Parents of the HS Class of 2010 and college years beyond (Part 1)

Parents Forum Class of 20xx Community
2381

<p>Good morning!</p>

<p>It looks like a lovely day here, and feels a little less humid - finally!</p>

<p>Welcome back, mdemvizi. Glad you liked your brother’s new wife. </p>

<p>GSharp and Jackief - thanks for posting your updated lists. :)</p>

<p>Mablab - sorry to hear about your D’s change of heart regarding schools. What a big decision for all of you! No advice, but lots of hugs. </p>

<p>CalDancer - you seem very organized, and I’m sure you’ll get what you need for school in plenty of time. </p>

<p>So much else I wanted to say, but so little time…</p>

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<p>Gsharp and RobinSue, My son is basically laughing about the dorm assignment, it reminds him of freshman year at boarding school, small rooms, haven’t been updated in forever, maybe even stinky! He had the time of his life in those dorms, he even went back as a prefect his junior year. His senior year prefect assignment was palatial in comparison! He knew he was going back down the housing ladder this year. As a family we have a sense of humor about these things, nothing is going to be as nice as the room at home your decorator mom did for you! Well maybe some of the hotels our little prince has stayed in.</p>

<p>Mablab, I am so sorry for your stress. S’s freshman year HS roommate was terribly homesick. His mom didn’t want to let S know, I think she worried homesickness was contagious! Our “ice man” claimed to have not one minute of homesickness. I think he was chewing his own arm off to get out of the house and test some relative independence! I know you can’t help but worry, I would too. It will probably be okay. They all handle separation differently. Deep breaths and crossed fingers for a happy transition.</p>

2383

<p>Good morning! :)</p>

<p>acm, I’m heading out for the Girls from Ames right away. I’d like to read it on our upcoming vacation. </p>

<p>mablab54 - {{hugs}} to you as you help your D through her apprehensions. </p>

<p>Lafalum - That camping trip sounds like fun. Good luck with whichever home improvement project you choose. </p>

<p>As always, thanks to our list-minders for keeping us up-to-date with all 129(!) of us. </p>

<p>H’s cousin died on Saturday. 40 years old. Alcoholism. Her liver just gave up. No husband, no kids. She lost her job (and insurance) about 4 years ago because all her short term memory brain cells had been killed. She’s lived dependent on her 78-yo mom and in-and-out of hospitals ever since. We’ll be heading to Princeton (the town) for a service in the next few days.</p>

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<p>DB, I am sorry to hear about your H’s cousin. What a terrible waste, that poor woman.</p>

<p>I just found out a friend died yesterday. She was a 41 year old mother of 3, and has been battling breast cancer a long time. She was diagnosed 12 years ago while pregnant with her third child. Beautiful inside and out. I am devastated.</p>

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<p>anothercrazymom - sorry about your friend. Breast cancer seems to particularly ruthless when it occurs in younger women. My BF from HS was diagnosed when she was pregnant with her first child at 23 and died 9 years later.</p>

<p>Mablab - it really does sound like your daughter has a case of nerves. Sorry - that is so hard to deal with - went through it with son for years every time he went to summer camp or any organized activity for that matter. Once he got there he was fine but the anticipation about going away always caused him (and me - because of his whining) a lot of stress.</p>

<p>If it makes you feel any better - my youngest brother (who turns 26 today) literally cried and begged my mother not to leave him at college the day they dropped him off. He ended up loving his school, did great…7 years later he’s married and has a wonderful job. She (and you) will get through it. It’s a tough time for a lot of kids (and their parents) right now. Hang in there. I suspect we would be in a similar situation except for the fact that son is rooming with his BF (who is a very outgoing kid - the polar opposite of my son). Son is so anxious to be on his own, he’s practically dancing with glee at the mere mention of college but he’s acting out in other ways. </p>

<p>Am starting to group son’s stuff into piles and am realizing there are a few thing missing - nothing big. I was in Target Saturday and the place was jammed with people buying dorm stuff (school starts here in the south in the next 2-3 weeks). I’m trying to stick to the ‘less is more’ principle. When I look at some of the lists of ‘things to bring to college’ it’s overwhelming - seems like we would need to rent a U-Haul!</p>

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<p>DougBetsy-very sorry to hear about your H’s cousin. Such a tragedy to be sucked in by alcoholism and never be able to get “out from under.” :(</p>

<p>anothercm-also sorry to hear about breast cancer taking the life of your beautiful friend. Hugs to you and prayers to her family.</p>

2387

<p>Good morning all….</p>

<p>Thanks to ML and GSharp for the updated lists! </p>

<p>RobD: Your trip with your girls sounds wonderful! Enjoy the Yankees and Michael Symon’s restaurant (love them both!) And the Elvis exhibit?..Sounds like a fabulous time. :)</p>

<p>Psychmom: Thanks for your good wishes. D had a fabulous weekend! She is also still rather laid back about the shopping overall. We may get to BB&B this week. We’ll see!</p>

<p>ML: Your camping trip with your H sounds great. Hope your S is enjoying his time in the Big Apple!</p>

<p>Kajon: All the best to your S’s baseball team in the tournament. Even though he can’t participate, it’s nice that he can share in the excitement and honor. Best to your younger S with his college apps! Think of how much more experience you have now to guide him. ;)</p>

<p>YDS: I also like the comforter set…Nice and sleek! Hope your S likes it, especially if it’s on sale!</p>

<p>Acm and Austin: Thanks for the smiles re: “stalker dog.”</p>

<p>Lafalum: Enjoy your time with H with the kids away….whether you paint or just relax!</p>

<p>Mdemvizi: Welcome home! I’m glad your visit with your brother and his wife went well. It does sound like everything is “going to be okay.” :)</p>

<p>Mablab: Sorry to hear about your D’s anxiety regarding her school choice and leaving home. You’ve gotten some great advice here….I have nothing to add but support and good wishes for her transition, even if there are bumps along the way. Change is not easy. With your faith and support, I’m sure she will be okay.</p>

<p>Acm and DougBetsey: Sorry to hear about your losses. HUGS to you both and prayers for family and friends.</p>

<p>Austinmt: Thinking of you and your mom today. Hoping for a positive prognosis.</p>

<p>BlessedTwice: Just waving! ;)</p>

<p>Momof3: Waving as well! </p>

<p>Wishing all a good Monday.</p>

<p>Staying :cool:</p>

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<p>ML - Thanks for the updated list. I noticed that you lost WhirledPeas, though. [Please, no one ask what nerdy tendency caused me to notice that].</p>

<p>mablab - I am sure that your D’s apprehension is a very difficult thing to deal with, even if it is pretty typical. {{{hugs}}} to you. Feel free to vent and/or seek advice here.</p>

<p>mdemvizi - so glad to hear that you liked you new SIL and that you can see how much in love the happy couple are. I know it was a surprise, but this news makes it into a good surprise. Best of luck to them!!</p>

<p>DB and ACM - so sorry to hear of your losses.</p>

<p>Still making tiny steps of progress on our lists, nothing dramatic. Then again, we still have a ways to go, we leave September 5 for move-in on September 7.</p>

<p>Stay :cool:, everyone.</p>

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<p>mablab, I lived in and around NYC for 28 years. My first year college room mate was an URM from Harlem, so I have had a lot of experiences with ppl in New York. Tell your D do not have to worry about the first impression. She will get used to this Very Urban life and she will love it soon. Especially since she is going to be near the Village, the artistical inference is going to be overwhelming. However, it does take a month or so to get use to it. My niece is in her third year there and she loves it.</p>

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<p>DB and acm, so sorry about your losses. amt, I hope you get good news today!
Mablab, I wish you and your daughter well! College can be intimidating on its own, but when you’re in a fabulous but sometimes overwhelming city it can feel like double the intimidation. She’ll get used to New York, and I know a lot of great kids at NYU.</p>

<p>As per usual, complaining about something on CC helped to resolve it! After whining about the heat and humidity yesterday, we got a big storm yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, some houses and cars (though not in my area) were damaged by falling trees. But the bright side is that when I left the house this morning it was much more reasonable outside and we had a very nice walk! Not only are you all wonderful, but apparently you’re all also magical :D</p>

2391

<p>aliceinw, thanks for pointing out the omission! I wonder how that happened?!? Dumb computers, they always do what I tell them!</p>

<p>1sokkermom’s D – University of Scranton
1sttimemom’s D – George Washington
12rmh18’s S – William & Mary
2education’s S – University of Virginia
2girls4me’s D – Swarthmore
AL34’s S – University of Alabama
alexahet – LSU
ALF’s S – Hampshire College
aliceinw’s S – Carleton
almar4’s S – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
anothercrazymom’s S – William & Mary
applicannot - Stanford
archiemom’s S – Villanova
artloversplus’s D – University of Chicago
astromom’s D – Brown
austinmtmom’s D – Coastal Carolina
BCandBU82’s S – University of North Carolina
Bclintonk’s D – Haverford
BengalMom’s S – Pomona College
BerneseMtn’s S – University of Illinois – UrbanaChampaign
BlessedTwice’s S – Vanderbilt
boiledegg’s D – Kenyon
BonnieNewJersey-s D - Lafayette
Booklady’s S – University of Delaware
Brooklynborndad’s D - RPI
Bubbe’s GS - Harvard
CaliforniaDancer – Carnegie Mellon
Cecil’s S – Macalester
CheckersMidwest’s S – University of Missouri/Columbia
colorado<em>mom’s S - Northeastern
coskat’s D – University of Buffalo
CountingDown’s S - Tufts
curiousmother’s D – University of Virginia
donnagal’s S – SUNY Albany
DougBetsy’s S – Wake Forest
ELY’s S – University of Maryland
esobay’s S – University of California – Santa Barbara
FindAPlace’s S – Northwestern
Flinty’s D – William & Mary
FLVADAD’s D - Villanova
gotaplay2’s D – Cal Poly Pomona
GSharpM7’s D - Princeton
GTalum’s D – Williams
hopeful12345’s D – Princeton
hopeful2014’s S – University of Michigan
IloveLA’s D – Cal Berkeley
intouch1520’s D - Emerson
jackief’s D – University of Chicago
jc40’s D – University of Virginia
jingle’s S – University of Virginia
journey919’s D – Middlebury
Kajon’s S - Carthage
Keilexandra – Swarthmore
kindredspirit’s D – University of Pennsylvania
KYParent’s D – High Point University
Lafalum84’s D – Elon
L.A.Parent’s S - Brown
learninginprog’s S - Yale
LetsGoMets’s S – Columbia
lilmom’s S – Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
limabeans’ S – Washington University in St. Louis
LIMOMOF2’s D – Harvard
littlefalls’ S – University of Michigan
LoisHK’s S - Bennington
Mablab54’s D - NYU
MaineLonghorn’s S – University of Texas at Austin
mantori.suzuki’s S – Ole Miss
mathmom’s S - Tufts
mdemvizi – Ithaca
mimimomx3’s D - Rhodes
missemily516’s D – University of Redlands
mom2sons’ S2 – Pitzer
MomLive’s S – University of South Carolina
mommuisc’s S – University of Cincinnati
momof2inma’s D - Tufts
momof2men’s S - Brown
momof3sons’ S2 – Swarthmore
momof3sons’ S3 - Northwestern
momonthehill’s D – Boston University
motherbear332’s S – University of Chicago
mountaingoat’s D - Harvard
mpabon’s D – Loyola Chicago
MuppetMom’s D – Rice
musicmom26’s D – Columbus State
my2sunz’s S - Yale
neumes’ S - Carleton
nightchef’s S - Goucher
PAO2008’s D – Washington University in St. Louis
PaperChaserPop’s S – Caltech
PAVenturer’s D – University of Richmond
PAVenturer’s S – Millersville University + CC
parent56’s S – University of Alabama Birmingham
PayFor’s S – University of Chicago
Pengo’s S – Colgate University
PinotNoir’s S – University of Rochester
pixeljig’s S - University of Southern California
pmartin57’s D – Carleton
proudparents’ S – Rice
Psi’s S – Louisiana State
psychmom’s D – Vassar
pugmadkate’s S – Northeastern
qialah’s D – Oberlin
Queen’s Mom’s D – Bryn Mawr
redbug119’s D – Minneapolis College of Art and Design
RobD’s D – University of Alabama
robinsuesanders’ S – St. Olaf
rocket6louise – Smith
runnersmom’s niece - Emerson
sacchi’s S – Washington University in St. Louis
Sailorette’s D - Wellesley
scualum’s D – Scripps
sDonCC’s S - Grinnell
sewemma’s S – Wesleyan
shillyshally’s D – University of Virginia
showmom858’s D – Marymount Manhattan
somewhereinga’s D – University of Georgia
skier29’s S – Colorado College
SLUMOM’s S – Wheaton (MA)
standrews’ D - Dartmouth
SWTCAT’s D – University of Texas at Austin
tango91’s S – Yale
t-boneParent’s S - Northwestern
teenage</em>cliche - Smith
vballmom’s S – University of Redlands
veewhitty’s D – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
vicariousparent’s D – Yale
want2babuckeye’s son – Ohio State University
WhirledPeas2u’s D – University of Central Florida
Youdon’tsay’s S - Carleton
zoosermom’s D – University of Delaware</p>

2392

<p>Morning, all.</p>

<p>Ds wasn’t wowed by the comforter set online, though he did rule out some others, so I guess that’s progress. Today continues the parade of doctor visits: If it’s Monday, it must be the allergist. Meanwhile, I’m making great progress in his room, moving in a new bookshelf and putting books from all over the house in there. Very happy with that development. Ds2 called from camp and is over-the-top happy with latest developments.</p>

<p>In the bad news dept., I learned that a friend’s wife has breast cancer and will have a mastectomy and reconstruction on Tuesday. Damn cancer.</p>

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<p>Freshman registration today at U of Richmond. Daughter got every class she wanted. She only had to adjust the time on one class. The joys of a small school!</p>

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<p>Good Monday morning to everyone. Thanks for all of the recaps. </p>

<p>Austinmtmom - your Mom is in my prayers and I hope she has good news today.</p>

<p>I can’t believe that this is the last week of July. Time is flying by. D1 has 34 days until move in. D1 and I had a fun day yesterday doing some baking and just hanging out together for a couple of hours. I am going to miss her so much when she is away! H and I saw Inception Saturday night and both really liked it. D1 and H and a fun day on Saturday at Comic Con while I was at a horseshow with D2.</p>

<p>Our big news this weekend is that D2 (junior in hs this fall) has her first boyfriend! We all met him yesterday as he came to watch her ride at the horseshow. She told us he is very shy, but he wanted to come see her as he lives close to where the show was. Well he not only had to meet H and I, but her trainers and all her friends at the barn. Poor kid!</p>

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<p>t_c-I also noticed the change in weather the minute I opened the door this morning. :slight_smile: Some of the outer boroughs really got hammered by the winds and rain.</p>

<p>ML-thanks for the constantly updated list! :)</p>

<p>YDS-sorry the comforter set wasn’t a big hnit with your S. :rolleyes: And “ugh” to your friend’s diagnosis. I wish the medical profession could get a handle on this disease!</p>

<p>PAVenturer-great news for your D!</p>

<p>BT and ks-waving back~:D</p>

<p>DS#3 only has two weeks left with his “little darlings” at camp. :rolleyes: His comment, “I wish it was one week!” :wink: On the other hand, he is loving his rehearsals with his cast for Shakespeare’s The Tempest. He thinks he is the youngest cast member and earnestly announced that he enjoyed working with all the adults who seem very serious about the process. ;)</p>

<p>DS#2 has two weeks left at his internship at Mass General in Boston. He, on the other hand, would probably like another week to finish up all the projects he is working on.</p>

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<p>DougBetsy and acm,</p>

<p>My deepest condolences on your families’ losses.</p>

2397

<p>mablab, you’re getting good advice but it also sounds like you’re handling it well on your own. Feel free to vent here if you want, that’s what we’re here for!</p>

2398

<p>Good news and bad news on the college front. Good news is that thanks to the CC University of Texas board, I learned that DS can place out of basic English since he scored well on the SAT writing exam. Bad news is that while I was verifying that, I noticed that he signed up for a calculus class with a prerequisite. Why didn’t he or I see this when he was signing up for classes?? I guess I assumed he knew what he needed. Ha!</p>

<p>So I investigated further (since he’s out of town - I couldn’t wait!) and discovered that his AP Calculus AB score will place him out of that prerequisite (he didn’t have the test result when he signed up for classes, so that’s not his excuse!). I’m just nervous for him to do that, though, because I don’t know if he’s really prepared for the advanced class. Sigh. I’ll have him call down to talk to his advisor, I guess. The problem is that it will be almost for sure impossible to get that other math course at this point. </p>

<p>I thought I was done with the stressful stuff!!</p>

2399

<p>ML:</p>

<p>The question he should be asking himself - and the advisor - is how much more math is he going to take. If he is going to have a math oriented program, then the foundation needs to be really solid - and then the follow on question is how good was his HS calc class - and how well did he retain the material? </p>

<p>As I have indicated previously, DS decided not to use his AP Calc credit and retook Calc 1 before venturing on to Calc 2 and Calc 3 and … He was really glad that he did this as the HS class and the AP test didn’t completely match the course sequence. As a result, had he skipped the first class, there would have been holes in his knowledge for the classes later in the sequence - which were hard enough already!!!</p>

2400

<p>MaineLonghorn,</p>

<p>The question of whether to use Calc AB to place out of first semester calculus is always a difficult one. As scualum points out, there can be holes in a student’s background if they skip the first course and many students feel more comfortable “repeating” the first semester.</p>

<p>But I can tell you as math prof whose been teaching calculus for many more years than I care to admit, there are also those students who decide to “repeat” the material in Calculus AB by taking the first semester of calculus because they somehow think it will be an “easy A” and then find out that they’re struggling with the college-level course more because they didn’t put enough time into keeping up with the daily homework and blew off the necessary studying before the first exam than that they didn’t really know the material.</p>

<p>If your son did well on the Calc AB exam (a 4 or 5) and if he gets bored when reviewing previously learned material in mathematics classes, then opting to go into the second semester may really be his best choice.</p>