Just got confirmation that my D got a slot in her first-choice pre-orientation canoeing/camping program (3+days, four nights)! She’ll come home for six days afterwards then return for move-in and something like three days of intensive orientation on campus (I think much of orientation will be face-to-face as students are strongly urged to be vaccinated). Happy and excited for her. As we speak she is walking around W&M with her dad and boyfriend…dad has never been to Williamsburg, and she very much wanted him to see it before move-in. Very long day (5+hours each way…I wouldn’t have done it…they got up before dawn and will come home very late). I’m happy to sit here on the couch and view their progress via texted photos and updates!
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One of her fellow trainees is off to Butler in the fall, actually. I don’t think she’d get in, but it is definitely what she has been looking for, so it may not hurt to try. She’s going to start reaching out to programs to see who will take transfer students, as many will not.
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S finished his very last assignment this morning at 7:45 and is now on a two day senior retreat. I already miss him terribly 
. Just thinking is this what it will be like in August walking by his empty room? I like my birds in the nest!
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I do too. And this will be the 1st summer D18 will not be working near home. 
As the song title from Lion King says, it’s the “Circle of Life.”
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I’ll still say I’ll believe this all when I see it. Every day more and more schools are closing their waitlists. Cornell closed their COE waitlist today notifying everyone that they will not be taking anyone from it and formally rejecting them, some of their other colleges had done it previously. We all know other schools have done it as well. I just don’t see the point right now for anyone having double dipped, and even if they had, I can’t imagine there will be enough “attrition” to open up substantial waitlist spots at any one school. The schools closing their waitlists must anticipate that as well
@evergreen5 You and I still seem to be on the same page regarding this. It sure will be an interesting ride!
For those who need to get winter jackets for your kids, Land’s End has a sale. I got the squall winter jacket for my son for $80. There’s a code and I used Rakuten (I have a referral if you need one or anyone can give you their Rakuten referral) and got another 2%. It’s supposedly not bulky, but waterproof, wind proof, and good for 5-35°F range.
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I love Land’s End! I was just thinking that I have to stock up on winter gear but it is so hard to think about in the summer!
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S19 is only home for three weeks this summer and time is almost up. Going back to Maine for summer and not home again until Thanksgiving. It’s a long time. We might try to visit him after we drop D at Colgate but I also might be starting a new job that week and I don’t know if I can get the whole week off. If not, we maybe don’t get out there until parents weekend in late Oct. That would be 18 weeks or so. Not a fan of that. It’s too long!
I have two interviews next week. They are both at local schools. The week of Colgate’s drop off is the first week of school here. I’m trying to decide when I bring up that I want that week off. I’m sure both schools could do without me that week as these are positions that have been open all spring and they are now just filling them for fall. I’ll wait and see if I have an offer or two I guess and then bring up this vacation request. I hope it works out!
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Recommendation for a good mattress topper? Is 2" best or should I get something else. Any advice appreciated!
my kids all had 2" linenspa toppers and no complaints! They actually found them to be pretty comfortable. In addition to the topper that had a bug protector thing and a mattress pad so add those and their sheets in and that’s like an extra inch. Some will say get 3 or 4 inch but to me, really not necessary.
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Can you time it with a weekend and only take 1 or 2 days off? That might be a big ask to want a whole week off right at the beginning of the school year as a new employee.
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All boys do use them:slightly_smiling_face:. I got my senior the same one I got for my now junior which is black mesh from Amazon. My senior brought it to orientation so he is clearly not opposed to it:joy:
Thanks for the bedding topper info. Trying to wade through comments and figure out what she needs. My D has been sleeping on a nothing special ikea mattress so a lot of this sounds like an upgrade to be honest!
Are you essentially saying there are 4 layers on the bed-
Bug thing
Mattress topper
2-4 inch foam topper
Sheet
How many sets of sheets and towels do you recommend?
So D went to school for final checkout yesterday. Graduation is today and she had to return books and talk to GC. It’s the first time she had been to school in ages. Her GC asked her where she was going next year and when she said Macalester she watched the woman write down McCallister on her list. She thought it was pretty funny when she recounted it to me last night. So yes, we did hire a private college counselor to help her with her list!
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We have always only had them take 2 sets of sheets. Maybe this is ingrained from overnight camp. It gives them the option of putting a clean set on when they’re doing their laundry or when they’re lazy and not doing laundry that often they can still put a clean set on and keep the dirty ones with the laundry. Also always good to have a spare if anything gets spilled or worse like in the case of my daughter’s suitemate having someone puke all over their bed and linens. If that were me I would be dumping and buying all new stuff lol.
I haven’t gotten to the towels yet for my son and may just have him take what he took to camp because it was new then and they’re in the back of his bathroom closet so I know he doesn’t use them here but generally I think my girls have 2 big bath sheets, 2 regular towels, 2 hand towels and 2 wash cloths. Also one had their own bath so needed a bath mat and a bath rug. Dark grey is a good color because nothing stains that. The girls also liked the velcro wraps but my son doesn’t even use a robe - again a camp thing.
He’s now ok finally with a shower caddy and we have a pop up dormify store that I might just take him to so he can look around. The BBB near us doesn’t have much to look at so it’ll either be going to another to get a good look, or taking him to Target. There’s a huge Target not far from Northwestern so that may be a good place for me to take a look at their dorm stuff instead of our local one. Not sure the BBB that’s closest to NU will be any better than the one by me. Everything seems to be better online but sometimes once you get it in person it’s underwhelming!
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FWIW:
Our top kids are going to:
UPenn (2)
NU (1)
UF Honors (3)
Harvard (1)
UChicago (2)
Carnegie (1)
U of Manchester (1)
UNC Chapel Hill (1)
Vandy (1)
Tulane (1)
Hillsdale College (1)
Stetson (1)
Brandeis (1)
Other top acceptances:
UMiami
Duke
NYU
Boston U.
Dartmouth
Boston College
Amherst College
US Air Force Academy
Northeastern
Really? I like this. Like, a lot.
Haha well you can call and see how long it’ll be here for and/or if you’re coming back to Chicago before moving your son in. It’s in Westfield Mall in Skokie/old Orchard.
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Thank you! Will def. do that! But by then, there won’t be much left, I’m afraid. They start so late. 
#1 reason to stay on CC- Chicago tips… 
. It’s like Hotel California…lol
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Interesting interview about UC ‘21 Cycle
Thinks will be waitlist movement. UCLA mentioned in particular.
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