<p>But surely they can buy laundry detergent and hair goop themselves? It makes things easier if they arrive with detergent etc etc, and maybe it’s cheaper at Target vs. the campus store. but if they don’t have it when we leave them, it’s not the end of the world. </p>
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<p>LOL!</p>
<p>@fogfog - If there is a BB&B close you could save even more time by ordering what you need and request to pick it up there. Anything you might not need can be immediately returned. </p>
<p>Also, I just discovered Dropps laundry detergent. Has anyone used these? They are pre-measured packets that you drop in the washer. The reviews seem more positive then the Purex sheets. They seem much more manageable than liquids. They are available through amazon prime.</p>
<p>Bluejr has landed but plays guitar well and will be on the dock welcoming the remaining passengers of the SS Indecision as they disembark. I’ll be on hand, keeping an eye for swimmers! :)</p>
<p>mommylaw, I’m a little bummed if the school you must drop is one that’s on my S2’s list, too. Sort of hoped we might pull off a miracle and see both our kids there. I may be mistaken!</p>
<p>As for visiting at admitted students day–if there is any chance at all the school might still be in the running, I think one should attend because you may hear specifics that help justify the cost. If one school specializes in getting kids internships where other schools do not–and that is an important factor, you’ll get to evaluate. However, if there is no chance to send D there, and it is already making her sad to see it leave the list, I agree with the others who would suggest your spend the time vacationing rather than seeing what can not be.</p>
<p>mommylaw: So sorry to hear that D’s financial aid at #1 choice isn’t enough to make it worth the cost difference. I don’t think you should attend admitted students day, but if there are other fun things to do in the area - go and enjoy yourselves! No sense wasting airfare… but then of course, then you have to pay for rental car, hotel, food, etc. Tough decision.</p>
<p>mommylaw – if you haven’t already, you might want to check with your airline; they might let you just leave the ticket money “in your account” to use in the future. I had to change our flight returning home from Seattle for our cruise in June. They were also “nonrefundable” fares, but I was able to make a change anyway. (Just couldn’t get my money back.)</p>
<p>Mommylaw: I vote with the don’t attend cohort. No use rubbing salt in the wounds.</p>
<p>I am also in favor of minimalism when moving to the dorm. Adding things gradually is much safer and more likely to lead to a happy balance of stuff v. Independence.</p>
<p>So … we asked D what she had to do tonight, and she said, “Write that essay.” Who knew she meant the waitlist essay she’s been planning to do for 3 weeks!</p>
<p>I like the image of disembarking but then getting picked up by another ship. Except I think in my D’s case it’ll be more like one of those Harry Potter type moments where she gets zapped away from where she’s standing by some flash of magic. </p>
<p>We won’t count on her getting off the WL, but we’re happy for her that she’s trying. It’s always impressive when these kids show initiative. I think she’s very straight in her mind what current choice #1 would mean compared to the WL school; we are, too - H and I had just been talking before she came home about why we would make it work for her to attend the WL school, even without the scholarship. </p>
<p>She’ll submit her mini-app, and then we’ll just try to forget all about it until something actually happens.</p>
<p>D wants to order a book on “Feng Shui for Your Dorm Room.” I think she’s looking forward to moving in … she might be disappointed to learn that good Feng Shui probably means keeping things a lot cleaner than she is accustomed to.</p>
<p>Mommylaw, I’m with the don’t go contingent and will second the idea to call the airline and ask for a partial refund or credit, or just go to the destination and avoid the College.</p>
<p>I’m a little bummed about college dorm shopping. 1) I have a boy. 2) He’s my third child and the other’s are out of college or at least not living in a dorm so we probably have everything he could use from microwave to XL twin sheets. :(</p>
<p>Thanks for all the support (and pm’s too). AK (and others)- We do have a note from her dr recommending but not requiring a single- but we don’t want to be those entitled folks whose special snowflake always needs her own way. I have not been able to confirm that UA has singles in the two frosh dorms. D has not wanted to contact the disability office as yet. So I wait… waiting…still waiting…until the D gives the direction or takes care of it herself.<br>
And emilybee- I think I won’t mention your coping technique in college- at least until she is 30 or so. ;)</p>
<p>You are right ST…nothing wrong with fending for themselves…yet there is no present grocery or Target etc near campus. So at least starting with a bottle of laundrey detergent is a good thing.</p>
<p>KinderNY…no one has any issue with a student with a disabilty—yet a princess/special snowflake would make her feel singled out… Hope she finds an equalibrium and adjustment for her living arrangements.</p>
<p>Hey, I am a super light sleeper–and have a kiddo2 with sleep issues…so I completely get that…I sleep best in a cool, dark quiet space without anyone else…and have been married 25 years and have 2 kids so havent had a decent night sleep in …30 yrs…with dorms, marriage, babies…hahaha :rolleyes:
I totally get it, Really I do.
There are several ways to encourage sleep, and yeah—best til after she’s older and married haha</p>
<p>Last night son’s school had a fabulous dinner for the graduating IB students, parents, teachers and staff. It was a great evening. Each student created a one page ‘slide’ for a PowerPoint show. Most had baby/toddler/elementary school pictures along side his/her grad picture. Some had their favorite movies, songs, sports. All the teachers were introduced and students introduced themselves and said where they were going to college. Approx. 60% are going to the state flagship and 15% are currently undecided including my son. I gave him a deadline of next Thursday, my birthday, to decide. Hopefully he will comply b/c I will NOT make this decision for him altho I think he prefers that I do. Making decisions is not one of his strengths. I think he will be happy with any choice even tho each school is very different from the other. So will it be Rice, GA Tech or WPI?</p>
<p>Son got a nice surprise email yesterday. One of the scholarships he applied for selected him. We are not sure of the amount as they have several scholarships. He will find out at their awards dinner next month. Depending on the college he goes to, the scholarship may end up having no real financial impact as it will just offset what the school would give us. There has to be a better way!!</p>
<p>So happy to read about everyone’s decisions, prom activities and end of year fun. Son has two more weeks of school, six IB exams, one AP exam then graduation at 8AM on May 21. Hard to believe.</p>
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Another one of those recs that I will refrain from mentioning for now. ;)</p>
<p>For those of you who have trouble sleeping, I HIGHLY recommend the Marpac sound machine. It is gentle, white background noise. Kinda like being in an airplane. A constant drone. Neither my husband nor I snore loudly, but we breathe loudly when we sleep. This machine has saved our sanity and we both get a great night’s sleep. It costs about $50. I promise you. It is worth 100x the price.</p>
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<p>This is why we ended up not requiring kiddo to apply for a lot of outside $. The first bit would go towards the campus job and student required effort…and that job, and kid’s $ is about 6k…so the scholarship would have to be more than $500 here and there to help.
Then the school reduces their aid…never does it go to reduce the parent #s…</p>
<p>Really does discourage kids (and parents) from going after the outside $…</p>
<p>Which of the Marpac Sound Machines do you like? Amazon has alot of different models.</p>
<p>FogFog - I hear you on the scholarships. If son ends up GA Tech, he will be able to use the scholarships. Since we had no idea if we would be getting need-based, merit or no aid, I convinced (coerced) son to do scholarships if they did not interfere with schoolwork or ECs, etc. He managed to find a few hours every week and focused on ones that were local and he could reuse or modify essays. I filled in all the clerical parts for him to ease the process. He b__ched plenty while doing them but now he feels good that he won at least one. I agree with you though, that it seems counterproductive. It is not as if ANY school, even the MOST generous meets ALL need.</p>
<p>D1 won a $1500 local scholarship, was 1 of 10 finalists for another larger one (didn’t get it) and now is 1 of 22 finalists for several of different amounts. It was a pain but definitely gave her more ‘skin’ in the game and emphasized it’s HER education, even if it skims off other aid for our situation…</p>
<p>D2 just accepted her appointment to West Point. Eighteen months ago I remember sitting with her at an information session when she seriously started considering the military academy thinking I could see her take this path. It’s been a long journey, and she considered all of her options carefully. I am excited for her!</p>
<p>Wow, congrats to you and your daughter, phbmom! The son of our good friends is a freshman at West Point this year and loves it there. What an honor! Best of luck to her.</p>
<p>Congrats, phbmom! What an honor for your D!!! My good friend’s son will be joining her next year.</p>
<p>Congrats to your D, phbmom! My brother-in-law is a West Point graduate and also taught there for several years.</p>