<p>My D came home(20 minutes away) to babysit yesterday for 8 hours(football game). We got to visit at lunch with my mom- her birthday was on Friday- she is VERY happy and seems to be adjusting well. Her BIO class is very similar to her AP in HS though. I will see her again tonight to visit with the other side of the family- other grandma is in town briefly and we will have dinner there. She is going out for “rush” this week and seems quite excited. Andrew Card- George W. Bush’s chief of staff is speaking on Thursday night at ehr campus and she will be attending- should be a great turnout- out church is taking the youth group to hear him.</p>
<p>Hugs to you and your daughter, LeftyLou.</p>
<p>Remind your daughter that college is different than high school in so many ways. One of them is that students are not all in the same classes and that the workload and timetable is different in every class.</p>
<p>Can you help her develop a strategy for dealing with her workload? One thing my sons learned to do was to take their planner out and look at the syllabus for each class, entering all of the major due dates, and also calendaring reminders a week before each of those due dates.</p>
<p>They also scrutinize the general workload for each class, and try to assign a regular chunk of time to do the work for each class. In college, there is a lot less time spent in the classroom, and that frees up time to deal with the workload. So, for example, my son generally did his econ reading for the week on Monday afternoons, and his accounting on Tuesday night and Wednesday, because he could go to the tutor on Wednesday to get help if he needed it–since the practice sets were due on Fridays it gave him Thursday to finish up after getting any help he needed.</p>
<p>By calendaring his work times for each class he felt more in control and it let it give himself permission to also spend time having fun. If something fun came along, he could check his planner…and move a planned worktime to another slot if possible. If it couldn’t be moved…then he could say no. But he had the option of having fun with a clear conscience because he knew the work would be taken care of.</p>
<p>My son generally likes to get most of his work done before dinner, or right after dinner, because he finds that clubs and intramurals generally take place in the evenings. Also, most study groups/project groups meet in the evenings as well because it is easier for people to get together then.</p>
<p>Leftylou-Sorry to hear that your D is sad and stressed. It is hard for any parents to take when kids are far away. Does she take too many classes this semester and can she still drop a class?
We finally took down and gave away our trampoline yesterday. Now the back yard looks so empty. I hope my H and I will be motivated one day to plant some trees/bushes there. :rolleyes: I still can visualize my boys and their friends jumping on that trampoline all these years!
I too miss son’s daily details of his life and am glad he is coming home for a weekend in two weeks!</p>
<p>LeftyLou, does your daughter have an advisor? If yes, perhaps she should schedule a meeting. ShawSon’s advisor strongly urged him to take an easier schedule first semester freshman year so that he would learn how to be successful at a college that requires lots of work. ShawSon followed his advice and was indeed quite successful. ShawSon is severely dyslexic and so he selected around courses with 400 pages of reading per week (indeed, he selected against colleges that would require him to take such courses).</p>
<p>When we booked ShawD’s freshman schedule, it was harder because she will major in biology or biochemistry. So, she had to take bio, chem, and math. To make the year easier, she decided to defer physics (which will likely be harder for her) if it is needed until a later year or more likely a summer course. (Same perhaps with organic chemistry.) Instead of physics, she is taking intro psychology. Also, she is taking introductory bio despite taking an AP-level bio course. </p>
<p>Are there changes your D could make? A course with less reading. There are courses like symbolic logic in philosophy that require little reading and, if she is good at math, tend to be pretty easy.</p>
<p>Also, schools often have a learning center that can help someone with work planning (per boysx3’s suggestion). ShawSon finds them unhelpful but ShawD found such a person helpful in HS and has agreed to meet with them this week at her new school.</p>
<p>sunnyday, we had an elaborate wooden swing set/play area, that we sold. With the proceeds from that, we bought a trampoline. We sold the trampoline and have a basketball backboard that we should sell. Not sure what we’ll do with the proceeds if any.</p>
<p>LeftyLou,</p>
<p>There are probably many good sources of study advice. One exellent source which I found out about in the discussions here is a blog by Cal Newport called Study Hacks. He also wrote a couple of books after interviewing many straight A college students at top schools in addition to being a staright A student and a fairly recent graduate himself. The advice ranges from organization and planning, to timing and location, to notetaking, testtaking and paper writing. It’s much more than generic advice that would be self-evident. I got one of his books and I am begging D to read it. If she does I’ll discuss her reaction here. What really struck me about it is the planning strategy and the advice on location. He says not to study in bed, and to avoid studying in the dorms or in common spaces in the dorms because of the distractions, to study alone. He recommended finding a series of peaceful and secluded locations in libraries, etc, near where the student would have classes or otherwise be located. Varying study locations is stimulating and less monotonous but not distracting as long as they are quiet. His specific technique for Sunday and brief flexible daily agenda planning seems to increase the chances of getting things done but getting down time as well. There are many other pieces of advice.</p>
<p>That said, I have also been concerned by the state of higher education in general, especially after watching a PBS documentary, Declining By Degrees. So many kids don’t study much and party so many more hours than they work, that you have to wonder where this country is headed if there is no work ethic. The pressure to give better grades for mediocre work is there, too. If your daughter saw this documentary she would be heartened by the idea that there is nothing wrong with her working hard; there’s more of a problem with the culture that says not to study hard. That said, with good strategy she can study, actually do the work, and also find time for enjoyment.</p>
<p>Let us know how she wades through this!</p>
<p>**The next new student move-in is Northwestern University move-in on September 12th - Just 1 day to go!
Move-in day is in 1 day!<br>
Labor Day is past. Football season in full bloom. Where has the summer gone? :eek:</p>
<p>[ul][<em>]Dartmouth College move-in on September 14th is just 3 days to go.
[</em>]University of Chicago, University of California Riverside, Irvine and San Diego move-ins on September 18th are just 7 days to go.
[<em>]Stanford University move-in on September 20th is just 9 days to go.
[</em>]The last new student move-ins are the University of Oregon and the University of Southern Oregon on September 22nd which is 11 days to go. </p>
<p>The LAST Move-in day is in 11 days. Less than 2 weeks to go. The launching season is nearly complete.[/ul]</p>
<p>The link to the Move-in Date Thread is <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1141579-hs-class-2011-college-class-2015-move-dates-5.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1141579-hs-class-2011-college-class-2015-move-dates-5.html</a></p>
<p>If you son’s or daughter’s move-in dates and schools are not listed please add them to the list.**</p>
<p>stillwater, thanks for the Study Hacks recommendation–after looking it over I sent it to my S and asked him to take a look. It sounds like an approach that he will resonate with him.</p>
<p>Took S with me to the store yesterday to fill out the packing list a bit–little stuff like cough drops for the first aid box, nail clippers, Febreze, etc. This is a shopping trip that would normally engender Olympic-class eye-rolling and sighing, but he was, instead, patient and pleasant and…mature about it. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.</p>
<p>hlsess – my mom’s birthday was Friday too! Happy Birthday to both our moms.</p>
<p>I just got back from the airport. Not my favorite day to be flying, that’s for sure.</p>
<p>Got an urgent laundry call from D. Apparently, some washing machines have a setting for “brights”. I guess the world isn’t separated into lights and darks anymore.</p>
<p>LeftyLous – sorry for your D’s stress. Does she have an option to take 3 courses (if she’s currently taking 4)? D is doing that – she said she didn’t want to get overwhelmed.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the good wishes and advice! </p>
<p>She slept 10 hours and woke up feeling much better.</p>
<p>DD is one of only 16 kids in the honors program, so there is no flexibility in her schedule. She is taking the regular honors courseload, 5 classes plus a once a week writing workshop. All of them take the same 2 classes and the writing workshop, plus a choice of either math or science, a language of their choice, and one class from their major.</p>
<p>I think what threw her off was that Mondays are her busy day, 4 classes right in a row. They missed the first Monday for orientation, and the second Monday was Labor Day, so they changed last Wednesday to follow a Monday schedule. Usually on Wednesdays, she only has the writing workshop and the rest of the day free, but she didn’t get that this week.
Plus waiting for her books to come from ordering on Amazon made it tough, she was borrowing a calculus book from someone, she couldn’t read the assignment for english because she didn’t have the book, etc.
I think she will settle in and be ok.
One of her best skills is writing, and her first paper is due tomorrow and she’s stressing over it, but she sent us a copy and it was really good, my husband talked over a few things with her, and I’m sure it will be ok. </p>
<p>She is a schedule freak, our school system gives out an agenda every year to every student, so she got the hang of writing down her assignments from an early age. I just think she sees the rest of her suitemates who are not in honors, having a lot of fun, and her roommmates, who are both honors but obviously are not putting in as much time, having fun, and it’s bugging her. </p>
<p>She also made it into two choirs, and the University choir is singing tonight at a nearby church, so they had a 5 hour rehearsal yesterday, and she will be busy for hours tonight. But that won’t be the norm either. It’s just for 9/11.</p>
<p>She’ll be ok. I reminded her that she had a heavy courseload in high school too, and she made it through with flying colors.</p>
<p>LeftyLou</p>
<p>We used the amazon method this time for books–though I think our student purchsed one locally because amazon was backordered on it…
In our case, Prime got it all there in 2 days–and kiddo didn’t get it before the long weekend…I was stressed, kiddo-uh, not so much.</p>
<p>Anyway–Prime is definitley worth it if you are an Amazon shopper. Your student can add their address to your acct.</p>
<p>Well…on other things…
Our scholar-athlete is completely exhausted…heavy heavy workout schedule and lots of P sets…a busy schedule of multi var calc, physics/labs, languages etc etc…
I bit my tongue knowing kiddo was out this week with an EC as well,
and out very late last night…kiddo sounded terrible…a bit more sleep last night would have helped. Here at home, kiddo would have gone to bed on own because was so exhausted…at college…the social life calls.</p>
<p>What’s a mom to do…uh, Nothing…no room for mom in college.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I got the same kind of call, lol! She knew what to wash in hot, warm and cold. What to wash on gentle/delicate and what to wash on normal/perm press. As those are your choices on our machines…1)temperature 2)type of cycle</p>
<p>Well the machines at school had choices like brights, dark, white…with no choice for water temperature and she was confused. Apparently you pick your colors and the machine picks your water temp? It was a little unclear as I couldn’t see the machines but I guess it’s working out ok as she says nothing has been ruined and it all still fits.</p>
<p>LeftyLou,
I haven’t posted on this forum in ages and ages, but when I read your posts I could totally relate. Our daughters sound so similar, with similar Honors programs, music commitments, and stress! It’s hard to know our kids are feeling such stress, but probably both of them have what it takes to meet their challenges. They wouldn’t have been accepted to their programs if they weren’t up to the tasks.</p>
<p>Just wanted to say good luck to you and your daughter and I hope to read happy updates through the year!
Buckeye : )</p>
<p>Home from our trip - I can feel the empty nest creeping up on me. D1 will be here Tues-Sat and THEN it’ll really hit.</p>
<p>D2 got through her weekend. She didn’t get to Manhattan, which I guess was a good idea, but she did go out for a while with some new friends and had fun with them Saturday night. </p>
<p>She’s inching her way through solving her various problems … she does want to make all of this work. The good stuff is still really good, and she will learn to balance things better. Not a new challenge, and not unique, it seems!</p>
<p>Thanks fogfog, I think she joined amazon student. Not sure what Prime is, but she probably does. I’ll mention it to her. She should have ordered a day or two earlier, but had been advised to go to all her classes before getting books, to make sure they were all needed. It would have been helpful if she had at least some of them before the Labor day weekend. Also the school bookstore was closed all that weekend too, so the books she was going to buy there had to wait.</p>
<p>Thank you too Buckeye. It’s funny because I didn’t want her to do the honors program. When she got the letter saying she had been chosen (no applying, they pick you) I tried to talk her out of it. I said she had been under such strees in high school, never slept, rarely went out, I wanted her to have fun in college and enjoy the city she is in. But she wanted to do it. And on an open house day, I talked to an honors program advisor, and she looked at me like I had two heads when I said I didn’t want DD to do it. “It’s such an honor to be chosen, if she got picked, she should do it” I was told. So now she’s in the honors program and stressed out.
But I’m sure she’ll be ok, just has to get into a routine. Thanks for dusting off your keyboard to write to me!</p>
<p>Hi all- we got through the first weekend home with D and it was like she had never left… Oh right (6 days does not a big difference make. 
)</p>
<p>She misses her creature comforts at school and was sad about going back to school. We refocused on the great classes she is taking and I will encourage H not to pressure D so much to socialize. She really does like her hermitude- which is fine. The shiny has worn off the girls on her hall (they are fine- but just too noisy). The up side is that there is another woman on the hall who does the yelling at midnight when they are still noisy instead of D. D is going to try to make friends with the woman who is a junior so she can get on campus apartment housing next year. She really loves being in a single but would prefer a single room in one of the on campus apartments. </p>
<p>After an audition, D was ok’d to stay in an American Bluegrass music and language arts class so she is happy about that. (They asked for rudimentary skill on one of a list of instruments, but most of the fiddlers have 6 or more years and she has only 1.) The teacher is going to host a mini-seminar with Ricky Scaggs that D is excited about. So with that and her ecology classes she is one happy girl.</p>
<p>Good morning all! Jelly is complete, 60 jars and probably would have been more like 100 if the raccoons hadn’t spent each night having a raucus party on my deck. I think I need to sit outside with a shotgun to get them to find a new place to hang. Pepper - maybe the frying pan will do?</p>
<p>HS had their first football game and the first marching band performance Fri night at home. Don’t quite get the whole “show” yet - usually the director picks these esoteric themes that would be better in a concert hall and above those football parents, you can hardly hear them - even though they have something like 200 kids out there. Weird and sad not to see ds there leading - he was the drum major for 2 yrs so it’s been quite a while of him being very visible. When I went down to see dd1 and dd2 during the third quarter when the band takes a break and gets a snack - usually I could spot ds a mile away, he is pretty tall amongst bandies. Dd1 likes to hide in a crowd but dd3 and I found her, and instead of the “HEY MOM!!! How’d we do!?” big smile and hug I would’ve gotten from ds, I got the usual surly “Oh hi.” from dd1 looking embarassed of me. I asked if she was going to the diner after with people (which she mentioned before the game) and I just get a look and a quick “Don’t know” before she turns away. Later (back at home) she almost gets mad at me because “Sooorrry, but I AM NOT DS I am not social, and I will not run up and hug you and you must be sooooo disappointed with me…” in the unending “mom-always-liked-ds-better” feud. I’m thinking perhaps, I will not be bothering to see the band weekly from now on. It will be fun won’t it, looking for colleges with her?</p>
<p>Oh, amanda, we got the “I’m not my older sibling” for a long time, too. I guess you just have to ride it out, but it’s so infuriating and sad.</p>
<p>So many of D2’s issues are wrapped up in dorms and food - two things she brushed off continually during the college search and then decision process. I think she felt shallow that she would choose a college based on those things, and focused exclusively on curriculum, culture, people, location, etc. I guess now that she’s living there it’s hitting her how dorms and food affect your daily life. She didn’t choose wrong, of course, but these are things she’ll have to adjust to. And much of this is internal - how she’s dealing with her feelings, stress, etc., how picky she’s being and all that. No one has energy to deal with everything, and I’m glad she knows she can only do so much at a time. Today: focus on class and talk to the dining people. </p>
<p>Onward and awkward, as a friend of mine likes to say.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>*You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means<a href=“a%20nod%20to%20the%20Princess%20Bride”>/I</a> .</p>
<p>Have you considered a “See America” bus pass for next summer and calling it a day? ;)</p>
<p>tutu17D attending NYU tisch</p>
<p>**The next new student move-in is Northwestern University move-in on September 12th - That’s today!
Move-in day is TODAY!<br>
Labor Day is past. Football season is in full bloom. Where has the summer gone? :eek:</p>
<p>[ul][<em>]Dartmouth College move-in on September 14th is just 2 days to go.
[</em>]University of Chicago, University of California Riverside, Irvine and San Diego move-ins on September 18th are just 6 days to go.
[<em>]Stanford University move-in on September 20th is just 8 days to go.
[</em>]The last new student move-ins are the University of Oregon and the University of Southern Oregon on September 22nd which is 10 days to go. </p>
<p>The LAST Move-in day is in 10 days. Just a week and a half to go. The launching season is nearly complete.[/ul]</p>
<p>The link to the Move-in Date Thread is <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1141579-hs-class-2011-college-class-2015-move-dates-6.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1141579-hs-class-2011-college-class-2015-move-dates-6.html</a></p>
<p>If you son’s or daughter’s move-in dates and schools are not listed please add them to the list.**</p>