I try not to show it but I am terrified of S17 driving home for Christmas. What if there is snow or ice? He has never driven on either and I’m scared he will try. I told him if it is bad we would buy him snow tires or chains (big vehicle so not cheap!) I tell him to be smart and stay with his ex-roommate for a few days if it is bad or at his girlfriend’s parents house if it looks like it is going to get bad. (They are all ok with this). I have heard of too many kids being killed on their way to and from college.
I went to visit D last week in Paris and it was nice to see her in person and catch up. Being away the first year is tough and she’s been sick a lot which hasn’t helped. She’s definitely homesick, as are many of her classmates. But the positive news is that she’s doing well in her classes and she’s taking advantage of being in Europe. She’s in London for a long weekend and next weekend she’ll be in Amsterdam, so at least she’s getting out and having some fun. She won’t be home for Thanksgiving and that will be really tough for her, but she’ll come home for winter break. I told her she didn’t have to go back next semester if she’s that unhappy, but she’s torn and she wants to explore a little more.
She went to a show in London tonight and realized how much she misses the theatre. She was in the Sound/Light crew all throughout high school and I think she looks forward to getting back into that next fall. She’s also really missing having science courses this year. At least all her core requirements will be out of the way so she can focus on what she loves sophomore year.
@Fishnlines29 my D17 is sick AGAIN in Scotland. It feels like she’s bee sick half the time she’s been there. We won’t see her until Christmas. She is is homesick but feels she is in the right place.
@sdl0625 Thanks for posting the link above (#33277). “Danger in College: I never saw this coming” was also very interesting.
Wow, I have not been here since some time in August… In addition to sending D17 off to school, our family business is summer focused so while I have tried to pop in here and there to read, I’m afraid I’ve missed most of what you all have been up to for the first term. So here are some big hugs and high fives wherever suitable. 
Fortunately, D17 is deliriously happy at Hamilton. She had been so ambivalent about the entire college process, I was really worried about sending her off on her own, but it turns out none of my fears were warranted. I’m actually lucky if I get a text a week at this point, she’s so busy! I wouldn’t mind if she were in contact a bit more, because I miss her, but at the same time, I’m very proud of how independent she’s become so quickly. At least I will see her home for Thanksgiving break next week.
I look forward to keeping up with a little better from here on out.
It’s been a whirlwind time from last year to now. My D17 is at a public research school in the Northeast & while loving the school & her major, she is really struggling. She has significant scholarships that require keeping a certain GPA- & they are not major dependent. We are trying to get her to understand that maybe she needs to consider a different major… … Is anyone else dealing with grade shock?
My D has a friend who switched from engineering to statistics and is so much happier, she will be able to complete a BS and MS in 4 years because of AP credits.
Another friend switched from chemical engineering to industrial engineering.
@rscgrad the struggle is definitely real. The first round of tests were quite the shock for my D who had very little physics in high school and who is also encountering a few other challenges—professors with accents that are hard to understand, mastering true leaning with a “flipped classroom.”
Underneath it all though, she says she really does love the content she is learning. She has rallied this second round of tests (except for one class) and has come to accept she may have to repeat one course (the repeated grade will cancel out the poor grade). It’s been a huge effort though and she will have to decide if it’s what she truly wants to continue doing or if there is another path. She loves her school though and I know she will want to stay there. She just has to keep the scholarship. I’m super glad it isn’t a crazy high GPA.
@VickiSoCal that sucks, it’s so tough on them to be sick away from home!! I attribute it to stress!
D and 3 friends are going to look at a house for next year on Monday. I can’t believe it is time to look at housing for next year already!
@jmek15 D17 is also considering transferring. She is getting good grades, has a close, cohesive dorm floor, likes her professors, and has joined several clubs, but isn’t sure a small LAC is for her after all, and doesn’t like being so far away. I’m trying to figure out how she went from “I’m not applying to our in-state public u” last year to “I think I may want to transfer to our in-state public u” now. We’ll see what Thanksgiving week brings. She’ll be home for the first time this semester and plans to visit her best HS friend at our in-state public u.
@RightCoaster I can’t believe your son’s semester in London is almost over, either. Something about imagining him coming home to Boston when it seems like it was only yesterday that he was flying to England makes me feel like this semester really has flown by!
I can’t wait for S17 to come home tomorrow night. He is so independent. He reminded me he needed to reserve parking at the airport. He already has a friend lined up to drive him home from the airport so we don’t have to be out late at night. It does seem the semester has flown by. I think he has a 4.0 right now but Honors English is close. I think it will be a different story next semester with physics (he HATES it).
S17 is really happy at school, except that he is struggling with drafting. There’s very little artistic ability in our family and he is dyslexic and has visual spatial and vision problems, so it’s tough. The school must recognize it, because you only need a D- to progress to the next course.
However, he will be home for 9 days tomorrow night and I am excited to see him. On Sunday, we will be having a conference call with the Bone Marrow Registry as he has been selected as a match for a person who needs a donation. He is SO exuberant about being able to help someone.
My daughter picked her roommate and dorm room for next year about a month ago. Seems crazy early to me. Son is trying to finalize apartment for next year. Inertia will likely keep him in same place as this year (which was the hope to minimize moving).
@techmom99 wow, being a bone marrow donor. That is really great of your S.
@NolaCAR it will be nicer to have your D closer to home if she does transfer. The visit with her friend should help clarify things for her. Keep us posted! In the meantime, it’s good that her overall experience has been positive, even if it turns out that the LAC wasn’t the best fit.
Hi all - I am poking around CC trying to get a head start for my DS who is a HS sophomore and thought about this group. It is nice to read about updates on these kids. I did not post much but read ALL of the posts for years and followed your searches. It was here that I learned about Alabama where my DD ended up. Even though I was not a big poster, I will update that my dd is adjusting really well to UA.
The distance from PA is hard but she has found some great friends in her dorm, sorority, and classes. She has joined some clubs as well and feels she has found “her people”. She is busy beyond belief and seems to be managing the adulting pretty well. She loves the school spirit and has nothing but praise for the entire University. She was surprised at the rigor of many of her classes and is thinking that she is carrying too heavy of a load for first semester (18 credits). She thought that it might be a bit easier since the admission stats were far below those of other schools she was considering, but she has really had to work harder than she ever imagined. She is doing well and learning a ton. She has said she made the right choice but wishes she were closer to home and the travel logistics have certainly been difficult for her to manage. She understands why the graduation rate is so low since she is noticing many peers who are discussing transfering. In the cases of those friends it is not anything about the school but the distance that is the deciding factor. Many feel that they will do a year or two to get the big college experience and free tuition and then transfer closer to home or location where they will eventually land. At this time all 4 of her suitemates are happy and returning but they know many who would rather be closer to home including her big sis in her sorority who is transfering at the end of her sophomore year back home.
We are looking forward to seeing her this week for Thanksgiving. Praying for safe travels for all of our children and family members.
Happy to hear about kids who can come home for Thanksgiving or who have friends at college to spend it with! Some of yours are probably already home! 
We’ll be picking DS up on Wednesday and he’ll take the train back on Sunday. He only has Thursday and Friday classes off, but then he has only one week of classes and then finals left (because quarters, not semesters).
He just registered for winter quarter classes last week. It looks like he got the classes he wanted, though he needs to get approval from his advisor to add a physics lab course, since he’s at the max units. His school doesn’t have them think about housing for sophomore year until March/April.
Hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving! Son17 is working on his final projects this week. He will be home in about 2 weeks and we are excited to have him back. He registered for all of his classes next semester and he finds out about his dorm situation in about a week. I think he’s looking forward to coming home, but he’s had a fun time.
I echo that! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
D17 will be staying at school this week, studying and trying to catch up on a little rest. She also just received her L1 HPR certification in rocketry yesterday, so she’s pretty pumped. I’ll be really happy to see her in less than three weeks – four months is WAY too long!