The past week has involved lots of driving, hotels, investigating (and getting lost) around huge campus, and some great meals. S17 is all moved in but appears to be resisting the rah rah forced fun of the pre-semester events. Roommate seems nice but doesn’t talk much. The roommate has already completed all math requirements for an aeronautical engineering degree (gulp). Maybe he likes to tutor?? S has connected with some other kids and went to a woman’s soccer game last night.
Best of luck to those who are still in the process of moving in!!
Been so hectic around here this month - D17 & I just got back from our 10 day Girl Scout trip to Iceland. I start a new job on Monday. S15 leaves tomorrow for his 2nd co-op rotation (returning to same company), but will live at my parent’s house for the duration as he didn’t want to spend $600 a month on rent & luckily my parents are within an hour’s drive of his co-op. We move D17 into her dorm on Wednesday - planning on going pretty light as D will be home 2 1/2 weeks later to work for a weekend & we can send more stuff with her then. DH has been working long days as he’s doing conference calls with China & Germany - so he typically starts the day with a 6 am phone call & ends with a 9 pm phone call. He’s not sure if he will be able to go do the move in for D17 as he has visiting businessman in this week - hoping that at least cuts down on the early phone calls!
Good luck to everyone as they deal with move-in. I have to say I’ve been enjoying keeping an eye on my Facebook page as I see friends moving their children into various colleges around the US.
It’s been awhile since I’ve been here and it is exciting to see some of the kids starting to move in. Several of my son’s friends had their move-in day over the past week and several more this coming week. Their experiences have all been positive so it’s helping to keep things calm here.I’m having a hard time sleeping and there have been a few times when my husband just looks at me and doesn’t say a word but there is a “this is getting real” look in his eyes.
Good wishes to all of you still moving your children in. Hope things continue to go well. By mid September we will have all survived this. Cheers!
S17 is launched! It was over a 2 day period. Friday was the big move-in day, but today was Convocation and other events parents were invited to. So the hugs and goodbyes were around 3pm today. I wasn’t sure if sticking around was going to be helpful or hurtful. Prior to drop off S17 made plans to sit with us for convocation. Best case scenario occurred- he texted he was with other students. Later at lunch he shared enough info to put me at ease that the transition is going well. Roommate match is good, friends in general off to a good start, major meeting went well, and most of all, he seems happy. Says he will call every Sunday, starting tomorrow. Seriously, I am hoping for at least some texts in between, but I’m trying to give him some space and some wings.
Hang in there empty nesters. I’m feeling a bit better, feeling I’ve received my sign that all is well, and that seems to help.
Congrats to all who have managed a successful launch! We head out tomorrow for move in on Tuesday morning. All the mixed emotions you’d expect are running high. I’m hoping for a smooth transition although I’m sure I’ll be a puddle when I get on the plane to return home.
Our last week has been consumed with unexpected things. The traffic coming home was crazy with people heading toward totality zones. (Poor ds ended up taking 12 hrs for an 8 hr drive until he turned away from the direction of Columbia.). We were planning on driving a couple of hours to get in the zone, but no way now. Glad I witnessed it so we don’t experience getting stuck in it. I just hope that Columbia is not a zoo on Tuesday bc that is dd’s move in day.
Got back from UCLA orientation on Friday. Son got the classes he needed/wanted with no problem. A funny thing is that he’ll be taking the same math course as his orientation guide. He liked the academic advisor and got good advice for the next two quarters too. A busy and tiring 3 days for him. Only one of us did the parents orientation on Friday, so I just wandered around campus all day. Had a great time kicking back on The Hill outside Cafe 1919 (pretty good panini for lunch), reading and people watching. Made me very happy to think our son will be living in such a nice environment - relaxing, yet vibrant. The courtyards and patios have tons of umbrella-shaded tables for students to eat and hang out at. Everything is so well maintained. Such a wonderful spot. Move-in isn’t for another month, so our son has 3-4 more weeks of work. After the salmon salad he had at the dining commons, he’s ready to move-in now.
Well, S is moved in and we are back home. S seems to be doing well. He has had a date and gone for snacks with two other girls. Tonight is mandatory dorm meeting, new student convocation, and all-school pep rally. He has already asked for money for some things his English teacher emailed that they needed. He has to take a chem placement test he didn’t know about and is nervous because he doesn’t remember much chem.
He seems happy so that is good.
We had to leave early because his sister (that I didn’t want to come along) threw a fit. Her mental illness that she refuses to treat caused a mess. She had to go home and go home NOW or she was going to hitchhike home. Mind you this 20 year old would do it and get herself hurt in the process. We had to cancel our vacation to watch the eclipse, and our visit with relatives and drive home. She hasn’t spoken to us since and says we have the bad attitudes and shouldn’t have been mad at her. Why didn’t we just pay the $500 and send her home on the plane. Sigh. We cannot win with her. I’ve been crying because I never got to say goodbye to my son or hug him goodbye. She thinks it is no big deal and neither does my husband. S is ok too. They are not moms! Sigh. I’m going to still take tomorrow off work. D is out with friends all night and sleeps all day. Grr.
At least I got the small dog back and she loves me!
S17 had his first class at 7AM MST this morning. We arrived last Wednesday - picked up his ID and pre-ordered books on campus; picked up the Pack and Hold at BBB; checked into the Airbnb; and had a final dinner out with him. Move in was 8AM Thursday - the dorm was a pleasant surprise. It was decent sized, newly carpeted and painted with a nice window and AC in the hallways. We did a Target run for a couple of additional items, met the roommate and his mom and grandfather (very pleasant); made sure his ID/key worked then left him to settle in. Returned Thursday evening for family BBQ and Convocation which were very nice. We hovered from afar on Friday morning. They took their traditional hike up the mountain and we walked along the local creek where we could see them climbing and hear them singing and cheering. Then we were off to enjoy the area ourselves. Lots of walking/hiking. A final five minute check in on Saturday evening and we headed home yesterday morning. As we got on the highway the tears began to fall. Then again while waiting for the plane in the airport. At this point we have yet to hear from or see pictures of him.
Dropped off DS17 at Upenn on Saturday - he had to go a few days early bc he is an IT assistant. Move in with all his stuff (lots of tech items in addition to fridge and personal items) went pretty well though we had to carry things up 3 flights of stairs. We only had 1 short BB run and were relieved all the preplanning, packing and DS’s CAD drawing of his room worked very well - room is small single but he wanted a lot (too much) tech stuff. We go back on Wednesday for orientation - there are a few things for parents and also for engineering students. He has 5 days of orientation so will be on campus 9 days before taking his first class. Hopefully he’ll learn his way around and meet lots of great students too. Best of luck to all those students starting their on campus experiences! And I hope parents with empty nests can adjust and enjoy this different life experience. We have a DS18 to focus on now - here we go again though he’s not aiming for any lottery schools.
All students enrolling at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in August 2018 and beyond will now have the opportunity to study abroad.
Beginning with the class of 2022 (arriving in August 2018), every full-time student will receive a Global Project Scholarship credit of $5,000 to help pay for an off-campus experience.
The school is aiming for 90-percent participation by 2020 in the program dubbed Global Projects For All. WPI is seeking to add new project centers and expand existing locations around the world, the school said in a press release last week.
The school, via its Global Projects Program, added 18 new project centers since 2009, including expanding its reach in England, Ecuador, Armenia and Israel last year.
This year, the Institute will add programs in Massachusetts, Costa Rica, Japan and Switzerland. The university hopes to raise $50 million for future endeavors.
Currently, the school sends 72 percent of its students to more than 40 project centers around the world, according to a press release.
“By enabling more students to apply what they know out in the world, this initiative will also accelerate WPI’s quest to prepare and equip the next generation of STEM leaders to play vital roles in the future prosperity of our nation, and advance the well-being of others,” said WPI President Laurie Leshin in a press release.
@momocarly I’m so sorry. Not getting to give your son a goodbye hug sounds painful but Try to take comfort in knowing that he is happy.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek This empty nester thing is real. I think my body is going into shock. My son hasn’t left yet and I’m having trouble sleeping, pulled a muscle in my neck, having sporadic fevers and just trying to hold it together. I know he is going to be absolutely wonderful when he is at school but it’s like I am having a reaction to the impending departure. Ahh…it’s an exciting new chapter in all of our lives.
We moved DD in last weekend. I took the advice to leave her a card on her bed telling her how proud we were of her and all of the things that would have made me cry. The one time we both cried is when she said goodbye to her twin brother. As it turned out he saw her two days later when we dropped some things off she forgot. Thank goodness she is only 30 minutes away! DH is stopping by to pick up her Jury Duty notice that arrived just after she left.
We take DS tomorrow and he moves in on Friday. Then we come home to the empty nest. For a week until my son comes to UVA for a football game and needs a ride back to school on Sunday. I’ll take what I can get. I can’t imagine sending a child far away, I feel for all of you who are. Best of luck to the ones who haven’t moved to college.
My daughter had her first class this morning. Will be interesting to see how it goes. So far things appear to be going well. She is meeting people, taking part in activities and events and learning to live on her own. Her older brother is finding his way around apartment life in his junior year. Empty nest is here and is definitely an adjustment.
My son starts at Kalamazoo College in less than 2 weeks. And then: Empty Nest for this single mom. We are soooo not ready, but will have to focus on that until we leave.
His sister graduated college last year and lives on her own in another town. Thank goodness I can still talk to the cat when my S is gone… Although I don’t expect the cat to respond, sometimes all I got was a shrug from him anyway!
I’m curious about the Facebook for Parents of whatever college your student goes to. Have you joined? How did you find out about it? Do you have any tips for running one? I couldn’t find a group for Parents only for Kalamazoo on Facebook.
Not sure how many emails, texts, or heaven forbid, phone calls I’ll get from my son, and honestly would appreciate the communal support, so I’ve started a group on Facebook for confirmed parents whose students are attending K. There we can share resources and support. Ask about good places for brunch, clarification on information from the school, sharing about helpful programs on and off campus, etc.
The group is closed, like I’ve noticed the others are, so we can share comments without having our students have access and get embarrassed (like that never happens).
Here’s the link for the Facebook Group, just add the site name with the dot com where the asterisks are. I left it out in case CC doesn’t allow full links to outside groups. Then copy and paste into your search box in your browser: