Dave_N, my daughter is also pre-med and had the same experience in bio and in chemistry–no labs she didn’t have in the APs in high school. I think she’ll be a lot busier than she thinks this semester when she runs out of AP curriculum! She had a short credit semester last time because she dropped a class that really wasn’t what she expected. I think (hope!) that it will be better for her to have to work harder, something she’s used to from her busy schedule at a test-in high school. Hope so, since she is on the verge of landing a job and, in turn, once she can pay for car insurance, plans to have one at school. And she is joining the pre-med student association.
Her books and supplies ran around $500 but that included the paraphernalia she needed for labs which won’t have to repeat. But there’s that extra course.
I am at the National Football College Championship in Dallas with my DS who graduated from Ohio State in May. As many of you know his graduation was ruined when we learned that our home was 90% destroyed by a flood as we were exiting his ceremony. We decided we needed a new college memory for him and decided to splurge and come for the game. It has been a blast. Plus a silver lining to the flood is all the credit card charges for rebuilding meant free hotel and airfare for this trip. DS is going into the military so I very much appreciate being with him right now.
I had a great break with my DD. She did very well gradewise which I think is really tough in engineering. She loves her school but I think was a little sad to return. Her break was way too short and now she knows how hard it is and how much work it takes. I told her for me to make it since she is my youngest that I have to visit her at least once a semester. I will get to see her next month. We should be in our house next month too so I hope that happens too.
I am so glad everyone had a good break. All the best for great Spring semesters.
DS’12 just arrived back at college in time to come down with the flu - such a bummer. He had to move into the infirmary. Those 3000 miles feel like 3 million now.
@glido - So sorry to hear your S has the flu! I hope he recovers quickly. What an awful way to start the semester.
After getting a concussion and mono last semester, I am praying my D escapes the flu. I half thought of exposing her over break just to get it out of the way.
Aww…that’s awful glido! Did he get the flu vaccine? I’m hearing it isn’t as effective this year. Seems as soon as they get into these communal dorms it’s like being back in kindergarten being exposed to all the new germs.
Hi guys, I’m also checking back in after being away from this thread a long while. My D just went back to school this morning: she has been longing to go back since Christmas ended, I think! I’m ever so grateful that she loves her school so much: she is just totally inspired and passionate about being there. And super proud of herself after her grades were posted last week. She has a 3.75. I’m assuming that’s pretty good, yes? I really had no idea what to expect for a freshman college GPA. I looked around online and it seems average college GPAs at selective schools range around 3.05-3.5: sound right? Anyway, this was a kid who, although extremely smart, struggled in high school due to ADD, depression, etc. I’m super super proud of her for doing so well, either way!
Also, it’s been wonderful to see how much more mature and poised she is now. It’s been strange to realize that I don’t see her as “kid” any longer, but actually as “adult”. She’s lost that teenager petulance and selfishness, and is instead respectful, helpful, aware of those around her, responsible… adult! Amazing.
Thanks for the flu- empathy. (He did not get the flu shot) DS is on the mend. They put him on the Tylenol and Power Aide cure) He is back in the dorm and going to class. His books for the semester were $650. He likes his new classes and is happy to be back with his college friends.
Well, my 2 are back at school, but they would’ve appreciated more time off. They love their school but they were not excited about returning to the amount of work and long sleepless nights. Yes, I remember it well and still have nightmares that I never went to class and have to take the final!
It’s interesting - our girls chose an excellent school but middle of the pack in terms of ultimate cost to us. It wasn’t the least expensive honors college and it wasn’t the most expensive Ivy league; it was a great value for the education. However, I still wonder if the cheapest option honors college with huge scholarship might have been better. And I can’t help but wonder if we should’ve splurged on the Ivy. The 4 year out of pocket costs ranged from $48K to $220 and multiply those by 2 bc they are twins. Why am I still even contemplating this decision? My girls are happy, loving the change of scenery across the country, kicking butt academically and have found their home in their extra curricular endeavors. Anyone else still think about the decision?
I love your posts, @3tallblonds! (I have that same nightmare myself, FWIW. I guess you didn’t work hard in college if you DON’T have that recurring nightmare for decades, LOL.)
And I’m not gonna lie, I get a little wistful when I think of some of the schools I always imagined my son attending (some of which he didn’t even apply to, like my alma mater), but I have no regrets about his final decision because (and this is probably THE reason) my son chose the most affordable option, has done very well academically, and is HAPPY.
If you can afford your daughters’ school AND they’re happy, I think you should feel really good (and pat yourself on the back accordingly).
I don’t think you should spend time rethinking your decisions. Your Ds are happy and that’s what counts. The fact that it is at a great price for you makes it even sweeter. My D is very happy at school, my pocketbook, not so much.
D is off to school and seems to be happy there, it sure was not easy letting her go after spending three weeks with her. I am still going through a roller coaster of emotions, but am happy that she is doing well.
I heard from friends who had children through four years of college that Parents typically doubt their choice right after dropping kids at school, at the start of second semester and again during junior/third year even though they know the kids are happy and will be successful. Does that sound right?
@staceyneil, That’s a great GPA. Congratulations to your D for settling and doing well!
@3tallblonds We still have a little bit of “what if” here in our house. It mostly comes from my husband. S14 is very happy with his decision (which we let him make without consideration of $). He did walk away from a substantial scholarship at OOS Honors College and is at top ranked OOS Public that is costing 4x the first one…but not quite as much as a couple of the Privates that he was accepted to. Occasionally my son feels a little bit guilty about the $ but overall he has absolutely no regrets. I try to tell my husband to “let it go”, but I still catch him looking at the website of the other school, tracking their weather, etc… So I can completely sympathize with you.
@3tallblonds We have no regrets – well, mostly none Our S14 also picked in the middle of the pack. It is cheaper than what we budgeted for, so now we have extra to spend on S16 (though we aren’t really looking at it that way). He made the decision by himself, for very good reasons, and he’s totally at home already. He’s more prepared than many of his classmates, so he is getting a confidence boost. It will get harder, I’m sure, but he’ll be ready for that. Outcomes from this school are excellent.
The regrets I have are not really fair. My kids aren’t going to my alma mater – they haven’t worked hard enough and (at least in one case) aren’t ambitious enough. But then I remind myself that they aren’t me and have their own values and interests, and have every chance of success in their own path.
Our regrets all stem from $$. Our girls are across the country and so many people ask how we handle that. We are a super close family but them being so far away doesn’t bother us so much. We don’t love that aspect, but we do love the experience they are getting. We are just so excited they are in a very different and wonderful environment.
We are paying 3X the cost of the cheapest alternative. 5 of the top 15 from our HS are at that cheapest alternative - a wonderful OOS Public that clearly does a great job of academic recruitment. The fact that so many of my girls’ peers chose that school was one of the reasons they chose to go elsewhere.
I’m just a budget shopper at heart. And so is my husband. I think the amount we are paying is in line with expectations but when they landed the big scholarships elsewhere, that’s when we started to think of all that could be done with the differential in $$. Oh well… need to move on I guess. Right - move on to D16 who starts her college search by looking at the M:F ratios and has drawn a line across the country and said “south of this line.” Yep. Different kid completely.
No regrets here. D did pick the cheapest alternative, but we were going to give her the same fairly modest amount of money no matter where she went. Now she gets to keep some, rather than having debt. We were worried about the distance, but that has turned out not to be a problem now that school feels familiar and she has good friends. I am surprised and amused at how she has become a confident air traveler. Now we just gotta work on the subway…
We do not have any regrets where we sent our S. It is an excellent school strong in STEM that gave him an outstanding scholarship and chance to compete at the college level in track/cross country. Some of the choices that he has made since at that school, perhaps, do reflect some immaturity. He does know the expectations from us as well as the school’s.
That said, I was chatting with a fellow teacher the other day, and my cell phone went off. It was my S, who greeted me with the words, “Hi Mom, I’m at the ER.” He needed some information for the records people. Apparently he complained that he had severe pain in his ear, so one of his fraternity brothers took him to the hospital – my S had been at the student health center just last week (this is not a kid who loves doctors, either). Turns out that he has a ruptured eardrum, probably as a result of a cold that he has been battling.
No regrets here either, even though we are seriously struggling to make the tuition payments. On the contrary, we often remark how grateful we are that she’s where she is. She’s getting an incredible education and it’s a perfect fit.
How’s the house coming along?