DS finally figured out that his last exam is on the 23rd, so we still have a few weeks before he’s home. But, we’re planning a trip down to visit him next Saturday night and Sunday. D18 has wanted to spend some time with him on campus since he went back in January, and I figure it’s a nice way for us to bring home some of the stuff he doesn’t need in his dorm for the last 10 days of school (plus I’ll get see him on Mother’s day :)). I hope all of your kids have a safe trip back from college and a great start to their summers!
We are heading to D.C. on Mothers Day to get out sweet girl. We’ve been having a running conversation about life after undergraduate school. I have secretly wanted her to continue her studies in the international affairs…foreign policy arena. She said she wanted to attend law school. During the school year she said she has learned so much about herself…most importantly that she has become so much more passionate about defending a cause as opposed to defending a person/corporation. She will come out of undergrad with about $15,000 in student loan debt. Many of the experts in her field don’t have law degrees or don’t practice law if they do. In fact they returned to school to obain a graduate degree in that field. Finishing undergrad with little debt is a blessing…we told her to choose her next steps wisely…as she will be responsible for those costs.
@HappyFace2018 - I have my BA in International Studies: Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. I can tell you first hand that careers in the foreign policy arena are hard to come by and despite some good connections and experience as an undergrad I found myself sans employment upon graduation…so I decided perhaps law school was the way to go after graduation with no job prospects.( I had dabbled in law “stuff” before graduation, mock trials, etc so it wasn’t completely out of the ball park to be thinking about law school). In the mean time, whilst preparing for law school LSAT, I took a job as a legal secretary and continued to keep my brain fresh by earning my post graduate paralegal certification as a litigation paralegal. One year working in a law firm was enough to convince me that being an attorney was certainly not my cup of tea and I am grateful that I did not layout the money for law school. I am going to recommend that she try for some internships in a law firm before she decides to head down that path. Attorneys are very different kinds of people than Academics. I worked as a paralegal for years doing defense work in insurance for medical malpractice cases, a very different career path than what I envisioned when I entered university to earn my degree in Soviet and Eastern European studies, lol.
@labegg Thank you so much for this information. As she moves through this process I will definitely be asking for your input. Her current major is International Affairs with a concentration in International Environmental Students and Conflict Resolution and a minor in Political Science. The summer before her junior year in high school she attended a program at Yale called Explo@Yale Foreign Affairs and she loved every minute of it! She visited the United Nations and the Council on Foreign Affairs (met Gideon Rose!). Between that and visiting the European Council and concentration camps on a foreign exchange trip, she’s certain of her major. During our first sorority brunch at GW she had a excellent conversation with a sorority sisters father who was about to take a foreign post for the State Department. He told her that if she wanted to go into politics…go to law school. But if she wanted to do anything in the International/foreign policy field…and wanted to build credibility for an NGO or think tank she should head to the Peace Corps. My goal is to have her squeeze every ounce of knowledge from GW…Elliott School advisors, CareerCenter and all.
We’ve been blessed with the ability to pay for her undergrad and will most definitely help with graduate school or law school (although she doesn’t know that). We want her to follow her passion and not worry about the cost right now.
The Peace Corp is a great suggestion. It’s highly competitive for selection, and being a former member opens doors in DC think tanks and government agencies.
@NoVADad99 Thank you so much! The Peace Corp has been on her list to research. She’s working to get as much experience as she can during undergrad trying to make space for classes and internships (paid or unpaid). Last semester she had a mini internship with the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project…this summer she’ll intern with the Indiana Democratic Party.
Spending some time working between a bachelor’s and graduate programs is a great idea, and in many cases, companies will cover the tuition costs for employees to go to school while still working for the company. It can take a few years to figure out what career path you want to take, and having some job experience in the field can also help improve the quality of work you submit in your graduate courses. I took the long path of a BA in one field, then pursued my MS which was covered by my first career as a teacher, then shifted to a research position and had my Ph.D. covered completely by the company I still work for. It took me a bit longer (plus I had 2 kids along the way :), but in the end I was debt free and able to keep a job I loved. Several staff at my work have recently completed their BA degrees and decided to join social sciences organization while they get a better handle on their long-term career goals…it also helps them earn some $$ before taking time off from work for graduate school.
Double good news from DS tonight - he found out his last exam has been shifted to earlier in the week, so he can come home a day early. And, the company he worked for over winter break will hire him again for the summer break! The work was over the winter was pretty basic, but he asked about internship possibilities and they plan to identify some software programming opportunities for him to pursue over the summer. It will be a mix of internship experiences and basic scanning support, but we’re excited that they will try to find ways for him to apply what he’s learning in college and to develop the skills he’ll need for a career in computer information systems. And we’re glad he’ll be earning some $$ over the summer to bring his bank account back up before next fall :).
@lifegarding Taking time away is a great option. Hopefully she will find employment in D.C. after undergrad. She would like to attend law school at GW (their Elliott graduate program is awesome as well 
)
Our goal is to assist her in whatever way we can.
S is now going to have to tell my inlaws that he only passed two classes after they paid much of the cost of sending him to Temple. They will obviously be upset, even though they were the ones who insisted that he go there instead of Ole Miss (where he had almost a full ride). We weren’t going to take out loans to send him anywhere after our experience with him not doing work in high school. I’m almost certain that they will not be understanding at all. College is not something they consider optional. No matter that none of us asked them to contribute anything, or that he could have gone to college on what we have in his 529. I’m all for letting him deal with almost all the consequences of basically doing nothing for a year, but I’m not willing to let them go after him or my wife (they may try to blame her somehow, even though the traits that caused him trouble obviously were inherited from me. I’m prepared to be fierce in protecting my mate and my young if necessary. 
Our D is home-I went and retrieved her last week and we got back on Friday. I could really have skipped the rip thanks to the help of one of our own Class of 2016 members who lives in town, but the bonus was that we got to meet up and have a great night out. She’s gone way above and beyond!
D is taking this week off before starting work with the Urban League youth at risk program, during which time she will hopefully sort and put away the astonishing amount of clothing brought home. Other summer projects include finally getting her driver’s license and learning more about cooking…the microwave is not really cooking if all you make is pasta…
D finished the year with what is an A average in her college, and while there were some bumps, has decided that she’s exactly where she wants to be, majoring in what she wants to be majoring in. The benefits of being in a small major at a small school is that she has advocates in several departments and will likely be in a classroom in some capacity next fall. She goes back early to train as an orientation leader, and the following week freshmen arrive. The upper class kids won’t be there for a week beyond THAT, so she’ll have her room to herself for two weeks. She and her frosh roomier will be together next year as well in the upper class women’s dorm.
Good to see everyone’s updates. @mstomper I hope things work out for your S and @HappyFace2018 my ex-SIL was in the Peace Corps after college and also went onto law school. It paved the way for the path she ultimately took-working for the National Park Service and retiring early to travel and explore-where she met her 2nd husband-in the park service in Tanzania!
Brag alert. Grades were posted today and DS16 made President’s List ( greater than a 3.8 avg) for the semester which is an improvement over Dean’s list ( 3.6-3.799) last semester . He took a rigorous schedule with 17 credits . So proud of him . Great first year. Good luck to all taking exams now and congrats for everyone with their Freshman year in the rear view mirror .
Do the ILs need to know the failing classes part of it?
It might make them feel they flushed the money down the toilet.
What about telling them he worked very hard to pass his classes & decided a mental time out & GAP year was necessary before continuing.
He’s seeing a therapist, has our full support, don’t worry about it, etc.
Some people may think that is terribly dishonest, but I see it as pain & suffering prevention. For your ILs too!
I don’t know that they need to know anything beyond him losing the scholarship, although I think they’d keep asking questions. They did flush money down the toilet, but they knew that he had a history of not doing work in high school. Paying for him to go to college was a risky investment, and we weren’t willing to pay beyond what was in his 529 until he showed us otherwise. They also know that if he had worked hard he wouldn’t have failed anything. I’m hoping for a surprise, but these a status-conscious people we’re talking about. Probably throwing the money away is secondary to having a grandson who flunked; they are well enough off that money isn’t an issue, and our two sons are their only grandkids.
@mstomper
I see. I guess I was trying to think of a way to avoid telling them he lost his scholarship. Oh boy. I’m sorry. It’s hard. I’m feeling protective!
Our kid is home. She still doesn’t tell us much of anything about her life, but she seems more cheerful than previously in the school year.
@HappyFace2018 I currently work in DC (only a few blocks from GW) and there are definitely many great opportunities in the area for new graduates from bachelor’s degree programs…especially those coming out of GWU. The other benefit is having so many great options for graduate school with GW, American U, Georgetown U, and UMD College Park all within the city or a metro ride away. I’m sure she’ll have lots of great options given her success in her first year of college!
DS16 is taking DS19 to breakfast before DS19’s first AP exam this morning. I am so fortunate that they are so supportive and close.
@lifegarding Thank you so much! As she’s coming to the end of her freshmen year she said she knows she is blessed to have this opportunity to attend college in DC and at GW. To be admitted to GW’s Elliott School (even as a transfer) has gotten more difficult over the years.
I truly hope and pray American University’s current situation is resolved. I don’t know why someone would do something so stupid. She was accepted at America’s SIS (and Global Scholars Program) first and would have gone there. Then GW Elliott happened!
Well, DS16 starts finals on Monday. Headed to Rochester Thursday morning to help him finish packing and loading the car for the drive home Friday.
We’re looking forward to having him home for what might be his last summer home as he’s due to be on co-op summer/fall of 2018.
He’ll have about 3.5 weeks off before work starts mid-June. Plenty of time to catch up on sleep and see some old friends, and time to enjoy/celebrate his 18th.
Now I need to go spend more time on the 2019 thread as DS19 heads into junior year and we need to start the college tours with him come fall. Totally different kid, totally different intended field of study. Wheee…
Happy summer to all.
@dbjs70 See you on 2019 thread