<p>Well, my son informed me yesterday not to expect him to do any more applications (he did two and was accepted to both). His decision is made, he's happy with it, and that's that.</p>
<p>For three years I've been using the college admissions process as a hobby - as a research quest, looking for just the right fits for him, trying not to show him how obsessed I was with it all (nor how helpless I felt when he asked for the "results" of all my time and effort). In one way, hooray that his decision is made and he's happy with it. In another, I feel just a tad let down that there's not more to do. Suddenly USN&WR just is a bunch of numbers, the college mailings now look like junk mail, and there are no more college visits to plan (except to plan dropping him off Labor Day weekend). Hmmm... Anyone else experiencing this mild letdown? </p>
<p>Dig - I know how much time you've put into the process. I can only imagine that it is a bit of a let down to have it all done with. I do hope you will stop by here from time to time, I have learned a lot from you about various art/digital media programs. I would miss you if you disappeared completely.</p>
<p>But...congratulations on a great choice for your son!</p>
<p>I thought I would experience that, but haven't yet. Prior to the decision coming in I thought it would be similar to what brides experience after their wedding day...the big let down that it's over after so many months/years of working through the process. I really believe that I'm being saved form the let down by seeing my son so happy and relaxed (which only started yesterday when he awoke and yelled at the top of his lungs "good mornin' world, i'm a college student now!") </p>
<p>Oh, another thing, I told him that he needs to earn some of his tuition. I gave him the figure that his ED schools said had to come from him. So, that can be a new project for you Digi....helping your child identify summer jobs that will help pay for the tuition.</p>
<p>you are far from finished. There are sheets to be purchased, rooms to be set up and the age old question "how am I getting all of their junk to school.</p>
<p>You still need us, more important we still need you</p>
<p>Gosh Digi, I know just how you feel. My D got accepted to her ED school last week. And while I am so happy for her I also feel a little let down. There's also the feeling that she'll be leaving us in September! I have all these mixed feelings.</p>
<p>that's right.....
I keep hearing about this "X-Long Sheets" drama that is yet to come. Then there's the "to loft or not" and everything else related to housing, meal plans, etc. We definitely need to stick around long enough to meet the roommate's family....and by then it'll time for the class of '10 to apply and we'll all be suckered back in again.</p>
<p>Congratulations! But don't feel let down. You still need to hold everyone else's hand through this process! And in addition to the "X-long sheet" and other domestic dramas, I figure the financial aid board will start to really buzz as kids make their decisions and parents start scratching their heads over how to pay for it.</p>
<p>Re: the X-Long sheets drama: Go to JCPenney.com on Wednesday. Click on the outlet link. Then go to "Wednesday Deals." Unless it's suddenly disappeared after all these weeks, there are extra-long twin sheets--nice ones, too, 250-count, I think--for 5.99 each. We've already bought ours. But then we always buy things when they're cheap rather than waiting until we need them. We end up with good stuff cheap that way.</p>
<p>Digi, I know you have had Ohio U experience. How do kids get the Athens, Ohio if they live on the east coast? And do stay around; we want to hear about how things go when S heads off to college. The College Life forum may become the next stop for the Parent forum regulars as their kids head on to college.</p>
<p>Almost fifteen years ago, my company sent me to Colorado for a one-year assignment. We rented a house in Boulder and thought we had died and gone to heaven. I know, I know: "The Peoples Republic of Boulder" and "Boulder: The Spiritual Center of the KNOWN Universe" and so on. But life was good: next to the mountains, walk or bike everywhere, merchants who knew your name, a gazillion cheap ethnic restaurants, all the cultural events of a college town... When my company tried to drag us back to New Jersey after the year was up, I quit and found another job. My wife said to me: "You can work anywhere in the world that you want to work, but I hope you enjoy the commute from Colorado."</p>
<p>Even though my jobs have been in Texas, Europe, the Caribbean, and sometimes even Colorado, I've "enjoyed the commute." We no longer live in Boulder (but what a great place it would be to retire to), but we still take full advantage of Colorado's outdoor life: mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, skiing, and on and on. Almost every morning, I see the sun rise while I'm on a walk or a hike. We have mountain trails less than ten minutes from our house. </p>
<p>As to getting all his stuff to school, we don't have a clue about that. Just in terms of his filming stuff: lights, monitors, camera crane, booms, light stands, and mountains of cables... plus all of the computer hardware and software and hard drives and who knows what else for editing and doing DVDs... Does all this go with him? I would think so, but what's he do with it when he gets there? </p>
<p>You need to stay. There's all the angst of choosing X-long twin sheets (flannel, jersey, percale, thread count?) memory foam mattresses, deciding whether to loft or not to loft, what kind of checking account and how much to put in, what kind of luggage and what brand of rolling duffel,the questions are endless...
As for his mountains of film gear, I would suggest waiting until you and he know what kind is available on campus, and what size room he gets. My S ended up in his senior year in a room so small that every time he got up from his desk, the chair pushed against his bed. He had good reasons for his clothes to be all on a heap on the floor as the closet was inadequate--and he did not have that much to begin with. Some schools have storage space for rent and since he will not be using his gear on an everyday basis, that may answer his needs. Something to ask the school about.
Beyond what you can learn by staying on CC, you can go on sharing about the wonderful trips you and your family have taken. It's been an inspiration for me--not that I've acted on it yet. But one day, I will.</p>
<p>Someone asked me the OU logistics question since I do have a friend with a son there (who loves it). But they live in Pittsburgh and just drive since it is about 3 hours away and there are enough kids in the area that go there so they can rideshare on occaision as well. I'm wondering how students from a less drivable distance do it, and am at a loss.</p>
<p>I have another daughter that will most likely be looking at colleges (unless she suddenly becomes a pop star!) and I am dreading going through the process again..she is in 10th grade so its coming up soon.</p>
<p>JAmimom... I have a friend whose D goes to Miami of Ohio. From the NY area. For freshman year they drove her to school. They made it a trip and made it in 2 days. For most vacations their D flew home. If they did not book the flights far enough in advance the tickets were very expnsive...It is not always easy to find a ride home, and the length of the trip does not warrant a drive for many vacations.
At the end of the year, most items go into storage and she is able to fly home then too with some suitcases. It is also easy to ship items home.</p>