<p>The forum name finally got changed to University of Mary Washington, and everyone stopped posting!</p>
<p>Move-in day at Jefferson was a mess. According to the website we were supposed to pull up in front of the dorm, a swarm of upperclassmen would help empty the car, and then we'd park on the lawn. Uh, no. We were directed to park on the lawn before unloading, and ended up as far as we could possibly get from the dorm and still be on the lawn. Then we lugged everything into the building while a small group of upperclass girls in red t-shirts stood around chatting. What fun.</p>
<p>I’m so sorry to hear that your move in was so bad. When we took D last year it truly worked as well as it was supposed to. Those kids in the t-shirts were really hustling!</p>
<p>This year we had to take her back ten days early. When we picked up her key I asked where we could park to unload and was told to talk to the police. Police told me to go back to the key people. When I told them I was being sent in circles the policeman told me I was not allowed on the sidewalk, the grass, or fire lane. Well, OK, that meant we could park near the dorm and walk up five floors or we could park farther away and walk more but only climb two floors. It took FOREVER to get her stuff moved in and she didn’t take too much. Of course the dorm doesn’t have AC either.</p>
<p>Freshmen also get their book orders delivered from the bookstore to their rooms and have the bed frames removed if they are bringing lofts. Neither of these things are provided for upperclassmen. </p>
<p>I remain unimpressed with this school but I keep hoping that something will wow me any time now.</p>
<p>Jefferson is converting all of the beds to lofts, whether you like it or not. You don’t have to pay extra for it, but it sure gets hot when there’s no A/C and you’re six feet off the ground. I had to bring two more fans down there on Saturday (for a total of five), and S is still having trouble sleeping. He’s used to sleeping with a fan blasting him in the face year-round.</p>
<p>His advisor has told S that he should drop one of his history courses because they’re in different sequences and he only needs one sequence (Western Civ I/II or American History before/after 1865) for the history major. Um, I don’t think so. S wants to teach, and both sequences are required for a teaching certificate. It’s always nice to have an advisor who is clueless…</p>
<p>My daughter’s roommate is supposed to have a medical excuse for an AC but it has not been installed yet. She feels a huge difference between the first floor last year and the fifth floor this year. I’m not surprised that your son is having trouble sleeping. Let’s hope the hot weather is almost done.</p>
<p>The advisor–geez!!! It’s alarming to me how much info there is and how many sources there are to get it and how often they do not agree. I keep telling E to check and recheck regarding requirements but I’m really afraid that she will have to have a course during her last semester it will turn out to be one that is only offered alternate semesters. </p>
<p>How is your son doing otherwise?</p>
<p>He’s been having trouble sleeping (I wonder why?), so he decided to take a nap before his evening math class. And slept right through the alarm…</p>
<p>Oh dear. Keep telling yourself that things will be better when the weather turns cooler.</p>
<p>Why does he have an evening class? Did he want to do that or was that one of the things that he got stuck with because he was a freshman?</p>
<p>E has no classes on Tues. or Thurs. and is jam packed on M W F. Not her first choice but she is OK with it. I am running a book to her today that she needs for tomorrow–or so she says. Maybe she just wants a free lunch?</p>
<p>He originally wanted to take astronomy, but it was full even before the freshmen could register so he decided to take math during that time period. He really lucked out on registration–got every course he wanted.</p>
<p>Did you hear they already have four students with swine flu? I hope they have a better turnout for the free flu shots than last year’s 7%!</p>
<p>I had not heard about the flu. I hope the whole thing has been overblown and with good hygiene it can be well controlled.</p>
<p>I never heard about the flu shot turnout! D says she doesn’t even know where student heath is. Did she tune out during orientation?</p>
<p>My S is a good student (3.5+) at a very academic public HS. He has some limited support but is not in any self contained classes, is very motivated and hard working. ACT is low (23) but will retake and should go up after some tutoring. Liked UMW (size,location, etc) but concerned that its a school that is “easier to get into than do well at”. Opinions? Is it academically extremely intense? Does anyone have any experience with LD services/accommodations at UMW? Everyone is so caught up in whether their child will get into a certain school, and that is certainly an issue, but we are more concerned about whether he will succeed and be happy once there.</p>
<p>What is he thinking he’d like to major in? </p>
<p>Check your PM–I’ll write some specifics I’ve heard on this.</p>
<p>The Health Center is in Lee Hall, Room 112. I don’t know what the students were told at their orientation–we were given the 7% number at the parent orientation.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about UMW’s LD services, but [University</a> of Mary Washington | Disabilities Services](<a href=“http://www.umw.edu/disability/default.php]University”>Office of Disability Resources - Disability Resources) has some good information. They send incoming students a brochure and a form for requesting accommodations. I don’t think UMW has a reputation for being academically intense, though some majors might be more intense than others. The one thing we heard repeatedly during our visits was that faculty members are very approachable and do everything they can to help you succeed.</p>
<p>I think D has not used the approachability of the professors enough since she was just a shy freshman last year. I’ve noticed that she has already overcome some of that and emailed some about classes that are filled that she would like to get into. </p>
<p>Did they give any stats at orientation on how many freshmen from last year are in academic jeopardy or worse? D has been shocked at how many girls in her dorm last year were below a 2.0 at midyear and when she met her new roommates before the end of the year they were also in academic trouble. One did not return because of it. </p>
<p>I don’t think the school is especially difficult. I think a lot of students show up with bad study habits and are distracted by the social life.</p>
<p>They didn’t mention the stats on academic jeopardy, but that would have been useful information. I wonder how many of the below 2.0 folks took advantage of the study skills workshops, writing center, speaking center, etc.?</p>
<p>There’s a very good chance S will end up in that group. He’s gotten by just on his intelligence for so long that he never learned how to study.</p>
<p>UMW is very academically challenging, and it was when I was a student there as well. The biggest difference I’ve seen between UMW and some other state universities (I have other kids), is that there is less “hand holding” by faculty – they expect the students to do the work – kind of a so sad, too bad philosophy. My own roommate there failed a 400 level literature course the last semester of her senior year, which intefered with her graduation, despite parental intervention. Another friend went to honor court for an honor violation about a month before graduation and was almost prevented from partaking in graduation ceremonies. This is not bad, because you can be proud that you graduated from a serious academic university, not an elevated high school.</p>
<p>D got along with her intelligence until her last two years of high school. Reality hit and she adopted new study habits that have served her well. I’m still startled when I talk with her and she says something like she has to write two more pages on her paper today so that she will finish it in time to have two days to edit it before handing it in. She knows that she will get a much higher grade than the kids who are staying up all night and writing the paper in one sitting.</p>
<p>Study skills workshops? Writing center? Speaking center? Maybe I fell asleep in orientation also because I don’t remember those things being mentioned. </p>
<p>Has your son adapted to the lack of AC yet? I do think that it bothers them less after awhile. D’s roommate that was supposed to get an AC has not accomplished it yet and she is beginning to lose hope. It’s so hot in her room that her M&Ms melted.</p>
<p>S is getting used to the heat, with the help of 5 fans! However, he has already managed to lose his keys–the room key, cable lock for his laptop, and the lockbox where he keeps his meds. Apparently he lost them on Thursday, but hasn’t reported the loss yet. I went down there on Saturday to unlock the meds box and help him look for the keys in the room. The room already looks like a cyclone hit it, and they’ve only been there a week and a half! Didn’t find the keys, so he’ll have to talk to the RA and the police. Maybe someone found them and turned them in.</p>
<p>The study skills workshops ([University</a> of Mary Washington | Study Skills](<a href=“http://www.umw.edu/cas/acservices/services/study/default.php]University”>http://www.umw.edu/cas/acservices/services/study/default.php)), writing center ([University</a> of Mary Washington | Writing Center Home Page](<a href=“http://www.umw.edu/cas/writing/default.php]University”>http://www.umw.edu/cas/writing/default.php)), and speaking center ([University</a> of Mary Washington | Speaking Center](<a href=“http://www.umw.edu/cas/speaking/speaking_center/default.php]University”>http://www.umw.edu/cas/speaking/speaking_center/default.php)) were all mentioned at our orientation. There’s free tutoring, too ([University</a> of Mary Washington | Tutoring Services](<a href=“http://www.umw.edu/cas/acservices/services/tutoring/default.php]University”>http://www.umw.edu/cas/acservices/services/tutoring/default.php)).</p>
<p>I really need to spend more time on that website. I didn’t know they had those services. I wonder how many students actually use them? D’s GPS is very high after her first year so I doubt she has darkened the doors BUT her younger brother is coming along. I don’t think he’ll be interested in UMW but I’ll keep those in mind. He will no doubt be a regular in those places wherever he goes.</p>
<p>Lost keys, already? I guess that’s just how it goes sometimes. I hope someone turns them in. And the cyclone??? My guess is that it hit most of the rooms on campus!</p>