<p>Well, the car is packed and we leave tomorrow morning...... A new adventure,,,,
Thanks to all you experienced parents for your thoughts and advice.
New parents- lets compare notes of how it all went next week.
Have a safe trip from where ever you are traveling from. :)</p>
<p>Have a great time… If at all possible don’t miss the New Student Convocation. </p>
<p>Many sophomores are on campus right now training to help the first year students and can’t wait for you and yours to get there.</p>
<p>We leave too tomorrow. Thank G-d we fly Southwest. This will be a new adventure also. Wish I would have found CC a lot sooner. Not having anyone we know attend Elon, I have counted on your advice and information. Thanks!</p>
<p>Good luck to all in the Class of 2014…and to their parents!! let us know how move-in goes!!!</p>
<p>Move-in had beautiful weather, Convocation was lovely and stirring. (H says that Elon’s school of Communication must be involved in all their presentations/ceremonies because all of their speakers are polished and interesting.) Picnic by the lake was very nice. All in all it was very organized, helpful friendly people everywhere - student volunteers, Res Life staff, even Deans and administrators eager to help. </p>
<p>Had some difficulty getting the room arranged and lofting those beds was such a pain it could cause a nun to curse, but in the end everything is put away, the room looks good and both girls are happy with it. They may do some minor re-organizing, but they can live happily as it is. Nice floormates, plenty of Orientation activities.</p>
<p>Loved the opportunity to meet (in a group) with D’s academic advisor. A unique touch that was very reassuring!</p>
<p>It was so hard to say goodbye - we live 750 miles away - but I am very comfortable that D is in a good place.</p>
<p>Move in was basically a breeze. We arrived about 11:30, which allowed the suitemates to get in first. Must have been pretty hectic with 5-6 moving in at the same time, as there isn’t much space. Colclough hall may not be long for this world on the 5 or 10-year plan; it’s old, cramped, energy inefficient and dingy, a classic freshman dorm. But making it home is part of the college experience. Those wonderful kids had us pull up right next to the building and unload everything into a pile, which they proceeded to carry in. We carried very little ourselves. Getting set up in the room was a challenge due to the limited space. A cozy room, indeed.</p>
<p>We were hugely impressed by the overall organization of move-in and Orientation, and of course everyone could not have been nicer or more helpful. Elon 101 is a super example of thoughfully helping new students learn about their school and college in general, not just leaving it to trial and error or word of mouth, like back in the day. The good thought and planning culminated in the Convocation, which frankily exceeded all expectations. We realized the importance of ritual and ceremony for rites of passage. Who would expect the entire faculty to be present in their full academic gowns? Usually the pomp and circumstance is saved for the end of your time, not the beginning. It seemed to me a way of the university saying now, you are part of us, and we are part of you. Then, the address by President Lambert was outstanding, truly profound, thought-provoking and meaningful, but also humorous, without being mundane or over-bearing. He planted many seeds of thought for the years to come. It reflected a level of thought, perspective and consciousness which made me think Elon could be a truly transformative institution which can change the very lives of its students forever. I know this may sound over the top, but if you were there, did it seem that way to you?</p>
<p>Hit the road late in the day after helping get books. Credit card is smokin’ after trip to Target and everything else, but we really came away more convinced that Elon is a wonderful fit for DD. Now we will have her adjusting to college life and us to the empty nest…</p>
<p>^ many of the same great memories from last year… What a great welcome… </p>
<p>Elon is the Hebrew word for Oak, how wonderful is the tradition of handing all new freshmen an acorn at Convocation, and four years later an oak sapling at graduation… </p>
<p>Re: Colclough hall - yep one of the last of the true “freshman experience” dorms… My S wanted that “experience” too (in a different but related dorm) and most of the time he was glad he choose it… I met a few students who lived at Colclough last year and they were fiercely loyal to the place… Go figure…</p>
<p>Our son arrived two days earlier than the general move in. No one to help us move in but the benefit of moving in without the general masses was worth in. When we opened the door to his room in Chandler we were shocked at the smallness of the room. Every single inch of wall space was occupied by the two built in wardrobes, two beds and two desks. The refrigerator was unplugged and in the middle of the room because there was no where to put it. S texted his roommate suggesting they bunk them. He ended up waiting for the room mate to move in two days later and they did eventually bunk them. But despite all this my s was on cloud nine- very happy with everyone he met et cetera.</p>
<p>I was happy that we stayed for the convocation . It was a beautiful ceremony. The kids all looked so handsome and full of promise. The campus was so green and even more beautiful than when we last saw it in March.<br>
Classes start tomorrow.
Hope he can focus on the books. Elon has so much to offer…</p>
<p>So how is the Elon experience unfolding for your new college students? For us, no complaints, and DD seems quite happy, no angst about anything.</p>
<p>Very happy! Food is good, professors are nice/good, kids are friendly, campus is gorgeous, even the weather is wonderful. She’s excited about some of the Rec Center offerings. </p>
<p>D’s only concern is that she doesn’t have a car. She has a service learning class that will require hours at an approved site - the BioBus goes to those sites, but only during limited hours when she has classes. She’s not interested in re-arranging her classes, so we signed her up for the Zip Car service and hopefully that will solve her problem.</p>
<p>Otherwise, all seems wonderful!</p>
<p>Lafalum - would you elaborate on the service learning class that requires transportation? I don’t really understand what this is or who takes this or why.</p>
<p>The class is Introduction to Human Services. It requires 35 hours of service at an approved agency. D was given a list of the specific agencies to choose from - Boys & Girls Club, after-school tutoring program, health center, clinic, YMCA, nursing home… a wide variety of agencies that Elon has agreements/arrangements with. The BioBus has just added a new loop that goes to many of these sites - the bus schedule shows which agencies are located at which stops. D’s problem is that it runs Mon - Thurs afternoons, and she has class all of those afternoons. I suggested to her that she rearrange her schedule (ie switch sections or drop a class and take something else) but the response I got was, “Mom I’ll work it out.”</p>
<p>Elon has a lot of “service learning” classes. I believe they are designated that way in the catalog, although I’m not sure D was aware of that when she signed up for it, but she’s excited about it. It ties into Elon’s Engaged Learning emphasis - using learning outside of the classroom to inform what goes on inside the classroom and vice versa. The service hours will go on her Experiential Transcript. (Elon has 2 transcripts - one for classes & grades, and one for Leadership positions, Volunteer hours, Undergrad Research, Study Abroad, etc). </p>
<p>I think it’s entirely appropriate in the scope of this class, and D is looking forward to it. It’s just difficult to arrange because of D’s scattered class schedule and her not having a car.</p>
<p>Thanks for clarifying - older son was accepted at Elon and we have visited a few times as part of his process, but somehow I missed that. We are visiting in a few weeks witrh S2 and I’m really looking forward to it. I like the things that make Elon stand out - like the Engaged Learning philosophy and the second transcript - I just never heard about the service learning classes.</p>
<p>There is also a Service Learning community in Staley. They have a separate orientation, their Global Experience class together, and plan service projects as a team as well as do projects together. When you visit you should look into this as well as the other community options. You probably already know this having visited previously, but thought I would chime in.</p>
<p>Thanks - we last visited over 2 years ago and some details are fuzzy. I think Elon really stands out among the schools we are looking at for S2 and I am so looking forward to our visit.</p>
<p>Talked to my son last night (freshman at Elon) He was pretty happy. He is involved in several different groups already/ Has made a lot of new friends. He said he is pretty happy with the food choices. (But its only been a few weeks. I am sure it will get old eventually) He has not talked very much about his classes yet. Hopefully he is making time to work on those too!</p>
<p>Our son is a freshman and seems very content at Elon. It really makes us feel good knowing things are going well for him.</p>