<p>I haven't noticed any threads on this topic - forgive me if I'm repeating anything that's already been hatched...</p>
<p>So now that we're winding down year one, how has your child's college measured up - to what they claimed to offer in terms of housing, food, classes, social life, communication - whatever. </p>
<p>Please also list if your child attends a public, private, large, medium , small school.</p>
<p>We have been extremely happy with our D's school. Even my husband who really doubted the cost of a small private school, will admit that so far, she is at the right place and opportunities have been many.</p>
<ul>
<li>the Honors program has provided a challenge that D appreciates and enjoys.</li>
<li>Her academic dept. has been excellent - she is close with many of the profs already and because of them got a non-work study job in her field and is also doing an internship in her field this quarter via the school.<br></li>
<li>The school does provide many social opportunities (necessary because it is in a rural location).</li>
<li>Nice communication - we receive a "parent update" on campus goings on about once a month.</li>
</ul>
<p>If we could only do something about the high cost of attending, we'd be REALLY pleased!</p>
<p>DD is finishing up freshman year at Rice. It is everything she hoped for and anticipated. She loves the residential college system, has made friends, played intramural sports, grown as a singer, learned to manage on her own, been challenged. The school provides free and discounted opportunity to participate in Houston events and she has done so. She has learned to eat well and actually learned the value of breakfast -so the food is fine. I am signed up for email notices so get the week in review and notices of music school events. It is still hard having her so far away but worth it for all she is getting out of it.</p>
<p>I have no problem naming my school - just didn't think about it. Plus, I'd like to hear others comments and some people may not want to mention their schools name.</p>
<p>Feel free to post it if you like.</p>
<p>My daughter's school - Ohio Northern University</p>
<p>Son's school, Lafayette, has been great (but I knew it would be, DH and I are alum). We always thought S would do well at a small, selective school and it seems we were right. S wasn't very social in hs, but he has made quite a few friends at college and is very happy there. Classes are going well. He's getting tired of the food. I was also a little perturbed to find out he has two large lecture classes this term, but one (Intro to Psych) I knew would be a lecture. I was surprised Intro to Econ was a lecture, when I was an Econ major it was a normal sized class. But he says both professors are good and these will probably be the only lecture class he will ever have. Overall he's even happier there than I thought/hoped he would be. No monthly parent notifications, but I signed up to get the college weekly newspaper online.</p>
<p>I'm not ready to judge my freshman daughter's experience yet, but I will say that my son, who is a senior at the University of Maryland at College Park, has had a much better experience than I ever expected.</p>
<p>There have been far more research opportunities and personal attention available to him at Maryland than I would have thought possible at a huge state university, and the bureaucracy there hasn't been bad at all. My son rarely had any problems while at Maryland, but the one time something complex did come up (he became ill during final exam week and missed two exams), it was handled efficiently and courteously by all concerned. When he decided to try for graduate school, he got a great deal of help and advice, as well as encouragement, from two faculty advisors. Really, I couldn't have asked for anything more.</p>
<p>The only problem has been that College Park, once you get off the campus, is a borderline slum. My son has had bicycles stolen three times. It's that kind of place. And his off-campus apartment building is managed by incompetents. But you find that sort of thing everywhere.</p>
<p>Yale - exceeded our expectations. Surprisingly nurturing (# of adults watching out for our daughter was a bit of a surprise). Residential college system really works. Professors very accessible. Opportunities in the summer extremely high (you'd need to be deaf, dumb, and blind to miss them).</p>
<p>Our S is also finishing up his freshman year at JHU. His first year of college has exceeded not only our expectations but his as well. He adjusted to his classes and the amount of work involved, and still has a social life. He studies as hard as he socializes. He has made a lot of friends and enjoys living on campus. S has housing completed already for next year and is looking forward to moving into a suite with 3 others. This year he has been in the traditional dorms and it was cramped to say the least. But he has meet so many people there, that it was worth yet. S is also getting tired of school food and again looks forward to next year when he will have a small kitchen. As his mom I can say he has learned time management and has made good decisions.
and like most others if we could just do something about the cost....</p>
<p>My son is at the University of Denver (business major) and has had a very, very good year. He has thrived academically and socially and has put himself in positions to take up a number of wonderful opportunities. All of his classes have been small and his professors have been enthusiastic and accessible for help or discussion whenever he has needed it. He also loves having the variety of campus/city/snowsports/camping available.</p>
<p>As the year comes to a close, I'm very, very happy with my son's freshman year at the Honor's College at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. Housing has been a dream, if somewhat pricey. He's in the Towers, which has apartment-style housing. 4 private bedrooms (full size bed) 2 baths, with full kitchen and nice living room.</p>
<p>Academically, the honors versions of the freshman classes he's taken (speech, english, econ, and calc 3) have had 20 or fewer students, as opposed to the huge classes that might have been the case. He's loving his major, mechanical engineering. He's made great friends (3 of the roommates staying in the same apartment next year - the other is off to be an RA in another building). Also, as an honors student he has already been able to register for his classes for summer, fall, and spring of next year. The advising has been great. He mostly uses the honors advising and the engineering advisor. The freshman/first year advising isn't as helpful if you've got a lot of AP credits and are heading quickly into your major coursework.</p>
<p>It's been a great fit. He's happy, successful, and engaged with new people and activities. For Floridians, it's an AMAZING value, given the 100% tuition offered by Bright Futures, plus the merit aid offered to strong candidates.</p>
<p>Our daughter is loving Cornell. As a city girl, she's pleasantly surprised by the school's social life. Her friends from urban schools are amazed by amount of partying at Cornell (our daughter took her our of town friends to 4 parties one night). She has join a sorority she loves with all her best friends there.</p>
<p>Academically, she has done well. She is double majoring in math and econ, but is considering taking up a 3rd major of art history or women study (thank-you for all the AP credits). As a freshman she is in a lot of big lecture classes, but all her professors (not just TAs) are available after classes. Recently when she became ill, they all extended her assignment and test deadlines. The advantage of a school like Cornell is that you could grow with it. It can be a small college when you first arrive and become a large university with a lot of opportunities when you are ready. Oh, she doesn't have any problem getting into courses she wants or needs, which is a surprise to me.</p>
<p>My big concern sending off our last child was the cross-country location, for a specialty major: B.A. with a screenwriting major in a strong film department (Chapman U., Dodge College of Film and Media Arts). The older two had taken more usual undergraduate majors and attended LAC's within 4-8 hours' drive from home. So the distance and lack of famliarity with all things California was a learning curve for us as parents. CC parents, one in particular, gave us great support and travel tips so we could visit for orientation and be able to imagine it. Obviously it's advantageous to study film in Southern California, but as parents we were overwhelmed at the thought. </p>
<p>He's thriving there, and we've all adjusted to the big travel days. The film department's combination of creative instruction and industry networking is terrific. I had no feeling for how to measure a "regional Masters university", relative to national universities whose names I already recognized here on the East Coast. </p>
<p>S is learning and enjoying everything. The administrators have been very responsive and friendly. Food seemed dull the first term but by second term he learned a few coping techniques to spice it up.</p>
<p>Something that had worried me before he left was only l0% Jewish population enrolled at Chapman, and that it was founded by the "Disciples of Christ" (DOC). When he got out there, he discovered a good Hillel and helped found a new national approved chapter of an off-campus Jewish fraternity, "Sammy." Then WE learned that the DOC is not a fundamentalist, evangelical Christian group but rather a very open, accepting, progressive l9th century movement that more resembles Unitarians. DOC theology welcomes all faiths warmly and without interference in any direction. Their interfaith center provides for every faith with great care and support.</p>
<p>Hands down, though, the gem is their new building for filmmaking, Knox Studios at Chapman, extremely advanced technologically.</p>
<p>My son LOVES KU. The price is right (between outside scholarships and grants he pays nothing). He is in the honors program and has found plenty of ways to become involved in student politics. He is even running for Student Senate. He has found that he has to study much more than he ever dreamed he would have to... but by golly, he is actually learning something and we can have some fairly good political dialogue when he is home on holiday. KU is the perfect fit for him and I have to say it was pretty much of a financial decision so we really lucked out. Rock Chalk Jayhawk.</p>
<p>DS loving Rice, and it has been a wonderful place for him. He's grown so much, and I know he's learned a lot since I soon get lost as he explains some chemical transmogrification miracle. It's such a great place, and it has such a nice balance of social/scholastic/recreational experiences.</p>
<p>My son loves American University. I am astonished as to how much he has experienced in one year. Great profs, great guest speakers, amazing programs, and wonderful location. Couldn't ask for a better experience.</p>
<p>My son did not have a good freshman year at Penn. He had bad classes, was disappointed in the level of intellectualism and hated Philadelphia. I won't go through the whole saga again, but he did transfer apps and was planning to leave. He re-grouped, decided he could fix things for himself, and has had a good sophomore year. He decided to abandon most of the requirement courses (switched majors) in favor of some advanced honors seminars. He has had much better professors AND classmates. His living situation, while not great, is a lot better than the freshman dorm. He has a job at a law firm and has grown to appreciate SOME aspects of Philadelphia. He still thinks it is an expensive school in an expensive city and that better values can be found.</p>
<p>MomofWC,
That must have been tough. Both on him and you. Thank you for sharing - we know college is not a bed of roses for everyone or all the time - I much prefer to read true accounts- even if they are not all good. Glad to hear his 2nd year went better!</p>
<p>I should mention that it didn't help that he was a recruited athlete who remained injured and was not able to participate at all in his sport. He also thought the frat scene was a lot bigger than he had been led to believe. He made peace with that. He never suffered socially though all this...not one little bit.....:)</p>