<p>I am interested to know how your freshmen have adjusted to college life, are they instate or out of state, if os how easy was it to make friends with the IS students and lastly would your student recommend that college to someone else in her situation? YOu can name the school if you choose to or not.</p>
<p>I'd say on a scale of 1-10 with one being low and ten being high happiness, I'd say she is a 9.2. She loves her school, loves her friends, pretty much loves her classes, loves her dorm...on and on. In fact, last weekend during a phone call she said "if I had to pick people to substitute being my "family" the people in my dorm are it". At home we all enjoy each other and I think this was one of her biggest concerns going away - but it has NOT been a problem. She is only 70 minutes away, but we haven't seen her for 3 weeks. </p>
<p>I know she would recommend her school - she has already been hooked up with the admissions office and will be helping with tours voluntarily this year, cause she wants to spread the word about her school.</p>
<p>The missing .8 is probably just for missing family, her boyfriend and her room at home, but hey -ya can't have it all!!!!</p>
<p>My son is happy. He was VERY happy until he got his first calculus mid-term back. But he's still happy. He's at a small private LAC about a 5 hour drive from home, most other students are 1 - 3 hours from home but it hasn't been an issue for him since they mostly stay on campus over the weekends. Mosts of his friends are from his dorm floor, a few from his orientation group or classes. He hasn't gotten really involved with extra-curriculars yet but I think that will change as time goes by.</p>
<p>Same for my son--really happy socially--thinks he's doing ok academically and REALLY likes some/most of his classes. Is a 20 hour drive away--wanted to be in a different part of the country. Small private LAC.</p>
<p>My freshman is out of state, a seven-hour drive from home, at a large private university. I think she would rate her happiness at college at about a 6 or 7, which is higher than she would rate life at home or at her high school.</p>
<p>My daughter has had an enormous advantage in meeting people because a close friend of hers from high school, who is far more social than my daughter, is on the same campus. They do not live in the same dorm and they are in different academic programs within the university, but they have maintained their friendship, and my daughter has met many new people through this girl, as well as in her own dorm. Other than the one preexisting friend, she does not consider any of the people at college to be anything more than acquaintances, though. </p>
<p>My daughter seems to have become comfortable with most aspects of college life, and I think she is beginning to relax a bit now that the first major round of exams is over. Prior to those exams, she had no idea what kind of grades she would be able to get, and this was a huge source of stress for her. (She is the sort for whom academics are more important than social life.) </p>
<p>I don't think she knows her campus well enough yet to recommend (or not recommend) it to others.</p>
<p>Not sure. The communication I get is negative, a poor grade on a test, not happy with his program, etc. But I suspect there are good times going on as well, since the e-mails are so sporadic. I think Mom might be a place for venting. It keeps me worrying, though. </p>
<p>S is at an urban Ivy, and might suddenly be dealing with the realization that he is just middle of the pack, not top dog anymore.</p>
<p>My S is about 45 minutes away in state and has been home once in the 6 weeks he has been gone. Came home for fall break, caught up on his sleep, laundry, happenings here at home, and he ended up going back to his new 'home' a day early. He is so happy there and loves everything about college life. His classes are very hard but he thrives in that sort of enviroment. During high school he NEVER studied and managed to make straight A's, at college he is studying at least 4 hours a day and is making B's and C's.
S did not know a soul when he arrived at campus. During the break home he told me he has met the most interesting and friendly people in the short time he has been there. He has become a much friendlier and happier teenager since he started at college. We miss him terribly but what a comfort to know that he made the right choice for college and is thrilled to be there.</p>
<p>My D is about 45 minutes from home at a school in Boston. She is very happy with the school, classes and suitemates with one exception....one of the suitemates stole a credit card and cash from 2 other suitemates and has been removed from their dorm (but not the school). She is very lucky in that she LOVES her actual roommate and they get along very well. She loves the city but has been home every weekend (was because of the very recently now ex boyfriend) but I think that will change now.</p>
<p>OOS D had a couple weeks of adjustment to Big State U where she knew no one. Good thing about meeting IS kids is that you quickly meet all their HS buddies, and since they are all a little sick of each other, the "new guy" is welcomed. Intramural sports, football games (which she never went to before), ski club, a good dorm, Grey's Anatomy all helped.</p>
<p>Classes seem to be ok too.</p>
<p>My son is ecstatic at New Mexico Tech. He said, "these are my people."</p>
<p>My son is too laid back a dude to be ecstatic, but if he could be, he would be. He is in his natural habitat, and I can barely separate him from the school, his camoflage is so perfect.</p>
<p>He's up in the mountains and always seems to be yawning, so I don't know if he is suffering from oxygen deprivation or not. Haha. Or just not getting sleep.</p>
<p>He tells me exciting things from classes. Called yesterday at 12:15 am for advice for course selection for winter term (oops! that was today), but he knows I'm up. He's doing 3 EC's; is planning a fourth. Was disappointed that his music wouldn't allow him time for fencing.</p>
<p>He has friends, but everything is very low key. Just like he is.
For his sister everything is vivid.</p>
<p>I just got back from visiting D2. She is OOS at a huge state uni 2000 miles away. She loves her roommate, has made lots of friends, ($224 worth at dinner!) and has really found her way around campus and the city. I was impressed. She seems very happy, like she's been at this all her life. She doesn't seem totally enamored of her classes, however, but is doing fine so far. I worry she's having a little too much fun, and that maybe her classes aren't quite challenging enough. Next semester will be different, she'll have a much harder load. Hopefully she will settle down a little, but for now, she's doing well and so, so happy she landed where she did. Being out of state doesn't really put her in the minority w/her friends, but being from the midwest does. LOL. She's already been home for a wknd with one friend, and two are coming to visit her here during winter break. So far so good. It was good to see her, to see her life as it is right now, and to remind myself that she is where she wanted to be, that she is h a p p y.</p>
<p>My freshman daughter is about a 5 hour drive away at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She loves the school and her friends. She happily went back yesterday after a short fall break. On the happiness scale, I would estimate about a 9. She isn't fond of eating dinner at 5:00 and hates the showers. On the other hand, she seems to be so busy with her sport and her job and a fellowship and a club (oh yeah, and her classes ...) that she doesn't realize how happy she seems to her dad and me.</p>
<p>Bugmom, that is definitely true. If I'm feeling worried or stressed about anything, I call my mom. I can vent a little to my friends, but you can be brutally honest about your feelings with parents in a way you can't be with friends. That's especially true with first year students who don't have close friendships yet (and with boys, who may never get to that actual sharing stage ;)). Don't judge just on the complaints you hear. Maybe call him someday and you may be more likely to catch him during a happy moment.</p>
<p>I think my D. is in the right place for her, although blissfully and divinely happy would be a stretch. The quality of her academic advising has so far been first rate--her advisor helped her find a path that she is very excited about and told her it was A-OK not to persist with a loathed class that was no longer required given her new path. Once the whole "what will I be when I grow up" anxiety was relieved she seemed a lot happier. She seems to have made some really close friends. </p>
<p>A big negative for her was going from "smartest kids in the whole school" to finding out her roomie was in honors and she was not invited to participate in the honors program. Feathers were ruffled, but as my very wise mother observed it is so good for her to be somewhere where she is not running things. </p>
<p>FTR she's at a Catholic school in the midwest with a legendary but recently-lamented football program.</p>
<p>S. is at his top choice school - applied ED, so it's been a long time now since that choice was made. I was excited for him but also cautious-- would it live up to expectations? Would he be able to handle the heavy duty (8-semester) language requirement? Yes, so far so good. A LOT of work lately due to mid term assignments, but he is managing well, seems happy, likes his dormmates and professors, and feels he chose the right school. And he is not the gushy type.</p>
<p>My freshman is unhappy with the 'rents at the moment. I have to read between the lines to gauge his happiness 'cause he's APON (Ain't Puttin' Out Nothin').</p>
<p>He seems to be feeling his oats, that's for sure. He is unhappy about a monetary restriction we placed on him so he set up a little freelance business and already has a few clients. He has two other ECs which he's happily pursuing. He doesn't seem to find the workload to be too strenuous--which could be a horrible sign. Mid-terms may be very revealing, who knows.</p>
<p>Socially, he has three BFFs and a whole pack of friends. I fear for the neatnik roommate's sanity, but son claims, "It's all good". (He can be oblivious).</p>
<p>I sense a fierce ambition that hasn't quite locked into top gear--his intensity is a bit all over the place. The ambition is being flamed by the stellar peer group, is my impression. Truthfully, I will be happier when that ambition locks onto a proper intellectual or creative avenue. </p>
<p>Well, I say that, but that day will have it's own moments won't it? His high beam only has one setting--INTENSE. :eek:</p>
<p>He is 20 hours away from home in a mid-sized private--with an admin that sends out an astonishing number of hand-holding communiques. Every time I get one, I feel like a bad mommy. They clearly expect me to be more of a helicopter. They are far more concerned about the general freshman experience than I am. I hadn't planned on switching on my blades--unless he falls out of his academic canoe. </p>
<p>That's always a possibility with a freshman boy.</p>
<p>My S is 1600 miles away. He seems to be doing fine. Made a couple friends right away, has already navigated switching roommates, changing advisors, opening a bank account, finding a job. He thinks it would be nice to be able to get home sooner than the holidays but also doesn't want to "be in the home state". Academically he's doing just fine. He is definitely more talkative, and his voice sounds "happier" than last year. This was "his choice" school and he's not unhappy or questioning his decision at all. He does say there are unhappy kids in his dorm. This school is rural and considered remote, so I assumed there would be some unhappy kids, glad it's not my son.</p>
<p>Well like some earlier posts, I think we hear a lot of the negative and less of the positives...or at least that is what I feel. My D seems to be getting along fine, classes not as challenging as she had hoped but she is doing very well in them... she did mention transferring at one point but mainly to get to an engineering school for a major more suited to those institutions. </p>
<p>Socially is another issue. She said she has given up to having a social life there. Not a lot to do in town and she doesn't like the solo tour. Just gets old being alone going places. Tried 3-4 groups EC and they just meet so infrequently not helping. She has a single on a floor or singles but never sees her suitemates ( 4 total) I sense that the weekends are the hardest because she does have acquaintances in her classes just not out. The school is fairly rural and she is from a big city and that alone went into the "what was I thinking category."</p>
<p>She eats alone as a rule. Has treated her comrades from class to lunch at the dining halls but still has not found a group to be with for meals.</p>
<p>I am just being supportive and proud of her for doing so well at adjusting in general.</p>
<p>SHe is 6 hours away in another state University with 82% instate quota....I think the ISS are clinging to each other and soon they will branch out to meet new people....we will see.</p>
<p>Son is doing well at school-I would say rate it about an 8. Has made many new friends, has found plenty to do at school, and classes are going well. He did have some roommate issues that he resolved. This had been a big burden and since roommate issue was dealt with, I would say he is doing even better. He is OOS-a 12 hour drive from home.</p>