We have COE orientation this week. For those that have gone, do you have any tips for those that are still going? For both students and parents, is there information we should be sure to ask/see or things we should make sure gets done?
Wow! One more month until welcome week!!!
We had a good time at orientation. State does things very well. Though it is sometimes overwhelming for the students… so much to take in, and lots of info. Your student will get their photo taken for their ID card and will pick that up… and probably meet with an advisor about their schedule. Parents have a menu of sessions you can choose to attend. You can overlap with your student at some points during the days. If you want to get anything in the bookstore, look in your materials for a discount coupon. I missed that till we got home! Our daughter stayed with me in a hotel rather than in a dorm room. You can park in the Coliseum deck and pay if you want to move your car. She’s our second kid there. She chose NC State over Carolina (didn’t yours as well?) We have kids at both places, and we’ve been very pleased with State. Have a good time!
@writered I’m not sure who is more overwhelmed right now…DS or myself! He’ll be staying in the dorm for the night. Is there anything we should bring, paper, pen, etc…? Or will they give us everything? I’m hoping for lots of paperwork/brochures! I’m a very tactile learner and just hold the materials and flipping back and forth helps cement it into my brain <3
My son did pick NCSU over Chapel Hill. It was a hard decision for him, but it just felt like the right fit for him when it came to Computer Science. If he’d decided to major in math (glancing thought), he probably would have chosen Chapel Hill…maybe. He really seems to love the vibe better at NCSU. Now if he can just get his schedule straightened out <3
Did you survive?
We got back last night. Since we were on kid 3 of 3 at NCSU, Mrs Decidesomehow and myself spent a fair amount of time generally just strolling around campus.
@DecideSomeHow we did survive! DS still does not have a full course load or the classes he needs…hoping to get off of some waitlists. I wish he could be on more than one waitlist for the same class. Just have to hope the one he gets on let’s him in. Oh, well. Fun of being a freshman 
The DH would have rathered more strolling about, but I dragged him to most sessions. We did skip a few. The last few things to worry about are getting his schedule straight, books (seems like most suggest waiting until class starts…but then how do I pay for them), figuring out how to put money on wolf card (that isn’t for dining dollars)…and paying. Waiting another day, to see if the meal plan gets added onto our bill.
I’ve stopped stressing over getting everything for his dorm. He’ll have everything he needs and I’m sure stuff that he doesn’t and anything else we can get as he needs it. I’ll take any excuse for a quick visit, even if it’s two minutes while he grabs something from the car
Besides, he and his roommate are both rediculous and haven’t contacted one another. I’m not going to buy curtains, a rug, etc… and find out they did as well.
Hopefully he won’t need a laptop at the last minute or I’ll hurt him. He says he checked the minimum specs and his is fine (two years old) & would rather wait another year until he’s taking more computer classes and then upgrade.
I had to literally LOL @ParentOf2022… My son received the name of his roommate over a month ago (staying in Gold Hall) and neither of them have contacted each other. We’re heading to Orientation on Monday and Tuesday (7/23-24). Luckily, my son got into the classes he wanted/needed. On one of the Admitted Students days, the head of the College of Sciences told everyone NOT to wait until Orientation before signing up for classes. My wife and son poured over dozens of schedule combinations and kept an eye on the portal until Open Enrollment began in early June. We were also lucky that the AP tests he took this year didn’t affect which classes he needed for this Fall.
A few random thoughts -
Really? S3 was locked out until he attended orientation (engineering). Now he can make changes.
We have the opposite problem. Between AP scores and community college credit (30 credits total), it’s been hard to find any typical “freshman” classes. Anyone with a similar issue that has found a reasonable solution?
We have never used it. S1 and S2 just used their debit card from their own bank account. We are all at the same bank, and I can put easily move money into the account for books, supplies, etc. They pay for “fun”.
Been there, done that. I did buy a rug for each of them that would cover half the room. No one wanted curtains, and there are blinds in the rooms (likely a guy thing - I can still hear them “but mom, the blinds block the light just fine”)
Probably fine, S3 has a desktop he built a couple years ago, and has no plans for a replacement. He may want a small/lightweight laptop to carry around, but is not in a hurry to get one.
Check Amazon. Seriously. They rent textbooks. And if you are Prime, the shipping both ways is free.
@gr8scott my son didn’t have a choice. We were told as a first year Engineering student, he had to wait until orientation to sign up. There was a registration hold on his account until his 2nd day of orientation, this past Wednesday. Which is nuts. He’s known what he needed/wanted for first semester and that didn’t change from attending orientation. What did change, were classes becoming unavailable.
Paying a heck of a lot of money for him to possibly (still hoping classes will open up) have to take GEP classes he has zero interest in (when there are others he does) just to be able to have a full course load. As it is, he only has 13 credits signed up. Other courses he needs (ENG 101) filled (have to hope and get off of the waitlist) then others, he needs prerequisites for.
Hopefully it will work out before classes start. But, as a parent I’m really not happy that they placed him in crazy time slots for some classes (which he’s stuck with, as there are no options open to switch into) & locked him out of being able to register for needed courses. With orientation in the 2nd half of July, options are/were slim.
He’s very practical & he’ll take GEP courses he doesn’t want as long as they fill requirements…though to go that route he’s looking at staying at 13 credits or going up to 17 credits if nothing opens up on the waitlist and he takes only what is open for enrollment. We were aiming for 15…be “ok” with 14 if he can get English…but 13 credits is low…17 credits seems high for a first semsester. I’m the one irritated, that he may have to do so. Ok, I’m done venting about it. It’s done and it will turn out however it turns out
Maybe it’s a boy thing? This non desire to know who they are going to live with for 9 months?mine says, they’ll have 9 months to like, tolerate, ignore, whatever each other once they get to school.
We did Orientation in June. Son is signed up for 15 hours. He’s WL for 1 class that he wants and will drop another one if he gets in.
LSFY was also told not to wait until Orientation. Was able to register June 4th. Seems to put the Engineering students at a disadvantage registering for many of the same (Math, Chem, etc) classes.
Agreed. They are definitely put at a disadvantage having to wait until after orientation. There is a hold placed onto their account, until 2nd day of orientation. I don’t understand it and there’s nothing we can do. We tried calling and getting an advisor to at least let him into ENG 101, when they didn’t pre-enroll him in the class, but were told that it’s done this way for a reason and it will work out after orientation.
As a parent, paying full cost for NCSU, I think that’s crap. When classes open up to register for freshman, then freshman should be allowed to register. Waiting an additional month or more while classes fill up is crazy.
Oh well, we just have to hope and pray that he gets into ENG 101 off of the waitlist (and you can only put your name on one ENG waitlist, & hope that is the one that gets an opening), even then he’ll only have 14 credits for the semester. Right now he has 13 credits. No good way to get 15 credits & 17 credits for a first semester, seems risky.
If we’d known how they would “pre-enroll” him and how hard it would be to get classes after orientation, he would have taken the summer start program(they let you register, then). He strongly considered it…hIs dad and I convinced him to take the summer off. He’s been non stop the past 5 years. We thought he deserved a break.
As much as I hate how this is working out for my sons schedule…I am REALLY glad that they don’t do this to all first year students and that others were able to get registered into classes they needed and wanted
@DecideSomeHow do you use pnc for your bank? $3.50 atm charge if not a pnc customer. Son does have his own checking and debit, but with a local bank from home. We may end up switching his account or opening up another…but it would be inconvenient for us to switch, so it would only be for him.
Yes, we do use Prime!
You got a half rug? For the middle of the room or just over to their side? Can i ask what size you went with? DS doesn’t think he wants a rug now. Because then he needs a way to vacuum it, rather than just being able to sweep…
I think the last thing I need to set up is a bus pass. I spaced and forgot to ask about it, while at orientation. Son said that he got some information in his sessions, so I’ll need to poke through his stuff.
Do you know if regular sized containers will fit inside the closets?
I think he’s planning to loft his bed and put the rest of the furnature under it. But, he wants to bring food stuffs and we want to make sure it stays good and sealed. The Lee and Sullivan dorms that were open had small cabinets instead of closets.
What are we down to 3 weeks? Oh, my!!!
Not PNC, but our bank will reimburse a few ATM fees per month up to $5. But generally, my guys are just about cashless, and I bet they only have 1 or 2 ATM trip per semester, if any.
For the rug, we got a 5x7 (or close to that) and just put it under the lofted bed with the desk on top of it. It’s nice to have carpet under your feet when sitting at the desk. If he does not want a rug, talk him into at least something to put under his feet at the desk. The floor, as I am told, does get cold.
There is some sort of pass that lets you ride the city buses. For the campus/wolf line, nothing is needed. Anyone can ride.
Not sure what size a “regular size” container is. S1 had one of the wide Sterilite 3 drawer units in his closet in Metcalf his freshman year.