Continuing the discussion from Parents of the HS Class of 2018 (Part 1) - #17142 by Whistlingal.
Previous discussions:
S18 is applying for summer internships. It is always competitive but he is worried that COVID will mean that fewer are being offered than usual.
Did this thred die or move to a different topic heading
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I thought I would update. D18 Graduated last weekend Summa Cum Laude from Clemson with BS in Economics. Headed to University of Florida Levin College of Law with a full scholarship. Sad to see her leave Clemson but excited for her next phase. She keeps moving further away from us…
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Congrats to @burghdad 's kid! Role call on parents of Class of 2018 anyone want to update us on your kids?
Okay, I’ll go. D18 at Amherst College will be working on her thesis this summer and just received word she was awarded funding to do research. We love Amherst and as some may have heard, her younger sis will be at Williams this fall and we are hoping to fall in love with it too. 
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My twins have both had a great year, and have been staying back at college since last summer. S18 had all online classes for the entire year but that didn’t stop him being very busy, since it meant he could continue his DC think tank internship part time through to Christmas. That was on top of running a campus organization and editing a law journal.
He’s found another great job in consulting for this summer just down the road from his apartment and will hopefully be planning his departmental honors thesis for next year too (it’s a competitive application process, but he’s already doing research this spring for the professor who would supervise it). They also have a capstone internship for the whole of senior year which he’s excited about and (fingers crossed) will get paid for. In addition he’s running for election for a non-university political position which he’ll hear about soon. Next step is to decide on job vs grad school and see about applying for international graduate scholarships in the fall.
D18 has had a better in-person experience, including dance classes and live performances. After her dance intensives this summer she has an honors thesis to plan and a double degree (BFA/BS) to complete next year which requires about 160 total semester credits. So that will be a busy year before even thinking about future jobs, auditions, etc.
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S18 is finishing up his Marine Biology and History degree at UCLA and graduating in a few weeks. He is headed to UPenn Carey Law with an almost full scholarship on his way to become an environmental lawyer. These three years have gone so fast, and I am glad he will be in-person at UPenn in the Fall, since our Class of 2018 kids have missed so much of the undergraduate experience. Looking forward to read what everyone else’s kids are up to!
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Did he always intend to graduate early or was that decision made because of the pandemic? It really is hard to lose half of your in person undergrad experience.
I don’t know which year had it worst, I guess many of our kids lost their junior year abroad (which has prompted some of S’s friends to graduate early), but at least they had already established a close knit friend group, and in our case they went back and could spend time with those friends.
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Way to go. What is your daughter’s thesis in ? And what is her research project.
Congrats to you son on a great acceptance. I am sure he will love Philly.
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He always had the intent to graduate early. Some of his friends, who had not, are now doing the same. Undergrad is just not the same through zoom, especially if you cannot be on campus.
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Son arrives home Monday after not seeing him for 16 months - thank you Covid!
Experience has not been too bad. On-line until Christmas and back on campus last term. He’s had to deal with a lot on his own - an hour Skype a week just doesn’t cut it - but we are proud about how he has managed and he certainly has had a better time that some of his British counterparts.
Home for 12 weeks with some money from college for something or other. Just pleased he chose to do it at home 
Then he’ll be back for his final year. Who knows what he’ll do then. Can’t imagine that he will be wanting to come home then, though 
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So does he have to find an American to marry 
?
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Well he is currently seeing a Floridian 
been with her since first week!
She is absolutely lovely and if he turned around and said he was wishing to marry her we’d be very happy except as his father and I only met when we were 40 & 35 respectively we find the whole ‘young love’ thing a bit scary 
He is wanting to do graduate school but he has to finance it himself and I don’t think he realises the implications of that. Needs to get into Yale where the graduate programme is free but even though I think my son is BRILLIANT I don’t think he is that brilliant 
(On a side note it must be in the middle of the night for you as it is 8am here!)
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Only a bit late in CA. Just don’t watch Like Crazy (Like Crazy - Wikipedia) as it will give you chills in that situation.
Meanwhile I’m trying to persuade the kids to experience their British heritage and do a masters in England…
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Will I think it is cheaper!! and on a student visa they can work in Britain - which Son can’t do in the US.
He has absolutely loved studying with you. Your system definitely played to his strengths for the undergraduate. Don’t know if there is a big difference in the graduate programmes.
Keep me posted 
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They have British passports and lots of relatives there so no problems with visas etc. Not sure if they could cope with the weather after growing up in CA. But the UK is definitely a cheap option for a masters (and generally one year rather than two) so we’ll see.
We do like to tease the kids that they are older now than when we met in college, so they are behind schedule…
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Very worried how he is going to cope with the weather. Currently highs of 15 degrees Celsius and rain. He says Florida was 40 degrees 
He was a tough northern lad but think he has turned ‘nesh’ with his warm Tennessee weather 
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Mine still has two years to go before college graduation because she choose to do an engineering co-op. She’s been having a wonderful experience with her company and it was actually good to her to be working during this covid year (all in person).
That said, I think it’s going to be hard for her next year when the majority of her friends graduate and she still has another two semesters left. Thankfully she has a handful of friends who are in the same boat and knows a few more that are staying for grad school. This is the down side of the co-op!
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Long time since I’ve heard that word. Guaranteed to perplex Americans though.
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