Parents of the HS Class of 2017 (Part 1)

Parents Forum Class of 20xx Community
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@xaviermom2017 - thanks for your post. I wanted to call out one part in particular:

I think that’s something that we all need to come to terms with (or not) individually.

When we started this process with my D (my oldest child), she really wanted to go to MIT. It was pretty clear that her chances were in the slim-to-none range. But I thought that if she were to get accepted, that she would do fine there.

As the process went along, I started to see things a little differently. I started to realize that some of the most prestigious schools - even if she was fortunate enough to get in - would not yield the best educational experience for her. And the schools that were the best fit for her were actually match schools.

Now, I actually think this is not necessarily the same for all kids. And in fact parent/child are just making educated guesses about what the best fit is anyway.

But at least for myself / my D, I’ve had to come to the realization that a lot of the desire for prestige is about me, not about D. And seeking maximum prestige / selectivity / whatever for her is actually an anti-goal.

So now my goal is to get her into maximum prestige schools and then boast about how she turned them down… :smiley:

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@thshadow – SO TRUE – “And in fact parent/child are just making educated guesses about what the best fit is anyway.”

I have to stop trying to duplicate my university experience for my children. They are looking for very different experiences. It’s not as though I knew what I was looking for, but now that I have had it, it is how I define ‘college’.

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@dfbdfb @MotherOfDragons what years were you there?

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YAY!!! After being stuck in traffic forever, we finally made it home. Dd is in the HC at USCar and auto-admit to the IB program!! She is super happy b/c she is very interested in their CIFA cohort program. Major smiles here.

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@xaviermom2017 --well said!

A reach school is not good for our bank account either :))

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Yes, agree, I helped with research various colleges for major, etc. but ultimately D made her own decisions on where to apply. I agree some of the more “prestigious” schools can also add undue stress. Also, her “fit” would never have been mine.

Well after much deliberation, we got D the Mac Book Air for xmas. Her current laptop is old and on it’s last legs, she wanted something lighter, smaller so she could easily carry it around at college next year and coming from PC’s it’ll be nice for her to have it early to get used to it - although she already uses them in programming class, so I guess that’s not a valid justification lol. My SIL says it will last her throughout college, so if that’s true, that’s terrific.

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@Mom2aphysicsgeek Congrats!!! Does your D have to apply to the specific cohorts or does honors college admission mean she automatically gets her pick of cohorts? Not sure I understand how that all works. Hoping D gets HC letter soon.

D is getting a new light and fast PC laptop for college and a laser printer. No desktop. I’ve already discussed with her the benefit of taking notes in class by hand instead of on the laptop so hopefully she listens and doesn’t need to trek it around campus.

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@itsgettingreal17 Thanks! No, she has to apply. She has been in touch with the CIFA program b/c she didn’t understand the application process for it, either. The applications don’t open until the end of January. They told her they would contact her when the link goes live.

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@Fishnlines29 --super smart choice on the laptop. I love love love my Macbook Air. D has had the smallest version since like 7th grade and says she plans to take it to school just for basic stuff and because it is so lightweight and portable. She will need a new one for engineering and such but it sounds like the Air will be along for the ride also.

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DS has a very good laptop, but being a techie he is already asking for a new one for college. I told him after first semester since I am afraid he end up loosing it like his cousin. Told him he can shop during Black Friday 2017 :slight_smile: he already got new cell phone (after damaging previous one) :-).

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Congrats @Mom2aphysicsgeek and any others I missed.

Laptop: DD was polishing her backpack and cleaning her laptop one day, and when I asked her what’s going on, she said she was getting stuff ready for dorm. So, I guess no requests for new laptops in our home :slight_smile:

QOTD: Speaking of dorms, we put in housing deposits for a couple of colleges DD got into where the deposit fully or almost refundable if she chooses not to go there (no, we didn’t put down admission deposit). Is this needed, or is it ok to wait till we have all the results and then decide the housing for just the ones we shortlist?

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Congratulations @Mom2aphysicsgeek <:-P <:-P <:-P

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QOTD2:

Dorm Supplies:
What’s necessary for your kid and what’s not? TV? Alarm clock? Coffee Machine? Printer? Iron? Fridge? vacuum cleaner? microwave? etc?

The only things I am sure about are linens, a laptop, and a smart phone.

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@nw2this – list will vary by student, and by school (furniture configuration & storage capacity). Also, some schools have electrical limitations, requiring students to rent fridge/microwave combo from preferred provider.

I bought a fridge, B&W laser printer, and an iron. I think the iron made its way around the suite, and am guessing the printer was used suite-wide also, just based on the reams of paper consumed.

I was a huge fan of these giant under-bed wheeled storage boxes. Beds were slightly elevated, so the boxes rolled right under. Now that they are no longer in use in an apt, they take up a lot of space in my attic. They were also inefficient while packing the car, as they were very tall, and if you filled them, they were heavy to move.

A fan is a very useful thing, even in New England.

Surge protector with extension cord of varying lengths. You will not know what distance needs to be covered until you are in the room. I think my son had two from freshman year, and needed a new, longer one this year in his apt.

A hole puncher. (Something I had not considered.)

Command Hooks.

Three inch memory foam mattress topper, XL quilted mattress pad, and bed bug protector to zip around the entire rig.

Vacuum cleaner was available to borrow when movie popcorn night required clean-up. Am not sure the room was ever vacuumed otherwise.

BB&B usually mails a 20% off everything coupon during the summer. I have found Costco’s prices to be better than BB&B’s, even after the 20% savings. Walk-Mart was good on some things (fan, surge protectors, fridge–but bought that when we arrived on campus).

List is not all-inclusive. Must poke around computer files to see where the packing list is. Many apps to be filed before I move to list-making.

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@carachel2 Oh good, I’m glad to hear it on the MBAir!

PRINTERS: I could be wrong but I’ve come to the conclusion printing is rarely needed - most submissions are done online and it seems that if you really needed something printed, the schools have more than enough “credits” for this purpose on printers throughout campus.

@nw2this There’s a good thread on this topic: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1769222-checklist-for-parents-of-incoming-freshmen-p1.html

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@Fishnlines29 --I think my son used the printer to print out packets for class, and not for assignments. He found it easy to print in the room in the morning before class. I am guessing that just a slight bit of planning would have allowed printing the day before while on main campus…

I am not even sure if he brought the printer back with him this year. The university credits the students with some amount of money in their net print account and then students can add to it when needed. So, yes, a printer is absolutely not an essential item, but I think he found it helpful freshman year. One could always ship it along with a cable if needed once on campus.

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QOTD2: DD14 went to boarding school prior to college and I will say the best investment I made was buying some cute upholstery material and having a duvet cover and a large euro square pillow (that she could lean against in bed) made from it. The kids tend to use their beds as couches and the quilts take a beating. She used her duvet cover for six years and it still looks great, she’s be using it this year but she got a full size bed in her housing and we had to buy new size everything. FYI Garnet HIll has great sales during the summer and has some very cute stuff.

A fan is a must for air flow and white noise. A refrigerator is handy, as is a microwave. DD kept a supply of soup and yogurt in her dorm.

We sent her with a printer but she never used it so we took it home, they use printers a lot less than you would think and most schools have printer cards or free printing. A desk lamp is a must and the lamps that clip on to the headboards come in handy. Many of the kids bring their own desk chairs.

As far as dorm décor “Scout” makes some great and colorful storage boxes with lids, DD keeps her clothes in them under her bed, The smaller unlidded squares are great as bookshelves. If you sign up for email they have some great sales. They will need about three bins to store clothes under their bed, the dressers are usually a joke.

We also have large collage posters made for her each summer, with family photos and a funny or sweet saying. My sister sent her a poster of DD’s uncle in Baghdad dressed in full battle rattle and holding a weapon with the caption, “so you want to date my niece.” LOL

Get them enough equipment so they can feed themselves in the dorm if they get sick, but not so much that they can stay in the dorm and not socialize.

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@CT1417 is right, I forgot about the memory foam topper. DD has a really thick one that we got at Costco for much less than other stores. I think we paid $145. but one we bought during high school was almost $400.

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@cleoforshort – if I did not say so already, I have a boy, so no decorating. Much different situation for girls and yes, colorful storage is a must! Love the poster ideas.

Agree that comforter took a beating. Was disposed of after two years, as it emerged from the wash after second year with stuff coming out.

Love your duvet cover idea and it reminded me of a friend with a D at Alabama, where apparently some of the mothers had headboards made up. That seems like quite the expense for a college dorm!

Forgot about desk lamp and that reminded me of a seat cushion for the hard wood desk chairs.

We bought a rug also freshman year. Shared cost between roommates. I think I bought printer & fridge, and roommate’s parents bought rug. Rug did not leave campus freshman year.

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@cleoforshort – I think the Costco twin memory foam was $100 (picked one up for a friend) and this year’s double was maybe $30 or so more. They run a coupon book sale on it every summer.

Oh…some sort of laundry hamper also.