Parents of the HS Class of 2021 (Part 3)

What are the fees for? Luckily S doesn’t have any this semester.

So far, D has permission to use an older edition of calc book, free PDF for python class. I am not holding my breath the good luck holds out. her other 2 classes are tomorrow.

S21 just facetimed me that he’s ordering his “books”…he needs to buy the digital codes for 4 of his classes…the other one he was able to find a free online pdf through VPN or something…already living that college hack life lol

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They are mostly engineering tech fees.

Call from D21 last night at 1015pm - power out in only her room in her suite. DH walked her through where to find the fuse box and flip the switch etc…. They still need us. :smile:

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Yes, she is at Duke. I think she has a little bit of “imposter syndrome” right now as she says that “all the students” are fluent in 4 languages, have traveled the world, and are highly accomplished in several areas! I think this is normal freshman behavior to think you are not good enough but I know she will be just fine once she settles in…

Her gap year was spent working full time at a restaurant (saving lots of $$) and she also took some community college classes (for fun). Thanks for asking.

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My 6’5" son was in a dorm room that could only accommodate fully lofted beds last year. Not ideal, but they adapt.

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Yes, I do feel so awful for tall people, always being asked to replace light bulbs in the ceiling lights. :laughing:

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Yes, and there is also the close corollary first coined at Duke known as “effortless perfection” or at Stanford known as “floating duck syndrome”. The administration talks a fair bit about this and stresses the importance of having a robust social support network to maintain mental health/etc…

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Aaah imposter syndrome. My son is going to Yale (moving in on Friday) and is having a bit of that. I am hoping he feels better once he settles in.

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Yes, and put ornaments on the top of the tree, and grab stuff on the top shelf at the store…I’m only 5’8" so I wouldn’t know, but my kids are giants. It does come in handy :wink:

Not when you’re doing pull-ups or weightlifting. :wink:

Hugs She can join the club with a lot of kids. My son googled roommate’s name and saw how accomplished he was and then said, “Mom, all the kids who go to Brown are going to be like him.” I told him that I agreed that of the 2000 kids they took in, 1999 are just like his roommate and he was the 1 who slipped through the cracks. Then we grounded back to, “Hey, they also let in weird people and you are definitely a frustratingly non-conforming kid who never thinks inside the box or do things inside the box.”

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I like this essay about talking to students about imposter syndrome by the president of Harvey Mudd (at least she was president in 2018). I need to re-read it myself. Let's Talk About Impostor Syndrome With Incoming Students

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Yep. She attended an informational session for one of the top business clubs on campus (300 students showed up). They only take 15 freshman…ouch…

I know this practice has become common, but I find it so ridiculous. Why do clubs have to be so selective? Obviously they are not concerned with cultivating inclusion and access. I’ll stop there before I go on a rant because as I said, this is happening at many schools…business clubs do seem to be among the worst offenders.

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Just popping in to say how nice it has been reading all of your kids’ move-in and first week experiences. The fun and the challenges… All those baby birds spreading their wings and learning to fly and/or jumping off the ledge and immediately soaring! Warms my heart.

We move in Sunday then my D has a week-long optional pre-orientation trip/activities, another week of mandatory orientation, then classes start. She seems pleased with her schedule and is looking forward to auditioning for the dance team and a broadcaster role for the college tv station. Hope it all works out to match her expectations. :slight_smile:

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I guess you haven’t encountered tour guide selection yet then? (5 spots for 500 applicants when S applied)

Selection for a limited number of jobs is different than clubs, especially wrt the type of business clubs we were talking about.

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My kids are athletes, and I don’t recall them having problems with either of those things. :v: