Sunshine State Sue Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Ds got his final grades today. He took Calculus 2, Chemistry 1, Physics 1, Intro to Computer Science, and a Freshman Success Seminar. GPA 2.8. I am relieved that is is >= 2.5 which he needs to maintain his academic scholarship. He thought Physics would be his hardest class and therefore paid the most attention to it. He got a B in Physics. He got a C in Calc 2. He says with 20/20 hindsight, he wishes he had signed up for Calc 1. I got a B in Calc 2 many moons ago after taking AP Calc in HS. I encouraged him to take Calc 2. Too late, I will bow to the wisdom of regentrude. :blushing: Due to his many incoming credits and athlete status, he was able to sign up earlier than most for his spring classes. To my great surprise and delight, he apparently researched teachers among his teammates. He is confident he will do even better next semester, and the word is that Calc 3 and Chem 2 are easier than their predecessors. Oh, and they use the same text as their predecessors. Yeah! Now for the sort of bad news. He tore tendon and ligament the week following Thanksgiving playing/practicing basketball. The real bummer is that the coach was going to start him the next weekend. He had surgery yesterday. He will not be fully rehabilitated for 4 months. Fortunately, he was able to get a medical red-shirt and so will still be able to play 4 years of college basketball if he is willing and able. That means 5 years of college with (hopefully) a double major or master's degree at the end. Today is his 19th birthday and he is laying in bed all day with this foot elevated. Tomorrow, the team is coming over for pizza dinner. I was delighted the other day when I arrived in CO that he patiently answered my myriad of questions (generally, he is rather mono-syllabic). He loves the school and his teammates. After some very solitary high school years, he has found his tribe among other bright athletes. Thanks for reading. Just had to share. Anyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Oh, Sue!! So sorry to hear about the injury and the surgery! Bless his heart! I am glad he got the medical red-shirt. Happy Birthday to him! How great that the team will get together tomorrow for pizza to celebrate. It's wonderful that he found his tribe! And yay for moving beyond monosyllabic answers. ;) Those are some hard courses, and he did what he needed to do to keep the scholarship. That's great! That first semester is a time of adjustment. I can't imagine how much more so that must be for an athlete. Don't beat yourself up about advising the Calc 2. Good for him for researching the teachers for the next semester. You should be proud of your ds!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Wow, Sue, so sorry to hear about the injury. I know how much basketball matters to your ds. Glad to hear he will still be able to play in the future. Ds had a fabulous semester. He is incredibly happy about school and his classes. He is downstairs right now working on applications for REUs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 He loves the school and his teammates. After some very solitary high school years, he has found his tribe among other bright athletes. Thanks for reading. Just had to share. Anyone else? I hope he is up and around soon! This part made me smile though - so glad to see this...finding your niche in college is a great thing, glad he's happy :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmgirl70 Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Mine are still doing finals....I think it's a crime to have them so close to Christmas :tongue_smilie: . DS (sophomore) has his astronomy final tomorrow and then he's done. Had a physics 2 final scheduled for Friday, but the teacher will drop the lowest test grade, so he was told that if he likes his grade, he needn't come in for the final. He has an A, so decided today that he'd skip the final. DD (junior) has a history final tomorrow, a presentation on Thursday, and a large research paper due on Friday. They are both SO done! I cannot wait for them to be all done! At this point, though, their grades are looking very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 <snip> After some very solitary high school years, he has found his tribe among other bright athletes. Too late, I will bow to the wisdom of regentrude. :blushing: I, too, am paying much closer attention to regentrude (and a few others) about what to do and not to do. I love the bolded part (mine). I have hopes that DS will find kindred spirits once he finds a college home. Your post gives my hope new life. Also - I am happy he did well enough to keep his scholarship, sad that he was injured and happy again that he will be able to play in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Add me to those who suggest Calc 1 for most students entering their freshman year of college... based upon many I've seen. That switch to college living takes a bit. Having an easier class is generally better than all new stuff (for most). Youngest is home. It's kind of mixed. He got an A- in his Aging class (in Aug), an A in his Human Experience class (the LAC required course), a C+ in Intro to Psych (sigh - grade is low because someone waited until the night before exams to read the text... exams were 50% based upon the reading), and still needs to find out his grade in Environmental Science (it's not posted yet). He enjoys his college, but wishes he could find his tribe. Quite honestly, there aren't many non-partying guys there. He has a few gals as friends, but would love some guys to hang out with more. He and his roomie didn't hit it off well, so he'll be switching dorm rooms when he returns. Perhaps that will help. I did ask him if he wanted to transfer now that he wasn't set on Marine Science and he told me no - he likes his college. On the pro side, it is a very green college and he loves that. He works in their composting group (for pay) and does other stuff with volunteering. Middle son is still in finals and won't be home until Monday. I suspect he's doing well with everything. He's my more academic guy to start with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 My HS junior is also looking forward to finding her tribe--love the way you put that. She took two courses at Georgia Tech this semester and ended up with solid As in both Chem II (the second in the series for chem majors) and differential equations. She LOVES Tech, but the workload on top of her practice schedule was intense, to say the least. Next semester, she is taking a new math class that I do not even understand what is and Organic Chem I, along with two high school courses. She has no intentions of ever setting foot on a high school campus again. She does not even plan to attend her HS graduation if is not required (and seeing as how I read fine print for a living and have found no such requirement printed anywhere, I think she is in the clear). Who is it on here who knows Dr. Morley at Tech? I tried to search for the thread where that was mentioned and couldn't find it, but if whomever it is sees this, the new math class she is taking is his. He sent an email to everyone who took his Calc II and III classes last year saying, "If you're at Tech, I have this new class I will be teaching next semester." She asked about getting it added to the list DE students can take, and they did, and she enrolled. Tech doesn't encourage DE at all, from what I can tell (we think they only have five or six this year), but they have really been awesome to work with. I know my daughter is not technically a freshman (we call her a sub-sub-freshman), but she tells everyone she is and acts like she is, so I just roll with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 My college senior received the first C of his life this semester in Compilers (a required cs course). He really struggled with the class and is glad he will never have to do that again! Sophomore dd finished with 3 As and 2 A-s :) She is gifted at slinging baloney in two languages :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 My college senior received the first C of his life this semester in Compilers (a required cs course). He really struggled with the class and is glad he will never have to do that again! Sophomore dd finished with 3 As and 2 A-s :) She is gifted at slinging baloney in two languages :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: That is such a useful skill to have. I swear that I had a couple of professors who never actually read my blue book exams but looked at the pages, thought "Hmmmm...lots of words. Must know what she's talking about. I'll give her an A!" and moved on to the next person's work. Snort. Congrats. Oh, and my dh says is a course that many professors do not teach well. So, he said for your son to be happy that he passed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Creekland, I hope that switch in dorms helps. I know that "finding his tribe" is one thing I am concerned about for our ds. His major won't readily lend itself to that. It was easy for me because performance majors are such a tortured lot who had to survive a grueling audition process to begin with so we are all together and tended to stick to each other like glue. But, for my husband as a comp sci major, it took a lot longer. He was a bit shy back then, and had his older brother not already been a student at his school, I think it would have been A LOT tougher on him. I hope that he finds his people when he goes back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Sue, I'm so sorry to hear about your son's injury. Hope he has a full recovery & gets back on the court soon. After watching my nephew's college football years, I'm in awe of student athletes and the extra hurdles they face in addition to schoolwork! But yay for him for finding a good fit at Mines & a terrific group of peers! That's worth as much as academics in my book, & navigating tough engineering coursework and his grades will work out as he learns the ropes. Good luck to him! My HS junior is also looking forward to finding her tribe--love the way you put that. She took two courses at Georgia Tech this semester and ended up with solid As in both Chem II (the second in the series for chem majors) and differential equations. She LOVES Tech, but the workload on top of her practice schedule was intense, to say the least. Next semester, she is taking a new math class that I do not even understand what is and Organic Chem I, along with two high school courses. She has no intentions of ever setting foot on a high school campus again. She does not even plan to attend her HS graduation if is not required (and seeing as how I read fine print for a living and have found no such requirement printed anywhere, I think she is in the clear). Who is it on here who knows Dr. Morley at Tech? I tried to search for the thread where that was mentioned and couldn't find it, but if whomever it is sees this, the new math class she is taking is his. He sent an email to everyone who took his Calc II and III classes last year saying, "If you're at Tech, I have this new class I will be teaching next semester." She asked about getting it added to the list DE students can take, and they did, and she enrolled. Tech doesn't encourage DE at all, from what I can tell (we think they only have five or six this year), but they have really been awesome to work with. I know my daughter is not technically a freshman (we call her a sub-sub-freshman), but she tells everyone she is and acts like she is, so I just roll with it. That's me! I worked with Tom as a young math professor at Tech in the 80's, and he was a nice guy then. Is the new course you're talking about his Combinatorial Game Theory (Math 3803)? If so, your daughter is in for a treat. Looks like he will base it on one of John Conway's books on mathematical games. Conway was a frequent lecturer at Mathcamp, & my kids ate that stuff up...so much fun! I LOVE how my old department is taking good care of your daughter & making exceptions for her when needed. Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Scoutermom, I am not sure ds's school would be as good of a fit w/o the research honors program, but that group is why he loves the school so much. It is what makes him fit in. He felt that when he met the other students at the finalist interview weekend. I think your ds will know when he has found his tribe. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 That's me! I worked with Tom as a young math professor at Tech in the 80's, and he was a nice guy then. Is the new course you're talking about his Combinatorial Game Theory (Math 3803)? If so, your daughter is in for a treat. Looks like he will base it on one of John Conway's books on mathematical games. Conway was a frequent lecturer at Mathcamp, & my kids ate that stuff up...so much fun! I LOVE how my old department is taking good care of your daughter & making exceptions for her when needed. Thanks for sharing! Yes! My daughter has never done math competitions, math camp or anything like that, but she is really enjoying math right now. If nothing else, DE for her has been a fabulous way to explore potential majors. Dr. Morley's class is full, probably of math majors plus my one scraggler, so it sounds like the class is a hit already. I really cannot say enough good things about Tech. My daughter has not really followed a traditional academic path, and I do not know what we would have done with her if Tech were not available. The fact that they are so welcoming and accommodating has been a really sweet bonus. She would love to finish her undergraduate degree somewhere else (Tech doesn't have her sport) and then go back for graduate school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Final grades came out this morning, now I can sleep better. I'm officially a sophomore now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Sue I'm so sorry to hear about your son's injury. I'm glad you're able to be there caring for him as he recuperates and it sounds like his team is there for him as well. Having the extra year will be great for the double or lots of grad level courses or even a masters. It's probably very common at STEM focused schools to take five anyway. Wishing him a full and speedy recovery. And tell him The Hive wishes him a Happy 19th! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 What fun to hear all of these reports! Sue, wishing your son a speedy recovery and a Happy birthday!! Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Scoutermom, I am not sure ds's school would be as good of a fit w/o the research honors program, but that group is why he loves the school so much. It is what makes him fit in. He felt that when he met the other students at the finalist interview weekend. I think your ds will know when he has found his tribe. :) Thank you for the kind words. I don't want to rush time (and I am desperately trying to enjoy this season of life) but I will be relieved when this is over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Final grades came out this morning, now I can sleep better. I'm officially a sophomore now. :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: WOOT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Oh dear! So sorry to hear of the injury and surgery! Hoping DS makes a complete and quick recovery! My update: DS#1 is a transfer student, not a freshman, but this is his first semester away at college (he earned his Associate's at the local CC while still living at home). He is an an extreme introvert, but he doing a good job of initiating getting involved to some extent. He is going to activities and events regularly (concerts, ballroom dancing, ultimate frisbee, dorm Bible study), and has even found a local church to go to. Next semester, the goals are 1.) FIND A JOB on campus, and 2.) actually start developing a few close friendships. (And I'm trying to encourage him to meet some young ladies… ;) ) I don't think his final grades are officially posted yet, but he knew he was doing extremely well and would end with a very high GPA for the semester. Whew! The scholarship is safe! :hurray: We're very excited -- he applied for a 10-week summer internship with Compassion International, that would be PERFECT for him. Trying really hard not to hope too much, but it would be such an awesome opportunity for him, and he would be such a perfect fit for them… :thumbup1: [<---- as close as I can get to "fingers crossed" emoticon] Overall, he is really enjoying his courses and professors, and doing very well managing life on his own… But he's also very happy to be home for the holidays. And we're loving having him back for 3 weeks! Thanks for starting the "update" thread, Sue! Hugs to all the mamas of college DC, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 DD's grades were posted today. It's a mixed bag for her and she is quite emotional. She was hoping for better in one of her classes; every student in the class had a C going in to the final with DD having the highest grade. DD ended with a C+. I made her a pan of homemade mac-n-cheese and have brownies baking. She is sick, as is DS and DGD, so things around here haven't been very happy the last few days. We are going over degree requirements and scheduling today. I have been hands off and she has done it all on her own but she asked for my opinion and we are discussing real world feasibility for her degree and future plans. (As an aside - in trying to help DS with college apps and working with DD on 'stuff', I really long for the days when the parental decisions were about which toys to play with or how many books to read before nap time.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 So, dd ended up with a B in both of the business classes that she was so stressed about. No idea whether the instructor was confused or jerking her chain regarding telling her she might have a low C or high D. Ended up with an A in the English class, no additional mention of any kind of problems with the citations for the final paper. However, in other news, another problem. Someone asked in the other thread whether the cc had an online tracking/information program. Yes, they do (one called Sakai), and on it, her final grades show a B for a PC Applications class she had to take. However, on the actual page for the class, her grade shows as a 98%. She called the records office and they told her to email the instructor, which she did. So now we are waiting for this issue to get resolved. On the plus side, she is registered for next semester and got all the classes she wanted. We might try to tweak one, if she can get approval from her 4yr school that they would accept a higher level art class in lieu of the intro art history class to fill one of their basic, "tier" requirements. But we have until Jan 20 to resolve that question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 My ds has had a wonderful first quarter for his freshman year! He seems to have found a great group of friends within his dorm. He and the roommate seem to get along fine, though I don't think they really run in the same circle. They apparently co-habitate well but aren't BFFs. He was able to get a flexible, part-time job on campus, and he also seems to have found the right balance between work and play. He has thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of his college life by embracing traditions, attending some music performances and guest lectures, and attending football games! Had fun at the frosh formal and the Halloween party. I am so thankful for the young women who post pics and tag on FB - I might be clueless otherwise! He enjoyed his classes very much and got fantastic grades. He was accepted to do a three-week study abroad seminar this summer to England and Wales. Themed around the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. Really, I couldn't be more pleased!! I am certain that the three weeks he is home for break will go by far too quickly. He is having his annual White Elephant Christmas party here on Sunday afternoon/evening. He will be having 30 of his closest friends over! Ha ha! I am looking forward to seeing his high school classmates. I hope everyone enjoys having all their dc home for the break!! Remember - it's not what's under the tree but who's around it that matters!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 So, dd ended up with a B in both of the business classes that she was so stressed about. :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 We had a "whew" moment as well when ds's final grades came in - his Honors dorm room and scholarships require that he maintain various minimum GPAs. One interesting story from ds - his theory prof. has only 5 required attendance days - the 4 semester finals and the day after the last final - a mandatory lecture day. This was essentially (in ds's words) "a brilliant lecture on Liberal Arts, the mindset of slavery, and what are you doing here anyway?". :D Ds has been back home almost a week now, and I can tell he misses school. He has taken up sight reading Bach chorales on the piano. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Grrr ... Lost my long reply. Short answer is, my son still has 3 finals to go! One this evening, and two Friday. He LOVES college; doing well in his classes; fantastic new friends; two work-study jobs; summer job lined up (counselor at a programming camp); joined church and Bible study, giving him a community; lots of exploring and new experiences. Keeps changing his mind about his minors, & about one of his majors' focus (pure math --> applied math --> back to pure math and talking about grad school after a TA gave them math prelim problems to chew on -- during Dead Week last week when only the top students bothered to come to section -- & he LOVED it). Talking about taking Korean or Chinese instead of German or Yiddish. Oh, and he has developed a taste for Indian food, and for dried squid :) . ETA: I forgot - one of his main highlights of first semester was making it onto a team for a programming competition -- they came in 4th in their division (42 teams), spanning most of the western U.S. & Canada. He gleefully showed me that he had the cell phone number of his prof (a big name in the field) as a contact on his own cell phone, b/c they were all traveling together to the test site. Also, there was pizza at the competition :) . Lots to look forward to over the next 4 years! ETAA: I should add that my older (sophomore) son had a very rough fall semester - sort of a perfect storm of many issues, including health, social, academic, work ... Hopefully the consequences won't be lifelong, but we'll see. Anyway, he's home for break and doing much better. So it is a relief for us that his younger brother adjusted so well ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 My guy's missing (now posted) grade in Environmental Science is a B+. For this kiddo, we're happy with anything A or B. Hopefully his C+ was a learning experience that just maybe he ought to read a text before the night before a test. He's far more into lectures and discussions than he's ever been into texts, with exceptions made for topics that really interest him. On the plus side, he's discovered (through their mandatory LAC class) that he enjoys some literature and philosophies. One of the classes he signed up for next semester is Eastern Philosophy. The others are Bio II + Lab, Basic Acting, and the second part of his LAC class (Human Experience). At Eckerd, kids generally only take 4 classes per semester. Meanwhile, back here, he's currently out at a Christmas party with friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Glad to read everyone's updates. So sorry about your son, Sue. Hope he heals fast. For ds18, first quarter went well ... seems to have found some friends, but may need to expand his horizons since they seem to have opposite schedules. No roommate issues other than they rarely see each other. This quarter was supposed to be a breeze academically because he placed out of so many intro classes and can't start classes in his major (Physics) until next term. An A in German (first ever class in that language.) A B in Freshman Studies - had excellent class participation grades, but struggled with the writing despite my frequent suggestions to go to the writing center right away instead of waiting to start said paper the night before it was due. Since the final was mostly essay and writing is not this kid's strength, well .... you do the math. B in Intro to Studio Art. His actual class projects received high marks, but his sketch book was "sketchy." He didn't take seriously the admonishment to not wait until the last minute but to complete a drawing every week. I am totally "Gibbs-smacking" him on that one. But, his GPA is high enough to keep his scholarship. He felt things were too easy so it was easier to procrastinate. He has been home since Thanksgiving, but only just now found a job for this 6 week break ... delivering packages for UPS. The downside for ds (and the upside for me) is he has to be up early to call in for his assignment each day. Tomorrow, the internship and REU applications await as well as the on campus jobs. Ds21 had a great semester. Got a girlfriend (a total sweetheart), nearly had a 4.0 (just missed out with an A- in a computer science class) so he has to bow to his girlfriend's perfect 4.0 semester. Presented research with a professor at a conference (but neglected to get a picture for my total mom-brag Christmas card.) Decided to drop from a Biology/Classics double major to a Bio major/Classics minor and graduate a semester early and apply for an internship for that semester before starting grad school. Girlfriend is a senior applying to grad schools so he is learning from her experience. Is a TA for a lab. Having a great year. He has been our extra chauffeur since he has been home (and extra dog walker.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 My sophomore is still finishing finals. I have not seen him since August. Can't wait!!!!! This semester, he learned lots of life skills. He chose not to return to student affiliated housing, so he had to learn about rental agencies, leases and housemates. His apartment turned out not to be what he thought it was going to be...and he moved again. Round two of agencies, leases and housemates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 My sophomore is still finishing finals. I have not seen him since August. Can't wait!!!!!. My junior is still finishing too. I think today is his last one, but he won't be home until Monday since he's an RA and needs to wait until all are finished. Then he goes back early to take a vacation "RA on call" shift. We'll enjoy him when he's home though, and he loves being an RA. The free room is also nice, so no complaints other than we miss him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 I had to pull up the college site to see dd's grades. She struggled with accounting and ended up with a C. She said it was too much information and too little time. Last accounting class she will take. International Econ, German, honors class and world econ were all As and Bs. Middle dd was dual enrolled. I know she got and A in Bio and Eng. Still waiting on Western Civ. (I know he's not in college classes of any type, but ds is rocking German!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anne1456 Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Sounds like most kids had a good semester, nice to hear. My freshman did well academically. She is in nursing and got a B- in her 1st half semester nursing class, which weeded out half of the students. Then she got a B+ in the 2nd half semester class, once she had a better idea what was expected. The director of nursing sat down with all the students one at a time at the end of the semester, and told her she is doing well and a strong student. She got As in her other classes, so her GPA is good. Socially is not as good, she has really struggled to find a group to connect with. Her roommate and her barely speak, and the roommate spends most of her time in her boyfriend's room. Her roommate was one of the kids weeded out of nursing, which didn't help an already not great relationship. The college she is at has a good nursing program but not a lot of other strong programs, and it doesn't draw many serious students. Two of her best friends will be on academic probation if they even come back next semester. Most of the nursing students left are mid 20s and live off campus, so while she gets along fine they don't socialize. She applied to be an RA and was accepted, but she won't know for a few weeks if there enough openings for her to get a spot. She is hoping that will help her expand her social circle, and get her away from her roommate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Ds emailed 2 of his professors yesterday asking if they would be willing to write LOR for his REU applications. He heard back from both of them within 5 mins! I am assuming that their enthusiastic replies saying they were more than happy to do it for him are positive signs. Now here's hoping that he is an unusually enough advanced freshman that the REUs will actually consider his application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share Posted December 18, 2014 Ds emailed 2 of his professors yesterday asking if they would be willing to write LOR for his REU applications. He heard back from both of them within 5 mins! Sounds terriffic, but what's REU? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Sounds terriffic, but what's REU? Research Experience for Undergrads http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517 Universities around the country offer research opportunities over the summer for students from other universities. For example, ds is looking at one at Vanderbilt and another at UCLA (I think. I get those CA schools confused.) They are usually paid with a housing/food stipend provided. They are typically open to sophomores and jrs. But they say they will consider unusually advanced freshman. Ds is taking 2 400 level classes next semester, so he is really hoping they will consider him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 DD had an intense semester. The school is on a quarter system, and she was taking four classes. Everybody studies all.the.time, the entire school culture is like this. Her hardest course was Honors Physics which had devilishly difficult problems (DH and I are physics professors, and we had to really think hard to work them out) and was moving at an insane pace. Very difficult tests with low test averages, and it was unclear how things would turn out... until this morning. She woke up at 5:30am to check her grades and...drumroll... has As in all her classes (English, German and math were expected; Physics was the wild card.) Socially, she is doing all the right things. She formed a study group for physics, has a lab partner with whom she works very well together, attends Society of Women in Physics study sessions, gets along with her room mate, participates in house activities, and joined a choir... but she still has not found her "tribe". She really loves her English professor who has taken an interest in her and is excited about more classes with this instructor in the spring. All in all, a rough and stressful, but productive semester. She learned so much! This school is stretching her and helping her grow... as we had hoped. Now I'm glad we can relax and enjoy the break. Iam very happy that all her hard work has paid off so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 DS has As and Bs, thank goodness. His classes are getting harder and his short attention span and distractability are much harder to overcome now. He's very bright and is beginning to realize that while being bright helps a great deal, there are other skills he needs to develop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 I love hearing everyone's updates! Thank you, Sue, for starting the thread. Sympathies to those whose children are being "stretched", as Regentrude put it. : ) Youngest is halfway through his sophomore year, loving his school, and continuing to produce a wild mix of grades. He is on a quarter system and his classes move really fast. He's still struggling to figure out how to balance things. He'll be struggling in one, be doing middling in another, and having one that he finds comparitively (key word lol) easy, and in the struggle to hang on to the hard one, he'll loose one of the other two. Challenging this kid without shoving him completely out of his class is difficult, so we all (parents and child) are actually really happy with the situation. If he works hard consistently, doesn't get distracted, goes for help, doesn't have an insane prof, and judges things right, he can get a mix of A's, B's, and C's. If any one of those things slips, it shows up in his grades. Perfect. : ) Sue - I'm so sorry about the injury. You are watching closely for signs of lost-ness, right? We found that when you remove the underpinning of intensive athletic training from some students, they feel really lost. Nan ETA - I should explain the "insane prof" comment. The prof wasn't insane, just ununderstandable. The lectures were ununderstandable and the class structure was ununderstandable. Youngest wasn't the only one confused and I think the prof left immediately afterwards, so the situation might have been exacerbated by outside circumstances in the prof's life? If youngest had gone for help consistently, he would have survived the class, he says. The help center is really good at compensating for all sorts of problems, but you have to GO. : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Farmgirl - My sister's finals were AFTER Christmas break. That was a horrid situation. Getting them over is better, even if it runs close to Christmas. : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Sue, so sorry to hear about the injury, glad they red shirted him. Rehab and watching film will help during the lost practice time. Ds1 got home last night. He is tired, but is really happy at school. Grades are "not very interesting" to him. Again, my unschooled kid drives me crazy. When pressed, he said for sure, one A, one C (a victory for him in Spanish) and two on the borders of A-/B+. So, good enough for me. The best thing is a new found focus on writing and learning. He has a stack of books to read over break and work lined up to make money. I am so glad for the success stories and for the struggling stories. Most of us have two tales to tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmgirl70 Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Farmgirl - My sister's finals were AFTER Christmas break. That was a horrid situation. Getting them over is better, even if it runs close to Christmas. : ) Oh, that is terrible! I agree, that is worse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmgirl70 Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Just have to say, my dd is just a couple hours from having her final research paper for her Junior seminar done--30 pages, due tomorrow by 1:00 p.m. She's just editing the last 4! I am so excited for her to be free and so proud of her work this semester. It's been a rigorous one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 My DE dd had her first experience in taking a university "weeder" class. I wasn't sure how to advise her. I didn't want her to take it too early and wind up losing an opportunity at a major she is very interested in. On the other hand, if she couldn't major in that area, the local university might not rank so high on her college list. She decided to take it. She said she definitely felt the pressure to do well throughout the semester, especially as a large portion of her grade came from various group projects. She wound up with a B+ so that major is now open to her. And she has maintained her required 3.0 GPA. (Though honestly, I was more worried than she was.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I'm kind of dense about some of this stuff. Tell me what a "weeder" class is. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I'm kind of dense about some of this stuff. Tell me what a "weeder" class is. Thanks! Weeder classes typically have large dropout rates due to rigorous expectations and a big time investment -- hard tests, heavy studying requirements, difficult and/or large amounts of homework and/or projects, etc. These classes "weed" out those who lack the motivation to keep going or who can't handle the pressure, or who find that a rigorous program and career field is not for them afterall. Examples of weeder classes might include physics, chemistry, and intro to engineering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I'm kind of dense about some of this stuff. Tell me what a "weeder" class is. Thanks! For the pre-med wannabes, GPA is super important. The pre-med weeder classes tend to be Bio, Chem, and Organic Chem at a minimum. All pre-meds have to take these and many colleges limit the number of As (some limit Bs). At top colleges (NOT meaning just IVY or equivalent, but top state schools and equivalent too) there are tons of pre-meds coming in - far fewer after they see how they did in these classes and know their chances are slim to get accepted into med school. Hence they are called weeder classes. Overall around 45% (+/-) of students who apply to med school get in, so even with the weeding, competition is still fierce. Any individual med school often has single digit acceptance rates with the exception of some state schools that highly favor in state students and that state doesn't have as many applying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Weeder classes typically have large dropout rates due to rigorous expectations and a big time investment -- hard tests, heavy studying requirements, difficult and/or large amounts of homework and/or projects, etc. These classes "weed" out those who lack the motivation to keep going or who can't handle the pressure, or who find that a rigorous program and career field is not for them afterall. Examples of weeder classes might include physics, chemistry, and intro to engineering. This would be an example of a good "weeder" class. Or it could be a class with unreasonable expectations, prerequisite knowledge absolutely needed, but not specified in the prereqs for the class, exams with material not covered in class or in the readings. Basically, these classes play mind games with the intent on seeing who is tough/gutsy enough, not necessarily who is smart enough or who has the best work ethic. There were several what we called "flunk out" classes at my highly ranked state uni where after the first exam where the high score was under 40 out of 100 (no curve) and that half of the class dropped. Those who stayed in were rewarded with a class that more closely fit the description and syllabus. This was part of the reason why I didn't want my kids to go to my alma mater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted December 20, 2014 Author Share Posted December 20, 2014 We got both boys' first term grades. Without going into details, they both have a GPA of 3.0 exactly. Mostly B's with a smattering of C's with A's to balance them out. Not as great as I had hoped, but not too bad, either. I am glad to hear this. If I remember correctly, you were quite worried a while ago. That is a very respectable GPA for first term freshman. :thumbup1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCMom Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 My freshman did very, very well this semester. She worked her tail off. She gets along well with her roommate (though there have been a couple more Lysol type problems, lol). She, a true introvert, has a found large group of friends. Like SEVEN whole people, LOL. She did an amazing 7 page research paper even though getting her to write is like pulling teeth. She walked-on to the team in her sport and got $$$. She also gets to get up at 5:30 AM and practices 4-5 hours a day; nothing in life is free. She ended with a 3.9 average with A's in all three Landscape Arch classes, A in the second of the two English classes required, and A in Precalc (we did not do a great job on Precalc/Calc so she wanted to start over) and a B+ in her Freshman Seminar. She had an A in that one at midterm but forgot to do an online test. :glare: Sigh. Fortunately, it was only a 1 credit class. I am very pleased with her progress. She is bored and a bit off kilter at home now but her dog is so totally over the moon that she is back that it is hard for her to mope. She is a little worried about next semester, not because of Calc or the higher level L. Arch./Design classes but because she has to take...a History class... :huh: Georgia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Thanks for the info regarding weeder classes. I thought that was what they were. If a student has to take one of them, what is the best way to get a decent grade? All I can think is to always ask around before taking a class to get an idea of how hard it will be, how fair, how reasonable, etc. and then to stay in close communication with the professor to be sure you are studying the right material. Do instructors not get grief from the administration if they have a high number of kids failing a particular class? Do the students not complain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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