Are any of your kids planning to take a summer course? S18 wants to take a pre-req over the summer to get it out of the way. He is planning a double major so will have a lot of requirements but I think he may be getting too nervous about fitting it all in. He’s also worried about GPA and heard the prof that teaches this class next Fall is very hard. I suggested that he talk to his advisor when he goes back. Taking the class will cost us more and eat into the time he can work and make money this summer. He seems to think lots of students take the summer courses.
This summer my D will both take a class here, and then study abroad. I think she’ll have a week or two max with no classes. I’m in favor of it. The class she will take here will give her some more info on whether she’s interested in a possible specific major, and if she likes that class it will take her sophomore year in a bit of a different direction. Anyway, if she’s going to take classes over the summer, I’m happy she’ll do it over her first summer because I’m hoping she’ll get a paid internship for her second and third summers.
@Momma2018 if he takes only 1 class over the summer he should still have plenty of time to work. And if his workload is lighter in the fall, he can work some hours then too. There’s no way of getting around paying summer tuition though. He’s pretty smart to be thinking of his GPA and trying to avoid profs with bad reputations. It’s all a weighing process so it’s great you sent him back to collect more data.
Two 2018ers at our house, two very successful first semesters. Big smiles all around this holiday season.
Best wishes to all of your 2018ers as they head into their second term. They’ve got this!
No summer course for S. We don’t want him to use financial aid and none of us have the income. We want him to work this summer, now that we all know more about college costs.
Just said goodbye to S as he heads back Stateside. Next time we see him will be in the summer when we are going to be in the US. Already looking for somewhere good to go next summer. Lots of places on the possible list - Yellowstone, Cape Cod and San Francisco. So while it is a long 7 months off there’s plenty to keep me busy.
We’ve had a great 2018 and hoping 2019 is just as good if not better.
Wishing all the best to everyone else out there saying goodbye to sons and daughters. Keep busy!!
S18 drove back yesterday. He had a great break and spent a lot of time with his HS friends, but I think he was also looking forward to returning to college. No summer school courses or study abroad this summer. He will audition for a lot of local musicals and chill.
The best Christmas gift was having everyone home and we went out to eat as a family the other day, that hasn’t happened since summer.
We took D back yesterday and it was a beautiful day so we spent some time outside walking and browsing stores in the city.
S has a few more weeks. He is working to earn some spending money for next semester.
No winter or summer classes here planned. One class would cost over $1,200! The aid he gets he needs for the regular semesters.
He is going to work and take part in a community musical this summer.
I think you need to be careful taking a difficult class especially science in the summer because the pace is going to be even faster than during the regular semester.
Just dropped daughter off at airport. Had a great break. She saw Hamilton, went to Steelers game, Pitt basketball game and Penguins game. Also spent lots of time with her high school friends.
She will get back to Clemson in time to partake in the craziness of the national championship game and classes don’t start until Wednesday.
@mstomper your post made me smile! I remember when your son got into Ithaca and how much he wanted it and how much you went through to make it all work out. So happy he is thriving there.
@burghdad what exciting memories your daughter will have!! Talk about a school with spirit and sports!!
My daughter went back last Wednesday and already seems like a month. Very excited because she is doing a J Term course that is half at school and half in Walt Disney World. As you can probably guess by my picture and name I am a big fan of WDW…in fact so much so that I am travel planner that specializes in Disney. I have been able to put together a business trip that will bring me to Florida the day her class ends and then she I are going to spend a week in WDW and Universal together before she goes back to school. She is not scheduled to come home until at least May so this will be an amazing time together!
My daughter also is planning a double major and has mapped it all out and it is tight. She needs to get some questions answered but she also may be looking at a summer class or two to make it work. We will see!
Best of luck to all the 2018s as they head off to complete their freshman year!!!
@burghdad is she liking Clemson any better?
@pickledginger Yes! I was just wondering. My daughter went back Saturday, thank goodness before the storm hit Northern California on Sun. She started classes today. She wants to get. a part time job because she is down to a very small amount in her savings. I’m a little worried about too many hours and also want her to enjoy clubs and college life.
@melvin123 Thanks for asking. I think she is doing better. Her plan right now is
to finish up in three years and then start graduate school. Winning a national championship has raised the fun level for her.
@momtwin, hope the quarter goes well for your daughter!
We had planned to take S18 to Ithaca Sunday, but that’s not happening. Fortunately there’s a bus leaving Union Station at noon Monday. S16 doesn’t leave until Friday, and he’s a lot closer.
SNOW DAY! Classes cancelled because of a blizzard.
DD went back on Monday, almost 6 weeks off. Even she felt it was way too long, going back felt like starting all over again.
Anyone here providing input on classes? DD took a class last semester that I didn’t think was a good decision, but, hey, college is for exploration. Well, that class took up a lot of her time, she hated it, didn’t do well and it ended up pulling her GPA down.
She called me last night and spoke about a film class she is taking. It is a late class, and they are watching silent films, which she has zero interest in and is falling asleep. She has no interest in this class at all except it satisfied three gen ed requirements.
She is on scholarship and is applying for additional scholarships, so GPA has to be a concern. I think she needs to start being smarter about her electives and start choosing classes she thinks she would like or at least seem interesting, and stop trying to maximize the requirements.
The add/drop period ends early next week. Do I make the suggestion to drop it?
@laralei, my S had the same long break, due to them having a winter term.
He worked and earned some spending money, but he was ready to go back. Due to the impending storm we took him back Friday, it was nice that the school opened up residence halls early for the students.
My S took a class he didn’t enjoy last semester, but I encouraged him to take it early on because it was difficult to fit in and I was worried that it would mess up his schedule in later semesters.
Could your D talk to an advisor to see what other class she could take if she dropped it?
The advisor is the one who provided the list of classes to begin with and it was very helpful; I think they have a rather strange list of requirements. The older two’s were very straight forward.
She was wait listed for 1 class, so chose the film class, then was notified she was removed from the wait list as she was already enrolled in the film class! She claims everything is full now. Could be, but she doesn’t always provide 100% accurate information, so I’m going to attempt to look at the information her advisor gave her and see if there is another class she could take. She doesn’t want to drop her credit load.
@mommdc It was nice the school opened early for him. I would have made a Sat run as well if we had that option.
DD worked during break also. It was funny as she told them she couldn’t work past Friday, the 18th. They called her to have her come in over that weekend, and she said she couldn’t. Then they had the boss’s son, who apparently is drop dead gorgeous, call her as well. Still no; good looks and charm can only go so far! 
Snow Day! In Alabama…go figure LOL
My student was thrilled, its noon and I am sure they are still sound asleep!
The day my DD has been waiting on since her acceptance and subsequent admission is finally here. The annual rivalry basketball game at home. She has lived in a tent for 39 days, waited in endless walk up lines for other games, bought countless royal blue items, lived through a mild case of the flu and grown closer with those she chose to tent with, all for admission and prime spots in the student section for one game. Out of the 100 tents that are guaranteed admission tonight, she is tent 15 to enter. All of her hard work paid off, and she even successfully went though midterms while living in a tent. I can’t wait to find her on the screen tonight and can’t help but be excited for her.