@techmom99 ugh!!! Hopefully the program advisor can fix things, it seems so odd to me they just preregistered him like that.
I need to review all this with S17 before he goes to orientation and there just aren’t enough hours in the day right now!
Graduation weekend is coming to an end. It has been a whirlwind! Friday night was the ceremony. They publish just the names in the program-no mention of honors, colleges, etc. But as each name is called they announce if they are cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude, etc.
Our local paper also publishes a supplement with each senior’s photo and name, but no mention of their college.
I expected at honors night the colleges would either be in the program or announced, but they weren’t. I totally understand and respect the desire to avoid one up man ship, but at the same time, I have known some of the kids through daycare, small private elementary school, Girl Scouts, etc. and I would love to know their future plans. Many I know well enough to ask, but it’s impossible to speak with each of them.
A couple of fun things:
- I noticed the Japanese exchange student who lived with us for 4 months last fall was in the program, even though he is a junior. Turns out they offered each exchange student the opportunity to walk, wearing cap and gown, and while they don’t get a diploma, they get a nice certificate. 2) I noticed they skipped over some kids, including one of D17’s classmates from their private elementary school days. Then I noticed the kids who were skipped, who weren’t there at the beginning, had slipped into the last row. I figured out it was the girls who had gone to State for track. They walked last and it became apparent they had come straight from the meet 1h 45m away, as they still had their track uniforms on under their robes. When the last girl walked (the private school classmate) the principal said “I’m going to go off script for a minute”, and he announced that she had won State in discus. She was given a standing ovation, and it was a really nice way to end the ceremony.
Forgot one other moving thing at graduation. The entire fire department came in full dress uniform. One of the grads had lost his firefighter father, so they came as a stand in for his Dad.
@NolaCAR -
How sad and beautiful at the same time. Techson17 has a classmate whose volunteer firefighter dad died when they were in 8th grade. We only have vollies here. I wonder if they will do something like that for him?
@eandesmom - a friend of Techson17’s is going to UVM but I am not sure what he will be studying. When is orientation? Are you going? Techson17 and I are going up 4th of July week for his orientation.
@techmom99 Why would they preregister him for classes? What a pain. Wouldn’t this be easier to sort out once his AP tests are in and he is at orientation?
I don’t know, perhaps it’s because he’s in a BFA program with prescribed courses, plus the honors program? I know that my D’s SUNY also did pre-registration for her education major but only for her ed dept classes. The strange thing is that he filled out a questionnaire listing the AP’s he’s taken.
Both of my kids were basically pre-registered. One is at an engineering school and everyone takes the same calc, chemistry, physics, so they just shove them into a schedule. My other daughter was in a theater program with 4 or 5 classes the same. While they do go to ‘register’ at orientation, the courses have been blocked for those in the program. They know which other core classes fit the schedule (psych 101 and western civ) and lead most freshmen to those. After orientation, I just moved my daughter out of psych and into English, and changed the discussion time for the 4 pm Friday western civ class (really? 4 pm on Friday?). It wasn’t difficult to just move her.
My nephew in Engineering also had a schedule ‘presented’ to him. He lived in an engineering dorm so had one class through that. The others were MWF right in a row, and the classrooms fairly far apart. I think they want to keep them moving as a herd through the campus. I would never schedule that many classes so close together (but physically a 15 minute walk that he had to do in 10 minutes), but since about 100 kids were doing it together, no one thought it was impossible.
Not the way things work at UC’s. No prescheduling kids even in Engineering, students get blocks of times to schedule their own classes. They are expected to do it themselves.
My D at her liberal arts school also didn’t have things prescheduled even though there was a fairly prescribed set of classes she needed to take for her major & there were usually only two options.
@NolaCAR what a thoughtful thing to do for the fallen firefighter, how incredibly sad though. Super cute on the track team and the girl who won discus!
@techmom99 Orientation is the 22-23. They had one session last week, one this (think @klinska is at this weeks one maybe?). They do orientation by the school you are admitted to so he will be with kids in his program for the most part I think. He’s going solo, I have a work thing that overlaps. So hopefully he doesn’t miss a flight!
We do need to meet and go over stuff before he goes but oh it’s hard! He is booked within an inch of his life between now and that flight. He needs to do a headshot for his ID card, take the math placement test, officially change his major (from env sci to studies) and “uncheck” break housing on his housing app. And review classes before he goes! He can deal with the major thing once there but it would make registration easier if it’s already done.
I was just a little surprised that the school pre-registered him for gen eds and electives and that he wasn’t placed in a required English class. I was happy about that one because the only classes left were at 8 AM and that’s not a good choice for a theater kid. Another glitch is that the math honors seminar is actually considered a natural science for some reason and he is waiting on his APES score as that could cover natural science.
@eandesmom - Your son will be at orientation while my son is graduating and going to prom. We are going up a day early for orientation on July 5 and staying a day after, till the 8th. I tried to book a trip for us to Niagara Falls but it’s 4th of July week and mucho expensive. I told Techson17 he will probably wind up going with friends. We have to get him his college physical, passport, black t-shirts (so he isn’t visible backstage) and other stuff. Still need a tux for prom but pre and post prom are set. SO annoyed I have to pay $120 to buy a ticket for his guy friend that graduated last year…
@techmom99 why do you have to buy his guy friend a ticket? Ouch on the ticket price. Our prom tix are $15!
Which is great but I’m bleeding money at the moment so it’s doesn’t feel like I saved a thing.
@eandesmom - I have to buy his ticket because the only reason he is going is to keep my son company. That’s why I wanted him to ask a current senior. I still have to get Techson17 a tux, etc. That is this weekend’s chore.
You guys are making me glad that my son adamantly refused to attend any school dances. I wish I could have pics of him all dressed up but I guess the track sweats are the best I’m getting.
We attend orientation tomorrow! Excited for him but not exactly excited for the parents’ portion which seems to be more of the same “lectures” we got from visits but more focused on financial aid.
@smakl70 - We only have two dances a year, junior prom and senior prom. Theoretically, a kid could go to 8 dances over the years, but most go to two, maybe 3. D went to 3, Techson17 will have gone to 2, S12 only went to senior prom and the other 2 boys attended none. So, I guess I have gotten off cheap over the years on tickets. His friend ordered a really nice gray tux. Now, I have to get a tux for Techson17, which is on this weekend’s agenda.
Excited for and a bit jealous of those of you whose DC’s have registration and orientation already! @eandesmom I hope your son has a successful solo trip to VT!
Sorry I’ve been so MIA…busy negotiating a new job start date around houseguests and graduation and all the related house projects that go with all of it!
A frustrating couple of days in a number of ways.
- S17 cracked his phone screen yesterday. Not paying for it! The phone is a year old and we used insurance TWO months ago when he spilled creamer on it and it got into the port (and ruined the audio). He still could use one instance of the insurance but it's basically $130 and it's cheaper to buy a new screen. He'd prefer to buy a new screen and have a friend put it in, but then that will void the warranty/insurance entirely. UGH. It is still usable.
- I went to set up a payment plan since if you want a payment plan, they start 7/1...even though the tuition bill doesn't come until mid July and isn't' due until Mid Aug. Imagine my surprise to find him registered for classes! They have been told, and it's in the schedule, that registration is done at orientation which is still 2 weeks away. I suspect the reasoning is that orientation started last week and is in 3 sessions. They want to give the later kids a chance at a decent schedule for the core req's. Which is great EXCEPT that S hadn't updated his major from Environmental Science to Environmental Studies. Currently he's registered for Calc, Chem, Intro ENSC and the main Natural Resources class they take for all Environmental majors. Hey, 1 out of 4 can stay! I did figure out what he needs to do to get it changed and hopefully they can adjust the schedule but since the core is so different and he comes in with some things already satisfied...it will be interesting to see what they sign him up for and what he has to scramble for (hopefully not scramble but UGH!) in 2 weeks.
- With 5 "full" days of school left to go the kid is rocking FOUR A-. Three of which all are in the 90.01 - 90.69 range. The 90.01 really annoys me, it's for walking/yoga! The kid FELL ASLEEP in yoga on Monday and then today was late because he was too busy playing with presents in the morning to eat and make lunch and then was trying to do all of that while walking out the door.
On the positive side…
- S17 turned 18 yesterday and overall, had a really nice day and enjoyed all his gifts despite having to actually go to school and perform in a concert.
- He took his ID card photo (absolutely AWFUL if you ask me but it's his ID not mine) and I "think" may have uploaded it.
- I am sure there is other stuff but I can't think of it...too overwhelmed with probable new job that starts in 2 days, traveling to train, then houseguests and everything that has to be done between now and then including prom and grad party! LOL.
@eandesmom Good luck with your probable new job. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed, too, but I think you have even more balls up in the air. Thursday my family arrived. Yesterday, D17 took the EMT practical exam and passed! Now she just has to sit for the written. Also yesterday, DH’s side of the family arrived. Today was D17’s graduation party. It went well, but boy, was it a lot of work. Monday all the family leaves. Tuesday more houeguests arrive for a week. Special times that I am trying to savor, but it’s all happening so fast!
Looks like we’re moving on to the college adventures, and I’ll be moving on to helping S19’s college search. Does anyone know if there is a thread like this one for the Class of 2019? I see the general parent forum, but didn’t see one for this GPA range. I expect S19 will be similar stats to S17, so it will be another tough college search.
Good news is that S17 didn’t drop the ball too badly this semester–ended up with 3 A’s, and 3 B+. Whew!! S17 has been to a couple of grad parties, and another one this coming weekend. I’m hoping to put together a small get together for some kids going to the same college, sometime this summer. Need to get on that!
@eandesmom - Congrats and good luck on the new job.
We finally got Techson17’s tux yesterday, looks nice and we will pick it up the morning of the prom. He is wearing a cummerbund and a bowtie that he will tie himself. Now we have to figure out how to get him there! I said he and his “date” can walk from the pre-prom, it’s about a mile. $70 per kid for one way in a limo! for a mile!
One last final tomorrow and then he is done with academics.
We will be going out to Texas Roadhouse (one of Techson’ 17’s favorite places) the night before graduation for dinner.
@endesmom Good Luck on the new job. I’ve been planing for months to start a job search this week. Once the kid was out of the house. I’m sure he can’t wait till school is over.
My son’s phone died as well last week. But it died randomly. The CRT just failed on a 18 month old… it’s not just the screen and he didn’t do anything in particular to break it. Had insurance but it would cost almost as much as a new phone. I felt a bit frustrating buying him a new phone right before he left for camp where he wouldn’t use it for most of 2 months.
@techmom99 Hope your son has a good time at prom. My son didn’t end up going. He did go to grad night which is did enjoy. Last week life was crazy, graduation, packing for camp, grandparents visiting, graduation parties.
But I send my kid off to his camp job. He will be away for over 2 months. Don’t even know when he will be back. I’m a bit sad about this. Grades are finalized and they came out as expected. GPA down a bit from fall. But still in the same range so shouldn’t be a problem with his college acceptance.