@zmom22 Hopefully we will get to meet one another during move-in. Thanks
Same with my son. No contact between assigned roommates except for necessities. Roommate’s mother asked for my contact, as they were coming from OOS, so we began texting and found out we were scheduled for the same NSC which made it all the more fun to meet and at move in.
Unfortunately, roommate became severely depressed and had to be withdrawn in the spring. I think things happen for a reason and while our boys didn’t hit it off as friends, the mother and I did, and it proved valuable. I was able to help her navigate the process of getting help on campus and eventually, the withdrawing process, as I got to shared my story, as I too, had a child become severely depressed during freshman year at an OOS university, who by the time of son’s roommate’s depression, was back to themselves and flourishing in a uni close to home. Roommate by the way, is flourishing too in his home state and back in engineering.
Thank you for sharing your story, @Thelma2. The other mother was fortunate to have you as a resource, and I’m glad both boys are doing well. Depression is a major concern for college kids - thank you for the reminder that it is something we all need to be on the lookout for.
@chercheur I was fortunate to have had someone guide me when it happened to us, whom it had also happened to. When severe depression happens to your child, as a parent, you can feel just as alone as to how help them and to navigate it all. We were blessed to have someone step in and share their story to help us and tell us what we needed to do. For this to happen, it was important that we did not hide that we had a child with clinical depression. While we didn’t advertise it on Facebook, we confided to close friends who had another friend of theirs contact us.
There are a ton of reasons kids get depressed, and not always freshman year, and yes, it is something to definitively something to watch out for and talk openly about.
Great and timely advice, @Thelma2. I think it is more common in college students than most of us realize. I need to do some reading on the subject. Thanks again for sharing.
Can somebody please help us understand exactly what we are supposed to order for textbooks? We are looking in Howdy and are confused about the different options:
MATH 151
–MATLAB: INTRO.WITH APPLICATIONS - required
–CALCULUS: EARLY TRAN.W/WEBASSIGN>IC<>LLF - required
–CALCULUS-ENHANCED WEBASSIGN ACCESS - package component
–CALCULUS:SING.VARIABLE EARLY TRANS-SSM. - recommended
–CENGAGE UNLIMITED-ACCESS (1 SEMESTER) - recommended or
–CENGAGE UNLIMITED-ACCESS (12 MONTHS) - recommended
The first 2 required items we understand. Is the package component (3rd item) already included in the first 2 items? It’s unclear exactly what the “package” is. We assume the professor will explain if any of the last 3 are needed when class starts.
Also, the bookstore on campus told us we cannot charge the books to our bursar account - is this correct? If so, I guess 529 funds are the best way to pay since they are a qualified expense.
Thank you.
I would wait until the first class. Although I was recently talking to a Cengage Rep and if depending on this class and how many others he has with Cengage online it is best to buy the Unlimited pass. You might want to look at www.cengage.com
Thanks @seniormom2000 . I’ll have my student check the website.
@chercheur we were confused by the way things were listed for the math as well. I believe my son ended up ordering the 2 required and decided to wait and find out about whether the other was in the package already once the class started. He will take care of ordering it when he finds out. We are under the impression unlimited cengage will cover multiple classes. Definitely a learning experience… don’t take my word for it though because I am not 100% sure we are right.
@zmom22 Thank you for the reply! From my questions, you’d think this was my first one to head off to college, but I actually have an older one in engineering grad school. There is a 5 year age difference, and I didn’t realize how much things had changed in that time frame. I was trying to take more of a back seat and let my younger son figure some of this out, but he needed a little help, and so did I!
I think we’ll do the same and get the required books, and he can figure out the rest once classes start.
Do you know anything about the clickers some professors use? We’ve read that at least one professor my son has uses them, but the prof. hasn’t posted the required books or materials yet. Can we go ahead and buy one now or do we have to wait for the professor to list it with the bookstore? The bookstore website has a dropdown menu to select the class, but his isn’t listed yet.
@chercheur my son ordered the clicker through bookstore yesterday…so you can order it individually…he had gotten an email through his eng chem teacher that he needed one, but that is the only thing he has heard from anyone. …this is our first (and only) going through so just doing a lot of reading …trying to understand…that’s why I put out there, not 100% positive…it’s just what we are doing…
@zmom22 It sounds like you have everything under control! Thanks for the info! I hope your move-in goes smoothly and best of luck to your son!
Parents of scholarship recipients: we have 2 outside scholarships that won’t be sent until September - after the TAMU payment deadline. The scholarships will cover the current outstanding balance, but if we wait for the scholarship credit, we will incur a $100 late fee. One scholarship stipulates it must go toward school expenses and not to the student directly, so we are concerned that if we pay off the balance by the due date, the scholarship might possibly be sent back. Should we have signed up for the installment plan? What’s the best way to handle this situation going forward?
My son’s national merit scholarship arrives after the payment due date as well. Last year we paid the balance and were reimbursed the remainder when it came through. I would think that since the scholarship is going directly to the school still you should be fine but I am not an expert on this.
Thanks @rosegeo . When I spoke with the scholarship and financial aid folks, they indicated just what you said - my son would be reimbursed when the university receives the checks. Thank you for confirming you did in fact receive a reimbursement. I’m still worried about one in particular which has strict guidelines about payment, so I think we will sign up for the installment plan (today is the last day to sign up) and pay a portion off for now; that way he’ll have a balance due when the scholarship checks come in.
That sounds like a good plan just to be safe