We’re hanging out in Denton the day before registration. 92 degrees here is much nicer than 92 degrees in the Chicago suburbs. Just bought sheets and towels.
Ahhh move-in days…you lucky dog…soak it all in. There’s nothing like hanging out in your kid’s college town. So many memories to be formed there!
GoForth, if you don’t have the WTForecast app on your phone, you should get it while in TX. It makes the heat infiinitely more enjoyable. Also, this is the coolest August I remember in my lifetime in Texas. It’s typically a steady 102 or more and dry dry dry this time of year. Enjoy!
S is all moved in. Doing orientation. We are idling around.
Orientation is over at UNT. S tested into Piano I. That means he is ready to start in the first phase of the normal 4-semester sequence of classical piano - he escaped the remedial level. Just in case of a future change in major, S took the Spanish placement test while it was still pretty fresh and tested out of 1 year of that. This combined with AP credits pushed S technically into being of sophomore status. A couple questions remain to be ironed out with payments and other administrative details, but we are all here on campus to go iron details out in person ASAP. It is a great feeling to have things this far along. S likes his room, and I did have the pleasure of hearing folks practicing in their dorm rooms on my way down the hallway. S’ complaint was that orientation was so “busy” that his practice time suffered.
Great news about Spanish and piano! That will take so much pressure off having that credit already. At NU they kick us out before any of the placement or advising begins. I ended up having a business trip come up the day after dorm movein, so I will fly in and out of Chicago for that. Which means I get to peak in and get the details of all his advising and placement tests. Way better than hearing about it through a text!
Wow, it’s becoming real @GoForth! Good for him on the Spanish placement and the sophomore status! That should give him a lot more flexibility in his schedule and perhaps more time.
@BassTheatreMom S’s school also kicks the parents out by the end of move in day - the “Family Farewell” is even on the schedule.
S moves in Wednesday - his roommate is international so he will move in a couple days earlier, so S hopes to get some pictures of the room ahead of time while we are shopping in town for items we did not want to bring.
It is all great. I gave GoForthSon a lot of the info I had collected like a maniac about what classes are required by different programs or sub-programs, which ones depended on others, which electives killed the most birds with the least stones, which guidebook had which contradiction with which catalog. He said it really helped because even though they presented much of the same info during orientation, it was a lot to absorb all at once. We stayed clear of all the counseling, advising, and registration area, but you can see here too that they didn’t want parents to be involved in that - there was a farewell lunch listed on Parents’ Orientation, but we did not attend the Parents’ Orientation.
We just sent in the e-check that is due for tuition by Monday 21 Aug. The tuition and fees (long list there) for a semester before applying merit aid is just over $6K. Room and board can be paid in 3 installments starting in October - I am surprised they are allowed to live and eat with this kind of “in arrears” money.
Unlike many places, they have a Freshman ramp-up week starting next week, so it is not quite yet exactly real, but getting there slowly. I heard that S is helping form up a jam session in the dorm today, which is very nice to hear about.
@BassTheatreMom - it is funny we live and travel in opposite directions.
@classicalsaxmom - We got some dorm pictures,but nothing like the funny Parent’s Forum thread about the over-decorating. We met the room-mate and parents today. Both boys are pretty simple and make the room look pretty sparse.
Funny Orientation with child #1: We went to everything and I cried and worried as we left
Orientation with child #2 (who had special needs): He moved in early as part of a program for student with special needs. He pleaded with us to go shortly after we moved him in and so we tracked down our contact in the student services office who assured us she would let us know if there was a need.
Orientation with child #3: Unloaded car and left…Never really saw the room again until we were moving him out.
I swear I’ve moved my kid every year since she’s moved out (not true but it feels that way). I made a big effort to clean that first dorm room, help her unpack, hang up pictures, make her bed etc. The last time I looked around the somewhat dirty old house and thought “whatever”. I did open the box with her sheets and threw them on her bed and said “there’s your sheets” and left. All steps along the way feel good…particularly when you do little and know it’s the right time for that.
Well, we are about ready to wrap up our combined vacation and college move-in by leaving out for home tomorrow. We said our last words to S already at dinner. It did get a bit hotter than I reported in an earlier post - up to about 101(F), but it was pretty comfortable, just right on the edge of wanting to sweat, but not quite, or just barely.
I think some of the orientations and first week activities are proving to be not always what S absolutely needs, just like any of the more specific non-CC message boards may have already mentioned, but it is nice having this warm-up week because there is quite a bit to take care of: learning campus, claiming instrument locker, getting PO Box set-up, warming up for auditions and placement tests, considering joining clubs, jostling class schedule and watching for open spots in classes that are full until non-payers get dropped, watching after and straightening any incorrect/missing info in the student record, signing up at pharmacy, looking into secondary/auxiliary lessons, etc. Some kids had a few more unexpected logistical/administrative surprises to tend to as well.
I haven’t heard others comment on this but I distinctly remember my D being slightly bored and a little at a loss of what do the first few weeks in college. Maybe it was just her but she had been so busy throughout high school with performing that when she arrived at college without the usual hectic schedule, she didn’t quite know what to do with her time (which may sound bad…but it is what it is). My D is not an extrovert but not a complete introvert. She wants “company” but prefers a small group. It took her a couple weeks to make friends she connected with…and first semester was not real busy which I thought was good but she didn’t like…by second semester she was back to busy and alternatively happy and a snapping turtle all in one phone conversation.
S played a little at Killer Tacos tonight and organized an impromptu Bruce Hall lobby jam on Saturday. I think he is getting into the swing of things.
@bridgenail that cracked me up! “There’s your sheets”! Truly…we move S into his apartment on Friday. 2 years in the dorm and he and his buddies are moving off campus into an apartment. I am hoping it stays some semblance of clean but with 3 guys, we all know the answer to that one. I know GoForthSon will be amazing in his new journey! I can’t wait to hear all about it!
Not expecting to hear much more about GoForth’s son since he is now on campus. GoForth’s journal/jpurney would seem to be over and his son’s is starting! Good luck to him!
Yes! Thank you!
Today at UNT is the first “jazz meeting” and the music theory and aural skills placement tests. Over the next two days are auditions, a few jazz test-out tests, and a good chance to finally buy some books. Then classes start next week on Monday (Aug 28).
@GoForth , It sounds like your son is doing well and making his way in his new setting. Thank you for giving us updates. I would love more updates, after a few months, of how he is doing and if the program is all that he thought it would be.
We are about to begin this crazy journey as is @SpartanDrew. Best to all who are starting college now!
I am also very interested in @SpartanDrew 's adventure. It was very informational how the Berklee camp went with a thoughtful reflection afterwards. The other candidate colleges seem to be carefully selected for the specific needs of the student and would be very interesting to hear about as the options unfold.
Since we are on “College” Confidential, yes, I expect years more of data to be presented here. I would like to show how the actualities reflect back upon the earlier expectations. It is like we are at the very pivot point right now of the “before” and “after”.
Thanks @GoForth! We are on our way! NOLA audition is booked for next month along with flights and hotel. here we go! It will be D’s second real college audition after Berklee this summer. Exciting and hopefully as she gains more experience with each audition she will get better and better.
I have found some of the old threads invaluable for information and especially like hearing how reality meets expectations. We know of a singer/songwriter from our area here who is super talented. She went for her freshman year to a college widely talked about on these forums for S/S programs and left after her freshman year, hugely disappointed in it. She transferred to a different school. Crazy! I messaged her and asked why she left and was really surprised by her response…she felt the program wasn’t run well at all and that time and money was spent on making the campus look gorgeous but the school itself seemed to be all fluff and no substance. It also fell flat on academics with no help from advisors. She also said her father has been in higher education for 15 years and has never seen anything like it. Those were all her words. It’s crazy. She is a VERY talented singer/songwriter as well so I was really surprised by this. SO, these were useful comments and perspective for my friend who’s daughter is considering this school. Anyway, it’s always great to have actual perspective as you visit these places. Her biggest advice was to check to see what the retention/drop out rate is for the various music programs after one year which is excellent advice that I hadn’t thought about and I’m not even sure where you would find that information. She was there on an academic scholarship but said they don’t offer music scholarships until junior year which is a new one on me as well.
SO I’m sure there will be many looking at UNT wanting to know how it’s going for GoForthSon and if it’s all that he thought it would be or possibly even more. This thread has been so great for me over the past year and a half and hopefully mine can offer the same help for those following in our steps. 
@SpartanDrew , I hope y’all enjoy the NOLA trip and best of luck to your kiddo in the audition! My S18 will likely audition at Loyola for classical voice later, but we are NOLA residents and he wants to go away for college so not high on his list at the moment (though it all can shift). Loyola has a great voice program though, overall.