There’s an epic poem in the making about the giant conundrum that is TacoSon’s AP and IB results. :-? Nothing is at it seems, though I suppose I could write a few stanzas about the puzzle of his testing out of 6 credits of history --while fervently hoping his livelihood (and my dotage) requires not a lick of calculus.
I got my 20% off total order from BB&B today, the Back to College special.
@twoinanddone was it the in-store event or online? I got a 20% purchase in the mail and used it online for some things (wonder if I can use it more than once?). If it was in-store how crazy was it?
Mine says (as they all do) that they can be used in store or online. In the store, they take away the coupon. I’d imagine the online purchase is limited to one time use.
But I save my BB&B coupons all year. Most are 20% off one item or $5 off a $15 purchase. Someone posted over on the ‘Good Buys’ posted that there is a 20% off sale of Kcups, so they used the $5 off to get extra savings.
@tacocat333 I also hope neither S17’s livelihood nor my retirement is dependent upon S17’s calculus skills! And he also has an over abundance of AP/IB history credits–24 credits if he can use the IB credits as “general university credits”, and then the AP World and APUSH will account for their equivalent courses, but he may only be allowed to use 16 credits for History. He also won’t be able to use his IB Bio credits because they overlap with his AP Bio credits (the 1st year of the IB Bio HL sequence in his HS is taught concurrently with the AP Bio class, and most kids in it take the AP Bio exam…). Too bad you can’t sell IB credits on Craigslist! I guess he’ll see how it all shakes out next week at orientation.
Almost all of my BBB coupons say in store only. It’s hugely annoying.
I just looked at mine. I have 5 sitting here, and the two $5 off $15 say ‘in store only’, one of the 20% off ones received through the mail is also instore only, but one of the 20% off one item and the new super duper 20% off entire purchase (and it is a 'Back to College theme flyer) are online/in store. They do have a code you have to enter to use online, so I assume it is a one time use only.
Hi all–I think I’ve caught up on the news. Congrats to the new job, good grades, maintaining GPAs, IB diplomas (our school doesn’t have IB, but friend has filled me in–huge accomplishment!), getting things done for the dorms, new (and fabulous!) avatar, and figuring out travel for move-in day!
My sister–who lives several states over, is saving a BBB 20% coupon for me, since we don’t seem to get BBB mail. We will be flying for S17’s move-in as well, so the BBB option will be a big help. Haven’t begun looking at what’s required yet.
S17 got his roommate assignment, a kid from Minneapolis–they haven’t connected yet. He did not get his choice of dorm–he wanted suite style, but got traditional. Having looked into it though, for Wash U the word is that what his dorm lacks in amenities it makes up for in camaraderie–a good tradeoff I think.
Looked at the AP test results, and am happy for S17–5s in Calculus AB, Comp Sci Principles, and Physics C: Mechanics, and a 4 in Physics C: E&M. I know that lets S17 place out of the first level of calculus (which I read was tough). I think he’ll get a total of 13 credits for these AP scores at WashU.
S17 was slow to begin a summer job search, but finally has a couple of part time jobs–doing outdoor stuff with a 7 year old boy 2 afternoons a week, and working 10 hours a week clearing an overgrown yard. In between he is taking an online coding class (python, or maybe java??). But, lots of gaming and binging on Netflix. . . I hope he gets that out of his system before college!!
“Almost all of my BBB coupons say in store only. It’s hugely annoying.”
LOL. Most of mine say “online only” and find it equally annoying!
Did anyone get stuff from Amazon today? I got D17 a white Amazon Echo for $89. It will double as a bluetooth speaker.
Got son one of the surge protectors with usb ports built in.
Hi, all -
Congrats on all the progress that is being made towards launching our young ones…
Techson17 and I went to orientation last week. Dropped at the LIRR station at 5 AM, into Penn for a 7:15 Amtrak, off at Buffalo at 3:15, didn’t realize that I booked us to the suburban station, splurged on a $100 cab ride to the school, where we arrived about 4:30! On the way back, $6.20 bus to Buffalo at 9 AM. Amtrak at 12:45 PM, finally home at 11:30 PM. It literally took D less time to get home from her vacation to Prague! I am going to book him a plane for Thanksgiving.
On the positive side, Techson17 scored high enough (4 in APES and 3 in US Govt, plus his 3 in Psych last year) to get 9 credits. He loved the school and met nice kids. He came over to me at one point and in front of about a dozen other parents, HUGGED me and thanked me for letting me attend this school! He also insisted that I book a hotel for family weekend, so I did with the AARP discount, which allows me to cancel with no penalty up to the day of check in.
We will make this work. This is the place for him. H finally confessed that he is afraid of the long drive because of his recent DVT blood clot. That I can understand. He agreed to consider flying or taking the train at some point once his clot is deemed gone. @curiositycat333 - it’s not an issue of renting H a car while I take mine. We have only one car and it’s not safe, per H, for an upstate trip. My other kids are all into moving him up so I am going to check with AAA about the Hertz deal where you don’t pay extra for a driver between 21 and 24. I have two of those and they will come on movein weekend. Then, I am going to see if D and her bf want to go up for family weekend, which is her birthday and which will be the first show Techson17 will be working in. D is 25 and her bf will be 24 by then.
Techson17 has already gotten info on a company that picks up your stuff at the end of the school year, stores it and returns it to you in the fall. It’s about $100. Totally worth it.
Now, we just have to wait for the roommate match to figure out TV, fridge, etc. He is allowed a small microwave and wants one. He makes awesome mac and cheese, homemade soups and pasta al dente in ours.
@MSU88CHEng - I would love to meet up with you in Buffalo sometime. Once our sons are settled, we can figure it out.
In the midst of orientation here–well, I’m DONE with parent orientation and back at the air conditioned hotel sipping wine, while S17 has “night activities,” a night in the non-air conditioned dorm, and 3 more hours of his orientation program tomorrow. I’ve only heard from him twice today (which I consider a good sign…). The 1st time he was happy to have tested out of university math on the proctored placement exam. The 2nd time, he was a little bummed that he couldn’t start on history classes yet because he still needs to take 1.5 years of French. I reminded him that he has A LOT of AP transferred history credit, so its not like he’s starting from scratch. I hope he’s having fun and meeting people tonight, and I’m excited to hear about his schedule and everything else tomorrow.
The parent orientation was ok. Lots of information, and quite a bit of 'hand holding." But it’s understandable considering some of the parents seemed a bit helicopter-y, my favorite was the one who basically asked if there was a form their kid could fill out to get around all the FERPA stuff so that the parents could talk to the profs on the student’s behalf.
I am loving being back on campus–it’s beautiful, and I’ve gotten in several walks which brought back good memories.
@techmom99 I’m glad techson’s orientation went so well, and that some of the move in wrinkles are starting to be ironed out. Yes, after the dust settles, we’ll need to meet up sometime when you come upstate.
At our orientation, one of the parents asked if he could attend the advising session with his son because he was afraid the kid would forget all of the instructions he had been given. Most horribly, the dad did this at the initial opening session, where parents and kids were still together! Techson17 whispered that at least I am not THAT bad and then he asked me to text him the classes he had decided on!
We’re home–LONG drive! It took us 7.5 hours to drive there (only 1 stop for gas, snacks, and bathroom), but over 8 hours to drive home (2 stops, one for gas and one for dinner and to move a bit and uncramp our legs…).
S17 looks to have a pretty good schedule–4 classes for a total of 16 credits, 2 classes for his major-writing and policy, then economics and French 102. He met ~20 kids from his major, and said they were “cool” and was even texting with a couple of them on the drive home. The “get to know each other/mixer” activities last night seemed to be a hit; he said he even did karaoke of “Piano Man” with another kid from his major. When his sessions were done today, we stopped by the bookstore to pick up the summer reading book for his major (Hillbilly Ellegy), and he read ~100 pages of it on the drive home. There’s also another book that they got in their orientation packet that all freshmen are supposed to read. Plus he picked up an MSU rain jacket because it was POURING out. And this was after he had mocked his fellow orientation-mates for wearing MSU clothes to orientation. He said, “We’re already accepted, play it cool, and don’t look like a poser.” In life according to S17, he won’t start wearing his MSU clothes in the Fall until he’s been on campus for 2 weeks, when it wont look like he’s trying too hard. =)) Who knew there were all of these rules? 
But all seems good. He’s happy with the school, his major, and his schedule. Now it’s seeming even more real–Eeks! 
Keep those orientation stories coming! Since D17 doesn’t have orientation until 8/23, I’m enjoying hearing about everyone else’s.
It’s getting real! Yesterday I paid D17’s first semester tuition bill. I had to pause and take a long, slow breath before I hit “Confirm”!
D17 now has 1 suitcase out. Figures the only thing she’s put in it so far is one of our 2 person backpacking tents!
I like reading the orientation stories too. S17’s isn’t for another 5 weeks or so. He’s working on scheduling classes now–not so easy so far . . .
I too am catching up now and enjoying the orientation stories. S doesn’t have his till late August, but he is dutifully plugging his way through his required summer reading (The Iliad) and I am keeping him company by trying to do the same, but in a less focused way. @MSU88CHEng Hillbilly Elegy is a good book! Have not bought any dorm supplies or anything. Have been sweating it a little that all the enrollment stuff goes only to S, but I think he’s managed to get all the forms done. About five weeks left till we take him up to school…hard to believe it.
Techson17 finally confessed that he wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to be doing when he was bubbling in his free college on the AP exams, so I ordered the scores and had to pay a supposedly unnecessary $15. It’s not a huge amount, it’s just that it could and should have been free, if he had done what he was supposed to.
OTOH, he came to me today at the fundraising car wash for the summer theater program and confided in me that another kid is being bullied by the “star” of the show. I saw the behavior and thought it odd but didn’t know the context at the time. I heard my son tell the boy that he “didn’t have to do it if (he) didn’t want to” but didn’t know what he meant. It bothers me that a kid can be bullied and hazed in front of adults and the bullies got away with it. I am going to mention it to the head of the program the next time I see her, which will be this week and just say that I observed inappropriate behavior that day. The bully is the “star” of the show and will be attending a top theater acting program in the fall, so they are not going to kick him out of the show. I want them to be a little more vigilant because if he is bullying a boy who is bigger than him, but who has LD’s and a naive people pleaser persona, what is he doing to the middle schoolers involved in the program? My son can stand up for himself (being the youngest of 5 can do that for you!) but other kids may not be able to. I AM proud of my son for trying to do something - he said he will try to watch out for the younger boy, but he is on crew and doesn’t rehearse with the cast so he isn’t always there. My son commented that the bullied kid just wants to be liked and accepted and it broke my heart. It also made me think of that poor boy, Tim Piazza.
@techmom99, 2018 mom lurker here. Give your son a hug please. It’s awesome what he’s doing for the other boy.
@apraxiamom - Thank you. Techson17 has LD’s himself, dyslexia, dyscalculia and visual spatial issues, so he is sensitive to other kids. We talked about it more and he is happy that I am going to speak to the adults.