<p>missypie - now you just stop right there - think about all the great countdowns we will have, countdown to weddings, grandkid births…lots more interesting that silly ole high school right? HS is soooooo yesterday.</p>
<p>I also offer my thanks to AvonHSDad for his amazing undertaking. In addition, I enjoy hearing about the traditions and ways of life in other parts of the world. Students in Israel go into the military after HS for approximately 2 or 3 years depending on their gender. Should they be unable to serve, they do other forms of national service. They generally travel for several months after their military service. Only then do they start their undergrad studies. College is very academically-focused with little or no time for clubs, ECs, frats, football games.</p>
<p>Yes, joining the chorus in thanking AvonHSDad for the countdowns. Can’t believe that there are still some folks yet to move in - D has been at school for almost a month! Enjoying school thus far.</p>
<p>Late to some of the conversations - D is not coming home until thanksgiving. She does have a fall weekend and we offered to fly her home, but she does not want to!! She’s visiting friends in Pittsburgh that weekend and has already purchased her 10$ mega bus ticket! We did get tickets for thanksgiving and the xmas break. She is on a spring sport team - so very unlikely we’ll get to see her during spring break - they usually head down to Florida for a week.</p>
<p>Funny - we have a free weekend at Myrtle Beach - trying to figure out if we should plan it for a time when she can make it or if just the three of us should go. Does feel strange. We attended a red sox game the other day and it felt very weird for her to not be there. I almost choked up when they played Sweet Caroline - that was her favorite moment of the game!</p>
<p>Thanks Avon but you don’t get off this easy. Spring of 2015 you can start up a Countdown to Graduation. 
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<p>“For some reason, seeing the end of the countdowns almost made me cry. Perhaps the finality of it all…high school is really really really over.”</p>
<p>The 2015 Acceptance thread has been relegated to the archives.</p>
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<p>Only missing the '11s and their parents. Didn’t miss any '09s when my son graduated and believe me, I won’t miss any '14s [a/k/a/ the worst class that has ever cycled through the school district] when my other D graduates.</p>
<p>Joining the thanks to AvonHSDad for his countdowns. And pointing out it’s a good thing none of the Awesome Parents had a student headed to Oxford where term this year begins October 9… S won’t be crossing the pond for Thanksgiving but Parents’ Weekend is November 5th and both of us will be there. And we’ve got his tkts home booked in December. Picking up on the discussion of care packages - I obviously can’t send baked goods from the UK and SamSon doesn’t have a sweet tooth in any case, so what we’ve done is research jerky online (thank you, Chowhound),. I’ve told him we’re on a quest to find the best jerky out there and so far one order has been delivered and judged.</p>
<p>Another shout-out for Avondad and the wonderful count-down. I can’t believe that tomorrow is our last launch. </p>
<p>Missypie, I’ve been having some sad moments also. On Friday night, my H and I went to the HS football game against our closest rival, and it was really wierd not to see D and her friends at the game.</p>
<p>Another thanks to Avondad for his countdowns! Although he nearly gave me a heart attack when he gave the number of days to Decision Day 2014 on the HS Class of 2014 thread ;-)</p>
<p>bumping so we are on the first page again. I was really missing my d yesterday as I watched the girls cros country race before my sons race last. I wish she was still running at the level she could have been running if she hadn’t of had her lung issues…</p>
<p>…but I am bound and determined to learn how to appreciate what she is, rather than what she could have been. I need to learn to ignore the if onlies.</p>
<p>Thanks AvonDad! I looked forward to the countdown…</p>
<p>Just back from dd1’s “intro to college planning” night led by our HS guidance counselors. I felt like I should yell “I object” half the time…they like to scare people with the whole “demonstrated interest” business when half of this HS ends up going to big state schools including our own which is entirely by the numbers. Parents were feverously taking notes from their powerpoint slides while I played angry birds. List of websites which would be useful didn’t even include cc. I mean, really. When they mentioned scholarships, they just said they will come out senior year and not to worry about any others right now. (??? oh really?) Best part was I beat a few levels on the Autumn Festival game.</p>
<p>Oh my friend Amanda! I wish there was audio/visual sometimes…to tell you that I am laughing my fanny off isn’t doing it justice. Bluedog is just looking at with a quizzical puppy-face. The thought of you calling out “Um, no, no, I object” is just too funny.</p>
<p>We’re almost done packing the truck. Wheels up at six a.m. tomorrow. </p>
<p>S and I had a <em>wonderful</em> Sunday lunch and shopping trip–just a few last-minute things. “How are you on socks?” I asked, while we were standing there in front of the buy one, get one half off rack. “Oh, I’m fine on socks.”</p>
<p>This evening, packing clothes: “Why are there only three pairs of socks?” “Only three pairs? What happened to all of my socks?” Oh fer pete’s sake. We managed to find quite a few more pairs in various drawers but for a minute there…<em>shakes fist</em></p>
<p>Anyhow, thanks to all of you for your ongoing encouraging stories about successful move-ins. I can’t believe it’s finally here.</p>
<p>Well, that was interesting. Just had a great conversation with ShawD about a number of things. Partway through, she said, “What would you think about my going into nursing? I love science and I love people but I don’t love academics. I don’t want to graduate in biology and get a lab tech job. I can transfer to the school of nursing after two years (which is a special, very selective program) or I can just apply now for the full four year program. What do you think?” I don’t think this is insecurity about studying science. She told me she’s pretty confident that she can do well in her courses (bio, math, chemistry, psychology and a language) if she works hard – she’s quite bright and is finding her assignments pretty easy thus far. And, school hasn’t been in session long enough to make a judgment about much.</p>
<p>ShawWife and I had actually talked about the fact that ShawD would be good in medicine (ShawD is fabulous with people and has always been fascinated with the human body and human biology) but that the training was awfully long for a woman who also wanted a family (I know it can be done) and that there might be other options like a physician’s assistant or a specialized nurse (nurse anesthetist, OR?) that would play to her strengths and where she’d be treated reasonably well (I have great respect for nurses but my uneducated instinct is that the world does not treat the average nurse all that well in terms of working conditions, pay, or respect). Interesting that ShawD is coming to similar thoughts about something that might be good for her.</p>
<p>At the low tuition, room and board we’re paying, I’m not unhappy with a fifth year.</p>
<p>What’s also interest is her growing self-knowledge. She’s bright but she’s not academically or intellectually oriented. She has just oodles of social skills – when she had serious medical problems, she would go up to other patients and comfort them.</p>
<p>What do you think?</p>
<p>Best of luck CHS2011Mom!</p>
<p>Our high school’s “college planning” night was tuesday. Boy – I remember this time last year – even at that point, I had learned more from 2 weeks on CC than they told us. I have a dear friend whose D is applying this round. I have “schooled” her – the GCs know nothing, and you have to do it all yourself (obviously, with lots of time on CC).</p>
<p>D lost her phone. Ka-ching. I told her she should think about ways to pay for a new one, like looking into summer jobs. She said she wants to apply to the undergraduate B-school early, because she’s heard they make good money when they get out. That’s my girl! Not a dreamy bone in her body (unlike her mom, who wanted to study Italian Renaissance water gardens for the rest of her life).</p>
<p>I have to say, while we didn’t rely on our GC for a lot of outside info (Bluejr didn’t apply to any OOS reachy schools, and I learned of his OOS merit scholarship here), his GC is amazing. Yesterday I emailed to give her a heads up that Bluejrjr was interested in applying to our state governors school for the summer and to keep him in mind. It’s a very big school and the app process starts in the fall. She wrote right back with lots of positive things to say. She asked about Bluejr, even if he’d taken his guitar to college with him! I was so impressed! I tell her at every opportunity how much we appreciate her! :)</p>
<p>Shawbridge and Classof2015 - love the practical thinking daughters you’ve raised. Bravo. Don’t know how much more involved education is for a PA, but IMHO it would be more interesting, challenging, respected and pay better. Re: business - accounting is a great field (what I studied). You can go in many directions, work in big or small companies, are always marketable and it can easily support a family.</p>
<p>A lurker from the 2012 thread butting in here-- Shawbridge, I think there are many avenues to take in nursing. Our local clinic is staffed by some really wonderful nurse-practitioners who see patients all day, the way family doctors used to when there was such a thing! And I think of the nurses who staffed the NICU when D was born very prematurely. </p>
<p>I, like classof2015, was academic-minded, and a dabbler whose strange bunch of interest led eventually to a career. But my D needs to be physically involved with her work, and though it’s taken me a while to come around, she’s shown me what wonderful possibilities there are in that, and what a large future there is for someone who just gets involved right away. I feel as if I can hear the same thing in what your daughter is saying. Our kids have so much life ahead-- so much time to add new aspects to their education. If this seems to fit the daughter you know (and not to come out of left field in a burst of nerves at this new beginning), then I think its a great idea. </p>
<p>Butting out now, couldn’t help myself!</p>
<p>Shawbridge - I can just see your D chatting up people in that great nursey way and looking stunning in the her uniform! Seriously, this sounds like a great idea. PA is a completely separate field, but a BS/RN is a fine start for either that or the more advanced nursing specialties if she so decides.</p>
<p>I am currently sending tidbits to D2’s HS senior BF’s mom - thanks to CC I am very well-informed of opportunities for NMS (which he is, but neither of my girls were). His mom is appreciating it very much; so far his #1 and #2 choices both offer terrific NMS deals.</p>
<p>D is better - I think finally equilibrating. One thing several of us on the “transition troubles” thread have discussed is the fact that many of these girls are on BC pills for the first time, and it can really skew their moods. It’s amazing how common this is - so this is worth thinking about if you’re in this position. D only took them for a month, and only because of bad cramps; I think her mood will improve just by the pure act of stopping the pills.</p>
<p>They are casting her freshman workshop play this week - she is nervous, but handling it much more calmly than she did her stress about the dining hall, etc. As I’ve said, her transition issues really have been all about learning how to live there; even though she’d been to camp and on even longer independent excursions she just has had a rough time with the permanence of this adjustment. She’s enjoyed and taken in stride the stresses of her actual programs, although she does find the work very tiring (particularly the tech work, which right now involves a lot of hauling lighting equipment around).</p>
<p>Best wishes to all of you finally making the start. I’m glad we’ll soon all be in the same “boat” - which reminds me to send my thanks to AvonDad!</p>