<p>cooker, I think that even if that well-packed cake gets a little smooshed it will still be a hit. </p>
<p>D1 refuses to FB friend her parents (though she has friended other adult friends of ours), so we haven’t seen hide or hair of her for a couple months. Then last night when D2 was audio chatting with D1, she showed me some FB pics of D1. Eerie, she looks older. How did that happen in just a couple of months?</p>
<p>mamom, so sorry to hear about your nephew.</p>
<p>Hugs to you, mamom!</p>
<p>It sounds like your S is having lots of the same ups and downs as other kids here. We knew with D’s school that there was going to be an issue about so many local kids who do go home on weekends, and we were assured that “lots and lots” are around and that there is “lots” to do. Well … I think she hasn’t quite gotten the hang of it yet, but on the other hand D1 and I both now have been on campus on a weekend, and we both think it’s pretty dead and empty compared to schools where they expect kids to stay around. Also, I think schools in/near great cities (and Milwaukee is a GREAT city!) expect kids will be doing things in the city rather than on campus, which makes sense, but they don’t always make sure the out of state kids get trained on how to make use of that.</p>
<p>Does your S have a bus pass? I know some parents make a gift of that if the school doesn’t provide it for free. We’ve told D to buy all of her train tickets on us - we don’t want her to be reluctant to do something in NYC just because she doesn’t want to spend the money on transportation.</p>
<p>That’s too bad about the flight arrangements - but I’m sure that the Milwaukee airport won’t be a problem even with a tight schedule. It’s really one of the nicest airports I’ve ever used - a manageable size and well-run.</p>
<p>mamom - Gentle hugs to you. So sorry you’ve had such a rough few months. Every time we think what more?! it must seem something else comes tumbling down. I am truly sorry to hear of the loss of your nephew and your father’s stroke.</p>
<p>Oh mamom, so very sorry to hear about your nephew. I can only imagine on top of your dad not being well and your son having a bit of a rough go what you must be going through. </p>
<p>Was your son close to his cousin? That could that be why he isn’t doing what he needs to be doing right now.</p>
<p>Mamom - I am so sorry to hear of your loss. And I hope your father makes a steady recovery!! You’ve had a rough couple months - hoping now your karma kicks in a few easy breezy months! </p>
<p>Ds will be travelling with the band to Toronto to perform at the NFL game being held there and they also were surprised with an invite to perform at the Steelers game the week after at home. This is the one “away” trip the band does per season and none too shabby. They get put up at the Hilton, meals and stadium-food vouchers covering all expenses. Everything is rosey except newly single “she-who-must-not-be-named” goes to UT and wants to get together - making ds a bit nervous. </p>
<p>Blue - glad Bluejr handled the behavioral interview well, it really favors the less experienced because they can draw from many experiences, not just work, that help show their strengths. I used them all the time when I did campus recruiting, lots of fun.</p>
<p>Happy Birthday to Cooker-girl!!! Hope the cake makes it there in one piece!</p>
<p>Sorry, mamom, for all you have been going through. </p>
<p>My DS tells me two of his classes are boring, too easy, he’s done it all before…and the result it the predictable one of not doing so well. This is a trap he has fallen into too many times: thinking he knows it all and neglecting to study or apply himself properly. I hope he learns sometime.</p>
<p>Mamom: I’m so sorry to hear about your nephew and your father’s stroke. You’ve had a rough fall. It sounds like your son is experiencing some typical freshman struggles, and I know that it’s hard on us to hear about them when we’re far away. I really hope that things get better in your world.</p>
<p>Amanda: It sounds like your son is going to have some exciting experiences with the marching band. “She who must not be named” is like a bad penny - she keeps turning up. I’m sure he can handle her.</p>
<p>Congrats to Bluejr on getting through the interview. It sounds like a great experience.</p>
<p>It can be tough for freshman to get summer internships, but it’s worth applying. My D1 has observed that friends who started with unpaid internships the first summer ended up with great paid internships later on.</p>
<p>D1 is busy interviewing for jobs and has some final interviews lined up. Please keep your fingers crossed that she gets some offers. Many of her interviews have included cases (problem solving) in addition to the behavior stuff. I’m very proud of how well she’s handling the process.</p>
<p>Happy Birthday to Cooker D! I’m sure that she’ll love the cake even if it gets a little bit shmushed.</p>
<p>Hugs Mamom. So sorry for your loss, and hope your father recovers well and quickly. Those extra stresses are so difficult to deal with and exhausting. Hang in there and feel free to vent here if it helps.</p>
<p>Speaking of venting, here’s mine. School sent out an email about a bus accident this morning (no injuries reported). I’m in the middle of traveling home from my visit. I’m about 90% sure it was my DS2’s bus (they only listed the number, and he just had a change in bus schedule, so I’m not 100% sure). :eek: I called my friend and she thinks she saw the busses as she took her DD to school and thought it was just a broken down bus until she got the email. Made me feel much better since she didn’t even think there had been an accident-probably a fender bender. Not fun to wonder what’s going on and not be able to figure out how to find out from long distance!!! So I gave a big sigh of relief and am back to waiting patiently for my plane home! </p>
<p>Wish I could have been at UVA for the mini CC reunion–sounds like you all had a blast!!!</p>
<p>mamom I have been thinking of you and hoping not seeing you around here was a good sign that you were busy with good things…</p>
<p>I am so sorry about the loss of your nephew. I also am very sorry to hear about your father. When it rains sometimes it really does pour, doesn’t it. :(</p>
<p>I want to add that it seems from what I read on here and what I hear from friends a lot of kids are struggling with their first semester. My son is also on the list. The issues are varied but many kids are having them-I have also been assured by parents with kids that have gone through these growing pains that it will pass-and if it doesn’t there are solutions.</p>
<p>I found this list on another CC thread listing schools with no core requirement. Because ShawSon is quite dyslexic, he did not want to attend a school (like my alma mater) that had distribution requirements that basically meant courses with 400 pages of reading per week.</p>
<p>Open Curriculum
Amherst College
Brown University
Grinnell College
Hamilton College
Hampshire College
Sarah Lawrence College
Smith College
Wesleyan University </p>
<p>He applied to the upper end (reputation-wise) of this list and is attending one of them. [He didn’t apply to Smith].</p>
<p>For him, it is fabulous. He called today to ask if he could dictate an email to me tonight. He asked a professor (from whom he’d gotten an A+ after she had misgraded his midterm) if he could help with research. She said sure and gave him a paper of hers to read, an idea that she wanted to pursue based upon it and then an experiment designed to test the idea. She asked him to think about it and he met with her and proposed three possible designs (hers plus two of his). He met with her and she liked his two better and asked him to write them up formally. His flexibility in coursework means he could conceivably build an independent study around that research next semester if he wanted to.</p>
<p>mamom: You’ve had a lot to deal with these past couple of months. I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your nephew. I hope your father improves quickly. Hugs to you.</p>
<p>cooker: I’ve never been brave enough to send a cake…I’m impressed! Even if it’s a little smooshed from the journey, cake is cake! I’m sure she’ll love it. Happy birthday to your daughter!</p>
<p>BI: So impressed that your son is interviewing for a summer internship already. Summer work/internships is something my son has mentioned, but has done nothing about.</p>
<p>amandak: The band trip sounds fun! Hoping "she who must not be named’ realizes your son is happy at college and not pining away for her. </p>
<p>Arisamp: Hoping for good news regarding your son’s health…it’s such a worry when they can’t pinpoint what’s wrong.</p>
<p>VAmom: Sheesh! Too little information from the school to be helpful and put your mind at rest about the bus accident. Hope it turns out that it was just a fender bender!</p>
<p>Yesterday in the mail I received the classic – send a care package to your student during finals letter. Funny thing was that I received one from S1’s school and an identical one from S2’s school – only thing that was different was the letterhead. I laughed as I tossed them both in the trash – such a waste of postage!! (I guess someone must be buying or they’d stop.)</p>
<p>ShawD is having her first few bumps in the road. I’d suggested getting tutors first thing in the year for Chemistry and Math. She took a long time getting through the process and is having mixed results. Canadian grading is much harder (a 90 in the US is like an 80 in Canada) and she’s getting 80’s but told me that while she got a 99 on her chem lab, she got a passing grade on her midterm (it counts for 10% of the final year grade, although apparently if her spring term midterm is higher, that counts for both term’s midterm grades). I’m guessing this means 60. I had a sense she did not really get what she would need to do to really master the material. The good news is she had the meeting today that will enable her to get the tutors. And, she has a math test today.</p>
<p>Socially, there has been a shift of friends. Not clear if things are bad or just OK with roomie – she doesn’t like to talk about personal stuff. But, she still has lots of friends (never in doubt).</p>
<p>AK is this the same girl from last year-the one that went to the cheapo Open House put on by Miami?</p>
<p>mamom - Hugs to you! I am sorry to hear about your father and your nephew…as well as transition issues. </p>
<p>BI - What a great experience for bluejr…just being able to secure the interview like that is a good real world experience.</p>
<p>Arisamp - keeping my fingers crossed for you…hoping for good news.</p>
<p>Vamom - Happy to hear that the accident wasn’t serious…why is it something always happens when we are away?</p>
<p>Momjr - good luck to D1!</p>
<p>Pepper - I think you are right - lots of kids and parents are still on that roller coaster…when do we get off?</p>
<p>Shaw - My D has also transitioned friends…for her, it was a very good idea.</p>
<p>AK - The trip sounds really fun, hopefully DS will be too busy and having too much fun to see “she who must not be named” </p>
<p>cooker - I love cake…it sounds delicious. I wish someone would send me a cake…or anything that isn’t a bill. </p>
<p>We had good news today, it looks as if D is exceling with her “simple with a twist” theme…too bad she hates her major and is changing it next semester :(</p>
<p>There was also a picture on FB of D running through the city in her underwear, with 1600 other kids - yes, it is the annual underwear run.</p>
<p>Yes, Pepper, one and the same “she-who-must-not-be-named.”</p>
<p>mamom-so sorry for all the difficult times that you are going through!</p>
<p>And she goes where?</p>
<p>Pepper- she goes to univ of Toronto - isn’t it just fate that that would be where their road trip is headed?</p>
<p>What are the odds on this happening? I mean how many kids from your neck of the woods go there?</p>
<p>Wow, Amanda, that is just wild.</p>
<p>What is it with this karma? We’re having a slightly similar problem - D is at school far from home, but every time we find out someone she knows is going to college in that area, it’s someone she REALLY doesn’t get along with! Darn!</p>
<p>Haven’t heard from her for a couple of days … I’m guessing she’s busy, hopefully happily busy. I know she’s getting deeper into rehearsals and the show she made sets for opened Tuesday night, too. I already know she has a very fun weekend planned, going to a play with several of her friends. H and I are going away overnight, too. Maybe we’re finally in the empty nest? Although D1 is very likely going to be living with us next semester, unless a new internship drops into her lap (she does have several options for next summer, though).</p>