I am just curious about what most of your rising freshmen did between high school and college. My daughter will take 2 classes at her chosen school and leave in 3 weeks and I am just wondering about your students choices and if any lessons were learned (R&R was what your student needed, versus working to save money for year 1, or if taking early classes and living on campus was helpful). My daughter doesn’t have much of a choice (scholarship dictates summer classes) but I am looking for input whether those summer’s activities had a positive/negative/no affect on your student’s collegiate start.
Mine also did a foreign language summer program (by choice) and loved it. I don’t think it had any effect as the program was at another college and she had plenty of prior long summer program experience so had already developed independent living skills.
@itsgettingreal17 How much of a summer break did your child get? I ask because once my daughter is dropped of in Mid-June, we probably won’t see her again until Thanksgiving.
About a week between end of her summer program and start of college. I visited her before Thanksgiving break.
D spent 8 weeks at a university in Europe studying another language. (That’s her thing - lots of languages.) Being that she went over there by herself and had to figure that all out on her own made going off to college a walk in the park. 100% magical and beneficial. Helped her to get a great research opportunity that she is doing this summer, again in Europe.
My kids did very little that summer – I felt they both needed a bit of a breather. And both started strong when they got to college so it didn’t hurt.
1: continued working and volunteering, attended orientation
2: worked at summer camp, spent spare time desperately filling in what she thought were gaps in knowledge
3: attended music festival
Effect on college? None.
Manual labor job. Made money, stayed fit, and got a little bit of a break from the rhythm of school. Hit the ground running!
@CADREAMIN When did you see your child after that great opportunity? Sounds like once she left she may not have come home for awhile.
We are moving to a new state so we are going to travel and focus on some much needed family time.
We toyed with her doing an international study abroad with her new university but she decided that she needed the down time.
D1 spent the summer as a counselor at sleepaway camp. She loved it. No effect on college whatsoever.
@gardenstategal My biggest regret as a parent up to this point is that my daughter has never had a job. I was hoping for her to rectify that this summer but she won’t have enough time before she has to leave.
It’s funny, my kid likes to work! And has gotten jobs at school as well. Having that kind of responsibility and some money of your own can be empowering. Timing is always a challenge. …
My kid took a fast paced Arabic program to try to get a jump on Arabic in college. Within a couple of weeks he was lost. Most of the other kids in the class had had some kind of exposure to Arabic already or knew a related language. In principal I brushing up on a language is a good idea though. He also did some drafting work for me.
@mathmom How did you child do 1st semester and do you believe the summer had any affect on your kid’s results?
Both of my girls took it easy that summer. They never really had a job in high school because they were too busy with their ECs. They were able to get a part time job freshman year on campus working in an academic office. But every summer after that, they always did something that helped to build their resume. D1 was interested in IB, so she interned at various financial institutions. D2 was interested in going into law, so she interned at legal aid, DA office, etc. I do believe their work experience on campus helped them with their first internship.
My son taught tennis and we vacationed at the beach. Had his wisdom teeth out. NBD.
My son will be a camp counselor again for the summer. He enjoys the job. I do not think it will affect his college experience one way or another.
If the scholarship dictates summer classes, she does not have a choice so will have to embrace the experience. Is your daughter used to long stretches away from home? If your daughter has not left home before… is it at all possible for you to afford to visit her before Thanksgiving, or to have her visit you? That is the main thing that seems like it might be hard— to be away from family for so long. If not, there is always Skype, Facetime, etc.
My kids worked to earn spending/book
money for college. I thought it was a good idea for them up work for someone other than their parents before starting college. I also thought they’d had plenty of summers of camps, travel, etc. One landed a paid internship at a local site for the Breakthrough Collaborative as a summer teacher for income, high potential middle school kids. The other night stocked at Walmart.
We expect our kids to contribute by paying for college books, incidentals and entertainment. Both my kids did/will do the same thing… work the 30 hours a week at the jobs they work every summer, do a last show at their favorite youth theatre, enjoy some lazy down time with family and friends. Was fine for eldest and I’m sure will be the same for middle.