OLDTIMERS:Please post your child update

Parents Forum
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<p>DD1 finished her first year at Grinnell and left Wednesday for a 7-week Grinnell archaeology field study in AZ. She has fallen in love with Anthro & is thinking about double majoring in History. (I don't think any of us would have predicted those two subjects.) There were some roommate issues but she was on a great floor in a great dorm and they formed a fabulous community. She will be rooming next year with a dorm mate who has become very close. Wasn't going to swim and developed tendonitis - but became close to lots of members of the swim team - I think joining the team was the key thing to how quickly she felt comfortable on campus. She is thinking about doing a junior term at Grinnell in London but is torn as the school may consider reinstating an anthropology study abroad program in Africa. She got to see John Kerry speak just before school got out. Made Dean's List first semester and did really well with a heavy courseload second semester. Played club water polo - both on the men's team in the fall and women's in the spring. They just missed conference championship. She really likes Iowa - found a steakhouse in town where you choose your steak from a cooler & cook it yourself on a huge communal grill. Scariest moment - her first weekend there when she spent 5 hours in the ER with severe abdominal pain. (she ended up being fine.) We were touched & relieved by the loving and caring way her RA and RLC took care of her and kept us in the loop. All in all she is very happy with her choice of Grinnell and is amazed at the opportunities offered there.</p>

<p>DD2 graduated from HS last night and is heading to Knox in the fall - beside herself with excitement. She has had several boxes packed for weeks...</p>

42

<p>I'm not exactly an old-timer, but I've been here more than a year, so I'll report in.</p>

<p>When I joined last year, we were waiting to hear if S#1 would be appointed to the Air Force Academy. He was not. That turned out to be okay, as before he even knew about the USAFA, he had decided that he'd rather go to a state univ., Texas A&M, and have a more "normal" college life.</p>

<p>Well, it didn't turn out to be very normal at all. He is on ROTC scholarship and is a member of the Corps of Cadets at A&M. It's much like The Citadel or Virginia Military Institute, except that the Corps is only one part of a "regular" university. So, he was up early every morning, slamming his body against the hallway wall at attention and saying, "Sir! Yes, Sir!" a lot, among other indignities. He wore a uniform (perfectly pressed) to class every day.</p>

<p>Still, he had friends who weren't in the Corps, and he could sometimes escape on evenings and weekends to spend time with them. His classes went fine (like many others...he went from an A student in h.s. to a B student in college). We did have a scare with French. He sent me an email one day: "Mom, I'm going to talk to my advisor today. I'm dropping French because there's no way I'll pass the first test." This was a problem since he is an International Studies major. The advisor talked him down from the ledge and he ended up with a B in French.</p>

<p>Right now he is in Colorado attending a 3 week Air Force ROTC program for rising sophomores. They placed him in the legal office ("I can't tell you what I'm working on, Mom, because it's classified!"), and it's so much fun hearing him tell about his first "adult" job. On Monday, they fly out to Sheppard AF Base for "Jet Orientation". They will do altitude chamber, ejection seat training, and then go for a flight in a training jet. (And he was completely unsympathetic about my moans concerning his refusal to bring a camera.) When he comes home he'll be back to working in his "non-adult job" as a lifeguard on Beach Patrol at Galveston.</p>

<p>S#2 is a rising junior in h.s. and wants to study film in a "good" film school. So, I am hanging around here learning all about that.</p>

43

<p>S has finished his sophomore year at Columbia and, after a few weeks home, is back in NYC working. While he described his first year as "great", he describes his second as "some ups and downs but good." The downs included mono, a high drama off-again-on-again relationship, and the usual discomfort of wrestling with what he will do with his life. All age appropriate. He definitely is a young adult now (he owns two suits!) and not the kid who left. He is officially doing an econ-math major plus a concentration in physics. Columbia has pretty much lived up to its reputation in all aspects: He's enjoyed the reading and discussion in the core curriculum (even liked reading Kant); likes the city (especially the restaurants); finds the classes challenging and the students very smart and talented. The advising's hard to come by; and the student body rarely comes together because it splinters into a thousand interests, five hundred student clubs, dozens of ethnic groups, not to mention a whole city to play in on any given night. Bottom line is that he is still happy there. He seems to have made lots of friends and found his niches, leading one band and playing in another, playing intramural sports and a lot of squash. He joined a frat (!) where he's on the executive board. He will be living in the frat next year and, in spite of our outspoken concerns, I have to admit it has its attractions, not the least of which is that this will probably be his only chance to live in a brownstone on the Upper West Side. </p>

<p>This is his first whole summer away from home. Also age appropriate, but I was kinda hoping for one last stretch. He's cobbled together a part-time financial internship with work for three student-run businesses: bartending, tutoring, and a city guidebook (restaurant reviewing being the big perk). A number of his California friends who go to other colleges are either doing internships in the city this summer or wandering through, so he gets to show off his ability to get around. I wouldn't say he's a confirmed New Yorker yet, but he now talks so fast on the phone that he's hard to understand and complains when he's home about how few places are open after midnight.</p>

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<p>No doubt he will find a good career in NYC if he chooses. All my D's friends who went to college there ended up staying. Also great allure to those high starting salaries !</p>

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<p>
[quote]
All my D's friends who went to college there ended up staying.

[/quote]

That's what I'm afraid of!</p>

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<p>I grew up in Ca, went to college in north east, lived in NYC for a couple of years-- and HATED IT. Back in Ca now. Not everyone stays!</p>

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<p>Manhattan is amazing--until you have a five year old who needs a decent selection of primary schools and a bit more grass under his toes...</p>

48

<p>D just finished her second year at UChicago. She loves it there. My husband (her dad) is up there this weekend moving her into an apartment for the summer. She works part-time during the school year at the museum on campus and decided to keep the job over the summer. She was right all along -- Chicago was perfect for her.</p>

49

<p>D has finished first year at Barnard and has decided to take Econ with an Art History minor. She is also talking like a confirmed New Yorker (as in speed of speaking and in really liking the place). She had a tutoring job the first semester which was interesting and saw operas and musicals. Loved her first year. No entangling relationships yet or at least none that she has told us about. I spoke with her by phone while she was on her way to the airport to come home for summer, "Daddy, I already miss Manhattan."
Maybe we should get together with sac and some of the other parents who have lost a child to New York and buy a condo and set up a time-share.</p>

50

<p>Not sure if I'm an Oldtimer yet, but getting there. Lurked on CC 3 years ago during S2's application, and joined spring of that year. S2 is now a rising junior at Juilliard and missing it greatly during the summer. He's still seeking that perfect roommate. At this point, he's still seeking that perfect room as well, since he's waiting to hear from the lottery if he's even going to have a room next fall. He has amazed us with his transformation into responsible, articulate, professional student-musician, entirely at home in the big city. Has definitely found his fit.</p>

<p>mardad - count me in on the condo time-share!</p>

<p>S1, meanwhile, is a year out of Penn, enjoying a real job, real paycheck, and absolutely NO HOMEWORK. Living in DC, he is currently making up for his lost childhood.</p>

<p>We are bracing for the frenzy of next year as HS senior D begins the process.</p>

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<p>mardad -- You might really be on to something with the time-share! The only trouble is, we probably couldn't afford it until we're done paying Columbia tuition. </p>

<p>Since others are also posting news of older kids, I thought I'd add that my D, who graduated UCLA in art and has been working full time for three years while figuring out what to do next, will be heading back to school next month to earn a credential and Masters in elementary education. (She also won a Regents scholarship). Thought this might be reassuring news to those parents like myself who couldn't restrain themselves from thrusting all kinds of graduate school ideas at their children. They come to it in their own way on their own time.</p>

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<p>Hi BHG-
S#1 just finished his soph. yr (Rice) and is currently doing an internship with GE. He couldn't be happier. However, we've come to accept that he is, for all intents and purposes, "gone", off on his own, doing his own thing. Happy for him, sad for us.... He has, for now, remained in Houston, but I doubt he'll end up there permanently. However, I also doubt he'll feel the "pull" to come home. He'll go wherever the best opportunity (work or grad school) takes him. I suspect.
S#2 will head off to Duke for the TIP program in a few weeks. He is currently earning spending $ working at a local fast food joint. Just got his drivers license, and facing the realties of the price of gas!</p>

<p>Glad to see you back!</p>

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<p>Hi Jym, what was his major. Just curious. Time to save your pennies for visits and start some new hobbies too!</p>

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<p>D finished her freshmen year
@ Bryn Mawr on the Dean's
list. Worked the Homecoming
Weekend @ BMC over Memorial Day.
Has a job lined up for next year as
a tutor in the Writing Center, in addition
to playing basketball and working as a
Mary Kay Sales Counsultant.
This summer she is working several basketball
camps, Mary Kay Sales, working full time
as a legal assistant in a corporate law office
(wants to go to law school) & is in love,
has a boyfriend. I need an appointment
just to get in a hug.</p>

55

<p>Just wondering, how do you work several basketball camps AND work full time in a corperate law office during summer vacation?</p>

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<p>Hi bhg-
He's a Mech. Engineering major. He's working this summer in a research division of GE Energy on gasification (don't ask- I have know idea what it means, other than converting byproducts from fuel into gas... I think). At school this past year, he was busy running his res. College's part of something called "Beer Bike", an annual tradition (<a href="http://www.ruf.rice.edu/%7Eprogram/beerbike/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~program/beerbike/&lt;/a&gt;) and was elected to the Honor Court (Beer Bike and Honor Court have nothing to do with each other :) )</p>

<p>As for hobbies, maybe I should take up cloning- Proud2bherdad's dau sounds like there should be 3 of her!</p>

57

<p>D just finished her second year at U Chi. Couldn't be a better fit. Started out her first month working in a lab, and loves it. On track for an MD/PhD if she does not burn out first. Won a national level scholarship this past year and a Howard Hughes fellowship for this summer. Oh yea, took spanish for her language req. with no background (not many latinos in Boston, after all). After a few wobbles at first, got on track, has made A's for two years in it and plans to minor in Spanish. Has no intention of ever going back to Boston. </p>

<p>Anyway, the slightly geeky nature of UofC fits her perfectly. She loves the place and has made a lot of friends. This is all the more great because she was not "in the mainstream" in HS.</p>

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<p>My S#1 just finished up sophmore year at Yale...very happy there... major appears to be math/econ.....learning a lot...great roomates... coursework is challenging... it is evident to us that the kids all work hard and have to stay on task or else it starts to hurt pretty quickly. In fact, we have gone for 2 parents weekends...and mid-terms have been immediately after..so we will not go for parents weekend this fall. He would prefer we come after mid-terms...and frankly we are not opposed as it will be easier to get a room, a dinner reservation etc etc. </p>

<p>He did a couple of summer programs in HS so I knew he would take to a college environment quite easily....funny in retrospect how he did not have nor want a phone or an iPod before he started school 2 yrs ago .. and yet these were imperative by his first Thanksgiving (which was his first trip home) ... it didn't take him long to model the behavior of all around him.....his school computer is a laptop so even that became another apendage....not sure if girls are as electronically obsessed... fashion probably trumps electronics!!</p>

<p>In terms of summer jobs, he has worked 2 summers for a large insurance company and is doing the same again this summer for a different one.... the money has been great ... the work is dry...but he accepts it without pushback... it was longer getting confirmation of a job this summer....friends helped... I know I could not take an eating, sleeping machine 24/7..... he has played chauffeur for us a lot for S#2 and that is greatly appreciated. He has even begun to accept ownership for loading and emptying the dishwasher....which is a step up from doing it if asked!! Guess that Ivy education is paying off already!! </p>

<p>Son #2 is finishing freshman year in HS....done well....academically, athletically and socially....not sure how the search will fare for him, he jokes that he has his eye on a local college that is located about the area iParty store! We are trying hard not to set him up for a fall in 3 yrs... our mantra continues to be do your "best" at all times so you will have great choices.....</p>

<p>we went to a few HS graduation parties recently.....must admit that it is important to show real interest in each kid and their choice.... let them do the talking...my DH asked one gal why she chose the school she did, which is several states away (ALL the other kids at this one party seemed to have chosen Boston schools) and she paused and said, "I don't really know why I chose it.." That is a bit scary to see and hear.....so, we feel fortunate with S#1 and we remain hopeful for S#2......</p>

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<p>DD just finished freshman year at Univ. of Alabama in Huntsville (about 6 hours from home) studying Aero/Mech. with minor in Russian. Adjusted well, was on Dean's list both semesters, and active in clubs and student gov. Now back at school for summer session because she was accepted into NASA coop program and starts her first tour at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville this fall (her dream job, she has wanted to work for NASA since the 5th grade).</p>

60

<p>Hi backhandgrip,
Good question. Two of the camps
are scheduled Thursday to Sunday.
D misses one & a half days from the
law job and the other camp, she
takes a week of vacation from
work. Otherwise, she works 9 to 5
Monday to Friday.</p>

<p>jym626,
When you are successful in cloning
drop me a line. I just "might" be able
to get my hands on some of her DNA.
D always said she wish she had
a twin sister.</p>