<p>boysx3, DTE, and PRJ, ShawbridgeSon is really working hard. He’s exhausted, which is not great, but he’s really pushing. He wants to make sure he keeps his grades up in all of his courses and writes a fabulous end-or-term paper for one. Definitely stressed, but the stress seems mostly from the fact that his stamina is fading and he has two and a half really hard weeks coming up. He didn’t fully get the concepts in a couple of courses last week because he was so tired. He is confident that if he can keep his energy, he can keep his grades where they are, which seem to be very good. He appears to have retained his confidence in his intellectual abilities, which reduces the stress.</p>
<p>Shawbridge, good for your son! I know he faces extra challenges. </p>
<p>My son is mildly-to-moderately dyslexic/dysgraphic but he copes well. His biggest challenge is generally spelling…hard enough in English, bad to the point of humorous in foreign languages (in Latin, his hs teacher would laugh at the endings on some of his words, running to 4 or 5 vowels that he just didn’t “see.”)</p>
<p>Make sure he gets some exercise and some sunlight…experience with my older sons has proven that this really helps (in addition to sleep and real food ).</p>
<p>unfortunately they have to do it to see they can. Its a whole new ballgame. The kids have faced many challenges being away, illness, etc… If they have some LD and are kids who care it is hard. You have much to be proud of with these guys and they will be sucessful in life. I do worry about the kids when they stress as my D2 does as I htink that almost gets in the way more, but I think it is very common. I will keep all the CC kids in my prayers.</p>
<p>Eggson seems to be stressing most about Latin I. Although he took Spanish through most of middle and high school, he chose to start over with Latin in college. He says that no one breaks a B in Calc 2, so he is very relaxed about that one since he has done all he can do. His exams are Wed-Thu-Fri and all start before 9 am . He already knows he has an A in one course no matter what.</p>
<p>He will be home for a month starting next Saturday.</p>
<p>Where did this semester go?</p>
<p>eggmom, can our sons trade finals?</p>
<p>My son took 4 years of Latin in high school–his favorite class, loved the teacher. He’s taking Spanish now and he’s really stressing, between his inability to write/spell and never really having taken an oral foreign language before (Hebrew doesn’t really count, when he was younger it was more bar mitvah prep than actually learning a language…since then he has learned a lot on his own with friends and in various programs)</p>
<p>And you are right…where did this semester go?</p>
<p>Son’s classes ended on Friday and he heads into this week with two finals and a big paper. He turned in a portfolio for the first year class on Friday. I have no idea if he is stressing but what I miss most this year are Parent/Teacher conferences. That’s where I usually found out if kid was working as hard as appropriate and how that was going before I set my expectations for results. It’s not that son doesn’t tell me, but truthfully, I have no idea how he should be doing because I am not there to see (or not see) the actual effort. Will he get a lot of B’s and has been stressing and working as hard as he reasonably can or will he get a lot of B’s by being inconsistent due to adjustment “issues” aka overly active social life, etc.</p>
<p>It’s not that I don’t trust what my S says, but I was just thinking when say stuff like, “No one gets an A in that class” or “65% of first years fail this test’” Do we really know that’s accurate? But it is what it is…</p>
<p>After going out to dinner with my SIL and her husband last night and hearing all about my sophomore in college niece and the BF “too soon too fast” relationship, I realize that any concerns I have about S are really minor (even if they are still legitimately annoying).</p>
<p>How true, modadunn!!</p>
<p>D has two weeks to go, so she says no one’s really stressed yet. But she started reviewing for her (advanced) calculus test today … She has all As so far (and high As at that) – and her study habits are surely part of the reason.</p>
<p>She said she spent much of the afternoon cutting out snow flakes to hang from her ceiling, making a paper Christmas tree for the door, and a calendar that counts down the days til she comes home.</p>
<p>Her first ever Christmas somewhere other than SoCal. She said they went caroling last night, and it was freezing, but she loved it!</p>
<p>wow, first semester almost gone? Where did the time go? S is still plugging away, and seems to be doing ok. S and his roomies get along swimmingly so I think he is really lucky in his college experience so far. Then again we will see what the grades are like for this one.</p>
<p>Anyone else miss PowerSchool? :)</p>
<p>McSon is without a doubt stressed, and I began to absorb a little of same when he ran down what is due this week with an 18 credit hour schedule. Rarely has he ever conferred with me on a strategy to optimize his effort, and I take it as EDM that that’s what he did this weekend. Some types of exams are especially brutal for him with his processing speed issues and poor notetaking and he had mixed results on the midterms in classes where he’d performed at an A level on assignments/compositions/essays. Fortunately, some of his major end-of-term marks are assignment or performance-based, which is where he tends to excel. However, he is always tempted to put the lionshare of his time into the projects, and right now is torn between putting the “blowout” level of effort into his major composition in his major and catching up on some theory he is not comprehending well (no background in theory to begin with but is a prereq of his major). We’ll see how it all shakes out. I’m not setting a low bar or anything when I say the only real goal for him in this case is to make sure he can stay in the program he so loves. His program was portfolio based and highly competitive to get into. As such, he is in awe of his talented peers at times, and doesn’t seem to feel remotely competitive. While I admire his collegiality, that cuts two ways, doesn’t it ; ) I always told him to surround himself with the best people in his field of study to be really challenged and get the most out of his investment. I don’t think either of us knew then just how much work that would be for him at times like this. I think the only thing preventing total meltdown right now is an actual enduring love of the material and environment. So I am grateful in some ways that he’s exactly where he is, despite the stress (or because of it!) : )</p>
<p>Talked to S last night. He’s supposed to call every Sunday night, and usually does, but last night it was extra important for me to hear his voice. He got back at 3 AM from his Pershing Rifles “initiation,” after leaving campus at 9 PM Friday. He said it was by far the hardest thing he’s ever done in his life; harder than when he & H climbed (hiked up) Half Dome. This Pershing Rifles thing is a sort of military fraternity. H & I had never heard of it, so had to look it up online. It has taken up a huge amount of time all fall, but he has managed to keep up w/ classes. Color me relieved it’s all over!</p>
<p>He’s finished on the 17th – and will probably come home and sleep for a week.</p>
<p>D still has this week or classes and then finals start next week. She is already studying which is a good thing to try to keep her stress level lower. Not sure how much it’s going to work 
She has always had difficulty with finals but she is really trying which is all I can ask for. </p>
<p>H and I are busy trying to get stuff done before this Thurs. when son flies in. Cards made and mailed, house decorated, last room cleaned although I still need to pick up the playroom, 3 batches of cookies made, most of the Christmas shopping done. I’m almost on schedule. I would have liked to have picked up the playroom this weekend but I just had nothing left last night. I’ll try to work on things most nights this week. Only a couple of places to go to pick up the last of the Christmas presents but still need to figure something out for MIL. It’s coming a long but still a lot to do. I needed to come back to work this morning to rest up!! :)</p>
<p>Does law school count? My S is in the throes of studying for his first set of “all or nothing” exams. I’ve never really seen him so stressed about studying…for anything. I remember my first semester at law school and that pit in the bottom of my stomach when I sat down to that first exam, praying that I had studied the right material. 32 years later it doesn’t seem so vital, but back then… I think baking is in order today, chocolate brownies can fix anything!</p>
<p>Law school counts double on the stress-o-meter.</p>
<p>I remember those 100% exams, too…a whole semester of hard work and excruciating Socratic class participation counts for nothing!</p>
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<p>For those of you who were raised in evangelical Christian churches, I’d always ponder The Rapture during law school finals…what a great time for the world to end!</p>
<p>My very first law school final (Contracts) was my worst grade in law school (totally didn’t see an issue). I ended up graduating in the top 10% of the class, but my Contracts prof later became Dean and I was always concerned that he thought I was an idiot.</p>
<p>Wow, just thinking that that Contracts exam was 27 years ago and I can still remember the trauma! So hugs to those having kids going through it now!</p>
<p>Good Morning! D1 not very stressed as she faces her senior year finals. Most seem to be projects/papers as opposed to tests. D2 is very stressed as she faces her first round of finals…especially biology! She has already started studying and her finals start next week. She really is stressed about trying to do well in order to keep her options open for a transfer. Looking forward to her being home late on the 18th and D1 to follow on the
20th. Still not finished with gift shopping, haven’t done cards and am already tired.</p>
<p>Wow - I had no idea that the exams in law school were like that. S has applied to law and business school. Some dual degree program where it takes another 4 years but you graduate with your MBA and JD. Seems like a bit much to me but that is what he is interested in.</p>
<p>Boysx3, counts for both of you, so save some brownies for yourself! Rochestermom, so perhaps you should begin working on your brownie baking technique?</p>
<p>I had no idea law exams were like that either… that seems unusually harsh, and wonder how that might change, if at all, when so many kids with processing speed difficulties are faced with these tests. At what point does the test itself preclude you from the club regardless of how “smart” you are. Just pondering it, have absolutely no opinion.</p>
<p>Son has definitely had some vacillating this semester. When he thinks he’s blown the thing out of the water, he doesn’t do nearly as well as when he is sure he’s sunk. On the former, he’s in the B range and when it’s the latter, it’s A’s. </p>
<p>D16 has another week before finals hit. The good news is that S will be home and hopefully can help her with any Math or science issues. Of course, he could be equally unhelpful if he goes into vegetative mode in front of the TV or video games.</p>
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Yikes !! I have have done exactly none of this!!! Isn’t it about time for the bus trip to see missypie’s trees? (I’m very good with the procrastination stuff.)</p>