Thanks, everyone!!
Yea!! Glad it all worked out!
Does he have the sweatshirt/t shirt already? If not, would you want to order one for him?
I did buy him a tshirt for each school that accepted him, but I was thinking about ordering him a sweatshirt/hoodie.
He is lucky to have you as an aunt!!
“He said he had thought about it and has decided to go to Franklin and Marshall, no gap year.”
Congratulations! This sounds a lot like my younger daughter’s recent decision process (she will also be going to a very good small college/university). I suspect that they both have thought things through very carefully, and will do well.
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@Emsmom1 , you are a terrific aunt! I would make sure that you remain an ear for him between now and move in day ( and beyond ). He may have concerns over the summer and not as many people to talk to locally.
Someone needs to help him make a choice and send in the appropriate paper work. His fears are normal but its important that he doesn’t paralyze himself with it. When the time comes, drop him off and don’t let him come home for at least a month. Just keep being positive and supportive. He needs that push. He will be fine. This is a case of closing the eyes, holding the nose and jumping in the pool. The water will feel cold and shocking at first but in time he’ll be a great swimming. He will thank all of you who pushed him off the deck one day.
Congrats & well done to all. F&M is a very welcoming community, and with any luck at all he should find his people pretty quickly. That said…expect a few more rounds of ‘oh my goodness / what have I done’ . It is normal enough for kids to go through several rounds of cold feet, including right around graduation (all the emotional intensity of actually saying goodbye), packing up to head off (actually leaving), sometime in late October(ish) (when the harder parts kick- midterms, maybe or new friends turning out to be not so great- often the first ‘friends’ aren’t the keeper friends), and often in January, just after winter break (especially if the trip home has reminded them of all that has been left behind), when the world is cold and grey and it’s back to hard work.
A couple of things you might sow the field with over the summer (in small bits- not to overwhelm)
Remind him that every adventure has it’s snake pits (cf Raiders of the Lost Ark franchise) and that he is welcome to get in touch anytime he wants to let off steam (or share a victory)- but also tell him that if he calls his mom when he is upset about something he should call her back within 2 days so that she knows he is ok. This is a huge kindness to parents (our kid’s hs school tells the students to do this…)- otherwise the parent goes on fretting well after all is right with the kid.
Managing all the unstructured time is one of the biggest downfalls of new college students. He needs to know that college moves faster than high school, and once behind it can be very hard to catch up. A fair few students will cut classes- b/c they can!- but there 110 reasons why he shouldn’t. There are always a ton of resources- writing center for writing papers, tutoring centers for most subjects, office hours with the prof, etc- they are not signs of failure & should be used early & often.
Finally, tell him that there are going to be a bunch of kids who from day 1 look as though they are completely confident and know how everything works and have their friend group sorted- but in truth just about everybody will be a mix of excited and nervous and unsure of themselves, just as he will be. Be friendly to all, don’t expect the first acquaintances to be the lifelong friends (might be- just don’t be surprised if not), and don’t be afraid to ask questions. He won’t look dumb- he will look brave and confident.
Hooray! Congrats to your nephew!
One of my friends from college is a professor at Franklin & Marshall 
Update- nephew is at Franklin & Marshall and, although it’s early in the game, seems to be adjusting nicely. He and I had a nice (if very long) drive from MO to PA, he has a great roommate who is also athletic and a fantastic dorm (really, the common areas look like that of a five-star hotel). He has decided to continue wrestling, which concerns me at a D1 school because it’s such a big time commitment, but of course that’s not my call to make. I’m just happy he’s there and happy I got to be a part of the process.
Best of luck to your nephew. You sound like a wonderful aunt he is lucky to have you.
Thanks for the update