<p>if you D is looking for off-campus housing, now is the time to start. My D signed for apartment THIS year, last October. My son is looking now for next year and hopes to have things wrapped up by October. The off-campus market is quite competitive!</p>
<p>I hear what you all are saying about off-campus market being very competitive but in my case I think the last thing I want her to be worrying about NOW is where to live next year. If that means she’s in a dorm, well, then so be it but this year is going to be work for her and I really want to keep her focused on that.</p>
<p>brownie, if she wants to stay on campus she can look into the Christiana Towers. The kitchens are small, and the place is not the most up-to-date, but it’s a popular option, particularly since you don’t have to buy a full meal plan if you live there (but it does cost more than the regular dorms): [Christiana</a> Towers](<a href=“http://www.udel.edu/has/lightbox/towers.html]Christiana”>http://www.udel.edu/has/lightbox/towers.html)</p>
<p>One tip is that if she decides to go this route, the more people in the group applying for rooms, the better their chance of getting it as sophomores. S applied in a group of 40 (10 rooms with 4 kids each), and it worked. It was a great transition from a regular dorm to living off-campus this year.</p>
<p>It’s not a total wasteland for upperclassmen who want to live on campus after freshman year. Someone must be living in those nonfreshman dorms 
DD stayed on campus all 4 years ending with the Towers (they were all seniors). I would venture that most of her friends who moved off campus did it for junior year. I think for many freshman is just too soon to be trying to figure out where they want to live next year. They are just meeting and becoming friends. If they do decide in the spring that they want to move, they will have to scramble, but they will have a much better idea about with whom they want to share an apartment.</p>
<p>^^^ agree with that. Early fall of freshman year is often too early to make good choices on friends, and even more so, successful roommate situations (which are not necessarily the same thing). Very thankful D is not currently living with her best friend from the fall, who turned out to be a poor friend choice. Her best friend from the spring did not return to UD for financial reasons. Things happen.</p>
<p>Just to put this out there … My D is an RA this year (her sophomore year), something we had always planned to pursue. If anyone has questions about that process, and the pros/cons to that, I’d be happy to help if I can. This is another possible option to consider when thinking about housing options going forward, especially if finances are a factor. D has no roommate (or 34 of them, depending on how you look at it LOL), and does not pay for room/board.</p>
<p>momof2giants… as an RA is it free room and meals or just room? And do they get paid as well?</p>
<p>It is free room + a stipend that is approximately the amount of a full meal plan (it might be a few dollars one way or the other). The room fee is waived from the bill. You have to pay for the dining plan (assuming you are in a dorm that requires a dining plan), but you will receive a stipend over the course of the year that essentially reimburses you for what you paid for dining. No additional pay, at least not during the first year. I think if you return for a second or third year, there is additional money. </p>
<p>There are info sessions that start in the fall. You can find out about those on the UD residence life web page. D did an RA internship (essentially shadowing an RA, going to a few meetings), and was a Freshman Fellow in Russell. I think both of those helped her.</p>
<p>Momof2giants…What do the Russell Fellows do and are they compensated in anyway?</p>
<p>bill124 TOTALLY agree that this too early for your freshman daughter to be looking at off-campus choices. I misinterpreted the question thinking you were looking for that option. From what my daughter tells me most of the her friends stayed on campus til junior year at least. My son moving off campus as a sophomore seems more of an anomaly and in his case had more to do with the sport he plays and wanting to live with his fellow teammates than anything to do with the dorms.</p>
<p>Russell Fellows are upper class students who continue to live in Russell, but are not RAs. They do social and community programming for the honors students. They do not have an authoritarian role. They are compensated, but it is significantly less than for RAs, only a few thousand a year I think. Freshman Fellows are freshmen in Russell who volunteer to assist with some of those social/community events and attend meetings with the Russell Fellows twice per month or so. No compensation for freshman, but a good idea if a student is interested in serving as a Russell Fellow or RA sophomore year.</p>
<p>DD was an RA. While not having to pay for the room and board (since the pay pretty much covers it) are great, it shouldn’t be the main motivator - depending where you end up the demands on your time can be great. The interview process is intense. Although the job description is the same for all RAs in Residence Life, the expectations of the directors can vary wildly. My word of advice - if people say the director of the dorm you’re interviewing for is “crazy” believe it!</p>
<p>Does anyone have any feedback on how students thus far are finding the intensity of their classes. Easier than expected?; Harder than expected?; or about what they expected. Also how are students adapting to the “social scene” at UD (typically Thursday thru Saturday nights). Successful students are usually able to establish an “appropriate” balance between these two activities (studying and “partying”). Just wondering.</p>
<p>Mwallenmd, great questions! I’m hoping everyone on here will share, it’s so great to hear from others since we only get our own child’s perspective. </p>
<p>My D seems to have it down as far as classes and enjoying them. She has always been a highly motivated and competitive student so she seems to be embracing the school and jumping in studies wide with both feet. Joining research studies in her science class and getting extra help in math. Math is the one class she fears she will struggle in. It is a different concept for her to grasp that she needs to “pass” or “get through” a class rather than get an “A” in it. Welcome to college, she was shocked to hear my and my husband say we barely passed a class or two in college and everyone is not good at everything. Of course she is working towards that “A” but it was interesting to see her learn that. </p>
<p>I wish she was partying a bit more! lol! not a ton but a little bit! She went to a party on the first night there but did not drink because she was freaked out over not knowing her way home in the dark and she was afraid to drink and get lost. Her floor in her dorm seems to be pretty low key kids, after the stories of how social dickenson can be I expected chaos, but they seem to be way more calm than I was anticipating. Let’s see what this weekend brings! ;)</p>
<p>D got first results back from Calc quiz and wasn’t happy but said her results were not atypical. Like a 50% and highest she knew of was a 75%!! Said it was due to being told test would cover one thing and it covered another. Class now covering what she learned in Calc so she feels better but she is going to get a tutor with some friends. Rest seems fine. She is motivated and wants to do well. She said she actually likes the library for homework because it’s calm and quiet. That was shocking. I told her if she looks around the library she’ll even find it has books (LOL).</p>
<p>Have not heard at all about parties, etc. I think that’s deliberate. I don’t approve of her drinking but know she does. All in all, very good.</p>
<p>My D called me several times last year crying because her chemistry and bio grades were not what she was used to getting. Tell your children not to be afraid to go to the teacher’s office hours.</p>
<p>This year I got a text that she has to dissect a cadaver in anatomy. This from a girl who cries when the doctor has to give her a shot or prick her finger to take some blood. Wish I could be a fly on the wall in that lab.</p>
<p>Pre-Calculus (MATH 115 and 117) and Calculus 221 are very tough courses at UD. Part of the problem is that all sections of these courses have common exams (which make up a significant percentage of a students grade). Some professors are better in preparing students for the content of these exams than others. You will probably find this out once you take the first set of common exams. Tutoring can help as the tutors involved (who have already taken the courses in most cases) often have a better perspective of what to focus on to prepare most effectively for the common exams. This advice is from our D who took both courses. Don’t hesitate to consider this. Once you are around UD for a while you will find other similar subtle actions that can help students prepare to do their best in many courses.</p>
<p>My son’s first week was pretty rough considering he is one of those kids who was rarely away from home for a stretch on his own and is not a party animal. To his favor is his personality…he very likable and makes friends very easily, so that helped. He was mainly homesick and had a tough time adjusting to life on his own, but, as I told him, once classes really kicked in and he gets into a routine, he will be fine…which is exactly what happened. Luckily he loves his classes and has nice roommates.</p>
<p>Bill, he gave me the exact same opinion of Math 221 (calc) (they don’t go over homework and teacher hard to understand (Georgia Pyrros) and TA (Chinese)…why they would have a TA with a language issue for such a class is beyond me, but it is what it is. </p>
<p>What did disturb me though, is that the first week of classes, a freshman was mugged on campus one evening and the school did not send out an alert to parents/students. I have another child at a different college and they send alerts to students/parents living on campus whenever an event like this occurs to remind the students to be vigilant…</p>
<p>Thanks, Elj. Didn’t hear about mugging. Curious about location and how your son heard about it. My D didn’t say anything and I take it that’s because she didn’t hear about it because I think she would have said something (particularly with Dickinson being out of the way).
As to TA, I agree it doesn’t help but they’ll have to find a work around because, at least in my D’s case, she cannot skip any classes. First test didn’t go well but that she attributed to material on test that was old algebra that was not what they covered or was in book (per D). Now it’s covering stuff she took in pre-calc and she feels much better. With quiz this Friday, I sure hope so.</p>
<p>I didn’t hear about the mugging either, and I subscribe to UD/Newark crime alerts. DD didn’t mention it either. Curious about the details.</p>
<p>Elg616, my DD is not a party animal either and she has found a nice group of friends there. It did take a bit of time – they like to have fun (and they aren’t angels, either) but not out at parties all the time. Glad it’s working out for your DS.</p>
<p>Completely out of blue my D called to say there are flyers around North Campus saying someone escaped from an asylum in the area, with a picture, and that there was a a heightened police presence over weekend. She said she didn’t think the flyer was a parnk. She also didn’t hear about mugging.</p>