<p>Rockvillemom -
I did not know of the problem with getting courses and the housing issue for sophomores. I will have to investigate further…On these tours, they always emphasize the positives. I will be happy to report back after all of our accepted student visits. </p>
<p>As far as Richie making those comments, he probably did not hear this at home. It’s highly doubtful that his Chinese - borne parents are familiar with that term unless they are very Americanized. More than likely, he has heard it from his peers. I’m interested in his response as well…hopefully, he will learn to be more sensitive. Being Asian, he should be sensitive to stereotypes.</p>
<p>Went to JMU accepted students’ day a couple of years ago with older S. We were extemely impressed and would have been happy to send him there. However, JMU seemed a bit more “Rah, Rah” than my S. He’s just not the school spirit type. He ended up selecting UVM, which was probably a much better fit for him. JMU will definitely be on my S2’s list next year. I think it would be a great fit for him!</p>
<p>stayathomemom, my D was just accepted at JMU too and we are visiting for the first time in about 10 days. I made note of Rockvillemom’s concerns and hope to look into them along with visiting the Hillel. My D too has a Jewish camp friend who loves the school. My D had really liked the size and look of UDel last year when we visited and JMU is about the same size. Of course UDel has about 1900 to 2000 Jewish students and JMU about 1200 and Del has 20 Jewish courses and a Minor vs 8 courses and no Minor at JMU, so we know it will be different .</p>
<p>MHC: Congrats on the acceptance to JMU. My daughters friends at JMU got on-campus housing as sophomores. I think most students move off-campus junior year. There are many inexpensive garden apartment complexes near campus, and the students we know who live off-campus are very happy. Most of my daughter’s junior friends are living off-campus in aparments at their schools this year. The one friend who still has to live on campus is really jealous of them. I’m not sure that I would consider this a make or break issue.</p>
<p>Thanks Rockvillemom…I made note of that book and am going to check it out. I’ve forever been saying that I’m going to back off and not be the helicopter mom that I am when it comes to schoolwork…but it’s so hard.</p>
<p>Thank you for all your warm congratulations! Mazel tov to your daughter MHC48. Maybe our children will be classmates?</p>
<p>Levirm - just read your article. How interesting! </p>
<p>On another note, what a tragedy in Arizona! Congresswomen Gifford and the other dead/injured victims. What is wrong with someone that would do this! My prayers go out to those families.</p>
<p>Hey you guys. Congratulations on all of the JMu acceptances. I have heard only positive reviews of the school and I think it’s very hospitable to Jewish students. As for Richie, I hope he has learned something from this, although it is doubtful that anyone who would use a slur like that is going to look much beyond his own values anyway.
Let us know, Spectrum, if you hear back from him and whether he understands at all why his remarks were so offensive. </p>
<p>I too caught “Say Yes to the Dress” last night. Now I know for sure that you are my kind of buddies! I just can’t help myself when it comes to SYTTD or the Housewives; it’s definitely an escape from the everyday worries. Can you believe how much these young women are spending on bridal gowns? My jaw drops when they say their budget is in the thousands. I hope my kids are kind to my pocketbook.</p>
<p>college4three - after paying for college for my 2 sons - there will be nothing left for weddings! I know it’s an old-fashioned view - but glad I have boys in that regard.</p>
<p>umich - it is really hard. S2 has ACT prep tomorrow and the stuff was still sitting on the kitchen table - exactly where he left it last weekend. Knowing that he was going out tonight, I couldn’t take it anymore and inquired around 4:30 if he was planning to do his ACT homework - response was along the lines of “I got it - you don’t have to bug me.” And he did take it up to his room shortly thereafter. So - a slight slip there - but I haven’t asked him about school homework in days. I feel like I am in a 12-step program for recovering nagaholics!</p>
<p>"Waiting Lists for Students Seeking Full Admission to the Psychology Major</p>
<p>It is Department of Psychology policy to grant “Fully-Admitted” status to all qualified students who apply. So many students applied and qualified to become psychology majors during Spring and Summer 2010 we could not accommodate all of them in Fall 2010 classes. Consequently, many students were placed on a waiting list. These wait-listed students will be the first students to be able to register for Psyc 210 during early registration for Spring, Summer and Fall 2011. There were so many students on this waiting list we expect these students to fill our Spring 2011 sections of Psyc 210; some of these students who have fewer credit hours earned or who register late in the process will need to wait until Summer or Fall 2011 to take Psyc 210 or 212."</p>
<p>I think I posted this a few pages back - but since we have all of our new JMU EA admits - this is the kind of thing that worries me. Now - Psychology is probably the most popular major at JMU - but having to be on a waitlist for classes you need for your major - this really concerns me. Hope all of you who are attending an accepted students day program can learn more on the issue of getting the classes you need to graduate.</p>
<p>PRJ: Thanks for informing us about Debbie Friedman. Met her at our temple several years ago. I will follow this - I’m sure there are many misheberachs for her (and she wrote a wonderful version/song for that).</p>
<p>(I escaped the snow on LI and am looking forward to the Florida sun in the morning. Quality time with DD and with my parents = priceless. Just hope DS wakes up for school on Monday.)</p>
<p>daughter’s very good friend is at JMU; Jewish…she has expressed issues with some anti-semitism, but is happy…happens to be a psych major who was impacted by some of the above mentioned by RVM but will graduate on-time…</p>
<p>she does not really do much with Hillel…and when I asked her about it awhile back, she really did not know much about it…</p>
<p>RVM: I have news for you…we moms of boys don’t get off that easy anymore when it comes to weddings. Even if the brides family pays for all of it (which is somewhat unlikely these days), the groom’s family still pays for a rehearsal dinner and many various other sundries…the mom’s that I know that have sons say there is still PLENTY to pay for!!!</p>
<p>UMich: Hang in there. I am also trying to step back and give my S2 more ownership. His grades are all okay (except for that C+ in honors Bio that he’s working on improving) but they are still freshmen and they certainly do grow & mature each year. I’m trying to make sure his study habits are where they should be. If he studies properly, uses all resources available, goes in to the teacher when needed, then his grades should and will reflect that! I love it when he comes home from a test and says “that was easy.” Well, it was easy because he was well prepared! Now he knows what to do the next time to prepare for the test! It is definitely more challenging, though, after having S1 take the reins all by himself. In my case, S2 is just the classic less mature boy who has the potential if I don’t hover and allow him take more ownership. Yes, it isn’t easy!!</p>
<p>I think it’s time for me to go out and buy that book, rvmm (blessing of a B- child)…it may help me to continue to step back too! I’m already in the middle of two other books I need to finish!</p>
<p>In general about being waitlisted for classes and moving out of the dorms:</p>
<p>My son at UMich has had problems getting into classes he wanted from time to time (he’s a psych major as well) and had to wait a semester more than once. I think that happens quite a lot at schools with popular classes, so I’m not overly concerned, though I will check it and in other Depts when we visit JMU.</p>
<p>By the same token, he couldn’t wait to move out of the dorms his second year into the Frat house and last year into an apartment just off campus. My D at Colgate moved to a University owned apartment after sophmore year and then an apartment in town (if you can call it that in tiny Hamilton NY) the next year. I think lots of students want to move to more independent and private living situations, so that too is not really a concern to me.</p>
<p>Okay, I need some Mom type help. I’m usually a lot more laissez faire about most things than most of you, so I could use a tip on “motivation”. The head of Hillel at Elon graciously offered to put my D in contact with another student from near our area, to meet for lunch and talk. When I told my D and asked her to e-mail the girl, she freaked.
She doesn’t want to go to lunch; it would be SO awkward; she doesn’know the school enough to have questions yet. She was planning on inboxing a girl from her school who goes there about the jewish aspect. (I guess tha’s Facebook?) etc. etc.</p>
<p>On the Arizona shooting:
How tragic that it takes something like this to provide a teachable moment for our country, for our kids, and for all who use inflammatory rhetoric, whether it be anti-semitic or against any ethnic, political or social group.
As spectrum said, even little comments are “creating an image in the minds of others” and we need to vigilant and teach our kids to be vigilant. The responses of those on this thread to the poster are an example of that.</p>
<p>This is not meant to be a political question, but a parenting question:
Are you at all influenced in your choice of colleges by state and local gun laws? I remember this crossing my mind this past summer as Arizona allowed concealed weapons without a permit. Arizona State is a hugely popular choice for Jewish B students, as is University of Vermont (another concealed-carry-without-a-permit state; the only other one is Alaska), and I remember wondering whether this law might have an effect on this choice.
In a similar vein, are you influenced by campus safety and reporting procedures? I remember thinking this in the wake of the VA Tech tragedy.</p>
<p>mhc - I sent you a PM with more detail - but yes, yes, yes - do the lunch with the Hillel student. We did that with S1 at a few schools and found it very helpful. I think at Elon - given her deferral - even more important.</p>
<p>Thanks for the comments about waiting for classes and off campus housing. I attended a very small college - Lafayette - and did not experience either of these issues - so they are kind of uncomfortable for me. With S1 at Wake Forest - he does not always get his first choice class - but he has never had a situation of not being able to get a class he needs to graduate. So - this issue makes me a little queasy.</p>
<p>levirm - I honestly have not given that issue - gun laws any thought. I guess with JMU - Virginia is pretty liberal on that. Have no idea re NC. </p>
<p>chocchip - all I can think about are the tuition bills from now to 12/2015. They had better wait a few years before getting married if they want contributions from us!</p>
<p>mhc48 - I can see the value in getting together with the girl, but both of my D’s would have had the same reaction as yours. Personally, that’s not a battle I would pick to fight. She will figure out her own way to get comfortable with the school and eventually may decide to meet the girl, but I think she would have to come to it on her own in order for her to get the benefit of it. JMHO.</p>
<p>levirm - I have not thought of gun laws at all in the process. I have considered campus safety. I think it’s important to teach kids to be aware of their surroundings, not to go out alone at night, watch where they are and who is arround them, etc. I have also told my girls not to take drinks from anyone. If they are at a party and put their soda down and leave, go get another one. Or in the case of a college frat party, don’t just take a drink from someone! Before D1 goes off to college, she will take a self defense class, same with D2.</p>
Now he knows what to do the next time to prepare for the test! It is definitely more challenging, though, after having S1 take the reins all by himself. In my case, S2 is just the classic less mature boy who has the potential if I don’t hover and allow him take more ownership. Yes, it isn’t easy!!</p>