that in the cafeteria white students would sit together and black
students would sit together, and it was like two schools within one for the
most part.
How did you decide which
universities to apply to? How many did you apply to?
I narrowed down my eventual list of schools from a massive pool
to nine, and honestly, I think a lot of it was a little impulsive. I had five
schools that I’d known I wanted to apply to since my junior year, but I ended
up applying to nine because the admission process intimidated me and I wanted
more than one “safety school.”
You seemed to know a lot
about UT, which is not all that common for someone who lives in Virginia. How
did you find out about it?
My dad grew up in San Antonio, and my parents actually met in
Austin, so I had some history with Texas. The school had been on my radar for
years, so when we were visiting family my junior year, I visited the UT campus.
I was actually extremely lucky, because I talked with an admissions advisor
during my visit, and she was the one who mentioned Plan II to me.
You applied to the honors
program, Plan II. Why did this program appeal to you?
The first thing about Plan II that appealed to me was the lack
of focus, not because people in Plan II don’t know what they want to do, but
because they’re interested in a lot of things. The program is also small, and
in a school of 54,000 students, that was extremely appealing. Honestly, the
more I read, the more I liked about the program.
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| Kate's senior year, with the composer, writer (Kate), director, and stage manager of the one-act musical Danny Wagner and I wrote for our senior year. Behind us is the set. |
You were accepted into
the program. Can you talk a bit about how you heard about this and money as
this makes a great story.
UT and Plan II was actually only the second or third acceptance
I heard about, which was insane. It was February, and I wasn’t expecting a
reply until March. When I found out I was accepted into Plan II, I was
overwhelmed because I was so surprised. When my mom came home, I told her and
she didn’t believe me. Once she was convinced, my dad came home and he didn’t
believe me, which was pretty funny. In April the financial aid was released,
and I hadn’t gotten anything. My dad was out of town, but hearing me distressed
on the phone, he told me it would be fine and we would take care of it. Upon
closer inspection, it seemed like there wasn’t really a way to take care of it
save spending a ridiculous amount of money on out-of-state tuition. My parents
and I were in agreement that that wasn’t an option. I didn’t want to go to a
university that I thought of as a back up, so I decided I would go to PVCC (the
local community college) and try to transfer to UVA the next year. To say I was
devastated was a bit of an understatement, and I called and emailed with the
head of admissions at Plan II, asking if there was any way I would get more
money. She mentioned the Non-Resident Tuition Exemption (NRTE) which allows
out-of-state students to pay in-state, but she also said that the odds of
getting one were very, very low. I’d more or less resigned myself to the fact
that I would be staying home another year. One afternoon, about a week and a
half after I’d gotten the bad financial aid news, I was sitting at the dining
table on the computer. My mom was sitting there too, and my dad was in the room
on the couch. I saw I had an email from the admissions woman, and when I read
it I couldn’t believe what I was reading. My mom saw my face and was worried
because apparently I turned completely white. The first line of the email told
me I’d received a $1000 scholarship from Plan II that, while appreciated, was
not going to make much of a dent in the tuition. The next line said that she
was offering me an NRTE, allowing me to pay in-state tuition. It’s hard for me
to describe the feelings of relief, excitement, and appreciation, because that
email solidified the next four years for me in a remarkable and tangible way.
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| Kate, dressed up for prom, throwing up horns because by then she'd found out that she was going to UT |
When you returned from
your first year you had done so many interesting things in Plan II and on
campus and I would like you to talk about a few of the things you liked most.
What was your favorite
class and why?
My favorite class was my World Literature class. It’s a
year-long class required for Plan II freshmen, and you can get one of (I think)
eight professors to be your world lit teacher. My professor was Marjorie Woods,
and she was amazing. She was kind and down to earth and exceedingly
intelligent. Every day she wore a different pair of glasses and earrings, and
she would wear her hair braided into pigtails. The first semester we read a lot
of books-that-you’re-supposed-to-read, like the Iliad, the Aeniad, a
collection of Sappho’s poems, etc. The second semester, she let us vote on what
books we wanted to read as a class, which changed the tone in a significant
way. We read Passage to India, Dear Life, Kafka on the Shore, the Decameron,
and a lot of other books. Her willingness to teach to her strengths the first
semester and experience the books along with us the second semester felt really
new and enriching. On top of the reading, she also assigned essay topics that
incorporated the books in a way that was more than quoting the text. She also
wasn’t an easy grader, but she would let us rewrite essays because she wanted
us to incorporate her notes. I loved that about her class. On my first essay
she wrote that I should consider double majoring in English if I wasn’t
already, and that was the push I needed to declare my second major.
You talked about class
size. What was your average class size and what was your biggest class?
My average class size was probably 30 or so people, but each
semester I had between two or three classes that had 18 people or less. My
biggest class was only about 75 people. But I was lucky; I took mainly Plan II
classes (which are smaller), and my language class was small too.
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| Kate, Freshman year of college, pictured with some friends at a "really cool hiking spot called Pedernales Falls". |
How intense is the
atmosphere among the students in Plan II. Is it highly competitive or more
cooperative?
I definitely consider it cooperative. The Plan II environment
really encourages students to find a community within the program itself, which
I think dispels a lot of the competition. It’s not that there wasn’t
competition (there has to be among high achievers) but there was solidarity in
it. We would stay up in the Joynes Reading Room (a silent study space in the
honors quad on campus) until late into the night working on essays, and we would
all be kind of proud of it in a way. Maybe I just removed myself from the
competition a little, because I finished my language requirement this year so I
didn’t take as many Plan II classes, but I think it’s a mostly pretty
encouraging environment.
Can you talk about the
range of activities you took part in? For example, can you talk in some detail
about the play you put on and how this all came about?
I was involved in a decent amount this year, particularly second
semester. I was a member of the Plan II poetry club, I ran for a position in
the Plan II student association (P2SA), and I worked as an accounting assistant
in the office. But the main activity in the spring semester was definitely the
play I codirected with one of my friends in Plan II. We put it on through the
Broccoli Project, the Plan II theatre group. We took an older, two-person play
(Love Letters by A.R. Gurney) and a
more contemporary collection of two-person vignettes (Almost, Maine by John Cariani) and put them together by splitting Love Letters into six pieces and putting
scenes from Almost, Maine in between.
It was a fun show that was pretty easy to direct, seeing as how only two
characters had more than a scene’s worth of lines. We were also given a $600
dollar budget, but spent barely over $100, and we made about $1000, so we made
a pretty good profit too. It was a really fun experience, and definitely tied
together some friendships. Our cast even wrote us “love letters” after the run
of the play, which was really sweet. We’re actually all planning to get
together once the fall semester starts.
Do you think there is a
divide between Plan II students and the rest of the student body?
I don’t know if there is a divide so much as there is definitely
a very Plan II side of Plan II students. I have a group of friends who are in
the Dean’s Scholars program (a science honors program) and it doesn’t feel like
there’s a divide, but they do make jokes sometimes and say that I am “so Plan
II.” There is a tendency to immerse yourself in the program, and I don’t think
that sets you apart from people who aren’t in the program so much as keeps you
in the program, if that makes sense.
Was Texas any sort of
culture shock for you and if so in what way?
Texas has a lot of state pride. Also, I think Charlottesville
has a pretty distinct vibe. Historically significant, beautiful landscapes,
kind of hip. Austin is different—partly due to its size and partly due to the
fact that the people I interact with are not from Austin for the most part. Texas
is a really beautiful state, but I’m not surrounded by a bunch of “hip liberals”
all the time. I’m just very aware of the fact that I’m not from Texas a lot of
the time; simple things like the feel of certain cities are lost on me because
I didn’t grow up there. But I don’t really mind it.
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| Austin at night |
What do you like most
about Austin?
I like how familiar it feels. I’ve been visiting Austin my
entire life and to live there feels old and new at the same time. There are
certain areas I associate so much with my family and areas I discovered over
this year that I associate with college and my friends. My parents met there,
my grandmother lived there—there’s a lot of history for me in Austin.
What kinds of students
would thrive in Plan II and are there any types who might not like it?
Plan II students seems to have a few common denominators: pretty
smart, good writers, and—for lack of a better word—quirky. It isn’t an honors
program that just lets in the “smartest” kids. They really look for people who
are enthusiastic and ambitious and into learning. I don’t think it’s for
everyone, because stuff in Plan II can get kind of strange. One of the freshman
world lit professors made it a requirement that his students followed a guided
meditation to find their spirit animals. But I think it can be for a lot of
people. There are people in Plan II who I wouldn’t have immediately expected
but who love it.
What are you most looking
forward to when you return?
I miss the people I’ve met. Being so far from home, a support
system was something I thought I’d have to go without for a while, and I was
really wrong. I’m living with three friends who I met last year. I’ve been
emailing all summer with my boss in the Plan II office, where I’ll be working
this year too. I have so many people in Texas who care about me and look out
for me and are sensitive to the fact that I’m so far from home, and although I
might be looking forward to classes and my house and the city, the people are
what I’ve missed the most.
Do you have any idea yet
what you want to-do after you graduate and how Plan II might help you develop
the skills you want to get to where you want to go?
I’m pretty sure I want to go to graduate school, and I would
like to pursue writing in some medium. Plan II has helped me significantly with
both, as it’s so writing focused and prepares you for graduate school, with
things like a senior thesis. Honestly, right now I’m just focusing on being
able to want to do everything and not having to make a decision.
What advice do you have
to students who are just entering the tunnel of applying to schools?
You will find things you like and dislike at every school,
despite how perfect it may be for you. I would not pick anywhere over UT, but
there are things that can make it hard. The key is to think about what you
personally value more than anything else in a school, be it programs, location,
size, whatever. When I heard about Plan II, I knew that that would give me the
flexibility and opportunities to really love school and figure out what I
wanted to do, and it has.
***********************************************************************************
All too often we make quick decisions. We think fast when we should be thinking slow. For example, a student goes onto a website and is asked
what size school is the best fit for them. Depending on this answer the range
of schools will immediately be narrowed dramatically. The large number of
students at a flagship state university intimidates some students. But as
Kate’s words demonstrate one set of numbers can be deceiving. The Plan II
program gives a small school experience for those lucky enough to be selected. Unfortunately,
not enough students and educators know enough about this program and others
like it at a number of highly ranked schools with large numbers of students.
Kate represents the proactive student who asks for what she
wants. Not enough students do this. Her willingness to request reconsideration
for the Non-Resident Tuition Exemption (NRTE) made the difference between her enrolling
or attending another school.
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| Kate with friends at UT |
It’s clear, given all of Kate’s accomplishments in and out of the
classroom, that the fit for her and for UT seems just about perfect. Both sides
benefit from her presence on campus.
More and more often in education today, taking things at face
value isn’t always useful. Many students talk with faculty, administration,
financial aid and other people at a college and university and in doing so
establish connections, which, in the best cases, lead to increased opportunities.
Most schools encourage students to demonstrate knowledge and interest in a
school. It isn’t just about "demonstrated
interest"; it’s also about being a passionate advocate for what one wants and
what one hopes to contribute.
I knew Kate well enough in high school to predict she would create a great space wherever she went. Her creativity and intellect and wonderful personality
all underscored this. But she also demonstrates a set of skills most do not have in secondary school and, to a large degree, even in college--networking, and outreach. I hope that people reading her words will get inspired.
Whether it is UT or some other school, students should find out more than just
the standard numbers put out by the rankings in various magazines and many websites. For those that
do more than the a quick view, windows that let you see in transform into doors that open, another metamorphosis
that sounds a bit Zen.
I would like to thank Kate for taking the time to write so
persuasively and well about her experiences. I am lucky to know her. I look forward
to hearing more abut the books, activities, and experiences ahead of her this
year.
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For those interested in what Plan II is all about, here is the description from the UT webpage
Plan II Honors Program Description
Established in 1935, Plan II is a challenging interdisciplinary curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Plan II differs from most honors programs in that its core curriculum is a major. Plan II is a carefully designed core curriculum honors major with very specific multi-disciplinary course requirements and strong emphases on problem solving, critical and analytical skills, and particularly on writing—including a capstone thesis requirement.
Plan II is a four-year interdisciplinary arts and science honors major with a core curriculum. The curriculum is designed as a building process, with each semester and year of study building skills and knowledge for the next. Although Plan II is quite flexible due the 30+ hours offered as open/free elective hours (the first factor that makes it reasonable for our students to easily incorporate the pre-med requirements and even additional majors and degrees), the core curriculum requirements are relatively inflexible, with very few accepted substitutions of test credit hours, transfer courses or concurrent enrollment credits in lieu of the Plan II core requirements. Although other major and University core requirements, as well as electives, are often fulfilled with test and transfer credits. Plan II is never a fast-track program to be completed in two, or even in three years. Specific courses are required in each year of a four-year plan, to be completed in specific years in a specific order.
Over a third of the courses required for a Plan II degree are restricted only to Plan II students. Plan II students also have access to other honors-level courses at the University. The remaining classes are chosen from the extensive list of the University's departmental offerings. Many of these classes will be as challenging as honors courses.
The Plan II Honors cores requirements include:
· a year-long freshman course in world literature from the ancients to the present
· three semesters of interdisciplinary topical or thematic tutorials and seminars which develop and refine students' analytic and synthesizing capacities
· a year-long philosophy course for sophomores
· a semester of honors social science
· two semesters of non-US history
· a four-semester honors sequence in modes of reasoning, theoretical math or calculus, life sciences, and physical sciences
· a senior thesis, a major independent research and writing project, which is the culmination of a student's academic program in Plan II
In addition, students must satisfy University and College requirements with courses in both US government and history, a fine arts/humanities sequence, foreign language proficiency, and additional math or science. The elective hours incorporated into the Plan II curriculum provide flexibility if Plan II students choose to complete the equivalent of a second major in a particular subject area. For instance, a student might take electives in English in preparation for English graduate school. Someone wanting a career in banking might concentrate elective hours in economics, or even the Business Foundations certificate program. Many students complete the premed curriculum or a pre-law concentration in conjunction with their Plan II major and go on to medical school or law school. Often, Plan II students take an additional year and simultaneously earn a second degree––in business, engineering, or architecture, for example. Hence, it is possible through the electives to achieve some degree of specialization in tandem with the broad-based Plan II curriculum.
Admission to Plan II is competitive and is separate from admission to UT Austin. In 2013, the program received 1538 applications for the 175 freshman spots. The average SAT score of the 2013 freshman applicants was 2086 (total). Three hundred and fifty eight of the 1158 applicants from ranking Texas high schools (or 31%) of the 2013 applicants were in their (ranking) high school's top 5%. Six percent of the applicants were the valedictorian of their high school and over 51% had some kind of National Merit recognition. However, admission to Plan II is not based on scores and grades alone; other criteria include a lively spirit of intellectual adventure; leadership and initiative, a genuine desire for a broad education in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences; and the capacity for imagination and originality.
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| Kate with UT friend |
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