College Class of 2028- Rising Freshmen- Check in Here

[MagistraKennedy]

1 hour ago, JennyD said:

  There is a restaurant not too far away that I have wanted to eat at for years, and I managed to snag a very difficult-to-get reservation for the evening after we drop DS at college.  So at least I will be able to weep into some excellent food.

 

That's another thing on the to do list --- decide on a lunch spot and make reservations. We'll be going down as a party of 5 -- my husband and me, my daughter, and her twin brothers. She wanted them along. Her younger sister asked to come, but they are like oil and water, so I told her no. Apparently my oldest daughter (29) thinks she's going, but I'm not coordinating those shenanigans. 

 

 

[Clemsondana]

It's been both chaotic and slow, which sounds contradictory but I don't know how else to describe it.  We were done with graduation and DE in early May.  My FIL was hospitalized, entered hospice, and died over a span of 2-3 weeks, with spouse gone for all of that time.  We kept the kids here - younger wasn't done and there were end-of-year things that they wanted to attend, especially the senior, and also the normal things like sports practice and music lessons.  Then I was down for several days to help with the chaos of paperwork after the funeral, and then MIL came to stay for 10 days, and then there was a vacation with my folks, and there has been effort to figure out to do with the newly discovered level of confusion and dementia that MIL is dealing with, and spouse has traveled to deliver frozen meals and help with paperwork a couple of times.  That backdrop, with spouse trying to catch up on work and yardwork and the garden when home, has made it seem very not-normal, even as we do have the normal of younger's sports and older enjoying a last summer of baseball.  And there has been wisdom teeth removal and allergy testing after 2 days of hives.  Everything has gone well, but still...that wasn't a fun week.  

As for college stuff, kid has done the dating game thing of finding a roommate, they are signed up for honors housing, kid has done the online orientation modules, met with an advisor, and signed up for fall classes.  We did get involved a little bit before this, because we realized that if kid took a university-specific freshman engineering class over the summer, then kid could begin as a sophomore.  So, kid is taking an online class this summer and has been scrambling to find testing centers open to take the 4 tests at.  Fortunately, 3 can be taken at the CC where kid did DE, but we may have to drive 2 hours to take the final...still closer than driving to Clemson, so there's that.  Kid has gotten the university-approved laptop and is using that for the class.  The portal is finally showing that they've received a final transcript, so everything is done.  

Figuring out room stuff for a boy is...something.  I finally said 'You have to message your room and suite mates.  We are going shopping.  I need to know whether to buy a shower curtain, bath mat, etc.  I am fine with buying them.  I am fine with somebody else buying them.  You do not need 2.  Figure this out.'  Next week we have to take younger to an all-day thing and I am taking older shopping.  Hopefully we'll get everything left on the list.  I'm like...dude, we need to get granola bars.  Toothpaste.  Sheets.  We don't want to have to go buy this once we get to campus.  It is not going to magically appear in your dorm room.  I don't want to overbuy, but perhaps a trip to target or walmart and sams is in order at some point.  I'm hoping that if we do it all in one day with lunch out in the middle it will be relatively painless.  

[Doodlebug]

DS is off and is now a Basic Cadet at USAFA - 10 days of Basic completed! We just received two letters from him yesterday, written on consecutive days. The first was a bit sad - being yelled at is no fun. The second was incredibly optimistic - DS found hot sauce in Mitch’s. 😂 It sounds like he’s making the shift, and pics we’ve received clearly indicate his spirit is not dampened in the slightest.

Best to all of you in the prep zone. I found the days/weeks of anticipation far more difficult than life after drop off in some ways. It’s just a really weird time!

[JennyD]

On 7/5/2024 at 10:15 AM, Clemsondana said:

It's been both chaotic and slow, which sounds contradictory but I don't know how else to describe it.  We were done with graduation and DE in early May.  My FIL was hospitalized, entered hospice, and died over a span of 2-3 weeks, with spouse gone for all of that time.  We kept the kids here - younger wasn't done and there were end-of-year things that they wanted to attend, especially the senior, and also the normal things like sports practice and music lessons.  Then I was down for several days to help with the chaos of paperwork after the funeral, and then MIL came to stay for 10 days, and then there was a vacation with my folks, and there has been effort to figure out to do with the newly discovered level of confusion and dementia that MIL is dealing with, and spouse has traveled to deliver frozen meals and help with paperwork a couple of times.  That backdrop, with spouse trying to catch up on work and yardwork and the garden when home, has made it seem very not-normal, even as we do have the normal of younger's sports and older enjoying a last summer of baseball.  And there has been wisdom teeth removal and allergy testing after 2 days of hives.  Everything has gone well, but still...that wasn't a fun week.  

As for college stuff, kid has done the dating game thing of finding a roommate, they are signed up for honors housing, kid has done the online orientation modules, met with an advisor, and signed up for fall classes.  We did get involved a little bit before this, because we realized that if kid took a university-specific freshman engineering class over the summer, then kid could begin as a sophomore.  So, kid is taking an online class this summer and has been scrambling to find testing centers open to take the 4 tests at.  Fortunately, 3 can be taken at the CC where kid did DE, but we may have to drive 2 hours to take the final...still closer than driving to Clemson, so there's that.  Kid has gotten the university-approved laptop and is using that for the class.  The portal is finally showing that they've received a final transcript, so everything is done.  

Figuring out room stuff for a boy is...something.  I finally said 'You have to message your room and suite mates.  We are going shopping.  I need to know whether to buy a shower curtain, bath mat, etc.  I am fine with buying them.  I am fine with somebody else buying them.  You do not need 2.  Figure this out.'  Next week we have to take younger to an all-day thing and I am taking older shopping.  Hopefully we'll get everything left on the list.  I'm like...dude, we need to get granola bars.  Toothpaste.  Sheets.  We don't want to have to go buy this once we get to campus.  It is not going to magically appear in your dorm room.  I don't want to overbuy, but perhaps a trip to target or walmart and sams is in order at some point.  I'm hoping that if we do it all in one day with lunch out in the middle it will be relatively painless.  

I am so sorry to hear about your FIL.  May his memory be a blessing.

FWIW, DS is also completely uninterested in dorm outfitting.   He will be in a traditional double room with a bathroom down the hall, so he doesn't need much beyond basic linens and clothing, thankfully.  

12 hours ago, Doodlebug said:

DS is off and is now a Basic Cadet at USAFA - 10 days of Basic completed! We just received two letters from him yesterday, written on consecutive days. The first was a bit sad - being yelled at is no fun. The second was incredibly optimistic - DS found hot sauce in Mitch’s. 😂 It sounds like he’s making the shift, and pics we’ve received clearly indicate his spirit is not dampened in the slightest.

 

Kudos to your son!  Sounds like he's off to a great start.

[cintinative]

@Clemsondana I am so sorry about your loss. That's so hard, and adding the MIL's dementia to it was probably overwhelming.

FWIW, my son is not interested in dorm stuff either. I did manage to get him to go to IKEA with me when they had a special college event (and discount coupon). Other than that, it's a lot of "does this look okay?" and showing him my computer screen. On the plus side, his roommate's mom is a friend and very organized so she and I have been trying to avoid double purchasing.  She even created a to scale layout of the room with to scale furniture pieces so we could figure out where to put everything. Amazing. 

[SanDiegoMom]

On 7/6/2024 at 6:35 AM, Doodlebug said:

DS is off and is now a Basic Cadet at USAFA - 10 days of Basic completed! We just received two letters from him yesterday, written on consecutive days. The first was a bit sad - being yelled at is no fun. The second was incredibly optimistic - DS found hot sauce in Mitch’s. 😂 It sounds like he’s making the shift, and pics we’ve received clearly indicate his spirit is not dampened in the slightest.

Best to all of you in the prep zone. I found the days/weeks of anticipation far more difficult than life after drop off in some ways. It’s just a really weird time!

Plebe summer is HARD. Plebe year is hard. Then it starts to get easier! My husband had a lot of experience getting yelled at (he did competitive Drum and Bugle Corps and had a pretty intense band director) but it was nothing compared to plebe summer and the first year. But the friendships and the experience and character building are unmatched anywhere else. Good luck to him and good luck to you!

[JennyD]

DS got his room and roommate assignment.  The dorm is the one he wanted (the quietest on campus) but I don't think he and the roommate have yet connected.  I think he mostly already has everything he needs, although it would probably be good for me to put together a small package of OTC meds and first aid supplies. 

Move-in is scheduled across campus from the top down, meaning that students who are living on the 3rd or 4th floors of any dorm move in at 8am on orientation day, followed by the second floor at 9, etc.  He's on the 3rd floor so I guess we will have to be there early and then it will be a lot of hanging around until the afternoon events.  One of his younger brothers really wants to see the dining hall and the other younger brother wants to see the basketball gym, so that will give us something to do.

 

[Clemsondana]

Thanks for the condolences, y'all.  Kid is halfway through the online class, which has been fine so far.  When done, we'll have 2 weeks before move-in.  Younger will be starting school work (high school sophomore) but we're talking about doing a couple of nostalgic field trips that we haven't done in a long time - the zoo, maybe a hike at the nature center.  And, after playing the dating game to find a roommate, kid's roommate texted and said that his parents want him to move off campus.  There is a shortage of housing, with kids in overflow, but so far no new roommate has been assigned.  We're not sure if it just takes time or if it's harder because it's honors so there are fewer eligible students.  

I've about finished getting stuff for the room.  At this point we are taking care of everything, and if we end up not using something, we'll save it for kid's first apartment.  One suitemate is coming form out of the country so won't have any shared supplies, and the other doesn't respond to messages so we have no idea. But, with a suite they need bathmats and such and it's easier to just get it.  I've been unboxing things.  I'm amazed at how much packaging we've thrown away or recycled, and I'd rather not be dealing with it all in a small dorm room with 200 other people in the building trying to do the same thing.  I'm hoping that we only need to get a few fridge things at the grocery store but are otherwise done with what we pack.  

I'm intrigued by the people who write on the incoming freshman family facebook group.  There seem to be 2 camps - the people saying 'They are adults - I got sheets, towels, and an air purifyer and trust that they'll figure out the rest' and those who are obsessing over whether their student can handle a large class and agitated that they can't find a desk hutch in the exact size that they want and needing to know exactly what size rug is best for dorm x.  So, I feel like I'm doing a good job of staying in the middle.  Kid has said to just go ahead and take care of getting stuff with minimal input because I've done it before...and I imagine that after this year kid will know what is needed.  

[SKL]

I finally got Kid2 to start accessing the university's online stuff that they will need to use in order to get things done as students.  Although I've been telling them to check their emails daily, this hasn't happened.  Imagine kid's surprise when she logged in and found a full inbox.  😛  We requested the university's health insurance and printed out some stuff I wanted, and did a few other things.  Mostly it's about just becoming comfortable with the portal, which isn't very user-friendly in my opinion.

Apparently the books for the classes are automatically ordered when registering for a class?  At least I hope that's what the account statement is telling me.  😛  Maybe there's more info about that in that pile of unread emails.  😛  I need to call or email and ask how the university scholarships get applied against the balance before I set up payment.

Hopefully, tomorrow I'll get Kid1 to start her online onboarding stuff after work.  Once they get started, they can probably work together on all the orientation / training stuff.

[Clemsondana]

On 7/22/2024 at 11:28 PM, SKL said:

I finally got Kid2 to start accessing the university's online stuff that they will need to use in order to get things done as students.  Although I've been telling them to check their emails daily, this hasn't happened.  Imagine kid's surprise when she logged in and found a full inbox.  😛  We requested the university's health insurance and printed out some stuff I wanted, and did a few other things.  Mostly it's about just becoming comfortable with the portal, which isn't very user-friendly in my opinion.

Apparently the books for the classes are automatically ordered when registering for a class?  At least I hope that's what the account statement is telling me.  😛  Maybe there's more info about that in that pile of unread emails.  😛  I need to call or email and ask how the university scholarships get applied against the balance before I set up payment.

Hopefully, tomorrow I'll get Kid1 to start her online onboarding stuff after work.  Once they get started, they can probably work together on all the orientation / training stuff.

There are so many emails!  Our usually mellow kid is a bit surly about being told to check in at least every other day, but otherwise it takes forever!  I can see advantages to the books automatically being ordered, since some schools need students to buy new ones to have access codes to online content, but I'd be somewhat irritated if they ordered a new copy of a lit book that we already owned or could get cheaply at a used book store.  Books are still on our to-do list.  

[SKL]

1 hour ago, Clemsondana said:

I can see advantages to the books automatically being ordered, since some schools need students to buy new ones to have access codes to online content, but I'd be somewhat irritated if they ordered a new copy of a lit book that we already owned or could get cheaply at a used book store.  Books are still on our to-do list.  

TBH I am not really sure how it works yet.  The books were listed in my kid's "account" i.e. as amounts owed.  I am kicking myself for not requesting clarity when I called about something else the other day.

Today is the day I'm hoping to sit with my kids and plow through all the things.  This is our last weekend day before we head to Europe for a 3-week trip.

[SKL]

So I finally got Kid1 caught up to Kid2 regarding the online stuff.  Kid1 did have to order a few books.  Kid2's books were just billed differently.  Hopefully that's all sorted now.  Most of the books are digital, so I hope the kids will have access to them soon.

Kid2's health insurance fee has been added to her account, so I went ahead and paid her tuition and fees.  Kid1's insurance is still "pending," so I'll wait and pay hers later this week.

We downloaded copies of my "Family" subscription of Office 365 onto my kids' laptops.  (The university is supposed to provide them with a version, but the download instructions for that don't work.)  I don't think we completed the installation; I'll try to make them do that tomorrow, and let's see of I can force them to do some basic (free) software training.

They say they finished the online orientation modules that are required prior to beginning classes.

Seems like there were other things they needed to do, but that was decent progress for one night.

[cintinative]

Things have been really, really stressful here so this has not been on my radar like it should be.

We got the bill today and we were billed for dining, which we are supposedly exempted from. We discovered my son failed to attach the exemption form when he emailed them in June. Sigh. And honestly we didn't understand why we needed to do that, because we already went through that process with disability services in March. This June email was to the food service provider. Anyway, we have stuff to work out.

Thanks for the reminder on the Office 365. I totally would not have thought of that. 

[JennyD]

51 minutes ago, cintinative said:

Things have been really, really stressful here so this has not been on my radar like it should be.

We got the bill today and we were billed for dining, which we are supposedly exempted from. We discovered my son failed to attach the exemption form when he emailed them in June. Sigh. And honestly we didn't understand why we needed to do that, because we already went through that process with disability services in March. This June email was to the food service provider. Anyway, we have stuff to work out.

Thanks for the reminder on the Office 365. I totally would not have thought of that. 

Sorry to hear that your family is under such stress.  Hope the situation improves soon.

We have had some "left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing" moments with the college financial aid people, too.  DH has been handling it, though, and hopefully we're sorted for this year.

I went to Walgreens earlier this week and bought a whole bunch of OTC supplies for DS to take with him.  The cashier was like, wow, you're buying everything, so then we had a nice chat about teenagers.  Now I need to find some sort of case or small box or something to put this all in.   

DS himself gets home a week from Monday; then we have two weeks before it's off to college.  I'll be starting back to school with the younger boys end of next week/beginning of the next, and DH has some business travel in there, too.  August is just going to be a lot of moving parts.

All of us at home had covid (brought home by DH from another business trip) over the past two weeks, which was annoying but was undeniably excellent timing.  DS16 is heading to a huge weeklong athletic event on Sunday and I had been sort of low-level worrying that he would come home with covid and infect us all right before we're supposed to take oldest DS to college.  So I can cross that off my things-to-fret-about-at-3am list, at least.

 

 

[Eos]

On 7/22/2024 at 11:28 PM, SKL said:

Imagine kid's surprise when she logged in and found a full inbox.

This was my youngest last summer - it only happened once so thankfully she learned that lesson 🙂  I remember trying not to sound tooo exasperated.

[SKL]

We got one parking pass.  I don't think we'll buy a second one, because the girls share a car.  I can revisit for next semester.

Kid1 got a letter saying that her merit scholarship increased to the same size as her sister's.  (It's not a big scholarship, but if they keep their grades up, they should each have $18K toward grad school.  Which is $28K more than I had after undergrad.  :P)

An auntie gave the kids each some money for education some years ago, which I recently moved into short-term CDs.  However, when the CDs expire, Kid1 will be 18, with Kid2 following soon after.  So I need to figure out how to handle stuff when I no longer have rights over their money.  Maybe move it to a 529 plan so they have to use it as intended ... and I also need to better understand 529 plans including how to get the money out.

Car started acting funny yesterday.  We're flying out today and won't be back until 4 days before school starts.  Should be interesting.

[cintinative]

Anyone moving in soon? 

[JennyD]

12 hours ago, cintinative said:

Anyone moving in soon? 

Not yet -- in about 10 days. 

DS is home from his summer program.   He's a little betwixt and between, with not much to do, but it's great to have him around.  

[cintinative]

Our move in is Wednesday. Gaaah.   I hope I can get him to engage on the idea of actually packing clothing sometime before Tuesday.  LOL.

[scbusf]

Commuter student over here. Classes start next week! BUT!!!!!! DS already has an internship. He will be working with the Athletics Communications Dept. This is his DREAM!!!!!! He has already worked a women's soccer game and he met the ESPN announcer and a bunch of other people. I'm so proud of him for going after his dream - and as a freshman!!!!

[JennyD]

22 minutes ago, scbusf said:

Commuter student over here. Classes start next week! BUT!!!!!! DS already has an internship. He will be working with the Athletics Communications Dept. This is his DREAM!!!!!! He has already worked a women's soccer game and he met the ESPN announcer and a bunch of other people. I'm so proud of him for going after his dream - and as a freshman!!!!

Amazing!  Congrats to him!

[cintinative]

@scbusf that's fantastic!!

[JennyD]

It is currently 12:36 pm on Sunday.  We are leaving for the airport to take DS to school tomorrow morning at 9.  DS has not begun to pack and shows no sign of starting anytime soon.

He assured me that "everything is under control," he "isn't taking much," and "it won't take very long."  I suggested that perhaps it might be a good idea to start sooner rather than later, just in case it, you know, turns out that he needs something and we have to go out.  He grudgingly agreed that that was probably true but it does not appear to have galvanized him into action.

ETA:  Well, posting here seems to have shaken things loose!   DS came upstairs and announced that it was time to pack. However, apparently my mere presence makes the process  "way, WAY more stressful" so I am trying to stay away.

 

Edited August 25 by JennyD

[cintinative]

Boys are funny. 😃 I hope it all works out @JennyD

[historically accurate]

We dropped middle DD off last Saturday (the 17th). We went back this Saturday and moved her to a different dorm. Very tiring and very expensive (she's about 3 hours away so we drove on Friday/moved on Saturday both weeks). She's much happier and hopefully healthier in her new dorm with an elevator. 5 flights of stairs, heat, and POTS do not mix well. We had been informed there was an elevator in the dorm, which there is, just not in the tower she was assigned to. *ugh* Fortunately, they were able to find a different room quickly. 

I'm so tired, and it's the start of the heavy 2 weeks of the month at my job. Hoping I sleep well tonight because last night I didn't which is making life harder today.

[cintinative]

Wow @historically accurate that sounds so awful!!  Does she have a roommate?

[historically accurate]

3 minutes ago, cintinative said:

Wow @historically accurate that sounds so awful!!  Does she have a roommate?

She does not now; she did have one, but the roommate chose to stay where she was. DD ended up in a empty room (possibly will end up with a roommate as it is technically a double) on an upperclassmen floor. She seems to like it more because it is much less wild than the freshman dorm she was in.

[freesia]

On 8/3/2024 at 5:52 AM, SKL said:

We got one parking pass.  I don't think we'll buy a second one, because the girls share a car.  I can revisit for next semester.

Kid1 got a letter saying that her merit scholarship increased to the same size as her sister's.  (It's not a big scholarship, but if they keep their grades up, they should each have $18K toward grad school.  Which is $28K more than I had after undergrad.  :P)

An auntie gave the kids each some money for education some years ago, which I recently moved into short-term CDs.  However, when the CDs expire, Kid1 will be 18, with Kid2 following soon after.  So I need to figure out how to handle stuff when I no longer have rights over their money.  Maybe move it to a 529 plan so they have to use it as intended ... and I also need to better understand 529 plans including how to get the money out.

Car started acting funny yesterday.  We're flying out today and won't be back until 4 days before school starts.  Should be interesting.

Getting money out of a 529 for my kids was just an online transfer of money from the account to the college ( or maybe they sent a check—but the request was online and super easy. I just had to remember to do it a week or so ahead of time bc there was some processing time.)

[JennyD]

3 hours ago, historically accurate said:

We went back this Saturday and moved her to a different dorm.

Yikes, that's a lot.  I hope that the new dorm is much better for her!

We are all mostly packed and ready to go.  We will be traveling with a cello, which adds to the complexity of this whole endeavor. 

We could have just sent DS off on a plane himself, of course (and he definitely would have preferred that), but I am hoping that the opportunity to see the campus and help DS move in will help the younger boys with the adjustment.  They have really missed him when he's been away during the summers.  At least this way they will be able to picture where he is.  

 

 

 

 

 

[cintinative]

16 hours ago, freesia said:

Getting money out of a 529 for my kids was just an online transfer of money from the account to the college ( or maybe they sent a check—but the request was online and super easy. I just had to remember to do it a week or so ahead of time bc there was some processing time.)

I just paid my son's tuition a couple weeks ago with a 529 and I was able to transfer it electronically. It took about three days for the payment to post. There was also an option for a check, but that required more than a week lead time and we didn't have a week.  😃 

Also since my son doesn't have a meal plan, we can use the 529 for groceries, so I was able to transfer money to his checking account for that. 

[maize]

We dropped my oldest off yesterday. She's a freshman but almost 21--she has spent the time since high school school as a volunteer missionary in Germany. She is living in a German immersion residence at her university; she was the first to check in to her apartment so we had a relaxed couple of hours getting her settled. This week is all orientation stuff,  we will pick her up on Friday for the long weekend (or maybe have her try taking the train home) then take her back on Tuesday.

[SKL]

Well my kids had a somewhat inauspicious first day at university.  😛

I won't bother to mention how much I attempted to impart the wisdom of my life experience.  Surely that goes without saying.

• Kids gave themselves about a half hour to get from home to class - minimum 20 minute drive without traffic + 9am rush hour (urban campus) + unfamiliar with specific parking garage & locations of classrooms.  (We did map out the classes the day before, but see below ....)
• Somehow needed 3 tries (around the block) to get into the parking garage they chose.
• Took forever to get a parking spot.
• Kid2 walked in the wrong direction to her posted classroom / school building.
• Kid2 finally arrived at posted classroom, to find a sign saying it was moved to the engineering building.  (Did not know where the engineering building is, not being an engineering student.)
• Kid2 never did find her first class before it ended!  (Kid1 was also late, but less so.)

The kids were home alone for the longest time ever, because I had to be in DC for a business meeting.  So they had to handle their final school preparations & take care of the dog, house, and car.  On one hand, not the best timing, but on the other hand, good life experience, right?

I insisted that my kid email the teacher of the class she missed - to apologize etc.  I was hoping this would be a learning experience and she'd learn from her mistakes.

Well ... the girls did give themselves more time today, but as they had a later first class, they could not find a parking space despite having a parking pass.  So Kid2 was again late to class, and had to pay extra to park somewhere odd.  I told her to go to the parking office between classes and ask where they can find available parking going forward.

I also threatened to make them take the bus if they don't get their parking situation figured out!  I assume that being late 1 time with a half-assed excuse won't be the end of the world, but it can't keep happening.  😕

Today the girls are also figuring out the meal plan, and I told them to go check out the campus health clinic between classes, so they'll know how it works if they ever need it.

On the positive side ... Kid1 has either a friend or her sister in all of her Monday classes.  The kids do think some of the classes seem too easy or boring, but it was only the first day, so we'll see.

Live and learn, right?

[freesia]

25 minutes ago, SKL said:

Well my kids had a somewhat inauspicious first day at university.  😛

I won't bother to mention how much I attempted to impart the wisdom of my life experience.  Surely that goes without saying.

• Kids gave themselves about a half hour to get from home to class - minimum 20 minute drive without traffic + 9am rush hour (urban campus) + unfamiliar with specific parking garage & locations of classrooms.  (We did map out the classes the day before, but see below ....)
• Somehow needed 3 tries (around the block) to get into the parking garage they chose.
• Took forever to get a parking spot.
• Kid2 walked in the wrong direction to her posted classroom / school building.
• Kid2 finally arrived at posted classroom, to find a sign saying it was moved to the engineering building.  (Did not know where the engineering building is, not being an engineering student.)
• Kid2 never did find her first class before it ended!  (Kid1 was also late, but less so.)

The kids were home alone for the longest time ever, because I had to be in DC for a business meeting.  So they had to handle their final school preparations & take care of the dog, house, and car.  On one hand, not the best timing, but on the other hand, good life experience, right?

I insisted that my kid email the teacher of the class she missed - to apologize etc.  I was hoping this would be a learning experience and she'd learn from her mistakes.

Well ... the girls did give themselves more time today, but as they had a later first class, they could not find a parking space despite having a parking pass.  So Kid2 was again late to class, and had to pay extra to park somewhere odd.  I told her to go to the parking office between classes and ask where they can find available parking going forward.

I also threatened to make them take the bus if they don't get their parking situation figured out!  I assume that being late 1 time with a half-assed excuse won't be the end of the world, but it can't keep happening.  😕

Today the girls are also figuring out the meal plan, and I told them to go check out the campus health clinic between classes, so they'll know how it works if they ever need it.

On the positive side ... Kid1 has either a friend or her sister in all of her Monday classes.  The kids do think some of the classes seem too easy or boring, but it was only the first day, so we'll see.

Live and learn, right?

Right. My son spent his first year sick because he wouldn’t eat right or get nearly enough sleep. He also wouldn’t listen to me that that was the problem. He ended up with bronchitis. Well, first week back, he has gotten sick again. Guess what? He went to bed early last night, and when I gave him advice today about taking it easy, drinking fluids, using his diffuser and going to bed early again today, he said good ideas. Sometimes they just have to learn themselves and that can be really annoying as the parent to watch. Remember, if they Gone away to college, you wouldn’t know any of this. I am glad I don’t know a lot of the things my son didn’t do right the first few weeks of school. Courage, mom!

[SKL]

6 hours ago, freesia said:

Right. My son spent his first year sick because he wouldn’t eat right or get nearly enough sleep. He also wouldn’t listen to me that that was the problem. He ended up with bronchitis. Well, first week back, he has gotten sick again. Guess what? He went to bed early last night, and when I gave him advice today about taking it easy, drinking fluids, using his diffuser and going to bed early again today, he said good ideas. Sometimes they just have to learn themselves and that can be really annoying as the parent to watch. Remember, if they Gone away to college, you wouldn’t know any of this. I am glad I don’t know a lot of the things my son didn’t do right the first few weeks of school. Courage, mom!

Yeah, it's not like I was a perfect college student, even though I lived "at home."  In some ways, I was even worse when I "went away" to grad school.  How can I expect better from my kids?  😛

[SanDiegoMom]

I know a lot of freshman have already started, but my two quarter system kids are not moving in until Sept 21/22! We just got back from the second orientation in fact! 

I realized too late that I should have found a better way to NOT be there for their orientations.  I feel like having me there allowed them to opt out of events and fun bonding games to just hang with me.  My daughter didn't even stay in the dorm overnight, since I was right there on campus in the hotel.  My son would have wanted to as well, but I had brought his sister to hang out with me and there was no room, lol.  He skipped all the games though :(.  

On the other hand, he was exhausted at that point, so I really doubt he would have gone even if I weren't there -- he probably would have just hung out in the dorm by himself. 

On the bright side, he at least got all his first choices in classes.  My daughter didn't fare so well at her's, and is waitlisted for her preferred classes. 

My daughter has touched base with her future roommate and we are all feeling hopeful:).  There was such a flurry of people trying to meet roommates on instagram, and she doesn't have an instagram account and when looking at all the profiles was underwhelmed with process.  (it felt like tinder, for roommates).  She decided to go random, and got a girl who is majoring in engineering and only has a linkedin profile.  Even if they don't hit it off, hopefully she won't have to deal with overnight guests, parties or alcohol.  We can hope. 

[cintinative]

I haven't heard much on classes but my son did say his Discrete Structures (CS) prof had to explain the lesser than and greater than symbols.  I asked if he drew the alligator heads (as a joke) and he said "no, but he did draw eyes."  I can't even comprehend getting to college and not understanding this. Oy. 

Edited August 29 by cintinative