<p>As a senior/sophomore HS parent awaiting decisions for older son - would love to hear some feedback from parents how their child's year at college is going.</p>
<p>Whether the kids are happy with their choice of college and what challenges/surprises are coming their way and what they wish if anything they had done different?</p>
<p>If you also do not mind mentioning the college name (more so if they are happy there).........would be a good resource for parents with younger kids too.</p>
<p>DD2 is a freshman at Lewis and Clark. She absolutely loves it; wanders Portland on the weekend, gets great grades, is involved in five student clubs.</p>
<p>DD is loving the Cambridge/Boston area along with her stay at MIT. She passed the first semester which was a relief (LOL), as it seems like insanely tough out there. She seems to spend countless hours doing Problem Set but still seems to get time to spend with her sorority sisters and her class mates.
Harvard square seems to be a very sought after place to hang around on Fri/Sat evenings.
Dinning options are few which force DD to stack food in room. She is not into cooking so end up eating out a lot specially on weekends. So her expenditures are high but she is trying to get a grip on it.</p>
<p>DS is quite disappointed with his school’s food. First because it’s pretty awful (I agree. I visited him and yuck!). And second, their hours are pretty horrible, and no off-campus goodies nearby. As a result, he’s starving by 8:00pm (and this from a kid who is 120lbs)! He’s glad he finished his first semester fine, but does not like the emphasis on frats.</p>
<p>Would he change anything? Certainly his dorm room: it’s too far away from the main campus.</p>
<p>D loves Stanford. Can’t say enough good things about it. Loves her dorm, classes, friends, social life. She took a light load the first quarter and found it really didn’t suit her. She’s always been a maximum load kind of kid and thrives under the busy schedule. This term she is at 20 credits and so much happier. She is busy from 8 am to midnight with a balance of school, homework, working out, volunteering and her very part time job. She wouldn’t change anything.</p>
<p>So is Stanford perfect. No. She’s had her bike stolen: through her own carelessness. (And got it back. Funny story actually) The food is good, healthy and not so healthy options but it does get boring. Plenty of meals on the meal plan and there always seems to be a dining hall open. Her dorm can be loud sometimes, even through ear plugs. Fortunately she is not shy about voicing her displeasure at 3am. She says that most people will turn down the music etc. </p>
<p>We are going to Parent’s Weekend this week and I’m sure I’ll get more details. I’ll post more if there is anything noteworthy.</p>
<p>Great responses so far!! Thanks all. This kind of feedback is exactly what I was looking for, something that one does not get on impersonal websites. </p>
<p>S is really enjoying WPI. He’s doing well academically, has made lots of friends in different groups, and seems to be staying on an even keel. He’s not a fussy eater, so doesn’t complain about the food. He & his roommate get along really well since they had roomed together during a summer program at WPI. He really likes the short, 7 week terms with 3 classes per term. Only real complaints so far? Some of the professors have very strong foreign accents, which makes their classes hard to follow. Also, as at any school, some professors are better “teachers” than others.</p>
<p>Son is a freshman at Wake Forest and loves it - no complaints whatsoever. I think the only thing he/we were unprepared for is how miserable it is being sick at college. He had the swine flu in the fall and just finished a good bout of strep - both were challenging experiences - but part of the non-academic growth that comes with going away to college.</p>
<p>My biggest piece of advice for hs parents is to breath and stay calm. I think we went through junior and senior year of hs with more tension and stress than necesasary. I intend to much more calm and mellow about the whole process for younger son. It all works out in the end. Many students end up at a college that was not their first choice and find themselves pleasantly surprised. Keep the process a fun exploration as much as possible; don’t obsess over one particular school if you can avoid it.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman at Duke and is having the happiest time of her life. Every time I talk to her she is trying a new EC and going to lots of on-campus events. The classes were much harder than she expected and she has gotten some low grades. But she has a plan for improving her study habits (tutors, group study sessions, etc) so I’m not too worried about her grades. Surprisingly (to me anyway) D has already traveled throughout North Carolina to attend club sports games, retreats and conferences for various clubs. For Spring Break she is going on an inexpensive school trip to D.C. to learn about being homeless. Her food and clothing expenses have been relatively high (to me anyway) since she will buy some food or a drink on west campus between classes rather than take the bus back to east to the cafeteria.</p>
<p>My son is very happy at Rollins and has become involved with more things than I would have expected him to. Socially he says school activities are great and abundant. He has time for outside activities and goes to concerts in Orlando, Tampa etc… He found his best friends through the required freshmen course he was assigned. Academically he feels challenged and has made the presidents list first semester. He is looking into tutoring and maybe being a peer mentor next year. Also he is wanting to take on executive roles in some of the clubs he is involved in. I believe Rollins has helped him get more involved and outgoing.</p>
<p>I asked him if he could see himself at one of the other colleges where he was denied/accepted and he said that all worked out for the best and he was sure this was where he should be when he made his final college visits during spring break of his senior year. It really is amazing when they know when a college is a good fit.</p>
<p>Hi again pixel: D1 is at Elon University. I shared a bit about D1’s experience on the other thread, but I should add (following rockvillemom’s great advice) that Elon wasn’t D’s first choice. She kept an open mind however, and took advantage of all that the school had to offer - which was a lot. D’s counselor knew it would be a good fit, as D wanted a suburban LAC with a strong theater program. </p>
<p>D1 has really blossomed; no other way to put it. Elon’s freshman experience is ranked among the best in the country, and I have to say that it does walk the talk. Going into her sophomore year D1 is gearing up for leadership positions; widening her options as to what she should minor in; and has made loads of friends despite not joining a sorority. Last year, at one of the senior parent workshops, the guidance counselors told us that we might not recognize our children after a year in college. I’m liking how D1 is turning out; it’s been such a joy to watch. </p>
<p>Finally: agreeing again with rockvillemom’s advice that this half of the year should be about “fun exploration”. D2 is a senior, and we’re all really enjoying the whole awaiting decisions/comparing schools ritual. Of course, D1 has been an extremely valuable resource! The atmosphere at home these past couple of months has been way more relaxed than it was at this same time last year. </p>
<p>Good luck to you pixel as those decisions start coming in!</p>
<p>D1 is a freshman at Occidental and couldn’t be happier. My introverted girl, so lonely in high school, found “her people” in her first days at Oxy and is enjoying a thriving social life. The academics have kept her on her toes but not made her crazy, she’s liked all but one of her professors so far, and she seems to be able to keep on top of things without too much stress.</p>
<p>I remember how disappointed she was when she got waitlisted by Pitzer, her first choice…and now it’s “Pitzer who? Oxy rules!”</p>
<p>lunitari I am so pleased. What you described for your girl is exactly why I knew Oxy would be a good fit for mine but she wouldn’t go for it.</p>
<p>Instead she and her sister have enjoyed very much their first year at Saint Mary’s. Socially my somewhat awkward quiet girls have come out of their shells, pursued ECs gone on a retreat and taken advantage of school trips. If you have the good fortune of catching a Gaels home basketball game you saw one of my girls several times in the crowd shots and heard the other one playing in the sports band.</p>
<p>Academics have been challenging but manageable, faculty is helpful and involved, food is described as good to awesome, dorms are what many frosh dorms are for one but as the other is in honors housing she has found her living situation to be quiet but a little dull at times. She plans to forgo soph honors living next year in favor of a more social environment. </p>
<p>SMC is one of my D’s first choice. For the other, it was Scripps and when she was WLed and then denied she was sad but didn’t want to discuss it. I think that the denial hurt more than the loss of an opportunity to be at that specific school, and to be honest I think it hurt me as much or more than it did her. I think there is still a bit of a sting for her but she certainly wasted no time in throwing herself into her life at Saint Mary’s.</p>
<p>Interesting thread, in that I don’t think anyone on the thread has reported that their child has decided to transfer, is on academic probation, has been dismissed from the school or has experienced other even more serious difficulties. Be aware that all of these scenarios have played out in our CC family.</p>
<p>My D is much happier at Duke ( a BIG reach) as a sophomore then as a 1st semester freshman when she DID consider transferring. Her “QA” classes (essentially math) are an ongoing thorn in her side, but otherwise she’s academically ok. Her EC’s, as always, are many, and are very important to her, though they have their ups and downs.</p>
<p>Historymom we are planning a visit to St. Many’s over sons spring break.</p>
<p>My d is a freshman at a very large competitive state university. So far she is doing well, but not without some bumps in the road. Getting used to class with 750 students is not something you can prepare yourself for in advance. However, finding out all the resources that are available to you is a plus. She thought she was a really good student in high school, but found out that everyone else in college is too. But she has also learned that she CAN do it, she just has to work really hard. The school spirit is amazing and she loves that. She has made wonderful friends and gotten involved in some great EC’s. All in all I’d say it is a positive, but like anything else in life, it’s not always wonderful. We sometimes get the sad phone call that something didn’t go as planned. As I said, that’s life and you have to learn to handle the bumps in the road. I often wonder if other kids just don’t communicate those bumps to their parents (to which I can only say, lucky parents) but my d does seem to want someone to commiserate with when these things happen. It’s a learing process, figuring out that you can always formulate a plan to overcome an obstacle. I think she is doing a good job at that.</p>
<p>missypie’s comment is correct - all responses so far have been positive ones. Since I work at a hs college counseling office - let me comment on that a bit. We have had a few freshman already leave thier college after the first semester. All were for academic reasons. All 3 are regrouping - combinations of working and community college. For 2 of them - it was simply lack of maturity - time management - and poor choices. For 1 - she was accepted at her reach and was simply over her head. An example of be careful what you wish for.</p>
<p>For last year’s class - a few transfer requests rcvd. No real pattern or trend - some want to transfer to a school closer to home; some did very well freshman year and want to try again for that reach school that denied or waitlisted them previously.</p>
<p>Managing expectations seems to be an important theme. Sometimes it’s the kids accepted at their ED school who complain the most - perhaps they expected a perfect college experience and are learning perfection does not exist. Sometimes the kids who ended up at their 3rd or 4th choice school who are the happiest - they went in with low expectations and every good thing that happened was a plus. I think parents fret too much over finding the perfect school for their kiddo - the best fit - the best academic experience, etc. I did that with S1 and have learned that a successful college experience has so much more to do with the student’s attitude than the actual college they attend, in most cases. That’s why I advocate a lighter, more fun approach. It’s not life or death - it’s just college!</p>
<p>I agree with rockvillemom. A lot of kids will be happy wherever they end up because they have a positive attitude.</p>
<p>You’re right, rockvillemom, there is no way to know what the perfect college will be. People are basing their decisions (and expectations) on one or two or three visits. A student will only know what the school is really like once thay are there …and many students will be perfectly happy at any of the schools that they applied to.</p>
<p>Thanks Mirall, we are almost there for DS1 and it was indeed very stressful(for me at least) as he is our first although he is very chill about the whole process.</p>
<p>DS2 is very different from S1 and he may end up being happy at a school like Elon, I have heard so many good things about that school. S1 almost applied there as a safety/match too.</p>
<p>DS1 is into Math and Comp Science and younger one is the exact opposite. He likes ceramics and stagecraft plus history and geography and bit of biology. He wants to be a teacher but hates writing and math!! Any suggestions? I am drawing blanks. He has started to ask me questions about colleges and requirements now!! I am not ready for him yet!!</p>
<p>The responses on here have been really great! When I was new here I kept reading about ‘fit’ and that was the scariest part of all since we live outside of the U.S. Now I am very comfortable and CC has helped immensely (which means all of you :)).</p>