<p>If she is only 90 minutes away, sounds like its time for a road trip. Why dont you go up for a day (or maybe a weekend) and see whats going on. Spend some time with her, let her take you around, introduce you to her friends, take her out to eat, and TALK.</p>
<p>CRD, I also agree with LasMa. Researching her options isn’t “busy work.” She is technically an adult making an adult decision to transfer and she needs to put the legwork in to make that happen. I know my kid would have plenty of time to do research, but it would mean cutting into his Nextflix time, which right now includes the third time through Friday Night Lights.</p>
<p>I also like the advice to not initiate contact. Lots of conversation on cc over the years of the old “dial and dump” – kid calls to say how unhappy he/she is, the parent internalizes all this and has a sleepless night and the next day you ask the kid about it and they act like you are the crazy one. 
All kids have doubts at some time. Ds1 was deliriously happy at his LAC, but even he talked about transferring after freshman year. I kept calm, and he never brought it up again.</p>
<p>I also agree that I can’t imagine transferring to an expensive college for a PE degree when the less-expensive option has everything she needs and at one time wanted.</p>
<p>Good luck, OP. It’s difficult to have an unhappy kid, no matter how temporary it may be.</p>
<p>Perfectly normal. A little on the early side, but it’s not at all uncommon that kids think about transfering after the lustre of being away at college wears off and some uncomfortable things happen. THe grass starts looking greener beyond that fence. Most of the time, they don’t do anything about it.</p>
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<p>What is the difference between athletic training and PE as far as majors at these schools go?</p>
<p>If she is an athlete, her current school will have resources to support her academically. As you find out more about the situation, I suggest you explore the resources for athletes.</p>
<p>She wants to be an athletic director? Interesting. Around here, those are part time, very low paying jobs with no benefits…or they are stipend positions for teachers within a school district.</p>
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<p>This is precisely what my D did. After some time away from the situation, she decided to go back, and ended up loving it there.</p>
<p>90 minutes away? You have the luxury of proximity to your kid! Go visit her this weekend and have a calm face to face conversation about all of this. I did this with my kid last May of his freshman year when he still had 5 weeks of school, and realized his reasons for wanting to transfer were quite sound. (But it was May, he’d survived 2 1/2 quarters at that school. Not October…) It’s quite early for her to make any decisions about this, but I’d suggest hearing her out. If it is just a blip of unhappiness that she’ll likely get over, you’ll have a better handle on it when you visit her. Perhaps you can assist her in problem-solving how she can make the situation better. </p>
<p>When I visited my kid, one week after the I-think-I-want-to-transfer call, he’d already done a lot of the legwork to research possible new schools he thought would be a better fit, calling departmental advisors at the new schools, contacting his high school college counselor (who was immensely helpful, btw), etc. That afternoon, we made a list of all the things he’d need to do to complete applications and line up recommendations and transcript info. (This alone may make her think twice.) I let him know he had to do this on his own, unless there were things a parent needed to be involved with. It was a one day visit. Just knowing we were okay with this, if he got all the questions answered and did all the work to apply as a transfer completely lifted his spirits VISIBLY, and he finished the 3rd and last quarter strong.</p>
<p>Within a month he was accepted as a transfer to a college he’d been admitted to the prior year, they gave him twice the merit dough, and he began there in September. It was a good move, he’s much happier, working harder than ever, and with the scholarship, we are paying less. It’s about the same distance from home: 5 hours drive.</p>
<p>Have a calm, face to face conversation about it all. I’m guessing you’ll know then whether this will blow over, whether she needs help with academic or social issues, or whether this school really isn’t a good fit, and she’d be better off elsewhere. She may decide to go through the transfer application process, but stay put at her first school anyway. Sometimes checking out how green the grass is makes you realize why you chose College No. 1 in the first place. </p>
<p>LOL, do people not read previous posts??</p>
<p>Skimmed most posts. Just occurred to me- perhaps your D’s phone call was to have you talk her out of a transfer, refuse to allow it. Having mom and dad say no could be motivation to resolve issues as that choice is taken off the table. I like the idea of any transfer application work being totally her responsibility. For now veto any financial or other support for this idea. Who knows- friends may have lamented her distance and the idea of being closer came up. If she is truly serious she will go through all of the work herself and present her case in a few months to persuade you to change your minds- but do not tell her this is an option.</p>
<p>My mom always asked me if I really wanted advice or just someone to listen.
Usually I just needed to say what I was thinking out loud, but I didn’t want to dramatically reverse anything.</p>
<p>My D wanted to transfer from her school, which was bigger and less supportive than she really needed. Coming off of a international gap year, I imagine she also felt it was too " domestic".
However, the other schools she was interested in were much farther away and more expensive ( not really affordable which was why she was at her present school, although she didn’t apply as a freshman when she may have gotten merit)
I did do a little research, but since she was relatively close, I tried to be more supportive and help her find her footing again.( her grades had suffered during a period of depression).
She moved from a overly quiet apt, to a house located closer to middle of campus, the next year which made a difference. ( sometime in there she started dating an amazing guy who has been great for her)
She learned to love her school and even wants us to retire to the area so she can have a reason to visit. :)</p>
<p>So providing that a thoughtful process was followed initially, I wouldn’t let her rush anything.
What your experience is like on campus, says more about what you bring to it, everything else being equal, than finding the dream school.</p>
<p><<<
I can’t see any reason to move to a more expensive college to major in PE.
<<<</p>
<p>I thought the same thing.</p>
<p>And I agree…schools want coaches and they don’t care about someone having a minor in coaching (and what exactly is THAT?) I would think taking some psychology and sociology classes would be more helpful.</p>
<p>Just an FYI, in my state, without a coaching endorsement (about 6 college courses, so pretty close to a minor), one cannot coach a school team–head coach, assistant coach, even volunteer coach. It’s what the state dept of Ed mandates. The courses? Anatomy, treatment and prevention of athletic injuries, developmental psych, and some specific coaching courses. At larger schools, an activities director is as an assistant principal position. </p>
<p>I guess I don’t see the young woman’s aspirations to be as “fluffy.” </p>
<p>I wanted to give you folks more perspective. Your advise here has been helpful. To answer your question; AthleticTrainers are medical professionals who help athletes who are injured and later in the rehabilitation phase. Physical Education Teachers (P.E) are educators and often coaches. As I understand it many P.E. types become Athletic Directors… at least at the high school level. My D texted last night informing us the the school she would like to transfer to would allow her to gain a dual certification to teach BOTH Health and P.E. whereas the school she is at now is limited to a P.E teaching certification. The school she would like to transfer to would cost roughly eight to ten thousand more per year… that is a lot more money. Now as to perspective; At this time last year my D was going to be a nurse. We targeted direct entry nursing programs and applied to eight schools. We met with three or four coaches and visited seven schools. Then, during the application process she changed her mind about nursing and decided she wanted to major in Athletic Training. Now, roughly six-months later after taking four college classes she has decided to change her major again to P.E./Health. We were fortunate initially in that many of the nursing schools she applied to also had Athletic Training so she changed her major in May. As her current school does not offer a dual certification program (to teach both P.E. and Health) that would not be the case this time … she would be limited to a P.E. Cert. if she stayed. My concern is that my spouse and I may be tilting at windmills, which is not so bad if the costs and schools do not change, as was the case with Nursing vs Athletic Training … but that would not be the case this time. My D is a Div III athlete so no scholarship would be lost if she did transfer. </p>
<p>Well if it really comes down to transferring to the more expensive school she would just have to commute there. Saving money for the dorm and meal plan might cover the difference in price. If it was my daughter and the school was only 15 miles away, I could not justify paying for room and board there. Especially if I could not afford it.</p>
<p>Help us understand what having the extra Health part does for future employment? Is that extra major (or certification) going to make a huge difference in her employability? (I don’t know this area at all, so I am genuinely asking for input.) Is it worth the extra costs/year at the new school?</p>
<p>Is there another way to add in the Health part? Taking transient classes during the summer months? Could it be added on later, post-grad courses taken before or during employment in P.E.?</p>
<p>Is there another school you can find that would allow both certifications at a cheaper price?</p>
<p>Has your daughter spoken with, shadowed with, volunteered in a classroom setting with a PE teacher? What is she basing her decision on, and do you trust that she has had enough exposure to make this life decision?</p>
<p>Maybe a next step is helping her gain that exposure, either in the college town she’s in now, or in schools in your own hometown. Talking with people who have been employed for years in this segment of education can give her a more realistic feel for what her daily life would be like. What are the hassles and frustrations, what personality traits are best for that environment?</p>
<p>Can she earn enough to pay back student loans? I still think she should ride out this full academic year at her current school, to give all of you time to research schools, the PE/Health job market, and how she can finance the additional costs at another school.</p>
<p>OP, it sounds like your daughter has changed her course of direction, what, 3 times in a year or less??? That is fine - hard to know for sure at age 18 or 19 exactly what you want, but because of that - and the short duration of focus on any one career choice - I think as a freshman she should meet with an adviser at the school she is at, plan a semester of classes starting in January that allow for more career/subject exploration. Changing majors every few months AND changing schools so quickly might be a recipe for disaster. </p>
<p>Encourage her to do some volunteering or community service in her college community with a sports team, in a classroom with children (PE or otherwise), maybe at some type of health focussed/child oriented experience (like a YMCA after school program) to get some real life experience in the role of PE/Health. Sounds like she is used to being the athlete, but being on the other side may or may not be the experience she is looking for. </p>
<p>I imagine the job outlook for a PE/Health teacher is not the best. Lots of kids coming out of school with health/athletic training type experience who can’t get a job might try to go this route. Yet to be an AD she will probably need several years of experience in a school or with athletics. Kind of like someone who wants to to pursue school administration/principal/dean/etc. - they need a few years of being in the classroom behind them to have the most well rounded experience as a school administrator. </p>
<p>If she decides to teach in your state, her best route would be a school with little to no debt. Has she looked at the public universities in your state? Start there. I’m going to guess that you will find at least one public university that offers a PE/health track to certification.</p>
<p>Since the cost difference is $8k-$10k…why doesn’t she just live at home to save that amount of money…which is about what room and board cost.</p>
<p>I would encourage her to stay at this college for the full year. Her freshman year courses will not vary much from school to school. PLUS it seems likely that she will change her mind about her major again.</p>
<p>In the meantime SHE can research schools to transfer to…but if your budget is what you are spending on the current school, let her know that she MUST keep within that budget.</p>
<p>ETA…Powercropper, yes having health certification would add to her ability to be employed…assuming she wants to teach health. At most high schools…the P.E. Teachers teach health and in this state, they must be certified to do so.</p>
<p>RE athletic directors…they do NOT have to be P.E. teachers. We have known math, social studies, and science teachers who were athletic directors. The job is an organizational one…the ADs in this state can NOT coach a team.</p>
<p>I don’t think her aspirations are fluffy, but I can’t see transferring to a more-expensive school and likely accruing more debt for a degree in an area that doesn’t pay a lot and that is offered a lot of places, including the place she first chose. There may be nuances in what is offered, but for me, they are not enough to justify making a switch.</p>
<p>And the extra info provided by OP says that the dd has changed her mind three times. She’s likely to change it again. The new school’s offerings aren’t, IMO, sufficiently different than what’s offered at the old school. I wouldn’t jump through hoops to help dd make a change, but I wouldn’t be obstructionist either. If this is something she really wants, let her figure it out, including how to pay for it.</p>
<p>OP- what happens if six months into the new program your D decides she really wants to be a physical therapist?</p>
<p>I think Freshman year is way too early for most kids to have her entire career mapped out. And I think the switching indicates that your D is not one of these “Neuroscientist or bust” kind of kids. Which is fine- really fine. I would leave this one alone. If your D is really set on transferring, she’ll need to quickly get her paperwork in order, present you with an actual plan “I’ve been accepted at college B. Because I’m prepared to move back home, the cost difference will be $750 more expensive than where I am now, and I will cover that gap by waitressing every weekend until I can pay you back”.</p>
<p>Without a plan, just smile and nod. Lots of kids need to be exposed to many things before jumping. I wouldn’t be facilitating or encouraging this- if she’s serious, she’ll figure out the logistics. And if she’s just reacting to the need to be able to tell people “I’m studying to become an X” there will be a new X in a few months anyway!</p>