<p>“The reason things are so much worse compared to the 70’s is that back then most states were 18, not 21 and so the culture of campus drinking was addressed in a more straight forward way.”</p>
<p>Modadunn, I think you nailed it. It’s not just the administration’s hands are tied in a way, but that college students don’t learn about drinking. If students could be served alcohol legally on campus–a glass of wine with cheese at a reception, a beer or two at a barbecue–in the presence of older students and adults who drink moderately, it could help. Not saying it’s a solution, but many kids arrive on campus with no drinking experience at all and only know sober–blotto without any intermediate ground. Many European cultures “train” their children to drink within moderation by giving them wine with dinner or a beer at a picnic. I have often thought it could be helpful to create a special drinking status for 18-21 year old students comparable to a driving permit, that would allow them to have beer and wine legally in the presence of an adult over 21.</p>
<p>While it is certainly not outside Terms of Service to go off-topic for awhile, this particular thread has become, at this point, serving two purposes.</p>
<p>One is to continue to reply to the OP, which leads to a light-hearted airing of various freshman “pet peeves” as reported home.</p>
<p>The other might be to continue hashing out what was said or not said following Mummom’s post and on the specific topic of on-campus drinking. At this point, that topic has become a “thread hijack” to the original poster, and not fair.</p>
<p>So I am starting a new thread, titled “Thread Split: Campus Drinking.” Please post there if you wish to continue the debate over points Mummom brings forward.</p>
<p>First semester class draw was pretty much already set and/or limited due to first year seminar, etc. but now beyond the sequence class, there’s winter term and second semester to plan for. With so much to choose from, he is feeling slightly overwhelmed on what to take.</p>
<p>Oldfort, I disagree. We’ve talked to S1 about not being judgmental about others who drink and he’s not, but he doesn’t want to spend his free time with people who are moderately to falling-down drunk even if he’s just hanging out with a cup in his hand. He wants to have fun that doesn’t involve drinking and doesn’t involve being around people who are. I am proud of him for sticking to his position on this topic despite the peer pressure and put-downs…that he gets for being a non-drinker (talk about judgmental.)</p>
<p>My biggest pet peeve so far is certain people in my classes who constantly feel the need to express their opinions on every single thing in the most verbose way possible. I’ve noticed it is mostly freshmen who do this. I guess they are just trying to impress the professor, but it really wears on me. If I hear one more sentence that begins with “Well in my AP class in high school we learned…” Ugh.</p>
<p>Claire, wait till you join the work world and have to attend staff meetings. You’ll learn that this phenomenon isn’t limited to college. Except, in staff meetings there’s no bell to stop them. :(</p>
<p>Yes, there is - I have another meeting to go to in 5 min. Or a panic button to the assistant to have her get you out because of an emergency. If it’s a conference call, I would put myself on mute and go about doing other stuff, like posting on CC.</p>
<p>I think that when your child says “everything is great” can also be a danger sign…</p>
<p>My nephew won a full scholarship to a 2nd tier (OOS) school and he never called his mom. When the parents called him, he would just say “everything is great!”. As a matter of fact, it was TOO great–he was spending all his time partying, lost his scholarship. </p>
<p>Second year he transferred to a state school, full-scholarship. Despite being assigned a suite with 3 other geeks (one was an older RA) nephew still couldn’t pump out the work. He got along great with his roomies, because he, himself, is a geek, and he had stopped partying, but in terms of doing the assignments–not a chance. Too much fun fixing old computers and developing complicated gaming programs! Dropped out @ end of Sophomore year. </p>
<p>My niece (his sister) was a freshman last year and shared a dorm with her best friends “from home”. After one semester she transferred to the quiet (honors) dorms because her friends/roomies were now wild party gals up 'till the wee hours. This year, as a sophomore, she is still in the honors dorms, but after winter break she is moving off-campus into a quiet house with some grad students who are really serious students.</p>
<p>S1 LOVES, LOVES, LOVES college! of all things, he is constantly complaining about the amount his room mate sheds (yes, as in hair everywhere!) says it is more than our chocolate lab and is considering a cottage industry making sweaters and throws out of it (ick!)</p>
<p>My sons have both adjusted to college without a hitch and have no complaints.</p>
<p>Neither seems to have to deal with drunks or anything. Not sure why that is. </p>
<p>Of course my boys are something of a rarity because they shared a room and so were already used to sharing space with others. The lack of absolute privacy is the norm for them.</p>
<p>My boys were 19 (and had been for several months) before they went off to college and I think that helped with them settling in so easily.</p>
<p>Mary Mary, so you think that being 19 helped your sons made the adjustment, that’s interesting. My D didn’t turn 18 until after college started, and I’ve wondered if maybe she’s having so much trouble because of that. Too late now for us, but I will always wonder if taking a gap year would have made the difference.</p>
<p>I went to community college for two years and didn’t have the on-campus experience until age 20 and I think it has been instrumental. I have had a lot of negative feelings bubble up since coming here that I haven’t felt since early high school, and I would not have had the maturity to cope with them living on my own at 18. Not to mention that I am much more patient now with others and with myself. Some people don’t need that extra time, but I have met a lot of students who seem like they would have done better if they’d been a little older when they started. Be it that they arent fitting socially or arent academically motivated yet. I think it’s just easier to handle when you know yourself a little better.</p>
<p>At the same time, in some ways it’s been harder because incoming students are lumped in with the 17-18 year old freshmen regardless of their age or their class status, and it has really been a test to my newfound patience to deal with them. So if a year would make a big difference that’s one thing, but beyond that you run the risk of alienating yourself with your class.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman this year. My only pet peeves are kind of nitpicky…my main one is that I hate hearing people hum for some reason. My roommate hums all the time, and I can’t stand it when people around you hum in the showers.</p>
<p>Also there’s this kid who blows his nose into the shower drain every morning, which is a) loud and annoying especially when you’re tired, and b) disgusting :(</p>
<p>Elizadoo, how the heck did he get transfer to a full scholarship after earning bad enough grades to fritter away a partial one???</p>
<p>And 3bysmom – Ewww! As the owner of a lab, I can’t even imagine a HUMAN shedding more hair than my guy. I swear there is a quarter inch of dog hair just sitting on the bottoms of my lungs.</p>
So if a year would make a big difference that’s one thing, but beyond that you run the risk of alienating yourself with your class.</p>