<p>Every time I come to this thread, I think, oh yeah, reservations. So finally made one, for probably more days than needed, as who knows how the move out will go, and is across the country. The rates are about $10 more per night for the Friday and Sat of graduation, regardless of the type of hotel in this small west coast city. </p>
<p>As cancellation is easier, I use the hotel chain website rather than Expedia or the like. Who knows what I’ll want closer to the date. No problem with reserving this far in advance. </p>
<p>Yes, my D is spending her summer WOOFing in Europe, and I’m sure not thinking graduation.</p>
<p>I need some brief venting this morning. Maybe it’s my imagination, but people seem to be asking The Question pretty often this summer: “What does Geezerson plan to do after he graduates?” (Full disclosure: We live in a highly competitive environment, and the college questions, discussions, and judgments in 2007 and earlier nearly drove me nuts.) The truth is, I don’t know and neither does he. My standard answer is to list some of the things he’s considering, but that just leads to more questions. I think I’m going to change my tune and not be so specific, but just say that he has several possibilities in mind and will pursue them. Sure, I’m concerned about him finding a job, but so is he. And talking about it just makes me feel irritated and defensive. End of vent!</p>
<p>Gmom, you could try my approach. I explain his goal of writing fiction, and then I play out the scenario in which he makes a subsistence living while he tries his hand. I tell them I’m teaching him to cook and be a good houseguest. Essentially deflecting all the ambition stuff with as much humor as I can muster.</p>
<p>Alumother, humor is the way to go. Sometimes I say that we wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up as a pastry chef (cooking is a passion for him). Some people are way too intense–and, surprisingly, just as competitive as they were about college. By the way, I think your son should go for it! I wish I had the self-confidence to try fiction. I’m an editor and writer but have always written for others, not in my own real voice. But it’s never too late.</p>
<p>Thank you. Yes, I am supporting him, conceptually, in his plans. Financially, he’s going to have to support it himself. But those early years out of college so many people bang about trying to know what they want to do, why not try what is dear to your heart? I didn’t do it either, I was too scared. Writing now on my blog, I realize I could perhaps have made a go of it. But, as you say, it’s not too late and life is a gift no matter in what order these things happen.</p>
<p>Thanks for saying what I’ve been feeling Geezermom. S2 is a rising senior who has no clue what he wants to do with his life. When I tell people that I get a blank stare as if he’s the only kid they’ve ever met who didn’t have a “dream job”. I’m so tired of saying “he doesn’t know” and then feeling as if this is a huge failure on his part. His degree will be Criminal Justice but he is adamant that he doesn’t want to be a police officer. DH, the most practical, goal oriented person I know, is one of the worst offenders. He’s constantly saying that S2 should have a plan by now…ugh.</p>
<p>gmom & Packmom–yes, I have been experiencing some of this too. Some of it has taken the form of assuming our D will be doing amazing things upon graduation. I have no idea what she will be doing and she does not either. She thinks she wants chemistry, but who knows if she can get a job in that. She doesn’t know if she wants graduate school, etc. I keep feeling like saying “She will do what she does”.</p>
<p>My D also has no plans for what to do after graduation, as yet. I know that she will figure it out, and whatever it is will probably be a way station before whatever comes after that. I also know she will strive to be financially independent - so my view is that it’s her adventure to have. Luckily for me, all those competitive types from 2007-2008 seem to have disappeared in my neck of the woods. I think she worries about it more than I do, as her six closest friends all seem to have pretty concrete plans and she doesn’t.</p>
<p>hmm…wonder if the questioning about grads is regional, I’m in Florida, and noone asks any questions like that, especially a whole year ahead. how could anyone possibly know what they’re doing, in terms of a job, or frankly even in terms of grad school. maybe some ideas, but that’s all they are at this stage.</p>
<p>We haven’t been able to get hotel reservations yet, they said they don’t start selling until about 11 months in advance. we are on it because there are NOT a lot of hotels around her neck of the woods for graduation.</p>
<p>And she doesn’t have concrete plans in place either. She just changed majors last year and is getting closer to a passion. This summer is her first summer internship, she did work internships during the school year, but they were lab work types … Good for finding out that lab work was NOT her passion, and for enough $$ to buy a bike for herself for transportation this summer. Both she and her bro have TALKED about taking GRE’s this summer, but I see no action on that front from either. Thank goodness I can stay out of it, unlike the horror of the pressure of the SAT, SATII, AP, blah blah blah…</p>
<p>One good thing about D living off-campus in her own apartment: We don’t need hotel reservations for graduation! Of course, if there are grandparents or aunts/uncles who want to come up for graduation, they’ll need to get moving, but it shouldn’t be a problem - as DonnaL mentioned, Chicago is a big city.</p>
<p>Hello, although I see this is a parent’s thread, I thought this was the appropriate place to ask.
How do you make your parents allow you to go where YOU want to go?
The two universities in mind cost the same, just that one is 4 hours away versus 30 min, but is still pretty close.
Thanks!</p>
<p>myturnnow: It might be regional. It might also be the company I keep. And it’s also my own oversensitivity. This thread is providing some comfort.</p>
<p>I am from NY, and I can imagine how that might go geezermom…I think a helpful response is to simply say, so much to unfold before one can even know, I find when people ask they are really just waiting to tell you about their amazing story and are more interested in themselves and their kids anyway. so one could just smile and nod… ;)</p>
<p>DrMom-If you are a Hyatt Gold Passport member, I believe you can book a year in advance. Are you trying to stay in some place like Schaumburg or downtown? I just finished making our reservations for next May-all of the travel search sites showed no rooms available, so I called the hotel directly.</p>
<p>D3 needs to take the GRE sometime before November and is trying to decide whether to take the old or new test. She doesn’t have much time left to make the decision, since the new test kicks in on August 1st. There was some helpful discussion on the first few pages of this thread about the differences between the two tests - wondering if anyone has info or opinions to add?</p>
<p>I’ve always thought that GRE scoring is weird. When d1 took the SAT (no prep, January test during junior year), she scored a 790 verbal; but when she took the GRE 4 years later, her verbal score was only a 600. We were floored - she reads/writes all the time, crossword puzzle addict, great vocab. She explained that it’s more important to get the first questions right because they have a heavier impact on your score (instead of on a paper test, where the total score is what counts). I’m not sure I understand how it’s done, let alone the underlying reason …</p>
<p>I think d3 will take one of the free practice GREs on the ETS site and decide whether it’s better to take the old test sometime this month or spend more time prepping for the new test. What are your kids thinking?</p>
<p>Did your d1 take the computer based exam the both times? Or did she take the paper-version? Supposedly the interactive and adaptive computer-based exam can be harder to score well on if you choose any wrong answers within the first 20 or so questions since the program defaults to a lower challenge level and you have to work your way back up to a higher level of difficulty.</p>
<p>And if you think the scoring for the current GRE is weird—the new GRE scores on scale of 130-170.</p>
<p>If your d3 wants to save some $$ (and doesn’t mind being a guinea pig), GTS is offering the new GRE at a half price thru the end of Sept.</p>
<p>The new computer based exam has “improvements” that allow a student to go back and change answers to questions already answered (you couldn’t before on the computer-based exam) and skip questions (you couldn’t before). There will be an on-screen calculator to use for the quantitative section (before you had scratch paper but calculator use wasn’t allowed).</p>
<p>I guess the big question is when she’ll need her test scores. If she takes the new GRE, the earliest scores will be available is mid-November.</p>
<p>My D1 is taking a prep class right now for the new GRE. (It was a free perk as part of her summer internship.) She’s registered for the a mid-Sept test date.</p>
<p>The basic changes are:</p>
<p>In math, less mental math, more data analysis</p>
<p>In verbal, analogies and antonyms are gone, more reading selections and sentence completions.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, WOWM! Yes, d1 did take the computer-based version when she took the GRE and was stymied by the inability to go back and make corrections/skip questions. (Who thought that was a good idea?) When she took the SAT, it was of course the paper version. I realize that someone who scores at the 99th-plus percentile on one section of the SAT won’t necessarily do as well on the same section of the GRE - I was just thinking that the test’s limitations seemed peculiar. Nbd now, thankfully - she’d needed a strong quant score for her field, got it, and is well-launched. But it gave me pause for d3 who is not as verbal. If the new test allows going back to check one’s work, that’s certainly a point in its favor at our house.</p>
But it gave me pause for d3 who is not as verbal. If the new test allows going back to check one’s work, that’s certainly a point in its favor at our house.</p>