<p>I’ve been lurking but I wanted to jump in and add my prayers and positive thoughts to Avondad’s entire family. As too many of us know, this doesn’t just affect one person but all of them.</p>
<p>After 2 finals today and 2 tomorrow, I can not wait to pick up DS tomorrow night. I am sure he will be ready to sleep for a few days </p>
<p>Most decorating is done but we will ll go to get the family tree this weekend and decorate it and I will bake the cookies and then Santa can come at any time!</p>
<p>AvonDad, I’ll add my voice of concern and sending out good thoughts for your wife and your family.</p>
<p>I need another week added to the calendar between now and Christmas, or for my day job to vanish. Where’s that coffee that sometimes is made in the morning around here??</p>
<p>Proudmom, I agree with holliesue about Freshman grades. College is supposed to be a lot harder and the kids are now surrounded by mostly non-slackers. It’s a huge adjustment for most kids to 1) Be away from home 2) no Mom-nagging/reminding 3) Different grading and testing systems 4) Social life is turned upside down. If this is as bad as it get’s, I think she’s doing pretty well!</p>
<p>Proudmom, holliesue and others - while I realize college and the job market are not the same as 40 years ago, my first year was a big adjustment mainly due to social distractions. By sophomore year, I straightened out, my grades soared, I graduated with honors and had a top job starting right after graduation. I am sure your wonderful children will figure college out in due time. Some of the freshman classes are weed out classes (ridiculous) or the grades are based on only one or two grades. All this takes getting used to.</p>
<p>Freshman D has had a weird first semester…we always knew that her HS def had grade deflation but didn’t know if it was reality…</p>
<p>Her first semester grades are higher than any semester in HS…she is as surprised as we are…she did comment that most of her peers who were having a little difficulty (although not extreme) were those from large publics where writing and discussion classes were not a priority…</p>
<p>Long time, no see - so to speak!
Last year I spent an inordinate amount of time on this thread but really the one before we all had admitted students!
My DD was accepted ED to University of Puget Sound for class of 2015. We had a turbulent spring and my husband lost his job and got a new one which meant us relocating to Copenhagen in Denmark. The idea of DD being on the wrong side of the US to us in Europe at the age of 17 was too much for me and so I contacted her 2nd choice school, Drew University (Madison, NJ) who were very helpful and accommodating when I explained our situation. They not only reinstated her and her scholarship but allowed her to defer till next fall.
We have been in Copenhagen since Aug 30 (it really has been "Wonderful, wonderful’ so far).Week 1 here and DD auditioned and got the part of Prince Charming in a local Pantomime (3 week run starting Friday), has enrolled and begun French classes 2 days a week, is heading to England to a residential school for a Diploma in Culinary skills and hoping to intern for a little bit at her Dad’s new company! For a girl who was having problems with depression and close to being hospitalized 6 months ago I can hardly believe it! A change of scenery really did help as well as all the other things we did!</p>
<p>I will now have to go back and read the gazillions of posts i have missed. I do hope all the class of 2015 are enjoying and thriving in college wherever they ended up!</p>
<p>Happy64–Wow what a great gap year for your DD! Sounds like she is growing and enjoying so many new opportunities. It was great you could work out this wonderful solution for your entire family! Enjoy all Europe has to offer. </p>
<p>I forgot to mention my DS2’s amazing weekend. His clown group was part of “Fantasy Flight” at Dulles Airport. United Airlines coordinates this amazing event. They invite sick children (area hospices and Children’s Hospital) and their families and put them on an airplane. Fly them around the area and return to a different gate where the entire area is decorated as the North Pole. It was an amazing day. DS2 twisted balloons for the kids, and was dressed as a clown. They had all sorts of characters from Elmo, Big Bird, to the Peep chick to the Presidents from the Washington Nationals. Of course Santa was there. The kids has huge smiles for the entire event. It was really wonderful.</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who provided words of understanding and support regarding our situation with AvonMom’s breast cancer diagnosis. As many of you posted, we caught this early and the prognosis is very good. Surgery is scheduled for the 20th after DS gets home and DD is out of HS classes so we will all be together. I will keep this group posted as to our progress and recovery. </p>
<p>DD got her PSAT scores yesterday and was very pleased with her first atttempt at the “college testing game”. She is in a private all girls HS and they have a large and well organized college GC staff that is already organizing test prep and tutoring programs at school for the girls as they begin their college prep journey. She was also a bit concerned that she might have upset some of her classmates as she was called to the front of her world history class and publicly told that she got the only 100 on the last exam and she had “trashed the curve”. LOL. I told her to take the 100, be proud of it, and not worry about the rest of the class. They will just have to work harder.</p>
<p>DS is due home Sunday morning. We haven’t heard much about his exams but he did say he got a handshake and a “well done - excellent response” from his theology prof at the end of his last class. They don’t have a final but he has a 15 page paper due by this Friday.</p>
<p>It sounds like the kids are managing to concentrate on school even with the upcoming surgery for AvonMom.</p>
<p>Again, thank you for your prayers and words of support.</p>
<p>Happy - I am so happy that things are working out for you and your family. I remember your story last spring and I am glad that Copenhagen is working out for everyone.</p>
<p>Avon - Congrats on your DD’s success…we will be thinking of you and your family on the 20th.</p>
<p>D finishes up tomorrow and is excited to come home and sleep in her own bed. She said her mind is mush right now…she went into her finals in good standing and is expecting to have a mix of As and Bs as final grades. Considering 4 out of her 5 classes are in her major that she has just transferred out of, we are pleased that she stuck with the subject matter that she didn’t love and is going into her new major in good standing.</p>
<p>I am so impressed by all your children’s talents in music, theater, and clowning…none of us in our family has talent in these areas so I am amazed by all your talented children!</p>
<p>So many interesting updates - my best wishes to everyone as we move through this incredible first year, including happy and her D, who have had perhaps the biggest nice surprises of all.</p>
<p>We went to see D’s play, which was very fun, met her classmates (i.e. “family”) and got to spend nice time with her and with D1, who joined us. D2 was really in fine shape - she has grown so much in the past few months.</p>
<p>She’s hunkering down for finals now. We are keeping fingers crossed for the 3.0 to keep her scholarship; one of her Honors College profs has given her a run for her money, to say the least, and grading is tough in her arts courses. She thinks she’ll manage.</p>
<p>I guess I feel differently about college grades - for most things in life, all you need is a decent GPA, in other words, enough to graduate. There’s time as things progress to improve grades if you want to have an “honors” diploma (although sometimes that is based more on research or other projects than GPA). If you have grad school plans, certainly med or law school, then it is an issue, of course. Many other grad programs just want to see a decent GPA and have a more holistic approach. I think grades in HS were a lot more oppressive, since college admissions was definitely going to define these kids’ entire human worthiness based on a tenth of a point. I am very glad to be past that.</p>
<p>College is definitely a whole new opportunity to be freshly challenged, or to blossom, or both.</p>
<p>DS getting through (I think/hope!) 8 hours of exams today. Said he would have been more worried if his grades going in were worse. Not sure what all that means, but he seems satisfied with his performance so that’s what counts for us at the moment. We’re keeping grade pressure off - social life, adjusting to being away from home, and some past health issues made the transition to college potentially very challenging so knowing he is ok is what counts. Thinking he might want to take some classes this summer as well. Interesting…when he gets home and rests for a few days we will have time to sort everything out. Meanwhile - am having so much fun getting his room ready; it’s been 4 long months! Best to all with the reunions :)</p>
<p>Kiddo is on the way home. I will be at the airport shortly after 4 to do the pickup.
So excited. Exams could have just as easily kept kiddo on campus through Sat–as it is they were all at the beginning.</p>
<p>Today I spent part of the morning wrapping gifts --I switch out boxes etc so the kids have a harder time guessing. My crew has been known to MEASURE boxes and then look up stuff on the internet to try and figure out the size of the box and the weight–if it is someting from their lists…So each year I have to find more clever ways to disguise things. One year we hid the Big gift–under our student’s bed. Made them go on a scavenger hunt for it. They were SHOCKED to find it in their room under one of their beds. (they share a room)</p>
<p>I have been reading a bit on a few threads and a few parents of 2016’s have PMd me about apps etc…A lot of families waiting for early admissions decisions this week…
And alot of us were there this time last year…</p>
<p>Keeping fingers crossed for grades now. What a difference a year makes, huh?</p>
<p>Emmybet - I agree with your take on grades…each tenth of a point is important if a kid is hoping to go on to med school or other highly competitive program but not as critical for moving on with life. This is the time for them to try new things and they are not going to be great at everything. There has to be some wiggle room to explore…</p>
<p>As long as boychild isn’t flunking out I couldn’t care less what his grades are. I also think he is mature enough to be motivated all on his own to work hard and he likes doing well, so. </p>
<p>Welcome back, Happy! My nephew is doing next semester in Copenhagen and last week when I was with my sister I had fun helping her look at hotels to stay at when they go visit at the end of April. We were a bit surprised at how few lux hotels are there, compared to other European cities.</p>
<p>Isn’t it cool to read about kids coming home from college? One year ago, most of us had little idea of where these kids would be living, what they would be doing, and how they would handle life on their own! </p>
<p>S2 had one final this a.m., and has his last one in two hours. And he is (pre) celebrating by selling all his textbooks back to the bookstore. I am a little amazed, since S1 never sold a book back and looked a little spacey when I asked why all those books he didn’t want and would never use again came back home. And yet, he never quite figured out the buy back period. (pssst. During Finals!) Anyway, I can tell that S2 is happy to see the back of those books as it means he is a proud survivor of semester at college.</p>
<p>Other things that are making him happy, he’s been meeting with professors and will soon find out which play he’ll get to asst. design next semester. And H is picking him (and all his clothes–he insists on having a full wardrobe at home for his social whirl-lol) up tomorrow morning. WooT!</p>
<p>It’s always good to hear updates from infrequent posters. Happy64, so glad all is well with you.</p>
<p>Timely reminder about selling back the textbooks. Are there better deals than selling to the campus bookstore (esp. for kids who didn’t initially buy from the bookstore) that aren’t a big hassle? Amazon seems to offer some kind of buyback as well for many textbooks, and of course there is the option of becoming an Amazon seller and selling them yourself, but that seems like a bigger hassle.</p>
<p>Is there something about theatre kids? My D asked us to bring a BIG suitcase for her this past weekend (we tucked our real suitcase into it). I asked, Are you clearing stuff out of your room? and she said, Well, maybe a little, but this is for the clothes I’m going to NEED.</p>
<p>LOL, emmybet. While my S is a neuroscience concentrator, his other passion is theater – he was in 2 plays this semester and was selected for the board of a particular student-run theater troupe at his school. And he too wants me to bring back the big duffle bags for his clothing. Ofc, all his clothing is at school (he isn’t much of a clothes horse); his drawers here are empty. Still, i didn’t think it necessary to haul it all back.</p>
<p>BTW, I loved reading about your weekend and seeing your D in her play. I only got to see my S in the play performed over parents’ weekend bc I couldn’t leave home for his second play (had an engagement i couldn’t get out of). It’s such a fun and joyful experience to not only see them perform but to also witness the camaraderie they share w/ their cast-mates. hope that the next time you’re in town, we can finally meet! LMK when you’re returning.</p>
<p>D finished her last final from home about an hour ago. She and her younger sister just went to a Venture Scout meeting/party. Since h is in Kaui on business, I am here alone with the pets. Nice to have a bit of quiet again. Younger d is fairly quiet and so most of the time, we now have quiet in the house. Older d is just about never quiet so it is a big change.</p>
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