<p>My daughter, who once upon a time posted in these quarters, is living it up at Dartmouth. She was--luckily--able to get the courses she wanted for 1st semester, hon-bio, phil and logic; next semester: writing, chem. and global health. Grades are appropriately high (for mom). Shes been writing for the Dartmouth Review almost since the day she stepped on campus--5 or 6 articles so far. She also does a Dj gig on Friday nights on the Dartmouth-run radio station. Next semester shell be starting an internship in immunology that she has spent some time angling for, and felt lucky to get and she is writing an article on infectious diseases for the Undergraduate Journal of Science. </p>
<p>Dartmouth has offered her so many opportunities we never even imagined.</p>
<p>She is also dating someone she met at Dartmouth with whom she seems to share a lot of interests sounds like an interesting boy and shes always been a good judge of character.</p>
<p>My sweet daughter finally came home for Thanksgiving and brought a fellow student with her whose own family lives in Iowa; lovely girl. We all had a wonderful time at home for dinner on Thanksgiving and in Manhattan for fun the following day. Before she left on Saturday morning, to return to her new life as a college student, she got to see her 7 year old brother win a hockey game (with a hat-trick!).</p>
<p>It was the best 4 days of the last 4 months. We all miss her so very much!...especially her little--and somewhat lonely--brother.</p>
<p>overseas/arizonamom
Maybe we could start a thread on "first tier/second tier" assisted living facilities! It would save all of us going through this with our parents a lot of time and energy!! In fact, I am likely to be doing thiswith my dad soon. Not sure if he wants to move down here or stay in NY. Any tips/recommendations for good facilities or chains in Westchester? How about Atlanta? We looked several yrs ago when my mom was still alive, but need to restart the process. (Sorry for hijacking the thread!)</p>
<p>Woodwork, I hear you. We've got an 8 year old who was physically snuggling up to his sister every chance he got. The first night she arrived (after his bedtime) he arrived in her bed in the wee hours and slept with her :) When our now 14 year old goes to college out little one will definitely need a dog.</p>
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The first night she arrived (after his bedtime) he arrived in her bed in the wee hours and slept with her
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<p>What a beautiful thing that is! It made me happy just reading it.</p>
<p>Here, at home, every time my daughter calls, my 7 year old, Tristan, takes the phone into another room to tell his big sister all about his private life alone without her.</p>
<p>Our heart really goes out to him; still, it's really lovely to see him feel and express the love he feels for his missing sister.</p>
<p>jym626 -- Thanks. We did have a good time and saw several great shows with tickets through a link I think is called Broadwaybox. Is that the one you had in mind?</p>
<p>Growing up brother/sister story: I happened to be with my 25-year-old daughter when her phone rang and she disappeared for a half-an-hour of earnest conversation with someone. Turned out it was my son, calling her from NY, to ask advice about his relationship with his girlfriend. I loved this evidence that, though I am being eclipsed, they have each other.</p>
<p>sac-
Yes, broadwaybox is one of the excelent sites for discount broadway tix. There is also something called "entertainment link". They have an initial sign-up fee, but you get to talk to a real person who can look at the seats available and tell you whether they're worth it or not. They know the layout of all the theaters, and whether seats on the side are not good at a particulat theater, etc.They also made some excellent suggestions, and let me know that when we were in NY, the guy who played the mailman on Seinfeld (I am blanking on his name) was going to be in Sweet Charity for a breif time, wiht Christina Allplegate. We ended up going to Sweet Charity and had a very good time. So yes, I paid a bit for the "hands-on" service, but in this case, it was worth it. They also have tix to lots of other stuff too, and will email your son with upcoming things, deals, etc.</p>
<p>jym626 --Thanks for the info. We saw Doubt (wonderful, wonderful) and Putnam County Spelling Bee (cute). If you look on CuArts.com (Columbia's new arts site) under something called The Complete List, there are a lot of links. Don't remember if entertainment link is on there, but that's where I found Broadwaybox.</p>
<p>Another "sandwich" in the Search and Admissions process, here. MIL <em>very</em> reluctantly went into an Assisted Living community in September. She absolutely loves it. My "search" process was much like jym's, touring and interviewing and looking for "fit." And thinking to myself, btw, that no one will have to convince me when my time comes. Beautiful apartment that someone else cleans? Cook only when the spirit moves me? "EC's" I can pick and choose from? Let me at it. College life revisited, indeeed.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the reassurances and advice. I do hope that S will discover the joys of college life soon. It's hard to sit back and let this run it's course, but that's what we're trying to do.
BHG- We have tried to get those exact points across to him, but so far they have fallen on deaf ears. And as far as the $ goes, he's got excellent merit aid, so as long as he keeps the grades up that shouldn't be a problem. Can't even complain about the gas money, he carpools most of the time. I just want to see him spread his wings and fly. He could fly so far if he just left the nest...</p>
<p>cookiemom - yes, they may know each other, and if not - they sure will meet next semester. Mine needs good advice on catching zzzzz's :)</p>
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He says it's going to be hard to decide between math and physics for a major. He's taking both, but next semester his physics and math classes are going to overlap 20 min.
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<p>S has the same dilemma (oh... in fact, he has tri-lemma: he also likes CS). Too bad it's not possible to double-major in Princeton! That's why he wants to try as many Physics courses as possible before he will have to declare the major. </p>
<p>It's easier to move Math things around: there are 5 or 6 nice 300-level courses (like Topology or Graph Theory) which do not require lots of prereqs, and I think your S could take them instead of the conflicting Math course. Physics, on the other hand, has to be taken in sequence...</p>
<p>Maybe cookieson and marmatson would like to occasionally help out aludaughter with your basic multivariate calc?:) If they still remember it of course.....</p>
<p>JK. But I'm glad to hear your boys are liking Princeton. Isn't cookieson also an athlete? Has his season begun? Or ended?</p>
<p>My younger son is in sophomore year in Texas Tech's Honors College. He is one of those who is discovering himself trying a variety of courses in the social sciences, humanities, and business (which he just switched his major to). So far, he has had a successful transition to college life with a variety of friends, college activities, and excellent grades. As a parent, I am now virtually "at peace" with whatever he decides because I feel in my soul that he is just going to do fine in life, whatever he ultimately chooses to do. Over Thanksgiving I told him this (i.e. that I am confident that he will be fine at whatever he does dealing with both the ups and the inevitable downs). To an extent, he has been a "pleaser" to his parents so I want to take away this source of pressure - even subliminal - and continue to build his own self-esteem and confidence in his own decisions because he has proven he can "do it".</p>
<p>luckysmom..your son has merit aide at Chapel Hill..you really do have to take your hat off to him. Funny how some young people are ready to get serious with one person romantically and others are wary much longer. Well, your son's attachment indicates you did an excellent job with Attachment! Probably a strength for a lifetime in the long run despite the fact he is distracted right now by a deeper relationship than many college freshmen experience and regardless of whether or not she is "the one" as time passes.The UT Honors College sounds great..hearing the same about Georgia's these days. And premed at my S's college is over the top intense.
Great to hear someone's D is happy at my home state's fine William and Mary! And I am curious to learn about Rice..interested in it for S2 and it is often compared to having a similar student body to Wm and Mary. It is hard not to chime in and crow a little every time we hear an update in this thread. Last year these kids were posting on various threads and hopeful and anxious--and still all such dramas were shared with parents. Now we parents are casting about to adjust to their successful transitions. I am overjoyed to see my S thrive socially and show such academic enthusiasms but must say it gives me a pang to hear parents forcasting for me the inevitable widening in separation that comes with sophomore year and beyond as their friendships deepen and they get more settled in each college and further along in pursuit of dreams..even though it is exactly our wish for each young adult of course. My S is at a college that has a national student body base but is only 3 hours from us just one state away, so we have the odd feeling like he is in a familiar state university like most of his pals in close access for us. However, the culture of the college veers toward independence from hovering parental visits since most students brave it and come from quite far away. So we give him more space than geography requires. He has a concert in a couple weeks but we will not show up as there really will be no other parents there. I will have to settle for the pleasure he showed in introducing us to so many new friends on Parents Weekend and for the little advantages of no traumatic airplane stories on Thanksgivings to come.</p>
<p>marmat - Thanks for the advice. Cookieson told me he was going to look into the 300 level math classes because the physics does have to be taken in sequence. I'm glad to hear you also think this is a good idea because it certainly scares the heck out of me. Just looking at his course list makes me nervous.</p>
<p>Alumother - I love your posts. Yes he loves to help other kids, especially cute girls! He rows crew which is year round training. They finished fall sesaon and are doing winter training right now. The big competitive season is in the spring. He finds it a good break from the academics.</p>
<p>Well thanks so much for the props. D is kind of cute, if I say so myself, if you like them tallish and strawberry/red hair, along with the ballerina kind of look....eeeek. She even thought of going out for crew although has never done it before since she thought she could row lightweight and still add some pull.. But haven't heard anything more about that idea. </p>
<p>Since D hangs with the swim team (due to best friend/next door neighbor), and since the crew and swim team hang together as the "Floaters and Boaters" - chances are that cookieson and aluD already know eachother! So we will leave them to their own devices. However, I might suggest to her that she has a possible math help source amongst the known "crew":). </p>
<p>Don't you just love cc? (Also, D loves cookies, BTW....)</p>
<p>Oh guys, I'm glad you already found the connection. CC is fabulous, I always knew that! S likes helping other kids, too, but I am not so sure about his expertise in multivariable...</p>
<p>cookiemom, I thought your S will probably have similar plans, it looks like a reasonable solution. I don't even try to estimate the "scariness" of S's schedule, I just hope he knows what he does... In fact, I like all the classes he chose and I'd love to take most of them myself - oh well, I guess I already praised Princeton's course selection enough for today</p>
<p>My kid loved the school from day one. Loved the people, loved the work, loved the social scene. Then, out of the blue, in the middle of October, things seemed to crash. I think child felt alone and left out. Went through a period of about 10 days that wasn't good. We talked and talked, but we were firm...student must get back on the "horse and ride" as they say.</p>
<p>Well, things did get better, and student is once again very active socially (and pulling all B+s and A's). </p>
<p>Someone posted earlier about alcohol. Yes, it is there, and kid is experimenting. It is scary, but, they have to learn on their own what they can and can't handle, and also how to handle themselves. It is a part of growing up. </p>
<p>So, all in all, things (knock wood) are going very well now. As much as it was nice for student to hang out with old HS friends over Thanksgiving, child COULDN't WAIT TO get back to college.</p>
<p>Oh, and someone mentioned the kids finding "like minded kids". It is very true. Once they are surrounded by a whole magnitude of people of their own intellectual caliber, it makes life a whole lot easier and interesting.</p>
<p>JYM, I just sent you an email about a new facility in Westchester, Kendall on Hudson. A friend's mom moved in there last summer and is very pleased. It's built around Quaker values, and is simply beautiful, right on the Hudson behind Phelps Memorial hospital. I visited her over the summer and honestly I could be happy living there myself, it was that nice. I sent you the website in my email but here it is for anyone else interested:<a href="http://www.kohud.kendal.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.kohud.kendal.org/</a></p>