<p>One real concern is the spread of meningitis cases on campuses. UPenn had one freshman woman die this year, and at least three others hospitalized. Be sure to have your student vaccinated, and educated about the symptoms and speed of the disease. (The vaccine only protects 3 of 5 bacterial strains.)</p>
<p>Good point, Fauve. Vacination is definintely on our spring todo list.</p>
<p>Well, I have started building an excel sheet with the various acceptances, cost of attendance, ap/ib credit info, national merit money, other scholarships and location for son. Or for me, to be more honest. Maybe a nice power point presentation on the pros and cons of each would be helpful…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>At my D’s college, you can be on an email list of the on campus police blotter reports. So many bicycles stolen… So many laptops stolen… </p>
<p>How is the roommate? how are the grades? eating enough? sleeping enough? There will be plenty more to obsess about once they actually start college. If you run out of things to worry about, become their friend on facebook. Profile pictures alone can give you hours of worries.</p>
<p>Well, don’t know if this will work for anyone else— but when our last one left for college, my husand was even more distressed than I was and decided we should think hard about how to distract ourselves, doing all the things we never had time to do with kids home. And we found ourselves a very obsessive and time consuming new hobby that has nothing to do with children! :D</p>
<p>^^Waited too long to edit, but to clarify: I meant a hobby like golf, gardening, antiquing.</p>
<p>MM2K, I like the way you think! I have yet to run out of things to obsess about.</p>
<p>Our focus (well, mine) has shifted from getting acceptances (son has a bunch of nice options) to getting the $$ to pay for it all. I’m working full-time (after years away) & spending my spare time sending out resumes and nagging son to apply for summer jobs. </p>
<p>If that’s not a concern for you, I’d get a new pet. We may do that too. lol.</p>
<p>
I am really glad you clarified that! I think you should have added one of the smilies you learned the other day. :o</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Finding a part-time job to help pay for the college.</p>
<p>Two years ago, college admissions seemed like a really big deal to us.</p>
<p>It was all put into perspective recently when S announced that he wants to sign up for the army. He would finish his degree, but even so… it’s a big decision to be making less than halfway through college.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I did consider the :o but felt like my clever use of the :D: had already been rather a mistake and that I should just cool it with the new tricks before making a further spectacle of myself!</p>
<p>Do you stay up all night most nights too?</p>
<p>I stay up later than I should then sleep later than I should, vicious circle. Plus i have not slept well the last two nights as the grandkitty I have been babysitting has decided I am worthy and decided to snuggle up with me at night. I was pleased at first as our own kitty is not a snuggler plus is my husbands shadow (usually the cats like me so it is weird) but this tiny creature washes herself thoroughly, noisily and bouncily for literaly hours and is keeping me awake, so I sleep too late then can’t sleep the next night. </p>
<p>The 
did rather add to the um, suggestiveness, of your post LOL.</p>
<p>I didn’t mean it to be suggestive. It seemed so to me on a second read. Then I edited the clarification post several times worrying that it was exacerbating a problem that might not even exist. It seems I have way too much time on my hands. And perhaps on my mind.</p>
<p>And seem to have reached a staying up all night phase of life and spending some stretches at home by myself. Husband when home retires early by my standards. Kids stay up all night long and sometimes call me at 2 or 3 am to chat if they are bored. After getting bifocals, my book reading hours have been reduced; my eyes get too tired. I don’t have cable. And the message board I used to hang out on ran out of steam. </p>
<p>Probably I can think of some obsessing possibilities to post to keep the thread on track and not totally derail it like I did the octuplets one. :o :o :o</p>
<p>I spend a fair amount of time obsessing about black ice related injuries under any circumstances but especially this year because one kid has had a rough winter and though uninjured himself has a classmate with a broken leg. </p>
<p>I was able to spend a lot of productive obsessing time on the Morman women and children removed from their compound.</p>
<p>And if I were fortunate enough to babysit a grandkitty that might provide unlimited hours of worrying on so many levels ;)</p>
<p>OP, couldn’t help but think of you this week between the Swine Flu outbreak on college campuses nationwide and the horrendous murder at Wesleyan, I would imagine you’ve now gotten the message that completing applications is the least of your worries ;)</p>
<p>Actually, I have transitioned on to worrying about how DS will possibly motivate to stay organized and go to classs with mom nagging. Not much I can do about it one way or the other, but I do worry…</p>