<p>I have a D in class of 2013 and am still getting adjusted to a S who was in class of 2009 and now a freshman in college, but only two hours away. We live near New Orleans. </p>
<p>My D LOVES theatre and has been in local community productions since 10. Her dream is to work at Disney World. She wants to major in theatre, possibly musical theatre. Only one state school in LA has musical theatre. Her dream school is UCF in Orlando.....but the OOS tuition is crazy when in LA we have TOPS which basically covers tuition. So she knows the only way she can get there is by getting a major scholarship which we believe is within her reach. Her first try as freshman on two tests with no prep: ACT = 26 and PSAT=192 (CR=59, Math=68, Writing=65). In LA National Merit Selection Index over last 3 years is 207-209. She is taking SAT May 1st and we will do SAT prep for that and for future PSATs.</p>
<p>She wants to go to college in Orlando and make connections to Disney....And part of me really understands that this is important. But another part of me says she should go to school closer to home, do the Disney College Program and Internships, then go to Orlando after graduation.</p>
<p>Long story, but bottom line is instead of two hours away like my son, she'd be two days away. We have family an hour away from UCF in Tampa which is a comfort.... </p>
<p>I know many of you have kids in college across the country..... Please give me words of wisdom as to how you let go.</p>
<p>It’s not easy…but if they have a strong passion and want to follow that dream, it’s our job to let them. My s went to college in Florida and we are from NY. It was hard to say good-bye, but he needed to follow his path and I was there to help him do it. We visited UCF and we were impressed, so I understand your d’s eagerness to attend. </p>
<p>I try to remember what it was like to want to go make your dreams come true. That doesn’t necessarily mean going out of state, but it’s our job to get them ready to leave the nest. If you’re not ready to let them go, even 2 hours away can be a problem. </p>
<p>Just keep putting yourself in her place, and I think that will help. But remember that no matter what, finances need to be a prime consideration, and if you can’t swing it, she needs to live with that and find something that will still work for her.</p>
<p>I grew up in Iowa, and went to college in Pennsylvania. This was back when airfare was too expensive to go home at every college break, when no one had private phones in their rooms (I had to call home collect from a pay phone), and there was a significant difference between airmail letters (three days) and regular mail (one week).</p>
<p>Most of my mother’s family was in Pennsylvania and Maryland, so I always had a place to go for fall break and spring break. Sometimes I would take my roommate or another friend along with me. Sometimes I spent the holiday with college friends whose families lived an hour or so from campus. It all worked out.</p>
<p>Let your kid apply to her “dream” school. Just be clear with her about how much your family can afford to pay. Make certain that she has other options in case this one doesn’t work out. For more ideas visit the Theater/Drama Majors sub-forum and the Musical Theater sub-forum in the College Majors Forum. </p>
<p>Remember, too that your daughter is a freshman. A lot of things change between freshman and senior years - dreams change, ideas change, kids change. And your visions of them change, too - you’re still seeing her as a 14 year old, not as the young woman she will be at 18. Don’t buy trouble in advance.</p>
<p>Assuming her dreams don’t change - Currently, Disney’s got a hiring freeze. So if her idea is to get a part-time job while in college, in the entertainment cast - not going to happen until and unless the economy changes drastically. And even if it does, there’s no saying that Disney won’t first re-hire those people that they let go.</p>
<p>Now, I let my d go 6 hours away, since there aren’t any really good schools in the Massachusetts area. (Yes, that’s sarcastic.) The fact of the matter is that, other than being able to “pop in” to see any of her performances, there’s little difference between how often you see a kid who’s 2 hours away and one who’s a couple of days away. There’s Skype, texting and cell phones to stay in touch, and as nngmm said, it’s not too hard to find a flight to Orlando!</p>
<p>If you have relatives in Florida, work with them to buy a Florida Pre-paid College Plan. There are ones that are not too expensive, but the neat thing is that if she has one of those plans she will qualify for in-state tuition in Florida.</p>
<p>Agree with HappyMom and her last paragraph. Some kids are totally ready to spread their wings and go far from the nest. I have one like that. I was fine with the fact that he was ready to go. Set a budget, be clear about costs and expenses and make sure they have a variety of options including one that is “closer” to home, because kids can change their minds. Mine is 1800 miles away and we were frank that we were willing only to fly him home at Christmas and for the summer break. He’s been fine, happy to see us when he does come home and equally happy to get back at the end of the visit. And we are also of course happy to see him when he is visiting! We miss him, but hearing how happy and well adjusted he is makes it worth it.</p>
<p>It was really hard for my parents and I because we were so close, and then I went to college 2500 miles away, on the other side of the country, and after college I moved to DC. But they always said they raised me to work hard, be independent, and steer my own course for a reason, and it wasn’t just so I could stay near them all the time. I’m sure you’ve raised a wonderful daughter, and that you gave her strong wings, it would be sad if she never got a chance to try them out. </p>
<p>Remember too that it’s a lot easier to keep int ouch these days with emails, blogs, Skype/iChat/other kinds of video chat. Make sure she has a web camera on her college computer and you guys can have a chat date every week. Or another thing my mom and I did that was really fun was we bought one of those “Circle Journals” at a bookstore. It’s basically just a journal, it comes with envelopes and stickers and things like that, and you each write an entry and then you mail it back and forth. It’s a great, special way to stay connected. </p>
<p>That being said, I do think that if finances are a major issue it’s not a bad compromise at all to go to a great school in Louisiana and then do internships or summer work for Disney. Also she should think a little bigger than Disney World, what about Disney Land in California or Disney Cruise Lines or even Euro Disney or any of hte other Disney properties or enterprises. These are all places that she could explore through internships without necessarily needing to study near any of them.</p>
<p>You should pat yourself on the back for raising such a talented child with the confidence to leave the nest and follow her dream. Small or big sacrifices may need to be made on both sides for this to happen, but now is the time to accept some emotional discomfort on your part as far as accepting the next phase of your parent/child relationship.</p>
<p>It is difficult, no question. S1, a graduating college senior this year, moved away, out of province to his dream school 6 hours away 4 years ago. I thought I would perish from missing him. It’s something that gets a little less painful each year; it helps enormously that he is successful in school, seems really happy with life and his chosen profession but hasn’t really changed that much from the young person who left. By that I mean, just bc your daughter is leaving it doesn’t mean it will substantially transform her away from the wonderful person you brought her up to be. For some reason that was a fear of mine, which has proven to be unfounded, thank goodness.</p>
<p>As if that wasn’t enough, this fall S2 decided to leave the country and go to school in NYC of all places! But you do what you have to, so I send parcels at HUGE cost, mail little cards and we have gone to visit him twice so far this school year and will go once more in May. It seems a fantastic fit for him, he’s happy and he’s getting amazing opportunities in his field. Really, as a parent, how much more can we wish for?</p>
<p>If your daughter does leave, I think the best thing to remember is that you have provided her with the solid basis to continue to grow and to trust that she will flourish away from you now as she would have if you were still nearby.</p>
<p>We live in PA, and just visited UCF. D was admitted, and did receive a scholarship that brought the cost down to below our in-state PSU cost (which is a lot higher than you folks pay in LA!). </p>
<p>Just a few thoughts - UCF was amazing. We met students from all over the country who were doing the Disney experience, although I did note that most of them were doing jobs that were unlikely to help them in future careers (fast food, store clerk, etc.). One young lady told us that if she had a chance to do it over again, she’d do an internship in her field rather than the Disney experience (although she was noted that they get free Disney admissions and have a few classes.) We saw lots of students wearing UCF sweatshirts when at the Disney Marketplace and at other locations in Orlando. I picked up the UCF newspaper, and thought it looked like a good school. In those orange review books, UCF gets an A for quality of life and some pretty high rankings in other areas too.</p>
<p>The question as to whether it’s worth the extra money is ultimately going to come down to whether or not its affordable. Whether your kid can handle going to school far away without getting homesick will be another question. The school itself seemed like a great option.</p>
<p>I have kids going to school more than 4 hours away. The bottom line is that I don’t see them, whether they were 2 hours away or 10 hours away. They have made friends, have activities and study hard. They don’t come home weekends, and aren’t particularly welcoming or ready to drop everything if I want to go to see them. Yes, it makes it harder for parents’ weekend, but by the time they’re Juniors my kids didn’t care if I came for parents’ weekend or not. It makes it harder for holidays, and we discussed having Thanksgiving with them instead of at home this year. They chose their schools because of the program, which wasn’t offered at a closer school. The benefits of that program outweighed cost-savings of going to school locally in their case.</p>
<p>After all that, by the way, my own kid has decided to go to school locally and save UCF for grad school. She is ok with working in our area after graduation, so she decided the networking that she would do locally outweighed UCF. I fell in love with UCF and decided that I’m going there if I win the lottery.</p>
<p>Understand that for some it is hard to let your kids go. Have you been apart from them for any length of time before? Summer camps or programs? It does get much easier, really. </p>
<p>As for programs, If she is a strong student, UF is another possibility, as is FSU, and both are feeders to the Disney programs. I think OOS tuition is not outrageous for the flagship U’s, but agreed, it isn’t free. Tallahasee is closer to you than Gainesville and Orlando, but , it isn’t a 2 day drive, I dont believe, unless you make a LOT of stops. My s is at Tulane, and a team he is on drove to Lakeland (not far from Orlando). It was a one-day trip each way. Good luck!</p>
<p>Forgot to mention- I have a friend whose dau will be starting at UCF nest fall. She got a very nice scholarship- made it very affordable.</p>
<p>NO, the student would NOT qualify…see below…</p>
<p>* Florida Prepaid College Plan:</p>
<p>Anyone who is at least 18 years old may purchase a plan. **The beneficiary (student) or beneficiary’s parent/guardian must have resided in Florida for the past 12 consecutive months prior to purchase. **The beneficiary must be a child in the 11th grade or younger. The account owner, any survivor and the beneficiary must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens. The beneficiary must be born, before a plan can be purchased in his/her name. Businesses may purchase plans too. *</p>
<p>Anyway…it sounds like this child is on track to become a NMF, so if that happens, she’ll likely get a free ride at UCF…if she still wants to attend.</p>
<p>Looks like the have change it a bit.
"Who can participate?
Florida Prepaid College Plan: Anyone who is at least 18 years old may purchase a plan. The beneficiary (student) or beneficiary’s parent/guardian must have resided in Florida for the past 12 consecutive months prior to purchase. The beneficiary must be a child in the 11th grade or younger. The account owner, the survivor and the beneficiary must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens. The beneficiary must be born, before a plan can be purchased in his/her name. Businesses may purchase plans too. "</p>
<p>I’ll call them and ask. Used to be that grandparents could buy it for their grandkids…</p>
<p>It’s not easy to see them go, but you want to see them happy and independant. Just be happy that your child has a goal and knows what she must do to make it happen. Airline flights to Florida are very doable and you get to visit your daughter in the sunshine that we are all missing this winter.</p>
<p>I am in Florida and my daughter wants to go up north for college! My son stayed in state and I always assumed my daughter would too. Then we visited some schools and she fell in love with one in particular and that was all she wrote! I am already anxious about it and she is still a junior. She is my youngest and we a very close. I am going to miss her terribly, but I know I have to let her do what she feels is best.</p>
<p>Mom2them, I feel for you. My DD didnt even apply to any colleges in our state (IL). Looks like she will be heading to your state and attending Tulane. It is quite common for other mothers around me to ask “how can you let her go so far away?” Well, as others have said, how can I not? This is HER life and while I am often crying inside, I encourage her to follow her dream. She wants to experience different things and she feels she can do this better by going out of state. I agree that once they are more than 2-3hrs away, what difference does it make? Sure, I wont see her on weekends but she might have not been one of those kids who comes home alot anyway. I try not to think about it and let it happen how it is supposed too. I take comfort that I must have done something right that she feels comfortable separating from the family!</p>
<p>I live in a very “peculiar” state and I really want my kids to go away to college. I do not know how it’s going to be once the time comes, for now I only know that it is going to be expensive :(</p>
<p>May I ask you, since your daughter is a freshman, why is she taking SAT this May? Coming also from a freshman’s mom…</p>