My son was quarantined for 9 weeks of his sophomore year of high school when his classmates or teammates exposed him. When he did get COVID himself, he was asymptomatic. We can’t live like that forever.
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His HS imposed a 9 week quarantine for exposure to else having it? That’s insane, and massively above what the CDC guidance ever way, even in 2020 before they had more information.
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I should have clarified, it was a series of exposures over several months.
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We were often in a similar situation, many missed weeks over the year. I think those of us on the west coast in particular had some pretty strict restrictions when our kids were finally back in school.
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We were honestly relieved when he tested positive, and was asymptomatic. It bought us 3 months of no testing and no quarantining.
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Yes! I remember dragging my daughter to the doctor so we could have an official 90 days off. Ugh! What a time!
At our school, to participate in sports, the kids had to test weekly. They had a company come do the tests at school. Every time there was an exposure, close contacts were quarantined. Most schools weren’t even in person 2020-21, so we were in a better situation than most, but it was a rough year.
Same for us.
My son attended his first college football game (after insisting a couple of weeks ago that he had no interest in ever going), and he even sent my wife a pic! Said it was nuts and a lot of fun, mentioned that they triggered the campus seismograph… and they had a win.
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Enter Sandman! Glad he’s come around! 
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It’s great to be empty nesters with nothing pressing . . . because our D23 texted . . . which is rare . . . to meet up for a late lunch - and as she’s only 1 hour away, off we went.
She had a really rough start to school because of greek rush. wow. That was a soul sucker/downer for her. I think she thought she was walking in as “all that” . . . .but kept getting dropped and dropped by the houses she wanted. She did join a house; but all we can say is “JUST WOW.” it’s hard to believe it all in today’s atmosphere of inclusivity that these situations still exist. The thinnest, prettiest, wealthiest, dance team members all seem to flock together; she wasnt prepared for that coming from a small school.
anyone else have “silly” week? have you heard of that? She was pretty shocked - multiple parties every night the first week as it’s “syllabus” week. She didnt go to many, but was pretty surprised at some of her dorm mates! i guess they were getting it out of their system.
life of a college freshman - state school. Hope to hear all your kids experiences too!
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S23’s school doesn’t do this I’d imagine…They have 7 week terms. 
He is only 1.5 weeks into the term and has already had multiple quizzes and a full test.
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I never have assignments come due in the first week of my classes because students can freely add and drop classes during that time. We most definitely do have a solid amount of meaningful course content, though, and not just syllabus review and very little else.
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DD is going to switch dorms, she met the other roommate-less girl. The room is a double with a bathroom, but it is two separate rooms. The bathroom is off of her room and the door to the hall is off her roommate’s room, but they each have private space. It’s much more central and closer to her classes. She auditioned for the dance team and made it. She is a former bun head, so this will be a change, although she is taking a ballet class too. She is still hanging out with some of her orientation group.
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Rush sounds like no joke. I am from the NE and my friend’s daughter is at a state school in the south and had a really rough rush week as well. I think she assumed she would be prepared after watching YouTube vlogs but it was way more intense than she ever expected. And just like you said in terms of who flocks together.
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I’m enjoying all the updates. S23 is settling in nicely at Penn. He’s loving the single (room) life and has met a lot of people during orientation and through various cohorts he is part of. He’s a friendly, outgoing kid so I’m not surprised. Most importantly (to him), he’s figured out which dining halls have the best food and which halal truck has the best portions.
Classes are good and he’s not feeling overwhelmed yet. He likes his profs and his classmates. He’s using the long weekend to work on club applications. Apparently, a lot of local kids (PA/NJ/NY) went home. D19 reported the same exodus when she was there and it’s still as odd to me now as it was then. Especially because they’ve only been on campus for two weeks. I would be the mean parent who made my kid stay on campus—some discomfort is necessary for growth.
He’s sick but seems in good spirits. I hope it’s not Covid but, since he’s on his own, he won’t test. D19 refuses to see him until he’s well so it could be awhile before they reconnect. All told, he’s had a good start to the academic year. I’m looking forward to visiting at the end of the month.
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Interesting to hear of the kids headed home! Mine has been sending us pictures with different/new friend groups touring chinatown, old city, and the magic garden. She mentioned one suitemate who went to NYC for the weekend with friends she had before college but no one else D knows left(though from what I know, her friends and suitemates aren’t local).
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Hamilton didn’t give the kids (or faculty) Labor Day off.
That’s fun! Glad your D is enjoying herself. The only pics I see are the ones he shares on social media. He’s so different from D19 who sent me pics all the time.
S23 is fine hanging around campus. There’s a contingency of kids still there that he knows. Plus, he’s explored the city a lot with us already and isn’t a huge fan of Philly; I don’t imagine he’ll venture beyond the Penn bubble very often.
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Wow! I thought every college had Labor Day off. When is their first break?