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<p>Wait, did I miss something? How could he leave school in December for a job, but now be graduating? Unless he didn’t need the spring semester and the school offered no graduation services in December. I thought he wanted a whole 'nother year. </p>
<p>Yea, goes against anything I said about not getting into specifics, but this did puzzle me, not that it would dismiss my premise that there were other pre-existing extenuating circumstances.</p>
<p>Teriwtt, I graduated in December (in 3. 5 years) and attended graduation in May. My husband graduated (a different year) in December as well (had taken some time off during college) and attended the May graduation. There wasn’t a Dec. graduation.</p>
<p>Lots of kids have enough AP credits to graduate a semester early. Many schools allow them to walk with their class in May. A close friend’s D did that just last year. The S originally DID want a whole extra year for a double major, but was shot down by the parents. He may never have believed the parents would follow through when they said they were only able or willing to pay for three years. The S took out loans in order to finish his requirements and/or stay for one more semester in his senior year.</p>
<p>Both of my kids could have graduated early, but I don’t think I would have described it as ‘leaving’ school. I would have said ‘finished’ school, although they would walk in May. It just seemed rather odd to me to say leaving as opposed to finished.</p>
<p>DH finished UG in 3.5 years because he ran out of $$. He could not make up the difference between the full tuition scholarship and COA for that last semester, because over the four years COA for R&B and expenses had gone up enough where he had to use all of his summer savings and the full GSL (now Stafford) to pay for the fall term (and this was when an Ivy COA was $10k/year!). Fortunately he had some AP credits and overloaded one or two semesters in anticipation of running out of funds.</p>
<p>His younger brother was not as lucky and wound up financing his final year of college on his credit card. Ouch.</p>
<p>DH’s parents were not present at either of his graduation ceremonies. Way too much bad blood had been spilled, over finances and other issues. First-gen college, EFC zero kids sometimes have hurdles beyond what some of you expect.</p>
<p>I have heard of software/computer companies approaching that $150k payscale when including bonus, company stock, educational benefits and pay.</p>
<p>My boss’s son graduated in December and walked with his class last Friday. Many schools do not have December graduation ceremonies.</p>
<p>Teriwtt, I get your point as many would say “finished school,” and not “left school,” in December. But maybe she used “left” because he moved away from that city and didn’t merely just finish school. Dunno.</p>
<p>Where DO you all live? Have you considered that the OP may not be as articulate and precise in word choice as you? Or perhaps English is not her first language. Maybe it’s Spanish, and she was translating the verb “dejar” which carries both a meaning of leaving and also ceasing to do something, eg. attend school. Su hijo dejo la escuela.</p>
<p>GFG- You are really reaching. This OP is fine with her English and even the screen name supports a fine command of the language.<br>
Where DO you live?</p>
<p>If the OP’s son attended either Dartmouth or Stanford, both of which are on the quarter system, he could have finished his course requirements in December, which coincides with the end of the first quarter. Both schools have commencement on June 12 this year, which leaves time to uninvite the parents.</p>
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<p>That’s one way, alright! I mostly wanted to make the point that the S could have been been upset if he thought the parents put themselves in that position unnecessarily (in his mind, at his expense). Even taking everything at face value, no way to know the S’s mindset or the history involved.</p>
<p>MomofWildChild–I got a PM from the OP this morning, which may have added to my context. But seriously, now if someone’s word choice is not exact enough—she says “leave” instead of “finish”–that means the poster’s a ■■■■■ suspect? My DH (who is not a native speaker) will occasionally send me down the wrong path of thought with his word choice, even though for the most part his English is perfect.</p>
<p>Not saying the OP isn’t a ■■■■■, but I think you guys are a tough crowd.</p>
<p>My thoughts on the trollishness have nothing to do with early graduation or choice of words. Perhaps not a ■■■■■, but it’s odd when someone lands in the Cafe with a first post of this nature. Could happen, for sure, but doesn’t usually work that way.</p>
<p>Could be worse. I thought for sure the punchline was going to be “then he couldn’t get a job”.</p>
<p>In my experience money causes more family heartache and divisiveness then almost anything else.</p>
<p>Hopefully when your investments did drop 90%, you didn’t panic sell like one of my company VP’s (who should know better) did.</p>
<p>If you have communicated with the OP, the GFG, perhaps you can encourage her to return and perhaps, if she is comfortable, provide a bit more information. There must be more to this story, and many posters here are trying to fill in the pieces.</p>
<p>As one of the “■■■■■ suspects”, I was not overly focusing on the $150,000 figure, although that was part of it. For me it was the piling on of soap opera elements - house is in the middle of gang violence, father’s health is severely compromised due to working so hard, parents dreamed of “top school” from the moment kid was born, kid needs to stay an extra year due to a sudden desire to double major, email disinviting from commencement is treated as having come out of the blue, poster is “new” without the “normal” opening statement that s/he opened a new account for privacy.</p>
<p>Yes, each and every one of those things could happen. Yes, they could all be part of the same story.</p>
<p>But me? I’m not buyin’.</p>
<p>jmmom, you do summarize many of the suspicious aspects and who knows. But one thing is that often when someone starts a thread like this, they continue to post on it as they are seeking advice, rather than setting up a situation and looking for reactions but staying out of it (which is what ■■■■■■ tend to do). Could be real, of course. Hard to tell. But I understand why some may be skeptical given the patterns of how these things tend to go on a message board.</p>
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<p>Nope. I know lots of imperfect parents and kids (well, basically everybody!) but I have never, ever encountered or heard of such a mean spirited kid in my life. I’ve not met someone or even heard of someone second hand who has had such a story. I’m quite serious. This seems wayyyy over the top in the context in which I live. And heck, I teach in a business school (a context which supposedly should be more, not less, likely to attract those big on bucks, light on soul).</p>
<p>This year all IBs are paying their analysts 70K with 10k sign on bonus, and these are BB firms. People who are not hired into their training programs are getting paid less. if they want to hire inexperienced people to do structuring they would pick them off their analyst program, not directly from a school.</p>
<p>Well, if the OP isn’t a ■■■■■, then her disapperance could be explained by the fact that she was jumped on right away and called a ■■■■■ and thus could not expect much help and sympathy.</p>
<p>^ Oldfort’s numbers match what I said in post #22.</p>