@STEM2017 I’m lurking here from the 2016 and 2019 boards–but my go to graduation gift for girls is a fleece Vera Bradley blanket (and an Amazon gift card). The blankets at at the Vera site and Amazon and come in a huge variety of colors/patterns. They are super soft and comfy. Each girl I’ve bought for (over 10 now) has really loved the blanket for their dorm room.
Hope that helps.
Does the campus have nice outdoor spaces with trees? What about an Eno hammock. It’s not a dorm room Item but my daughter really has enjoyed having hers to chill out in when she wants some quiet time.
Thanks for the ideas!
@botcom from a quick look at Google maps, it looks like the dorms are on a hill with lots of trees, overlooking Mt Hope Bay. I think a hammock would be a great idea. Thanks!
Whew - D17 just emailed her last research paper and finished a take-home final exam. That’s it for the last class of her freshman year at Stanford.
She has been rocking it in every way – loving her classes, taking advantage of every opportunity presented to her. She has found her tribe and a creative outlet through the Stanford Shakespeare Company. TruthfullyWe could not have asked for a better academic, intellectual, social, and creative fit for my D – albeit a bit of a big surprise because on paper it looked like it wouldn’t be the ideal environment for her (too STEM-y, too Silicon Valley culture, too rah-rah, etc).
She is finding that the small humber of students genuinely interested in subjects she is passionate about get a lot of attention from the profs who go out of their may to nurture their budding interests. In addition to the 18 or so units she was carrying, she managed to do an independent study (at the prof’s suggestion) to explore a detail on a work of art of interest to her, and with the readings they discussed together, she put together a through research paper.
Now she’s off to a summer museum internship in Washington DC after a quick training in Los Angeles. It’s get great having her back for a few days.
@STEM2017 We just had this discussion w/DD17 because we were trying to decide what to get her cousin who just graduated from HS. She said her top pick for dorm room graduation gift is a Bluetooth speaker. However, she already has an Eno hammock and loves it. So that’s a good choice, too.
@LoveTheBard So glad to hear Stanford is a good fit for your DD. Sounds like she had a great year!
Update: While I was in Europe on a solo vaca, DD17 got accepted to transfer to our in-state flagship public U. Her decision was due 4 days after I got back, which didn’t give us much time, especially because I had jet lag and she was sick and working 6 days a week, but we did manage to get her down to the U to walk the campus. She ended up choosing to stay at her liberal arts college. It feels good to have a decision (again).
Wow @NolaCAR that’s a roller coaster. Good to have a decision though.
Makes me think of @jmek15 and son. Hoping Purdue turned out to be a better than expected, or a better fit was found.
Grad gifts for girls.
My D loves her Vera Bradley large duffle. We got it on sale and it folds up flat when not in use and she can pack a lot in it for when she comes home. https://www.verabradley.com/us/browse/travel/travel-duffels-1827899859+3499438249+3660036055?Nr=Site_ID%3AVBUS&VBNt=__0
She also has a zip ID case/lanyard from Vera Bradley.
https://www.verabradley.com/us/search?Dy=1&Nty=1&search=true&Ntt=lanyard
So maybe a Vera Bradley gift card?
My D had a very successful first year. She found her tribe in the Integrated Science Curriculum(ISC) cohort. ISC was a huge commitment but well worth it in the end. She learned so much and it funded her summer internship on campus in the lab she started working in the Spring semester. For a girl that didn’t want much to do with CS she’s displayed a talent there and will most likely end up with a CS certificate when all is said and done. Her Sophomore year will be spent trying to decide exactly what her concentration will be as that’s a bit up in the air.
I second the Vera duffle. My girls have them, I bought them at the outlet for about $30 - then had them monogrammed. I have also given them as gifts.
@HappyGoLucky2017 he decided to return to Purdue. It was a tough decision with pros and cons discussed at length. We hope he’ll be happier this year - a different living situation should help.
Well I never updated at the end fo the year but ds is home, had a very successful year at Kentucky and can’t wait to go back in August. I asked him the other day if there is anything he would change if he was going back and doing it again and he said “no mom. I really love it there, it’s big with lots of opportunities but it’s small and personal too. I definitely made the right choice”. Guess I cannot ask for more than that.
@jmek15 hopefully your S will have a more enjoyable year coming up. That was probably a tough decision to make.
I guess he can always see how it goes and revisit it again next spring if still not thrilled with Purdue.
@jmek15 Hopefully the better living situation makes all the difference. We saw it make a huge difference in our older son’s happiness this past year. I never wanted to live in a dorm again after my first year. Transferred schools, ended up in a dorm again, and never wanted to leave. I hope he has a much better time this year and has a blast at Purdue.
And the plane tickets are purchased and the hotel booked for move in, part deux.
Tempus fugit…
@jmek15 Truly inspired by the thoughtfulness and support you are providing your DS in finding his way. Some students just seem to find their stride early. I think far more are like your son, they question their choices, and take longer than their first year to feel like they fit in. Wishing him all the best and happiness in the coming year.
~O) :-h
Wow, over a month since the last posting!
DS17 is home, after finishing up his summer term at UF. He spent most of his time with the Gator Motorsports team (running aerodynamic simulations and doing body work). It’s only for a week, and then we move him into his first apartment on 8/18. We know his 3 roommates (it’s a 4 bedroom, 4 bath, individual lease, apartment), and my wife had lunch with the other moms to coordinate stuff (I think we’re in charge of plates!).
This summer he didn’t have a meal plan, but still seemed able to feed himself, so that’s a plus. :-bd
Over the summer, we did see him every 2 or 3 weeks (it’s less than a 90 minute drive), as he would rolled in, on weekends, with his laundry. I would complain, but I did the very same thing while in college, so I’ll let my better half deal with it. 
Finishing up summer here as well. I think it’s been a relatively successful summer, some vacations were had, monies were earned, resumes and cover letters updated. S17 will have to figure out employment for fall, he doesn’t want to keep working at the dining hall but, didn’t quit either. Which means they sent him information about when to arrive for training, a full week before school starts. Of course they didn’t tell him that at the end of the year, and it arrived after the response date shown in the letter as we aren’t around the corner for mailings. With no place to stay and an already booked flight, he is not heading back early. He applied for one internship, no word there, and 2 jobs, one of which he’s not heard from and the other basically says to stop in once he is back in town. Hopefully he works it out quickly.
We did have a nice surprise about a month ago when the financial awards finally came out. He received an additional 3K OOS grant. Oddly, our EFC went down this year (which makes zero sense as the financials were the same). We were gapped last year and as an OOS student didn’t expect any FA. I can’t tell if it is FA based other than it stating it was based on academic merit, what was in the fafsa and filing on time. LOL! Who cares, I will take it! Especially as he did not get the alumni scholarship he received last year again (which was only 1K0. Not going to count on it for future years but it was nice to see his solid year rewarded.
He heads back in less than 2 weeks! He needs a few things for the new dorm but not much so we will just order and ship there. We plan to visit in mid September and am very much looking forward to that.
D17 hasn’t had a break all summer - started Calc 1 at CC four days after finals at univ. Did that for 8 weeks, then immediately started Calc 2. She moves back into her dorm Tuesday next week, comes back to take final for Calc 2, then starts classes the next Monday. All of that on top of working 40 hours a week. I think she’s ready to get back to univ as she’ll probably have more free time! And I’m looking forward to getting rid of her piles that are spread throughout the house!
@eandesmom It is so nice to see an EFC drop and receive OOS grant! We are facing a 3.9% raise on OOS tuitions :((
@michiganbuckeye That is a really busy schedule!!!