<p>If there are any parents out there and reading, I'd love to meet you! :)</p>
<p>So she decided to attend. I hope she loves it as much as my dd.</p>
<p>She did and I hope she loves it also. So glad your dd had a wonderful experience there!</p>
<p>Hi vandy & Mom of 3, DD did accept admission & is very excited about the fall. I am concerned about the situation with an interim president & lower enrollment, but she is unfazed. What are your thoughts?</p>
<p>I will admit, I didn’t LOVE seeing all the news about St Mary’s all over the papers and it did cause me some concern. But it seems that Urgo was quite unpopular and had made some changes that did not sit well with many associated with the school, from faculty to current students to alums. </p>
<p>I finally decided, after some time spent fretting, that I have yet to meet a student who attended (or attends) St Mary’s who didn’t love it. The academics have an excellent reputation across the board. I’m going to have faith in that and keep my eyes wide open.</p>
<p>My kids attended our public elementary school. The school was very good academically but the principal was weak. Fortunately, the teachers and community were so invested in its success that the school was good regardless. I am hoping for the same result and also hoping that they will find a new president who can straighten out some of these other problems.</p>
<p>Did you daughter join the FB page for the class, Treehuggymom?</p>
<p>Vandy,
Thanks for your positive thoughts about the small state of turmoil at SMCM. We too are hoping that the things that drew DD to SMCM will continue to exist regardless of these issues. The budget cuts are worrisome, but I do believe the student shortfall is a blip due to miscalculations after going to the Common App & hopefully all will be back in line soon.</p>
<p>It’s funny that you ask about facebook. Believe it or not, I have the only 18-year-old in North America who doesn’t embrace facebook as a means of communication. (I have actually resorted to pressuring her to join - that’s just wrong on so many levels!!) Anyway, in a word, no, she hasn’t joined. I am concerned that she may be missing out on making some early contacts & also pertinent info. She feels it’s SMCM’s responsibility to update the Portal with any info she needs, which is true, so she isn’t worried.</p>
<p>Here’s a curiosity for you…We are out of state, so my daughter plans to have a car on campus. When she went on the Portal yesterday to apply for parking, the online application seemed to have her dorm listed on it (building initials anyway, so it wasn’t rocket science deciphering it). I know housing is not supposed to be finalized at this point, but it would seem this might be a way for you/your daughter to see what dorm she will quite possibly be assigned to, if you are curious at all.</p>
<p>Thanks again for your response!</p>
<p>Treehuggy-</p>
<p>Ooh, I’m jealous that your daughter knows her dorm! Was it the one she wanted? We logged on to my D’s portal but didn’t see anything. On the financial page, it shows that she’s in a double but that’s it. She’s hoping for Queen Anne. Did your D get the super cute towel in the mail yet? Loved that. Made her happy! :)</p>
<p>Do you know when they post dorm room/ room mate information?</p>
<p>Vandy,
Here’s how we discovered D’s probable dorm assignment: We signed into the Portal & from the “My Student Account” page, we selected the parking permit application (you can do this w/o actually applying). The application showed my daughter’s name, DOB, & building initials. The initials were QA, presumably Queen Anne, which was not what my daughter was hoping for as she had requested co-ed. She is happy now though, remembering how lovely the high ceilings are, the baby grand piano in the lounge, and the views from the balcony. She also is interested in vegetarianism & is thrilled about the veggie co-op in the kitchen in QA. I think official room assignments & roommate info will come toward the end of this month.</p>
<p>The towel did come! Nice little treat. D is starting to feel like it’s real, but also admits she doesn’t really want to deal with getting prepared. She is not a shopper & doesn’t look forward to setting up house, so to speak.</p>
<p>Do you feel like the class’ Facebook page is a good source of info for your daughter? I am still encouraging D’s joining FB to get in the loop. Her cousins assure me that the vast majority of communication at school will take place via facebook, ie meetings, class info or changes, & social stuff. Her one cousin has a very similar mindset & advised me that D just has to accept this is something she needs to do for these college years.</p>
<p>Do you all live close by to SMCM? We are about 4 -4 1/2 hrs away, depending on traffic around Baltimore & DC. I hope DD’s roommate will be staying on weekends. We were assured at the open houses that, even though the vast majority of students are MD residents, most stay for weekends as there is so much going on. Hopefully that’s the case!</p>
<p>TreehuggyMom- Sending you a private message! :)</p>
<p>Forgot to address the FB group- I think it is a good idea to join. The Orientation Leaders are on there, so the kids get a chance to get to know them a bit before they get there, plus reminders are disseminated that way about things to come, helpful hints, the kids can ask questions etc. Seems worth joining. :)</p>
<p>Vandy,
Got your private message, but apparently I don’t have enough posts on CC to be allowed to reply(?). Sorry, I don’t want you to think I am being rude.</p>
<p>Glad to hear that your D got her first choice of QA. I hope I haven’t mislead you & that these are in fact the actual building assignments! I had heard that QA is not a/c-ed. When we saw it last summer, the window units were in place for students staying on campus for the summer, so it was nice & cool. The tour guide then mentioned that the units are removed before the start of classes, which got some negative reactions from the group. D says she will be fine, but this is coming from a child who has never been without a/c in her life! I wasn’t concerned about getting a doctor’s order for a/c as I thought she would end up in one of the other dorms & also wasn’t sure how strict the “medical necessity” policy is. D does have spring seasonal allergies, so I hope she won’t be too miserable come April. Here at home she opens her windows at night in the springtime anyway as she loves the breeze and then she just suffers with the consequences.</p>
<p>It’s nice that your D has a couple of friends joining her at SMCM. D is the only person from our area attending. She is a bit of an introvert, so I hope she will hook up with some more social kids to get the ball rolling. I think I will try to convince D of the benefits of the FB page one more time, as it can only help her to make some contacts & to keep up on things.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>I am actually an out of state student who ended up leaving St. Mary’s after one year. I know one other student, also out of state (out of region as well, like myself) who was in a similar position, since we’re bizarrely transferring to the same school. That being said, I don’t hate St. Mary’s and will miss it in many ways. I would be happy to answer any questions. Some things are misconceptions. </p>
<p>As for what has come up, QA get really hot, but if you get a doctors note for allergies (even if they are fake allergies), you can get a window unit. In addition, campus is dead quiet on the weekends during the day for the most part. Most weekend nights have parties on north campus, but if you wake up at 11am and walk over to get brunch, you may see 5 other people. This is especially so during the winter. Nice days people will sit outside on the patio and hang out, which makes the campus seem very lively. Especially on tour days – one big admitted students day there was so much going on (I believe free stuff being given out on the patio) so there were people EVERYWHERE. It made the campus seem awesome and bustling with activity, but it was kind of a once in a blue moon thing. The stretches of cold days, especially, people tend to stay inside and makes the campus seem very, very quiet. My impression is that a lot of people DO go home for the weekends.</p>
<p>Allfloaton,
What was the major factor in your decision to leave SMCM? Was it too quiet/isolated for you or were there other reasons? My daughter is very reserved & an only child, so what you are describing about the weekends will probably suit her. However, I am concerned about there not being too many kids that stay on weekends, as we are out-of state as well.</p>
<p>BTW-what misconceptions are you referring to?</p>
<p>TreehuggyMom, </p>
<p>This school is not for anyone that doesn’t now love it isolated location. My dd, who will be a junior, loves the location. My dd is also an introvert, so like yours, it is harder for them to open up to new people. We are in state but about 2 hours from St Mary’s. Dd only comes home for reading days and holidays for the most part. I would say that close to 70% to 80% of the students stay on campus during the weekends. Although, freshmen year her roommates went home more weekends than they did this past year. Dd personally liked having the room to herself for the weekend, so it could go both ways. </p>
<p>Kids this age are more welcoming and so most people will find someone to hang with. I would advised dd to leave her dorm door open as much of she can possibly handle, and she should go to all the new get together activities to help brake the ice. </p>
<p>Although the school is small, and there are less people to get to know, there is a good chance that dd will become more close to the people she does meet. </p>
<p>Dd loves the interaction between the faculty and the students. We are hopeful too that the school will rebound from the past president and things will get better going forward. I am also happy to see the last dean of students is gone. No one person makes an institution.</p>
<p>Mom of 3, thanks for the reply! Our dd’s sound very similar. I had been thinking mine wouldn’t necessarily mind if her roommate went home for the weekend on occasion. I do hope she is able to meet some people to ease the transition & have some friends to eat & hang out with. I am not concerned about the location since that is part of the appeal for my dd & she has been happy after every visit. Her meeting with the dean of advising in late July went very well & we came home feeling like she is officially on her way.</p>
<p>We are not familiar with exactly what changes Pres Urgo was trying to make, but are hopeful that things will only improve from here. DD is unphased about such matters & focuses more on the prospect of small classes & (hopefully) engaged students.</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>Hello!</p>
<p>We are almost at the start of the school year. The 29th is rapidly approaching. Eeeek!</p>
<p>Have you gone shopping for your D, TreehuggyMom? Does she feel ready and prepared. My D is definitely nervous. Bless her heart. </p>
<p>Is your D all signed up for classes too? How about books?</p>
<p>Don’t forget to buy a fan if your dorm does not have air conditioning. Buy lots of those command hooks too. They come in handy to hang purses, jackets and towels. You can not have enough hangers. Also, get them a little tool kit and sewing kit, if you come by one soon. We buy a Vera Bradley ID, cell phone and keys holder every year. Also get a little dry erase board to post messages on the door. It is an ice breaker for the students. Flash lights come in handy at night. Also, this is a bike school. Lots of students have bikes. They even have a bike doctor on site. Don’t take an expensive bike and get a very good lock for the bike. Bikes have a tendency to get permanently borrowed and are found in the lake.</p>
<p>Momof3- Thanks for all these great ideas and tips! I will definitely be putting them to good use! :)</p>
<p>It’s almost time.</p>
<p>TreeHuggyMom-</p>
<p>How’s your D doing at St. Mary’s? Is she happy? Liking it?</p>