Could people not derail the OP’s thread with irrelevant discussions about “elite” college admissions policies?
Thank you.
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hey guys! currently studying but thought i’d update y’all on my NUEQ chat on campus. /happily
I will likely enter as a Novice regardless, but since I was in W/T Pleasure for 3+ years, (now I’m doing WTC with 2’ jumps) I’m decently skilled enough that I’ll point up to Limit fast enough. I’ll be training (mostly jumping/hunters) over the summer with a regional + nationals show with my barn. I’ll be doing Mini Medal (2’6"-2’9" fences) at shows, is my understanding. /happily
(coughs I wouldn’t be surprised if I did Long Stirrup though because I can’t see a distance to save my life and my flying lead changes are not good. /wheezing)
The girl I spoke with is on the premed track, and she did say that the premed courses aren’t too hard if you can memorize what they tell you to and regurgitate it back in exams- the labs aren’t highly experimental in the lower levels, either. I’ll definitely practice Calc + college-level Bio over the summer so I’m prepared, maybe some Chem too (this is with tutors). /musing
I did somewhat better on my most recent precalc quiz, and my overall grade is a B right now- I plan to get it up, since I have advance warning of my precalc final (it’s in 2 weeks). As for all my other grades, they’re all predicted/expected A’s- A+'s as I’ve spoken with all my teachers. /happily
I also did put in a request for a single since ADHD and anxiety go BRRRRR (I don’t count on it happening)- but I know I’ll be okay even in a double. (triples not so much…) /adding on
Anyways, that’s mostly it. And I’m just super grateful to be where I am right now. Northeastern went from not being on my radar at all (sue me okay) to being the school I am attending (GO HUSKIES!!!)- alongside my cousin at BU and close friend at Brandeis. I’m so excited. /happily
Also- any advice on what to pack, what to avoid, what worked, any move-in stories or just freshman year stories would be fun to hear, either here or in DMs. /happily
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Don’t take too much stuff. Almost everyone packs a lot more stuff than they will use/need.
Don’t go home for at least a month after start of the semester. My daughter actually told us not to visit her after matriculation either (we saw her at matriculation and then at parents weekend almost 2 months later.) You need this time to settle down in your new environs and make friends etc.
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Thank you for the advice! /warmly
My parents do want me to come home on the weekends, since my cousin and close friend will be at home in any case (BU + Brandeis are where they’re attending, respectively)- so I don’t mind that- but I understand why you’d mention not going home for at least a month. /musing
Learning how to balance parental expectations is an important part of the experience.
Grandma’s 95th birthday party? Yup, go home, even when you have a huge test early Monday morning. A cousin’s graduation from nursery school to kindergarten? Maybe you go home if your work schedule and other activities permit. Watching your next door neighbor’s kid throw out the first pitch at softball? Maybe take a pass. I’ve seen kids struggle to acclimate to their college, make friends, meet the academic demands, etc. and I always ask “how often are you going home?”
You’ll figure it out- trial and error!
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Agree with not taking much stuff at all. You live in the area and don’t have to take your winter stuff just yet, don’t need every memento from high school, every pair of shoes you own. I have two kids and one took practically nothing and the other took everything she owned - and brought it all home unused at the end of the year. Second year only 2 bags went back with her and one of those was hockey equipment.
Look at the school calendar and pick the first weekend you will go home - 2 weeks after school starts? 3 weeks? And announce that date. “I’ll be home on Sept 20th and would love to have dinner with cousin #1 and friend #4.” Otherwise it will make it too easy for your parents to call the first weekend and want you to come home on Friday and stay until Sunday. Or, make a plan for Sunday dinners. My friend’s son went to college in the same town but lived in the dorms (about 15 minutes away). He came home on Sundays to watch the Packer game with his dad, do his laundry, and eat. He often brought his cousin with him and she did her laundry too. That worked for all of them without anyone feeling the others were ignoring them or being intrusive.
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Thank you for the sound advice! I definitely think I’d try to go home like, biweekly if possible- or more dispersed with when I go home. /thoughtful
I don’t think I’ll end up overpacking (and if I underpack, I can go home in 15 minutes tops to get something.) -I’ll be bringing a duffel bag full of my riding stuff + my ringside bag for shows, and then a regular box full of my clothes and all. I’ll probably get some decor in any case to jazz my dorm up, but I’m definitely not hauling my entire bedroom to my dorm, for sure! A lot of riders hang their ribbons on their walls as decoration, so I might keep a few ribbons on my walls as decor too, who knows. /musing
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Why would they be home? I have heard many stories of students not really finding their friend group at college in freshman year and almost all have in common the fact that those kids visit home every weekend.
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well, because both of them plan on hanging out at home on the weekends (my cousin for medical reasons- he has chemo weekly and needs to rest at home)- and my friend because well, firstly, good food, and secondly, they want to hang out with me. so, yeah. although i don’t expect we’d be home all the time- I’m sure we’ll hang out in downtown or other places, too. (newbury street though? yeah, no chance of that…parking is a disaster there.) /musing
Work it to get the single, also air conditioning. Plan on intense social interaction first few weeks. Dont go home for at least a month. Youve gotta make friends at school. Take chem before bio. Orgo can wait til later, but you need gen chem for bio. Ho get registered with the office of disabilities before school starts.
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I’m already registered with the DRC thanks to the whole transfer process, so that’s already been done. /happily
Chem before bio, then org chem after bio. Got it. /musing
I’ll try to push for the single as much as I can, but let’s see. /sighing
The T goes straight from Brandeis to downtown Boston I believe. (My daughter had way too many Mass colleges on her list, including Brandeis.)
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Oh, that’s cool! I’ll keep it in mind. /thoughtfully
Best wishes to him. Weekly chemo with college is not easy.
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If you get a note from a doctor, it is an ADA accommodation. They have to provide it then.
They already have all the necessary documents on hand (again, from that whole transfer process) so I’m sure they can check it and see that I do need a single. I’ll call the DRC + Housing today to make sure I get it in time. /warmly
What do you mean by transfer process? You are a graduating 12th grader, entering as a freshman at NEU.
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I mean the campus transfer issue that was with the Oakland → Boston campuses. /explanatory
And yes, I am an incoming freshman at NEU, I’m just referring to the Oakland campus transfer crap that required me to give them a hefty amount of documentation to get me to the Boston campus. /explaning
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Thanks so much for the update on the equestrian news and congrats on the improvement on your precalc quiz!
I’ll tell you one that might be a bit relevant to your current situation. I went to a summer program where I arrived on campus about 4 weeks early and took a 3-week long class where I lived in the dorms, started getting to know folks,etc. So, about an August 1 start-date, but official classes didn’t start until the end of August.
My birthday is in mid-September and so before I left for college, we bought tickets for me to fly home at that time. Even in early September, my social life was iffy and I thought happily about going home (had folks at school to eat with and do some things with, but hadn’t totally gelled). But by the time my birthday rolled around a scant couple of weeks later, I wished I was going to stay and celebrate with my new friends in college. And this is coming from someone who always had family-only birthday parties.
So it’s great that you’re wanting to continue your friendships with your cousin and friend. But I wouldn’t sleep over at your parents’ house. I would go and spend an afternoon (or morning, whatever) with your cousin. Or invite your friend to hang out at NEU or with some NEU folks. Or, instead, perhaps meet with your friend for dinner one day during the week, but leave 95% of your time open to establish new relationships with the folks at NEU. The first semester in college is when a lot of social bonds are being formed because everybody is new. If you’re repeatedly not available to hang out (including for spur of the moment activities) because you’re at home or otherwise off-campus, then you are more likely to miss out on some of those bonding activities.
I think it’s actually easier to have more/longer visits home once you’ve established your new social clan at school, because it’s established and you’re regularly inviting and being invited by folks to do things, and they understand if you’re out-of-town one weekend. But in the beginning, people might see you turn opportunities down and think that either you’re not interested in them or the activity, or that you frequently plan to have your life tethered to things outside of NEU, which may make them feel less invested.
But once you have established your new social bonds you get to invite your friends over to your house for some of the yummy deliciousness that comes out of the kitchen! Your friends will be super appreciative of great food, especially home-cooked food! But just as you’re focusing this summer on calc, bio, and chem, I would focus the first semester on establishing a strong social network at NEU.
/Reminiscing and thinking about the advice I’d give my own kid (and the yummy food coming from your family’s kitchen)
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Agreed. It’s important to allow yourself, your cousin, and your friend to branch out - especially at the beginning. They will be there for you over the phone , but you may have to accept not physically seeing them for some time or at least in a different capacity.
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