Returning Students - Getting set up for next year?

[Jenny in Florida]

My son just called to let me know he's finished registering for the fall 2015 semester. He's pretty excited about the course selections and the schedule.

 

He'll have 18 credit hours, including:

 

Human Development & Learning (4 hours)

Applied Dance Fundamentals I (1 hour)

Intermediate Tap (2 hours)

Musical Theatre Dance (2 hours)

Beginning Modern Dance II (2 hours)

Dance Improvisation (1 hour)

Musicianship for the Performing Arts III (1 hour)

Studio Voice Lessons (2 hours)

Recital/Concert Attendance (0 hours, but required for one of his majors)

Acting I (3 hours) 

 

He's also required to participate in at least one vocal ensemble each semester. So, he designated a preference and fall-back to fill that slot, but he won't know for sure which one he'll do until after he auditions for his first choice. He has the option of getting a credit hour for the ensemble or taking it for zero credits just to fulfill the requirement. He's opting for zero, since he's saving room in his credit allotment in case he gets cast in a production during the semester and wants to claim credit for that.

 

He also received his financial info for next year. Assuming his grades for this semester come in where they need to be, all of his scholarships and grants will renew, and we'll have the same out-of-pocket as we've had this year. 

 

So, with that "assuming" part written in big, bold, italic letters, he should be all set.

 

How are your returning students getting along with registration and planning for next year?

[Jenny in Florida]

Mine has the following courses next fall if I remember correctly:

 

Introduction to Software Engineering 2

Technical Writing

Junior level statistics ( not the entry one that he placed out of)

2 other computer science courses

 

He is on the waitlist for bowling.

 

As my son was rattling off his long list of course titles, I was telling him how difficult it is for me to comprehend that many classes per semester. Like your son, I was in a pretty traditional academic program (English), and I usually took five three-credit classes each semester, with an occasional four-credit lab course or extra something here or there. So, looking at his list of 10 or 11 course titles for a single semester still catches me off guard every time, even though my daughter was also a performing arts major with similar schedules.

[Jenny in Florida]

That is the life of a music major.  I was a music major for 2 years and it always bugged me that even though  I was taking 15 hours, I had more classes and my ensembles which received 1 hour of credit met 5 days a week, same thing for voice lessons...  My classes went from 8-5 Monday through Friday my freshman year....  It didn't seem fair.  I then had all of my practicing....  

 

My son doesn't have any classes that meet five days for a single credit, but most of his dance classes meet either three or four hours a week for just two credits. What blows my mind are the things that are required but earn him no credits, like the fact that he is required to attend a certain number of performances each semester and often write a short paper or review of each, but he doesn't get grades or credit for it, other than a check mark for meeting the requirement.

 

It's a really different world from my plain vanilla English major. He's happy, though. He likes being busy and having lots of balls in the air. So, this kind of schedule suits him.

[Jen in NY]

I don't know what classes she will be taking, but I know she will be taking them in Spain! All year. The whole year. In Spain.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Probably both.

 

 

 

 

[Pawz4me]

I think DS was supposed to register for next semester's classes this morning.

 

I think.  He told me, but I don't remember for sure that it was today.  Am I a bad mom for not remembering?  LOL!

 

One of DS's best friends (who lives right down the street from us) and who is now a senior in high school was accepted and he and DS are going to room together next year.  It's a private dorm, and since DS is a returning customer he got to pick out the room and floor he wanted.

[Annie G]

Dd goes to a school that does trimesters and she usually takes three or four classes per term, and it lasts 10.5 weeks.  This term she's studying in Japan and she has 10 classes (and will get 12 credits at her school, and that's considered overload!).  She's really having an adjustment because she's used to classes meeting two or three times a week and most of these only meet once. She had to go buy ten folders to keep her work organized! 

 

The other exchange students are from European countries and they are used to this many classes. 

 

Ds is registering for classes in the fall and they tell cadets to take 18-19 credits per semester in order to graduate on time.  That will be quite a wake up call for ds!

[Jenny in Florida]

I don't know what classes she will be taking, but I know she will be taking them in Spain! All year. The whole year. In Spain.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Probably both.

 

Amazing! Congratulations to her. I hope she has a wonderful experience!

 

What is she studying?

[Jenny in Florida]

He told me, but I don't remember for sure that it was today.  Am I a bad mom for not remembering?  LOL!

 

No, I'm a nerd because I just find all things having to do with school exciting enough to write down.

[Jen in NY]

Amazing! Congratulations to her. I hope she has a wonderful experience!

 

What is she studying?

 

She's in Civil Engineering. I told her I want her to come home after the year away and retrofit the house with geothermal heating and to Passivhaus standards. :laugh:

[elegantlion]

I registered last week. I'm also going to take a couple of online summer classes and received enough aid to not have to work. I'm so relieved, I am beyond exhausted and need a break. 

 

I was also accepted into the honors college and will be working toward major honors. Today, I am declaring a minor in French.

[8filltheheart]

Ds is all set up for the summer and next yr.  He will participating in IceCube research this summer.  He is super excited about that.  One of his friend's parents decided to buy a house near campus. A group of them will be living there in the fall.  He decided to take fewer hours and participate in more research in the fall.  He took 18 hrs the last 2 semesters.  He is dropping back to 15 in the fall and is adding in a 2nd research project.

 

I only vaguely remember what he said he was taking in the fall.  I know he is taking quantum physics b/c the 2 semesters of quantum are his only undergrad physics classes left. He is taking some astronomy class, a fine arts requirement, his honors research class, and a math class.  (I think he said something like real analysis, but I have no idea if that is an actual math class title.  ;) )

[*LC]

I think my college kid was a bit sad when her adviser told her she only needs 40 hours to graduate. The funny thing is before she started college, she couldn't wait to finish. (That had been her approach to her high school, so she thought it was the way she would feel in college also.) Since her scholarship covers 4 years, she will take all four years, with 1 of the terms abroad. Her study-abroad classes will be for a foreign language minor and don't count toward the 40 hours. Or, at least that is the plan right now; there was mention of changing her study abroad term to one within her major. I just listen. 

[regentrude]

My DD is on a quarter system and her spring quarter just started three weeks ago. So, no classes for fall yet.

 

I am excited that she will be home over the summer. She will work as a teaching assistant and for a professor who is setting up a new lab.

[Lori D.]

DS just got great news this week! He had applied for and was passed over for a paid position, but just was now offered it due to someone else dropping out. It is the position of "Life Leader" (leads a dorm Bible study, but also mentors younger students and helps lead student life activities). Yea! Not only does that very much fit his abilities and interests, it is a $2500/semester job!

 

So that helps him finalize his decision to attend both semesters next year -- he did have the option of stacking his remaining classes in one semester and graduating in December. But this way, he has a second full year that will allow him to do more networking, AND he'll be able to complete a small minor in business, so that will expand his qualifications for job searching after graduation.

 

And, he continues with the Honors' program, and is really enjoying his time away at college, making the most of it, as we had hoped. Yea! We will sure miss him again next year, but SO glad he is getting the opportunities that are such a perfect fit and stepping stone for him! :)

 

And -- a super early semester start means this coming week is his finals week, and he'll be coming home in 6 days! :D

[creekland]

Middle son will be an RA again in the same dorm he'll have lived in for 3 of his 4 years there.  He enjoys being an RA with freshmen.  Otherwise, he is excited that he got approved for URoc's Take 5 program, so his senior year won't be his last.  The 5th year is totally tuition free and he plans to continue being an RA, so will also have free room.  With Take 5 he needs to add a completely different area of study from his current majors/minors.  His is African Global Development (or something like that), so his new classes will include some along those lines.  He showed me his planned schedule once.  If I were a more with it mom, I'd have remembered it.

 

In general, his majors/minors are in my sig and then add his African deal.  He usually takes 20+ hours per semester including all of the other things he does (lab work, fun).  I'm convinced he only sleeps when he's home on break.

 

Youngest son is keeping his current roommate and has signed up for classes.  He even wrote (hand written :thumbup1: ) his grandma telling HER his classes.  I've e-mailed asking about what he's taking and haven't heard back :glare: .  I know Advanced Acting is one of them.  He's pretty seriously contemplating a theater major.  I suspect that class will give him a good idea if he wants it or not.  He will also have an LAC class that is required.  Then there will be two other classes.  I have no idea what those are.

[Gwen in VA]

Dd is transferring, so she will do the freshman thing all over again. Technically she will enter as a sophomore, having placed out of the freshman-level music classes, but she will still have the angst and discomfort of starting at a strange place.

 

She did say that it was rather strange to NOT register for classes at her current college when all of the other students did.

 

She lived at home this year, so my goal for the summer is to find all those things we bought for her dorm room last year that were put into the attic when she decided to live at home.

 

Her plans for this summer are short and sweet -- to relax! She has worked more than full-time for the past six summers (long story) and this summer she will "only" play a gig for a few hours each week and do a weekly church service in addition to practicing. She is looking forward to having the "problem" of a few unclaimed hours each week!

[AngieW in Texas]

My 19yo is registered for the fall and she is trying to get set up to take a class at the cc by our house over the summer. She only needs 10 more classes to graduate with her double major, but since she is going to graduate through the honors program, she has 5 additional classes that are required (one more honors course and four graduate level courses). She is also going to take the GRE this summer and apply for the fast-track to masters program. For speech therapy, you have to have an MS degree. Her scholarship will cover 4 more semesters, so she will be able to cover part of her MS with her scholarship. Hopefully she will be able to get a scholarship or some type of financial aid to help pay for the rest of it.