<p>Any other parents out there with first year students at orientation this week? Our daughter has been so busy, we have hardly heard from her! We did get one phone call and a few short text messages. She is completely in love with Swarthmore! This week has been an amazing experience for her. She says the other kids are so nice - like she has known them all her life. I am very impressed with all the thought and energy that goes into planning orientation week. She got her schedule finalized and is thrilled to get her first choice fys. </p>
<p>Any other parents want to share their child's experience for orientation week?</p>
<p>Great news. It's exactly what you want to hear, isn't it?</p>
<p>We got exactly the same four years ago, almost word for word. The quote was, "these are the coolest people ever. I feel like I've known them all my life...."</p>
<p>Our daughter is also loving Swarthmore and the kids that she has met. She was fortunate to be one of the 30 chosen from Swat for Tri-Co and says that she feels that she will remain friends with some of those kids for the rest of her life. This is also something that I heard from one of the Deans during orientation after he heard that she had been to Tri-Co. If your daughter did not do Tri-Co, and has the opportunity to do the Winter Institute version, I would recommend it. There were students from all walks of life, race, gender orientation and religious backgrounds. Although the winter institute is not as intense as the summer program, it is my understanding that it is still a most rewarding experience.</p>
<p>On a personal level, having been in academia for over 20 years of my professional life, I was impressed with the manner in which the school has run orientation and the care that has gone into making the new students feel welcomed. Like your daughter, mine has not talked for very long, although she has called every day because one of the grandmas has been in the hospital and she calls to check on her status. From those brief calls I have been able to confirm that the school is a very good fit. </p>
<p>She is ecstatic with the finalized schedule but had a bumpy and frustrating start with no FYS this semester after being lotteried out of her first choice FYS (the one your daughter has!), closed out of her FYS alternates and another class, as well. In the end it worked out for the best because she managed a schedule of courses more in synch with her interests so she is very happy and there is always next semester for other FYSs and years of exploration of other areas.</p>
<p>Who knows? Maybe your D and mine have met each other!</p>
<p>dramatica,
No, my daughter was not able to attend the tri-co, but has already said she wants to this winter. Yes, possibly they already know each other. Which dorm is your daughter in? Mine is in Mertz. She says everyone is AMAZING! If your daughter mentions meeting a bubbly girl who sings spontaneously and often, and loves musical theatre - it could very well be my daughter. (needless to say, it has been very quiet around here this week) She also was lotteried out of one of her fys choices, but in the end is thrilled with her final schedule.</p>
<p>D is in Willets. If your d is into MT they will most certainly meet, and may even have some classes together already, since my d will most probably be a Theater major. (D has been in magnet performing schools since sixth grade and has attended summer theater programs at NYU and Yale among others.) - - She is taking Acting I and World of Japanese Drama this semester. Is your D taking any theater related courses?</p>
<p>Yes. She is taking whatever is the first course in the theatre department. Those programs must have been wonderful for your daughter. Mine just went to a regular high school (not magnet), where she participated in all the shows and drama classes while she was a student. She has done a bit of community theatre and a few summer camps, but nothing on the caliber of NYU or Yale. I am sure our girls will meet considering their love of MT.</p>
<p>Hi Swatmom - my experience has been similar to yours! Daughter has been so excited and just loving Swarthmore! She seems to be making some new friends and enjoying her new found freedom! Part of me wishes though that she would miss me...oh just a little bit! LOL!</p>
<p>Well, as interesteddad said: it is all great news. It's better than the alternative which would cause sleepless nights!</p>
<p>@Dramatica - D also attended Tri-Co and had a great time. She made some great new friends from the other colleges and actually she and some other Swarthmore students paid a visit to the friends they made at Bryn Mawr. </p>
<p>As far as academics: D's schedule is finalized and she got her 2nd choice fys - but what I am really amazed at is that she chose to start all her classes at 8:30am LOL!! So far the work load is not as heavy as her high school but I have cautioned her not to take too much for granted...it is , afterall, just week two. </p>
<p>I must say, though, all in all, Swarthmore has truly been afit for our daughter and for our family. My daughter's HS college guidance counselor know what she was talking about when she recommended the school to us!</p>
<p>Isn't it fantastic that they are so happy there? ! My daughter told me the other day that she just can't believe that she has only known these kids for 2 weeks. She also loves her classes. Tonight, she is going to Philly with her theatre class to see a play. She is so excited. And for all we heard about the food not being good - she says it is delicious! Go figure - and she is my picky one! I am especially impressed with the way housing matched the kids. My daughter adores her roommate and her hallmates. They have all bonded amazingly well. I am thrilled for her, but I must admit, I too wish she missed me just a little more.</p>
<p>Swatmom, I have a feeling that I know your daughter! The person I'm thinking of really loves theater too and seems to be very enthusiastic about everything. About the food being good--I think the food is quite good too, but I don't like how it gets repetitive quickly. I try to have a different kind of food every day, so that I don't get bored. They always have fries and soup and salad. Maybe one day I'll have fries, the next day I'll have soup, and the next day salad, rather than having fries every day. Although I have to say that they don't have too many healthy vegetables besides salad. </p>
<p>Joix: That's curious, because all of my classes start at 8:30 too! And the work that I have isn't too bad either, but I think it loads up especially after you do a few extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>D is still loving her classes and specially the kids she has befriended, managed to drop one of her classes and get into a FYS after the dust settled, but the food reports that I am getting are quite negative. (No good vegetables, bad chicken) There is only one cafeteria, right? ???!!!!</p>
<p>Oh well, I suffered through lousy food in college, graduate school and law school and survived, so I guess that she will too!</p>
<p>i have lost about ten pounds since i got here for orientation. it's because i can't force myself to eat enough sharples food to keep healthy. this is a really bad situation for me. i've always been a joyous eater: four course meals, two full plates at the dinner table, etc. but here i'm like, borderline eating disorder already.
i met the sharples kitchen staff and i think i'm going to be working with them on improving the food. it's horrendous; the only good thing i have had here is dessert.<br>
if anyone wants to know any specifics on sharples food, i'll be glad to answer questions...</p>
<p>Well, I think your saying that the food is horrendous is due to your past four course meals and two full plates! My goodness, in my family we didn't have four courses! I still don't even know what the four courses are. We usually had rice, some kind of meat, vegetables, and maybe fish. That's sort of similar to what we have at Sharples. So I probably don't find the food as lousy as you do.</p>
<p>I spent yesterday at Swat and had a great/bad experience at Sharples.</p>
<p>For one thing, I was going to pay for my meal and a stranger gave me one of their meals (scanned me in with their card), which was amazing. The swattie who I was eating with didn't know how many meals he had left.</p>
<p>Aaaanywhooo, food not amazing. Noodles/veggie thing that I ate was pretty good, but the rice was sort of icky and so was the so-called amazing cake. Salad bar looked good, should have gotten some salad. I'm definitely not used to four course meals, but Sharples isn't particularly amazing... But it was free and I went there willingly instead of a BMC dining hall, so I shouldn't really complain. Some people really love Sharples.</p>
<p>dchow: at restaurants, I tend to do four courses. not at home. that's where i do two full plates. sorry, that wasn't clear. if only i had fancy-schmancy dinners at home. alas, they are generally only fresh and well-prepared (which Sharples food is not). i wouldn't call them fancy.</p>
<p>brillar: you know people who love Sharples? they must not be Swarthmore students. all i know are people who love to complain about Sharples.</p>
<p>personal Sharples update: for the past several days, I've been clearing my plate at meals. i even got seconds one day. apparently if you get hungry enough, Sharples food will suffice. it may not be ENJOYABLE, but i guess no one will die of starvation.</p>
<p>oh and by the way, if anyone's going to visit Swat and doesn't want to spend $7.50 on a meal, I'll be more than happy to let you swipe off my card. I ate one meal a day for the past two and a half weeks. I'm going to have lots of leftover meals at the end of the year. feel free to pm me to take me up on this offer. i love specs/visitors.</p>