McDevitt Day

For those of you who follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you may have heard me mention McDevitt Day.

Let's make this clear beforehand:  I have the best parents in the whole world.  I love them.  I don't deserve them.

McDevitt Day is the biggest scholarship day that the Mississippi University for Women has to offer, the largest being the McDevitt.  Honestly, I doubt I'll get that one, but I was supposed to walk away with something.

So, because I need money for college, I applied to attend.  I was told time that, no matter what, I'd walk away with a scholarship.

We all went to Columbus, MS.  Mom, Dad, Vin and me.  We couldn't find the hotel at first, which was a bit annoying to all of us, but once we were settled, we were settled.

The next morning, I got all done up.  My hair was straightened, Mom applied some make-up, and I was wearing a dress shirt and some high heels,  And dress pants.  I guess I should mention I was wearing pants.

< Obviously, I had to take all of these on my phone.  These I had to take in the mirror.  Don't I have the evilest tilt in my eyebrows?  I promise, they're shaped that way naturally. >



So, we got to the college this morning and registered.  I met up with some people.

McDevitt is strictly transfer scholarships.  All the reps were freshmen, as in, people not juniors or seniors.

...

My paper said I would be meeting with Committee 7.  I had to ask the reps about that.  I would be going up in front of a committee?  Like a jury or something?  And it wasn't until 3:45, so I had plenty of time to have a panic attack.

Anyway, the rep assured me I would only have to face 2 people.  Thank you, God.

In the meantime, we had lunch and a campus tour.  The dormitory looks like a nursing home. Or a prison.


But the dorm mother seemed like a real mother hen, so Mom would be really happy if I stayed there.  I kind of agree, I would feel okay with the dorm mother.


Lacey, because she refuses to get rid of her little pedigreed mutt (a Maltipoo), wants to live off campus.  She didn't come, but we're going to go visit soon.

Cramped little cell-like dorm or living with Toby?  I asked Lacey which would be the lesser of those two evils.  ;)

My parents were mostly concerned about, "How much will it cost?"  Which, I was pretty relieved when Dad and Vin dropped me and Mom off.  Handling Mom was one thing, handling Dad's insensitivity along with Mom would've driven me crazy.  He laughed and told me I'd never make it when I told him I wanted to major in Culinary Arts.  I just told him what I always tell him when he says something like that, "Thanks, Dad."

Needless to say, my parents are not happy about it.  My mom says, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."  They'd be much happier if I went into education (as I had been planning) or the medical field (I'm sorry, but I hate going to the doctor--they weigh you!--why would I want to be one?).

But no, Jadi, the booksmart one of the five siblings, wants to be a chef.  That was one of the questions I asked the rep, "What do I tell people?"

If I had gone talk to the rep from the Culinary Institute, I may have met other Culinary majors, but I didn't and I didn't.  I saw one other Culinary major.  Everybody else was nursing, and maybe there was one education major.

When it was time to see social clubs, there were 3 Christian organizations.  One of which was Chi Alpha, which is based out of the Assembly of God churches.  When I do go to church, that is the sort of church I go to.

I asked one of the people there is there was a writing or book club.  While they didn't have a booth there at the McDevitt Day, there was one of each.  I was happy about that, obviously.

While waiting for my interview, we got to talking about chickens, well, farming in general.  But after one of the women who had started the conversation had left, I really got to talking.  And then one of the women interviewing me came out and joined in the conversation.

Finally, I was the last interview.  On my questionaire, I was asked what my favorite show was, who my favorite person of the past was, and things like that.  My interviewers asked about my answers.

My favorite person of the past is Jim Henson (I don't like the new Muppets movie), and my favorite show is, currently, Once Upon a Time.  Both interviewers liked it too.  Good sign.  Oh, and they liked Cajun food, so when I said I wanted my own place someday and that I was ethnocentric and I'd want a Cajun place, we got to talking about Cajun food.

Two problems:  1)  Their library is more of a research center than a place for books.  I live at Perk's library.  I'm not just changing colleges, I'm changing libraries too.  The library there isn't that impressive.  When I asked about it, they wouldn't even bother showing it.

2)  I was told I was guaranteed to walk away with a scholarship from McDevitt Day.  Today, I was told I would most likely get one.  I find out what I get in three weeks, if I get anything at all.  But it's a most likely.  If I put my parents on the road for 4-hours both ways and had to get lost in Columbus for nothing, this girl is going to be angry.  No money = no going.

The campus is really nice.  Really pretty.  The people were really nice.  They pulled out all the stops.  A nice lunch.

I guess it should be with the way their dorms were.  Anyway, I did go home with a padfolio, with a legal pad and a little pad inside, and my nametag.

If I get enough out of McDevitt Day, and other scholarships from other places, I will go.  The public library's nice and there's a Books-a-Million and a movie theatre in Columbus.  They have all sorts of jobs around campus.  If I want to work, I can.

Despite my little issues, it was a great visit.