<p>A trip to Spain would be fantastic, I agree! I am lobbying hard for D to apply for an internship in Paris after this year. I think that would be a fabulous reason to go to Paris- having to see D! Plus private charter jet sounds so much more appealing than the Christmas Bus. Great idea!</p>
<p>He wants to take a couple of electives this summer to try to make next year a little easier. I think they try to squeeze what is essentially a five year program into four years with this major, with 18 or 19 credit hours called for every semester and almost no electives (at least none last semester and none this semester). I will encourage him to consider dropping a class if it looks overwhelming (although H isn’t big on that idea). I am going to suggest he take geology this summer, which would facilitate a smoother transition into Petroleum Engineering if the computer science stuff turns out to not be his cup of tea. He really isn’t a techy type so it will be interesting to see how he does with that. This major has a lot of computer science and electrical engineering type classes as well as odd things like molecular genetics. He generally likes anything with a right or wrong answer. Not big on essays and reading.</p>
<p>I’m in for the trip to Spain. In addition to Barcelona, can we head south where it’s warm and sunny? It is still C-O-L-D here in CT.</p>
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<p>That would have been an ideal outcome from our meeting at the school last week. We were hoping for a mandatory structure like that. I guess the school can’t enforce anything unless the student is on probation, and Son is a bit over the line.</p>
<p>This is where we stayed in Barcelona. It’s large enough for six of us to stay. I’m sure we can find other terrific flats for everyone. Some might want to stay right on the Med.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.habitatapartments.com/en/barcelona/apartment/view/tessa.htm[/url]”>Barcelona Apartments | HabitatApartments.com | Apartments list;
<p>I am, of course, IN for the cybertrip to Barcelona,as long as we all can stop in and check in on S1!!! He did ichat with us last weekend, so I got to SEE him! yippee!</p>
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<p>Of course. By then he will have discovered the least expensive but wonderful tapas bars that tourists are afraid to enter.</p>
<p>I know one excellent chocolate/sweet shop and one good tapas place in Barcelona.</p>
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<p>maybe George Clooney can join us again - I understand he likes to fly ;)</p>
<p>First, sign me up for tapas, wine, and Spain. </p>
<p>I just received a brief, but shining, email from DD. First day of classes went very well. Her happiness is practically jumping off the screen. She’s happy, so I’m happier! </p>
<p>As those of you with D/S’s in engineering, CS, math intensive types of majors post about how your kids are doing, I’m learning a lot. Younger DS is one of those Math/Science kids and will probably take a very similar path in terms of math classes as some of your kids. It’s pretty enlightening and makes me worry a bit more than I should about it right now. (he’s only a hs soph)</p>
<p>Back to work.</p>
<p>Okay, PRJ, you and I will have to share George Clooney.</p>
<p>fingers crossed for us both sabaray</p>
<p>We still dream of the pudding thick hot choclate and fresh churros in Barcelona. While we were enjoying our treats, the waiter stroked younger D’s curly red hair. I have two red heads and a blonde. They all got lots of positive attention for their hair color.</p>
<p>Of course George can come. We should also see if Antonio Banderas is available. Don’t know how his Catalan is, but Spanish works, too. Shawbridge, shall we see if Penelope Cruz can meet us for drinks?</p>
<p>I often wonder how I ended up with two children so different from each other. That will probably be a question for the ages. </p>
<p>I think your son will be successful, #TM simply because it sounds like he wants to be. SabaraySon hasn’t yet decided that he wants to be. I hope he can come to that realization very, very soon. I look at those tuition bills and see my longed-for new kitchen. He did text me to let me know that some of the rest of his books had arrived -now only waiting on one. Classes started Monday and of course we didn’t know if his schedule would change so couldn’t order these extremely obscure books that either had to be pre-ordered or obtained elsewhere until we were sure. </p>
<p>Isn’t it interesting that he didn’t want me involved in the process but I’m the one doing all the book ordering? Has to be some irony there somewhere.</p>
<p>Well, I spoke to George. He’s at his Lake Como retreat but has invited us all for the weekend after we do the tour of “Barthelona”! He’s such a sweetheart!
(OK, midlife psychosis has officially begun…)</p>
<p>PS Re: two different children under one roof…it will NEVER cease to amaze me. My sisters anD I (all 7 of us) were -and are- pretty much alike. My 2? Fuggedaboutit>>></p>
<p>Son loves the English class we substituted for one of the Psych classes. I have a feeling that I have a future English major on my hands. I guess I’m to the stage that it wouldn’t bother me. Grad school is required to do anything with Psych, so a low GPA in Psych is no more marketable than a higher one in English.</p>
<p>I have a friend with a more severe Aspie than I have. Her son wants to go off to a distant school and major in something really obsure about which he is obsessed. Her philosophy is that a college degree beats no college degree, so why not.</p>
<p>sabaray: thinking of you. D also did poorly first sem. She muddled through, attended all classes and in her mind “tried” very hard but couldn’t get her Calc class and failed. Had the concepts down pat in Chem, got a B in lab and a D which is = to a failing grade in Chem itself because of the blasted math.</p>
<p>In English she had high grades on all of her essays but didn’t read the syllabus where she was required to meet with her professor, didn’t go to office hours though before she left we talked extensively about the importance of doing so even if NOT required. Anyway as a result it dropped her grade.</p>
<p>re Calc there is a math tutoring lab which she never attended because “people” said it would be a waste of time.</p>
<p>Oh and did I mention that her freshman seminar prof couldn’t open her final paper with his word processing programs so he asked her, via email, to remail it to him in word. SHE NEVER SAW THE MESSAGE until after new year because she doesn’t check her email.</p>
<p>Bottom line, she has to turn it around: check emails go to tutoring and office hours, read and highlight syllabus and refer to it or she will be spending fall semester attending CC</p>
<p>I hope it was a good learning experience for her because she is loathe to ask for help and she now maybe realizes that it is essential for success. I didn’t say it but I did have a couple of “I told you so” moments over break.</p>
<p>Everyone acts as if there is a stigma to going to the tutoring center, center for academic success, or whatever the school calls it, but do you think the stigma actually exists? Or does it just exisit in the minds of first semester freshmen? I’d think that failing a class (to our kids who have never failed a class in their lives) would carry much more of a stigma. I keep trying to tell Son that he’s a consumer at the school, the services are there for him, for “free,” and that he should use them.</p>
<p>He’s worried about French II since he doesn’t remember French I. There are six people in the whole darned class. I told him that the prof has no right to act bothered if he asks for help.</p>
<p>I guess I was much more of an egotist when it came to school - I had a pretty high opinion of my own intelligence and I thought that if I didn’t get the material, something was wrong with the prof and that he was obligated to make me understand the material. Sounds pretty bad, but I think some of our kids would be well served by a feeling that they are entitled to whatever help they need to get a grasp of the material.</p>
<p>looks like Tim mcgraw is taking another trip EDDIE, i am getting stronger soon I may be more feisty.</p>
<p>Shawbridge my d does snore but only when she has a cold.
Both my kids went/go to a private school that is boarding and day. both were day. It definately made her realize what it would take and she works hard, plans ahead, does her outlines and knows to separate when she wants to study. Another kid also went to her school, we are wondering how he did as when she saw him he was always drunk. I guess you have to want it too. It kind of drives me crazy as I see the kids here who have to deal with issues and work so hard and some kids dont seem to care.</p>
<p>Well, S doesn’t really belong in this thread as he’s entering his 4th semester - and is just now on academic probation. Why they didn’t do some of this before now is beyond me. S did go to the tutoring center regularly his first semester. He was enrolled in a French I course and needed help regularly. That was a plus, as far as I was concerned. He was making an effort to get help in the specific class. What he wasn’t getting help with were things like time management and study skills. That’s what they’re focusing on now. He’s probably one of the few upperclassmen receiving these services and feels embarrassed. I don’t know how his peer group perceives it. He says he doesn’t care about school but I think a big part of that is fear of failure and being one of “those kids” who wasn’t successful at college. If he fails he can say he didn’t try or didn’t care. I think in HS people (with the exception of a very few) didn’t think he could do it. Now his worst dream is becoming a reality- he can’t stay unless he does better. HS you can stay until you graduate or drop out- college there’s this pesky thing called academic progress. </p>
<p>D follows your line of thinking, missypie. I think the difference is at her school there are plenty of office hours, TA’s, tutoring, group work…lots of ways to get help if needed without going to the “success” center. </p>
<p>I’m glad to see people talking about their children’s struggles. I wish they didn’t have them but I’m glad we can talk about them.</p>