<p>rowan!!--you were one of my favorites, I'm so glad to "see" you here! Congratulations on your journey past and future. </p>
<p>S's story still being writ....will post later.....somewhere among the many threads I guess....the four years flew by though, that much I know. It truly feels like a few weeks ago that they were moving into their freshman dorms.</p>
<p>college confidential played a huge part in making correct choices to get my s
where he is today...it also played a huge part in keeping me sane during
my first empty nest years..I thank you all for contributing to this wealth
of college knowledge</p>
<p>my s came from space coast florida where there is little talk of going anywhere but u of f at gainesville or fsu of tallahassee. this was due to
2 powerful lures to these schools..the success of the sports teams and
the bright futures scholarship which gave free tuition in state,i was doubted
my many friends for wanting my s to go north and taking on huge loans..thank goodness it all worked out
and much credit to college confidential for guiding us through admissions,travel abroad, internships and job hunt...</p>
<p>my s did early admission to dartmouth, overseas study in france, internships
in financial fields in chicago, seattle and new york,,,and from table top
meetings to interviews on campus to interviews in chicago landed a job
with one of the top 3 consulting companies..our family has no one
involved in business, finance etc so all of this was new to us</p>
<p>thank you college confidential</p>
<p>1sokkermom,</p>
<p>As a veteran who graduated college and was commissioned during the viet nam war, I can understand your anxiety. (Fortunately, I just missed going to 'nam), but you should also consider what a wonderful learning and growth experience it will be. I was not ready for grad school (indeed, not ready for much of anything) when I received my BS, so 4 years of maturation, thinking, and experiences in active duty were invaluable to me. And I think that is true of many that served. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you and your son!</p>
<p>My daughter entered Dickinson College 4 years ago last Fall and transferred to the University of Maryland (CP) the following semester. Despite the fact that we, the parents, loved Dickinson, and that she got good merit scholarship $ there, she hated it. So there were some lessons learned all around. However, she has apparently been a good fit with U of Md (in spite of its huge population). She will graduate Summa Cum Laude tomorrow, with a degree in Geography. In addition, she will be taking a position with the Census Bureau as a Cartographer. This was best offer she got, out of several. This D, being practical as I am, choose a major that was marketable (esp. with a minor in GIS), at least in the Washington area. We are very proud of her and her accomplishments. Our younger D starts at the U of Md in the Fall.</p>
<p>CLdad,</p>
<p>Very nice story! SCL is not bad at all...</p>
<p>OK. I guess I should chime in. It's hard to say much for small college kids without "outing" them completely. So, I'll just run down the checklist:</p>
<p>1) Graduating from Swarthmore with a major in something, a minor in something else, and maybe another minor in a third thing -- I can't remember. CHECK.</p>
<p>2) Townhouse in D.C. already rented with other alums (various years). CHECK.</p>
<p>3) Starts new job with established (50 years) advocacy/lobby non-profit two days after graduation. CHECK.</p>
<p>4) Health and dental insurance 100% employer paid. CHECK.</p>
<p>What more can a parent ask?</p>
<p>thanks newmassdad. It will be a new adventure. (It may actually influence who I vote for. ;)</p>
<p>interesteddad, congrats to your daughter ! (Can you believe it has been four years? ) I might need your help with child #2.......</p>
<p>Interesteddad - all good! (Health and Dental - icing on the cake!!!)</p>
<p>
[quote]
Health and Dental - icing on the cake!!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That's the cake. Everything else is icing. Have you priced COBRA policies for the little darlin's? Yeowwww.</p>
<p>^sad, but true...</p>
<p>S graduating Phi Beta Kappa UChicago in Math in couple weeks. After planning to attend Grad School reversed himself two weeks prior to start of senior year and will be starting in the investment world this fall. Loved Chicago was perfect fit. Has girlfriend and seems very happy and excited to begin new career. I have enjoyed following stories of others including New Mass Dad. Congrats to all.</p>
<p>He finished ms grad school in december. Completed overseas internship. Now traveling in Europe visiting school chums on his way home. He is so tired that he doesn't want to go to Italy even though he is currently in Switzerland. Refuses to get a job in his first major which he can get do very well; So he is taking another temp/internship for the summer that he is only lukewarm to but close to home and with partial expenses and pay. The brat, is thumbing his way back home across the Atlantic-he will probably get a ride too..</p>
<p>Ok, I'm posting for the rest of us parents whose DS/DD did not graduate cum anything, and has no job waiting for him/her. My DS did not apply to grad school because he wanted a year off to work. However, he is still unemployed. So the short term plan in the meantime is to study for the GRE and do some volunteer work.
I suggested the Peace Corps to him, which he says he has thought about. I think the 3 years (1 for the app. process and two years actually working) commitment seems a bit daunting to him. I believe that by then he'll be 24, and know better what he wants to do. He's probably thinking that by then he'll be 24 and an old man :)</p>
<p>I'm guessing that the majority of college students wait 'til after graduation to find employment, deciding where they want to live, then moving there and job hunting. That's how my wife and I did both did it.</p>
<p>It is tough to job hunt while still an undergrad. My d started sending out a few resumes in the spring. As she realized it was very hard to interview in NYC or DC while she was still upstate NY, she pretty much stopped sending out resumes- except for 2 jobs that sounded particularly interesting. She made the time to do 2 interviews between final week and graduation. As she had no final exams and only had to complete some papers, her schedule was pretty flexible.<br>
Luckily, one of those jobs came through. She'll be working for a labor union in NYC. Though she'll be close to home, she is already thinking of getting an apartment with some college friends.</p>
<p>I think all the 2008 Grads need a bit of time to adjust to "life after college". So hopefully, with a bit of time and patience our kids can move onto the next phase of life.</p>
<pre><code> --one down, one to go--
</code></pre>
<p>Grasslands, </p>
<p>Will you be at commencement? You seem to have PM turned off so I can't ping you....</p>
<p>Son just graduated from Pomona, is traveling cross country to his new job, wants to work for 1 yr before grad school AND we are a wreck. He is currently driving in Nebraska and trying to stay between the storms and tornado warnings driving on 80. I'll be glad when this night is over!</p>
<p>D just graduated from Smith summa cum laude & PKB in Math & Government and starts a job in D.C. as a research assistant for a non-profit NGO for the next couple of years. After which graduate school or law school. She has officially entered the Bridesmaid Zone.</p>
<p>Great to hear from you, TheDad, and to hear how well your D ended her college career. As for the Bridesmaid Zone, you should watch the movie 27 Dresses!</p>
<p>TheDad</p>
<p>What is PKB?</p>