<p>Son will graduate this May and is stressing out about completing his Senior thesis. Makes it hard to also think about jobs. We are funneling job possibilities his way, but he does not seem to making the strong effort needed to land a good one. He’s also thinking about the Peace Corps or teaching English overseas.</p>
<p>We will attend commencement, but apparently the big Hampshire College tradition is to ring a large bell after your committee accepts your final project. Allegedly, if you ring the bell prior to that time, you become cursed and are doomed to never graduate. We can’t make it to the bell-ringing, which is probably just fine, as it seems to be a students-only event.</p>
<p>Looking forward to paying less, but our daughter is just a Freshman this year.</p>
<p>KAT, it’s so wonderful to hear about your youngest! (He is the youngest, right?) And are all 5 of your kids done with their undergrad degrees now? Congratulations to all and good luck to those of you whose kids are still searching for employment and/or figuring what to do next year. I look forward to starting the College Seniors 2011, thread next year! (One more Fafsa and PROFILE to do, and then I’m finished…) ;)</p>
<p>We just made reservations for all of us to go to dinner in the mid afternoon after graduation. The graduation event itself is EARLY in the morning…begins at 8:30 a.m. with the gates opening at 7:15. We get 6 ground level seats (with chairs) and as many additional seats in the bleachers as we want. Eight of us are attending. We’ll draw straws to see who gets the seats!!</p>
<p>DD still has to complete this term and the spring term…and one online course to complete her double majors which will be done in the summer. Her date of graduation will be June 2010. She has plenty of course credits but is missing this one required course (due to a health issue this term). NO ONE at her graduation gets their diplomas…all the get is the diploma holder. The diplomas get mailed at the end of the summer. Hers will be mailed when she completes the course which will be at the end of August.</p>
<p>I was thinking about an after graduation meal and was wondering if maybe he and his roommates (he shares a house with two others) would want to have a cookout at their place funded by the 'rents. That seems like it would be more fun then going out.</p>
<p>Cookout at the house - we did that with our S in 2008 when he graduated. Lots of fun and bunches of kid and parents showed up. But then, this was a kid who (along with one other friend who is now a professional chef) also did all the cooking for his high school graduation party. For D who is graduating this year we’ll do the restaurant round.</p>
<p>D is home this weekend for my parents’ 60th anniversary celebration. Short stay, hampered a little on Friday night by delayed flights, but we’ll see her in FL in another week for spring break. Anyway, yesterday H made her make a dinner reservation for the Saturday night of graduation weekend – he was convinced every good restaurant would be booked already. Not sure what’s happening the Sunday night – perhaps something with BF & family?? On Monday, graduation day, we need to pack the cars and at least start the drive home – dorms close at 7:00 PM.</p>
<p>I’ve just made flight and hotel reservations for D’s graduation - frequent flyer miles are a good thing! D finishes up her trimester in Mali this week, then back to college for the final term (and finishing her comps project). Beyond college? Who knows.</p>
<p>S is graduating in August after he finishes the 2nd required internship for his major in Sports Management at U South Carolina. All academic reqs including a Senior Thesis for the Honors College/Departmental Honors will be finished in May but apparently the new Dean of his College has changed the policy that used to allow Sports Managment grads to walk before the internship hours were fufilled.Learning this was to say the least disappointing9 they are invited to the August ceremony).We’re in the midst of finding out if he can participate in the Honors College portion of the graduation (they call it a Revocation) and we’ve made hotel reservations in case but no flights yet.He’s in the midst of applying for the last internship and not applying for “real” jobs yet…very much a limbo type situation.</p>
<p>That’s a shame about the policy change! I would think they’d have some sort of grandfather clause for those kids who planned their courses with the old policy in effect.
That would be very disappointing.</p>
<p>We’re really pleased that we don’t need any plane reservations for son’s graduation. My son is sort of skating this semester, as his thesis was finished last term and he just has a couple of courses plus a senior seminar plus an internship one day a week. He’s applying to several internships for next fall as well.
His college is an hour away, so we’ll drive up for Class Day on Saturday and then back again for graduation on Sunday, with the grandparents. The four years flew by.</p>
<p>D2 graduates in June with a double major and minor (on time from an out of state public school - Yeah University of Washington). Moves back to Cali to move to DC by July 1st to start her job. She is terrified at the idea of going from being a laid-back college student to a responsible adult. Our big issue…youngest D graduates from HS on the 11th; D2 graduates on the 12th. Southwest Air will be loving us.</p>
<p>Oaklandmom,
If your son is short units, he would petition UASH for extra time. [UASH</a> Handbook for Students](<a href=“http://registrar.caltech.edu/uash/handbook.htm]UASH”>http://registrar.caltech.edu/uash/handbook.htm)
“3-C Further Work Petitions
You will need to petition for further work if you have already completed 12 terms at Caltech, but need to stay on for another term (or terms) in order to complete your degree. *
Even if you will need more than one extra term to complete your requirements, petitions are only granted for the current term, and you will need to re-petition UASH for each additional term. * UASH grants Further Work Petitions ONLY to enable students to graduate in the shortest time possible. You will not be allowed further terms to complete a double major, nor to take additional courses that do not fulfill outstanding requirements.”</p>
<p>Twoparent,
What about the federal government? Has he tried them? That’s one of the few places I’ve heard that have extended a few job offers to graduates. How very frustrating it must be for your S. Unfortunately, many federal jobs require a considerable lead time before you can actually start working (background checks, etc.) I have heard that private employers are quite skittish these days about hiring and struggling to keep their employees busy and paid.</p>
<p>^^^Yes. Son received a call last week from his employer-to-be. He wanted to tell son about a large lay-off at the company and also reassure him that the department in which he will work was not affected. (and in my mind, I added. “Yet…”)</p>
<p>My son got accepted to a masters grad school program in psychology and he’s waitnig on 2 more. He really wanted this one though, so he’s happy. He’ll be happier if and when he receives any grants, etc. which aren’t guarenteed, but available.</p>
<p>D is headed to NYC for Masters program, deciding now between Columbia Teachers College and NYU for MA, heading towards secondary school teaching English (my H says “aka waitressing job” with so few teaching jobs out there, sigh!).</p>
<p>Anyone have any feedback on either program?</p>
<p>Our son has warned us he may end up at a homeless shelter and get his food on food-lines. He doesn’t say these things with a joking tone. I think he’s scared. </p>
<p>I’m envious of you all who have very directed kids.</p>
<p>On his first night in NYC as a transfer student to Columbia, Barack Obama wound up sleeping in an alley after he couldn’t get access to his apartment sublet. Didn’t stop him from becoming president 3 decades later. Not that that will happen (or won’t) to your son–either the alley or the presidency.</p>
<p>Very interesting reading. Such varied experiences and plans for the future. My daughter will graduate in May from a very good LAC in Sociology/Anthropology with minor in Spanish. Has NO idea what she wants to do. For the last three years her part time job has been teaching snowboarding during the winter and most of spring semester. Last summer she stayed in her college town (out of state) and worked at a windsurfing/kiteboarder rental business. She loved it as it was so stress free compared to school! Most of her college friends have decided to stay in the college town and not return to their home states. Some have jobs lined up, some don’t. My D has no ambition or interest in a “career” right now. She is bright, conscientious and hard working. At least will have a degree from a good school and a well rounded education. I really feel that she will be happy having a job that pays the rent and buys the groceries but really doesn’t want a high stress, high pay type job. She loves teaching and is fluent in Spanish and has talked a bit about being an elementary school teacher but thinks of that as a plan down the road…maybe. She is burned out on academics and definitely cannot think about grad school or taking the GRE test right now.</p>
<p>I am so happy she is graduating (it was touch and go for a while) and more importantly, I am happy she is happy. She loves her life, has a boyfriend and good woman friends. I am not really worried for her but it’s hard when everyone knows she is graduating and I say she has no plans for a “real” job or career. She will have to support herself and already pays her own auto insurance and other things with some help from us. I feel like we just have to let her make her way and hope that she finds fulfillment in some productive endeavor. Thanks for your patience reading this. Anyone in a similar situation?</p>