How are your freshmen doing so far?

[skimomma]

I thought it might be fun to check in with anyone who has first year students right now.  Anything from how they are adjusting, roommate experiences, academic experiences, etc.....

My freshman is having a great first year.  She loves her roommate, has made a lot of friends, is enjoying her classes and doing well in them, has so far avoided getting Covid, has found housemates and signed a lease for an off-campus house for next year, has tried all sorts of new things, and just landed a summer job as a research assistant in her field of study.

Challenges include hating the dorm food, navigating the stress of registering for next semester's classes, finding time to do ALL THE THINGS, and making tough decisions between too many good options.

She was homeschooled all the way through and is very close to us, her parents, so we hear from her multiple times a day and even see her from time to time as she attends university in our home town.  It helps that she has to see us to borrow the car.  I was very worried about her transition from our very hand-holding homeschool experience to full-on college but she seems to have handled it well.  And going to this local school was a somewhat unwelcome financially-driven compromise, but she has made the very best of it, which I am so relieved to see.  She has really blossomed emotionally and has conquered some of her biggest fears.  

[teachermom2834]

Mine is loving it. He and roommate have become very good friends. He had been dating a girl who lives about two hours away from us for over two years. Then they moved to college and live on the same hall. I was worried that would be a distraction or go very badly once they spent so much time together but it seems to be going great. So his living situation and girlfriend situation seem pretty happy and low drama. When we visited him one day everyone that walked into the dorm lobby called out his name (like Norm on Cheers) and his girlfriend told me he knows everyone. Which is funny because it is a big state U and an always homeschooled nerdy kid. He laughed and said "I don't even know these people." 

His scholarship cohort is 15 students and he said 13 of them do stuff together like have dinner once a week. They also have to do projects and go on trips together so it is nice that he has bonded with that group (of which his girlfriend and roommate are not part of) so he has a variety of friends. He is a superfan so he has loved college football season and also made it to lots of events for all the other sports on campus. There is some sort of point system for attending things and for organizing groups to attend so he has been collecting points and perks for athletic gear and concessions, etc. If you knew him, it is totally like him to go about his athletic loyalty points program with cunning and precision. 😂

He has gotten himself on several different advisory boards and leadership teams for different things. I can't even keep them straight. He is currently applying to be an RA next year. 

Oh and classes...he says they are easy and he has alot of time on his hands. They sure sound easier than the intro classes my other boys had at their colleges. His girlfriend says it is annoying that she is always studying while he sits there playing solitaire. So hopefully when his grades come out the classes were as easy as he said they were. His scholarship requires a 3.5 so there isn't alot of room for finding his footing. 

We only saw him for a day at Thanksgiving because he was off to a 4-H conference the rest of the weekend. Looking forward to having him home and getting more details over Christmas break. I admit I am not worrying about him like I did his brothers when they went away. Sometimes I realize I haven't been worrying about him and think I'm dropping the ball. LOL. Worrying about my kids is normally a full time job for me!

[freesia]

Mine is having a blast!  I  thrilled after high school being so full bc of COVID. She is an assistant stage manager for a play this semester, has been asked to stage manage a play in January. She’s been tagged already for taking over a Bible study next year. She’s made friends, is doing well in all her classes and taking advantage of the college social life. 

She had said not to expect her to communicate much, but she texts nearly every day, sends video clips and asks to FaceTime weekly. She has decided to come home for the summer instead of work out there, so I know she misses us. 
 

Her roommate never showed. She may get one next semester. 

[Hadley]

Glad to read positive stories of college freshmen🙂!

Mine, too, is flourishing.  He’s working his tail off, and is sitting on all A’s so far in some very advanced classes.  The work load has been intense, but he has surrounded himself with a group of equally driven friends, so he doesn’t feel like he’s working all alone.

He has, however, been miserably sick for most of the semester.  His campus mandates Covid testing every Tuesday, and indoor masking in all public spaces.  He has not had Covid, but has picked up everything and anything else, including pink eye, which his doctor attributed to his constant masking.  So it goes…Dorms are Petri dishes…

…and the school has now declared that starting next year, all sophomores will live on campus.  Poor kid can’t wait to move into a clean, sanitary apartment! 

[skimomma]

I think mine too is sitting on all As.  Or close to it.  She started with 26 DE credits from the same school with a 4.0.  I think that first B will be a bit hard on her but inevitable.  I am kind of hoping it happens this semester as she is the kind of kid who will drive herself crazy trying to keep a 4.0.

There has been a LOT of illness on campus and dd did get a cold a few weeks ago.  They have voluntary walk-in testing and she has done so nearly every week from either being sick herself or being exposed to other sick people.  Her roommate was sick for the first 8 weeks!  But not Covid, at least.  They do have to wear masks except while in dorm room and compliance is very good.

The house that dd and friends will be living in next year is a huge step down in cleanliness from the dorms.  It is 100+ years old and in typical college rental shape, complete with a couch on the front porch and a dead snowmobile in the front lawn.  There are frat boys and dogs living in it right now.  I swear I can smell it from the street.  Dd thinks it is perfect.  Ha ha!  But it is FAR cheaper than the dorms, she will have her own room, and she can cook her own food.....if they can find the kitchen under the filth.

[Selkie]

My dd is also doing great. She has made good friends, is doing well in her classes, and has a library job that she loves. She got off to a bit of a rocky start because she was placed in the notorious party dorm at her big state school. Her floor was very loud with people partying at all hours. She toughed it out for the first few weeks, but it got to the point that she didn't even want to leave her room at night to go to the restroom because she had to contend with drunk frat guys out in the hallway. She requested a switch to a different dorm and it was granted, thankfully. This dorm has more of a writer/artsy vibe and is a perfect fit for her - and much quieter! She has a single room, which she is enjoying. Next year, she is going to live in an off campus apartment with two friends.

[teachermom2834]

4 hours ago, Selkie said:

My dd is also doing great. She has made good friends, is doing well in her classes, and has a library job that she loves. She got off to a bit of a rocky start because she was placed in the notorious party dorm at her big state school. Her floor was very loud with people partying at all hours. She toughed it out for the first few weeks, but it got to the point that she didn't even want to leave her room at night to go to the restroom because she had to contend with drunk frat guys out in the hallway. She requested a switch to a different dorm and it was granted, thankfully. This dorm has more of a writer/artsy vibe and is a perfect fit for her - and much quieter! She has a single room, which she is enjoying. Next year, she is going to live in an off campus apartment with two friends.

Oh I’m glad she could switch dorms. My ds is at a big party school and that definitely isn’t his deal at all. He says a couple freshman dorms are really bad. He is applying to be an RA and really wants to do it but he has some dorms he will not accept if offered. 

[mom31257]

So glad to hear everyone is doing well!

Ds is thriving as well!  He has all As or very, very close to an A in a couple of classes depending on how finals go. He transferred in 12 hours of DE, all As. He really enjoyed a few classes this semester, especially New Testament and his major classes. Ds was also homeschooled throughout school. 

We just moved to a town 45 minutes from where he is in college (almost 3 hours from where we lived before and he grew up). His roommate is a friend from there. They seem to be getting along, but ds did mention possibly rooming with someone else next year. He wants to stay in that same dorm. He was on the team for an Olympic type event for the dorm, which they won first place, so I think he likes the fun of things like that. 

There were some Covid cases early on in the semester, and ds was only vaccinated right before starting school. He was exposed (sat right across the lunch table from someone diagnosed the next day), but he never got sick. They were requiring masks and got more serious about it and kept the numbers down, so they never had to go virtual. 

He made a group of friends through Instagram last spring and many of them are still friends. A group of about 12 are all in the same Old Testament class next semester. One of them is a son of the professor, and they all went to his house the night they could sign up for classes so they could get in together. 

He found a girlfriend within two weeks, and they have come to the house a few times this semester. She's from Wisconsin and couldn't go home for the short breaks, so she was here for Thanksgiving. She's very sweet and seems serious about her faith, which we love! 

It is our alma mater (and our dd's), so I am glad he is continuing the family legacy! 

[MEmama]

DS is having a blast. Likes his classes and professors, loves the campus, loves the city, is making tons of friends from all over the world, and is taking on apartment living—meaning doing all the things like cooking for himself, grocery shopping, etc. He seems to have instantly settled into European life and feels very at home there. I couldn’t be more thrilled for him. 🙂 

Love reading these updates— great thread! 🙂 

[UmmIbrahim]

And another super happy first-year student here. I think that after taking his gap year to avoid the worst of the pre-vaccine covid year, my son loves it so much because he appreciates the privilege of actually being on campus and in-person. I will say that one advantage of taking the gap year after being admitted was that he had many months to connect with his future classmates online via zoom, so he had a great group of friends ready to go when he arrived on campus. I wondered whether or not they would stay together once they arrived and met so many other students, but they are all still great friends, so that's been a pleasant surprise that made everything better.

He's having a fabulous time not only with the academics, but also exploring new things outside of his classes. He went bouldering for the first time and has taken up rock climbing at the gym as well. He's become a basketball fan (it's a school thing), and he and his friends take turns camping out overnight (apparently it's like a Black Friday campout line before all of the home games) to score student section basketball tickets. I never would have imagined him getting into school sports and school spirit, but he's loving the camaraderie.

I had such a hard time when he first left (checking his location on my phone all the time, lol!), but I'm doing so much better now. He's become so independent, so quickly, that it's really eased my mind about his preparation for college and whether homeschooling all the way through was the right choice. It's a great feeling to have that first one launch successfully! 

[skimomma]

16 hours ago, UmmIbrahim said:

 

He's having a fabulous time not only with the academics, but also exploring new things outside of his classes. He went bouldering for the first time and has taken up rock climbing at the gym as well.

Mine also took up rock climbing.  And high lining, which terrifies me.  She was into slack lining before so I guess I should not have been surprised.  She was also way into camping before college but found others right away and has been backpacking and winter camping already.  I am very happy to report that she is taking Wilderness First Responder certification during break.  She might need it!

I really don't know how my time-management-challenged kid is doing it all.  She is also in three bands and a string quartet.  She has three gigs within the next week.  She is still training in her sport as a club athlete and has a job on campus as a writing center coach.  As an engineering major with 16 credits, she must not sleep.  I hope she can stay healthy.

[Dmmetler]

Mine has generally been having a good time, although it's been an adjustment at times. Academically, going from being the only fish in the pond/CC classes to being on a much more competitive campus has been an interesting change, but has generally been positive.  Being on a campus where everyone is masking and vaccinated and testing is happening regularly has reduced anxiety a lot, as has having regular social contact.  I do think picking a small school was a good choice. One struggle this semester was that, due to being placed in higher classes because of DE classes, there haven't been many opportunities to do the LLC activities and social events because almost invariably, they end up scheduled during class-because my kid isn't in many classes with the other first year LLC members. As a result, many of the friends are either in higher classes, or are in other majors that just happen to have a similar schedule so that the kids are eating at the same time and have a chance to connect. Next semester there is a planned Global Studies experience, which is mostly the bio majors, so I hope that helps make connections within the major. 

 

[RootAnn]

I have been reading along about y'alls kid and just realized I do actually belong in this thread. I forget I have a freshman because she's living at home & she took DE classes from this same school previously, so it seems like a continuation...

Mine has not gotten involved on campus, made no new friends, and decided not to minor in what she planned to minor in. (All but two of the classes she needs for this minor are taught by one professor that she has this semester. She does not do well with his method of teaching, grading, or really, just being. What should have been a fun class is the one she dreads the most. It is too bad because she's good at this area. The prof keeps forgetting she's not majoring in the area.)

The campus is tiny & everyone knows everyone. She's impressed many of her professors (including the one she doesn't care for), and her advisor already asked her if she's interested in working with him on something once she has a couple more classes in her major. One has attempted to get her to change her major to something he is in charge of. 

So, academically, doing ok. Socially, she's right where she wants to be but not where I'd like her to be. We'll see how next semester goes...

Edited December 4, 2021 by RootAnn
Typo fixes

[easypeasy]

So great to read people's updates on their freshmen!

Mine is still happy as a clam. He applied to *one* school last year - it was either this one, or he would take a gap year.  I was worried because, academically, it was a reach for him. He's had to really discipline himself after a rough week (it's amazing what *one* bad week can do to ALL of your classes!) and will come home with all As tomorrow.

He is a musician and met a young lady (singer/songwriter) at a music thing. She isn't going to school there, but they connected and have been spending whatever little time they can scrounge up with two busy schedules. She's a couple years older than him and I worried the relationship could interfere with him really connecting with his peers at college, but so far, that doesn't seem to be an issue. I will just be GLAD she's so busy. 😄

Having my boy away at school has been very different from when my girls went. I heard from them throughout the day, most days. My son? Maybe once a week? And he's always in a hurry. 😄 So, I piece together what's going on in his life in very choppy phone conversations or brief text bubbles. I look forward to seeing him more over the break and connecting the dots. 😁

 

[UmmIbrahim]

On 12/5/2021 at 2:42 AM, easypeasy said:

Having my boy away at school has been very different from when my girls went. I heard from them throughout the day, most days. My son? Maybe once a week? And he's always in a hurry. 😄 So, I piece together what's going on in his life in very choppy phone conversations or brief text bubbles. I look forward to seeing him more over the break and connecting the dots. 😁

 

Same same! It's only when I see him in person (during two short breaks so far) that I can slowly get the full picture of what's happening. Mine will reply if I instigate some text exchanges, but he's mostly running around busy and not the most communicative on a daily basis. *sigh* I only have hopes that my third son will be a bit more communicative when he goes away. I'm pretty sure that my second may be even less "chatty" (haha) than my first!

[readinmom]

Dd was having an amazing experience.   Lots of friends, joined a lot of groups.  Then, they had a week off between classes in October.  A group went out skating to celebrate, and dd fell and hurt her leg.  She was taken to ER, had to return to orthopedist a few days later to be casted for a fracture.  Turns out that her injury was quite severe and required reconstructive surgery.  I spent about 3 weeks in Indiana in a hotel room, caring for her post op until she was cleared for travel home.  As of today, she is still in a wheelchair, no weight bearing.  We get new x-rays at the end of December, hopefully be able to get up on crutches.  Her orthopedist predicts she might be weight bearing with walker/crutches by mid January.  Her goal is to be able to return for second semester if she receives medical clearance.  It's been very difficult for her.  She had a brief glimpse of how awesome college life can be, then poof, gone.  Now she is stuck at home with us.  🙄

[skimomma]

9 hours ago, readinmom said:

Dd was having an amazing experience.   Lots of friends, joined a lot of groups.  Then, they had a week off between classes in October.  A group went out skating to celebrate, and dd fell and hurt her leg.  She was taken to ER, had to return to orthopedist a few days later to be casted for a fracture.  Turns out that her injury was quite severe and required reconstructive surgery.  I spent about 3 weeks in Indiana in a hotel room, caring for her post op until she was cleared for travel home.  As of today, she is still in a wheelchair, no weight bearing.  We get new x-rays at the end of December, hopefully be able to get up on crutches.  Her orthopedist predicts she might be weight bearing with walker/crutches by mid January.  Her goal is to be able to return for second semester if she receives medical clearance.  It's been very difficult for her.  She had a brief glimpse of how awesome college life can be, then poof, gone.  Now she is stuck at home with us.  🙄

That is so sad!  I'm sorry!  

[fourisenough]

9 hours ago, readinmom said:

Dd was having an amazing experience.   Lots of friends, joined a lot of groups.  Then, they had a week off between classes in October.  A group went out skating to celebrate, and dd fell and hurt her leg.  She was taken to ER, had to return to orthopedist a few days later to be casted for a fracture.  Turns out that her injury was quite severe and required reconstructive surgery.  I spent about 3 weeks in Indiana in a hotel room, caring for her post op until she was cleared for travel home.  As of today, she is still in a wheelchair, no weight bearing.  We get new x-rays at the end of December, hopefully be able to get up on crutches.  Her orthopedist predicts she might be weight bearing with walker/crutches by mid January.  Her goal is to be able to return for second semester if she receives medical clearance.  It's been very difficult for her.  She had a brief glimpse of how awesome college life can be, then poof, gone.  Now she is stuck at home with us.  🙄

How heartbreaking (and expensive and disruptive). I’m so sorry. Hoping for a speedy recovery for her.

[MEmama]

12 hours ago, readinmom said:

Dd was having an amazing experience.   Lots of friends, joined a lot of groups.  Then, they had a week off between classes in October.  A group went out skating to celebrate, and dd fell and hurt her leg.  She was taken to ER, had to return to orthopedist a few days later to be casted for a fracture.  Turns out that her injury was quite severe and required reconstructive surgery.  I spent about 3 weeks in Indiana in a hotel room, caring for her post op until she was cleared for travel home.  As of today, she is still in a wheelchair, no weight bearing.  We get new x-rays at the end of December, hopefully be able to get up on crutches.  Her orthopedist predicts she might be weight bearing with walker/crutches by mid January.  Her goal is to be able to return for second semester if she receives medical clearance.  It's been very difficult for her.  She had a brief glimpse of how awesome college life can be, then poof, gone.  Now she is stuck at home with us.  🙄

That’s awful! As if navigating university during covid isn’t bad enough… 😞. I hope she’s back in January!

I was heartbroken for the kids who couldn’t return for second semester last year due to covid, particularly international students who have so much more freedom, just to be stuck back in old family dynamics. I would truly be devastated for DS were that to happen again this year.

[BusyMom5]

My DD is loving it!  She seems to have found a good group of kids to hang out with, which I am so thankful for.   There have been a few hiccups along the way- she got sick a few times, once it was really bad for a week and it kinda tanked some of her grades.  She also had a teacher replaced with a TA that was awful.  Very aggravated at how that played out, but its still been a good learning experience.   She is home for the month, and already making plans for once she is back with her friends. 

[skimomma]

Mine comes home for the holidays on Friday.  I just got off the phone with her.  She is already missing her roommate and new music partner.  They are the "three musketeers" and she cannot imagine "three whole weeks" without them.  Fingers crossed that Omicron does not make that a lot more than three weeks.