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

Parents Forum Class of 20xx Community
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<p>CD, I say make the Chinese work. My son took Chinese for all 4 years of HS and pretty much hated it! He is switching to French in college and I am disappointed, he felt he really had to struggle to get an 82 average and claims all he knows is how to read tattoos! He is planning on being an International Relations major so he needs a language. He has always planned to join the military after school for a few years, hopefully in Military Intelligence and then wind up on Wall Street, (We’ll see what actually happens) anyway to me Chinese makes the most sense in that scenario! He claims to be interested in Africa where French is often used. I say Cop Out!</p>

<p>GSharp, S switched his bank a few weeks ago. I didn’t go with him, but it didn’t take to long. He also had set up and online savings and investment account. He has wanted the oppurtunity to invest in things that interest him. He also has a mutual fund account to monitor.</p>

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<p>Good Morning Parents. I am kind of new to this group. S is going to ELon in a few weeks. This is my first to go to a residential college and 10 hours away to boot. I am on vacation but the fact that he is leaving in less than three weeks is always on my mind. He will be fine- I’m the one who has to - I don’t know, learn to take a deep breath, and let go…</p>

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<p>Welcome Scoutmom9! My first is leaving too, although he is only going 50 miles away. I don’t know if it’s harder on us first-timers or people like my friend whose youngest (by about 7 years) is leaving.</p>

<p>SWTCAT - S’s college really is everyone’s safety, except for in his major, where it’s a lot of kids’ dream school. And a lot of people with younger kids brag about where they have applied, until they get their EFC and aid packages. Then those so-called safeties look a lot more attractive!</p>

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<p>anothercrazymom–Chinese is only useful if your S plans to go to China. French IS more useful on the African continent, in some places more so than English.</p>

<p>I have read that Chinese is the most difficult language to learn if not learned as a child.</p>

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<p>Safeties are relative, A 3.8 student with a 2200 on his or Sat’s has a different safety list then a 3.1 student with a 1950 on the sat’s and so on and so forth. Someone calling your child’s choice their child’s safety is just being insensitive or insecure at best or just plain obnoxious at worst. The one thing I hate on CC is the threads spewing vitriol over what are the “best” schools. I think we can all agree some schools by virtue of selectivity have a “top” student body, but the student is the X factor. Since only a very few students by virtue of space can attend ivies and Stanford and top LACs, etc…does this mean the rest of the riff raff are doomed to be forever under these elite students. Will every boss my son has be from an Ivy? Somohow I doubt it! Of course I would have been thrilled if S was going to an Ivy, but I am no less thrilled that he is going to W&M, where he really wants to be. Oh and where he got in!</p>

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<p>mommusic, I agree that French may make more sense in Africa. French was required in his grade school from kindergarden through fourth grade, then they could continue or switch to Spanish, which he did, they also took Latin in 7th and 8th. He really didn’t excel in any language! Military Intelligance then Investment Banking seem more suitable to Chinese to me. Hey he’s only 18 who knows what he’ll wind up doing.</p>

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<p>Good morning all!</p>

<p>Shillyshally, missem, LIMOM, psychmom, BT: Thanks for the kind wishes re: our trip to Philly!</p>

<p>We had a long and wonderful day yesterday. UPenn was beautiful and idyllic. The best part was spending the time with D as she seemed to beam and was so comfortable and excited for her arrival in a less than a month. Her eyes just sparkled! That made it all seem so right for her. :slight_smile: And she is so ready! The visit helped me get more ready too! (And the added shopping was also a success - with texting back and forth with her roommate as we went from store to store!)</p>

<p>2education: Exactly! :heart::heart:</p>

<p>Vballmom: Echoing my condolences on the loss of your wonderful dog. I agree that the candle lighting was a special way to help remember your special pet.</p>

<p>I enjoyed reading about all the pet stories…”the good, the bad, and the ugly.”….</p>

<p>FAP: Hope the weather has calmed down and that you enjoyed your tours and museum trips in AZ.</p>

<p>Psychmom: I hope your D is continuing to improve. I know your “nursing” is helping her feel better each day.</p>

<p>LIMOM: Hope you had a wonderful time visiting family.</p>

<p>BT: Wishing your S a safe trip home today. I know you will be waiting for a special HUG. Your relaxing dinner with your sweet D and her BF sounds great. I do think a pup is in her (and your) future! :wink: You can’t underestimate the power of the father/daughter relationship!</p>

<p>Teenage: Sounds like you had a fabulous day! Wishing you a wonderful vacation in NH with your family.</p>

<p>BengalMom: YAY for some shopping getting done! Your S’s orientation adventure in Yosemite sounds awesome! Definitely something to get excited about. :)</p>

<p>Acm: Your culinary prowess continues to amaze me! Sounds delicious!</p>

<p>SWTCAT: Sorry about your neighbor’s rudeness and for their own S, their ignorance.</p>

<p>AL34: Sending {{{HUGS}}}</p>

<p>BUandBC82 and RobD: Welcome back!</p>

<p>Keil: Also welcoming you back from your awesome travels. And I too, love your narwhal. What a comforting, loveable new “friend.” And thanks for the re-organized list!</p>

<p>CaliD: Best to you in registering this morning. I would tend to go with option 2, since you seem to really love studying Chinese. I’m sure you will make the right choice for you. Hope it all goes smoothly.</p>

<p>Scoutmom: Welcome and all the best to your S at Elon!</p>

<p>Trying to relax today after the busy weekend of shopping/traveling.</p>

<p>Wishing all a Marvelous Monday!</p>

<p>Staying :cool: :cool:</p>

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<p>Here you go, austin! :)</p>

<p>8/07 AL34
8/08 RobD
8/11 somewhereinga
8/12 CaliforniaDancer, jc40, parent56
8/13 twinmama’s D1
8/14 austinmtmom, MomLive
8/16 MaineLonghorn
8/17 CheckersMidwest, Swtcat
8/18 archiemom, Footballmom104, PAVenturer (FDOC 8/23)
8/19 BlessedTwice, Bubbe’s GS, DougBetsy, Keilexandra (FDOC 8/30), LIMOMOF2, mdemvizi (move-in, FDOC 8/25), mpabon
8/20 anothercrazymom, veewhitty
8/21 1sokkermom, 2education, BUandBC82, ShillyShally
8/22 BengalMom, boiledegg
8/23 psychmom
8/24 momof3sons’s S2
8/25 bclintonk, vballmom’s S2
8/26 coskat, limabeans’s S, PAO2008’s D, Pengo
8/27 Lafalum84’s D, showmom858
8/28 astromom, Booklady, twinmama’s D2, zoosermom
8/30 mablab, intouch1520, Sailorette, teenage_cliche
9/01 CountingDown, kindredspirit, missemily516, momof2inma, sewemma’s S
9/02 hopeful2014’s S
9/04 GSharpM7, robinsuesanders’s S
9/07 aliceinw
9/13 lilmom, momof3sons’s S3
9/14 FindAPlace, psychmomma
9/17 artloversplus, jackief, PayFor
9/18 esobay’s S (move in, FDOC 9/22), motherbear332, PaperChaserPop</p>

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<p>Re Bank Accts: Both kids have accounts at Bank of America. It started out as a convenience for S1 when he got his first job because I already had an account there and his student account, when linked to an adult account, was free. When S1 moved off-campus his sophomore year it was easy to transfer his housing expenses (in lieu of dorm costs) to his account monthly because the two BOA accounts were linked. There were two BOAs in his college town; and this summer in San Francisco there are BOAs near both his housing and his work. </p>

<p>Without a plan, when S2 needed to set-up an account, we just went with the same bank. The closest BOA to his college is 1/2 mile from the stadium, which he will stick with for the time being. Wachovia has a branch on campus and they offer a program where the school ID card also acts as a debit/ATM card. If it turns out that he needs better access to his money, then he’ll make an account change later.</p>

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<p>There is no bank in our area that has branches where D and S go to school. So we just kept their bank accounts, and they are stuck with ATM fees that aren’t too steep. D spends so little money at school, that she just takes out $100 at the beginning of the trimester, and if she uses the ATM one or two more times during the term it would be a lot. This approach, with their bank accounts linked to ours for transfers, seems better for us than opening an out of town bank account.</p>

<p>On the other hand, D is going abroad for the fall, and I thought we should get her a credit card that doesn’t have foreign transaction fees. Those really add up. For this, I’ve gone to my mom’s bank, which also doesn’t have a branch near where we live (though it’s a major bank). But my mom knows her local banker and I now have his contact info, so that should work. Now if I could just find her a debit card without foreign transaction fees . . .</p>

<p>Hope everyone makes progress on their lists this week. We are starting the “first two weeks of August” list today. . .</p>

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<p>HI SCOUTMOM! Yay for another Elon parent in this group! I hope you don’t mind, but I’m adding you to the “launch” list.</p>

<p>8/07 AL34
8/08 RobD
8/11 somewhereinga
8/12 CaliforniaDancer, jc40, parent56
8/13 twinmama’s D1
8/14 austinmtmom, MomLive
8/16 MaineLonghorn
8/17 CheckersMidwest, Swtcat
8/18 archiemom, Footballmom104, PAVenturer (FDOC 8/23)
8/19 BlessedTwice, Bubbe’s GS, DougBetsy, Keilexandra (FDOC 8/30), LIMOMOF2, mdemvizi (move-in, FDOC 8/25), mpabon
8/20 anothercrazymom, veewhitty
8/21 1sokkermom, 2education, BUandBC82, ShillyShally
8/22 BengalMom, boiledegg
8/23 psychmom
8/24 momof3sons’s S2
8/25 bclintonk, vballmom’s S2
8/26 coskat, limabeans’s S, PAO2008’s D, Pengo
8/27 Lafalum84’s D, showmom858, Scoutmom9’s S
8/28 astromom, Booklady, twinmama’s D2, zoosermom
8/30 mablab, intouch1520, Sailorette, teenage_cliche
9/01 CountingDown, kindredspirit, missemily516, momof2inma, sewemma’s S
9/02 hopeful2014’s S
9/04 GSharpM7, robinsuesanders’s S
9/07 aliceinw
9/13 lilmom, momof3sons’s S3
9/14 FindAPlace, psychmomma
9/17 artloversplus, jackief, PayFor
9/18 esobay’s S (move in, FDOC 9/22), motherbear332, PaperChaserPop</p>

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<p>aliceinw, S was abroad last semester. The foreign transaction fees did add up. After he left I got myself a Capital One card, and it has NO foreign transaction fees. Plus, they let you add up to 3 “authorized users” on your account. So even if your D has no credit history, you can get yourself a Capital One card and add her as an authorized user. The card will be issued in her name, but her transactions will show up on your bill just as if you had used the card. If you want her to be spending her own money, you could make arrangements for her to pay you back. Or you could see if Capital One will approve a card for her. I wish I’d known this before S went abroad.</p>

<p>Also, we use Bank of America for checking & debit cards. By looking online, we were able to see that BofA users can withdraw money from DeutschBank ATMs in Europe with no ATM fee. Check with your bank to see if they have any foreign bank “partners” that won’t charge ATM fees.</p>

<p>Also, we had S’s checking account linked to ours so that I could make transfers. For his birthday his grandparents wrote ME a check and asked me to put it in his account, I was able to deposit it to our checking account and transfer the money to his account instantly. It was good to know that we could get him access to cash pretty much instantly in case of an emergency as well, by simply transferring money from our account to his online.</p>

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<p>Greetings all,
I’m in that “catch-up” group having been away for the weekend with a group of friends on our annual bike trip. Not so much biking as usual this weekend as every road we ventured on had the name “hill” in it. :wink: </p>

<p>Glad to see that things are humming along here! Special shout-out to BT for finishing all that coursework! :)</p>

<p>ks-glad your trip to Penn was enjoyable and productive. Did you say that this was your first visit??</p>

<p>I can add my DS#1 to the very small list of young adults who do not have a Facebook page. Didn’t have one in college and doesn’t have one in grad school. He doesn’t see the point. Then again, he’s been accused of having “the contractor look” as he wears his old-fashioned flip cell phone on his waist band. :D</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the great advice, everyone! I have decided to attempt to register for Schedule 2, which better allows for the possibility of Chinese, but obviously doesn’t mean that I have to take it. As usual, you all came through :wink: </p>

<p>On a more negative note, why is it ~6:30 and I’m awake?? I better get those classes…lucky east coast people :p</p>

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<p>momof3: Yes, it was my first trip to Philly! (My H, who has more flexibility in his work schedule than I, took D on her two previous visits). I may have been to Philadelphia on an elementary school trip when much younger, though I’m not sure and don’t remember it at all! Hope the bike trip was fun, despite those darn “hills.” ;)</p>

<p>CaliD: good luck with the registering! Maybe you can take a nap when you’re done? :)</p>

<p>:cool: :cool:</p>

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<p>^Thanks, ks! I’m done; it took only a few minutes! Unfortunately, the English class I desired was already full (I don’t even know how), but I switched to another one that sounds okay. I got all the other classes I wanted.</p>

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<p>Sounds good, CaliD! Enjoy the rest of your day! :)</p>

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<p>Great weekend. Followed D1 on the the golf course for her tournment. It was fun watching her and she was surprised that I was able to walk the whole way without jumping into another parent’s cart :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Of course, I misjudged the time and needed to call S to start dinner (chicken parmagiana). I talked him through the steps and he had dinner ready by the time we got home! Now, I know he can cook one more meal in college! Now, if I can teach him how to “clean as he goes”…</p>

<p>BTW, D won!</p>

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<p>vballmom, so sorry to hear about your loss. Love the candle ceremony. </p>

<p>We recently adopted a puppy and he will be 10 yrs old when our youngest leaves for college. He’s added so much to our family! I can understand why people just love their pets!</p>

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<p>Morning, all. Typing on my netbook while ds2 is in seeing the orthodontist.</p>

<p>mpabon, I loved Inception. I had wanted to see it early on, but I’m kind of a movie snob so when everyone started raving about it, I was turned off. But ds1 insisted I would like it and begged me :slight_smile: to go with him and dh and ds2 yesterday. In the Cafe, there is a difference of opinon and a great spoiler thread with a link to an essay that I think captures it.</p>

<p>Ds has no interest in a credit or debit card, so the only change we’re making is to get him a checking account with his local bank so that he can cash the occasional check at the school bookstore.</p>

<p>Welcome, Scoutmom, from another Scout mom.</p>

<p>ETA: Congrats, lilmom!</p>