Ordinarylives: Many students whom I teach believe that they will becomes doctors, nurses, lawyers or engineers. While one does not want to crush that dream, one has to find a nice way of telling them that you need to be able to pass chemistry to be in the medical field or do well in calculus to be an engineer or read and write critically to become a lawyer. Sometimes just looking at what subjects will be required is enough to convince a student that the path may be too difficult, and he/she may want to consider a different path. When I mentioned to one student he would be in college for seven years to become a lawyer, he immediately changed his mind. That was just too long for him.
Heard from my son the other day. Really likes his classes this semester but admitted that he made the right choice in giving up competitive running. His course load is tough, he said, and if he had run, he probably would have had to drop a class to keep up with everything. He wants to graduate on time.
First day of sophomore year classes is in the books for DS. He’s been on campus for two weeks though so plenty of time to get acclimated to his new room, fraternity housemates, etc. The fraternity meal plan does not provide for cooked lunches – the guys are simply free to make a sandwich or something else from whatever is in stock. DS had an athlete meal plan for the two weeks he was there before all other students showed up but sometimes he made lunch at the house. I’ve already gotten a couple of texts asking for different ways to flavor a grilled chicken breast, as he is already tired of the barbequed chicken sandwiches he had been preparing, LOL.
I’ve also already sent him a care package. He left a piece of equipment at home and it seemed a shame to let the rest of the box go empty.
2014novamom: What about lemon and pepper seasoning on the chicken breast? My husband likes to prepare them that way sometimes. He could add some Ragu to the top and some mozzarella cheese. That would be different.
BTW, I sent my son two boxes before he moved onto campus. They went to his girlfriend’s home. Once it cools off a bit, I’ll do some baking. I know he will be happy to receive some brownies, cookies and muffins. I figured that I’ll also send some other goodies for him. That way, he has snacks for late-night studying.
@momreads – great minds think alike! He had already ventured into the marinara sauce territory and I suggested lemon pepper. He protested at that at first, saying it was “too fancy” (i.e., too much work to cut up a lemon when he is pressed for time at lunch) until I reminded him that lemon pepper was a single dry seasoning, like garlic powder. This will be interesting.
It’s been a crazy summer for me, work-wise, so I haven’t read or posted in quite a while. Both of my D’s (10 and 14) were away for the summer - probably best since I was never home. D14 worked as an RA for a high school program on campus, and loved it. Plus she got paid! Can’t complain about that. She was able to come home for a couple weeks in August, and we moved her back last weekend. It is so much easier the second year. Second floor vs sixth floor, plus none of the huge emotions of freshmen year. She is hoping to make her own major, so most of her classes this semester are ones she really wants, but won’t really count for much if the major isn’t approved. My fingers are crossed.
First day of class for DS '14. He’s got an interesting schedule with Honors Organic, Organic Lab, Neuroscience plus a couple of easier gen-eds. He’s also moved into a (University-owned) apartment, so I’ll be watching the recipes here too. The kitchen (kitchenette) is tiny, but he’s committed; he cancelled his meal plan today. I’m sure how well that will work but, at some point, you have to trust and pull back the helicopter.
He’s also returning to his research and still thinking grad-school and not med school.
Speaking of recipes, I have decided that on my down time (right) that I plan to type up a bunch of recipes and put them into folders for each of my sons. My older son at UVA Law will love it, because he really has turned into a decent cook. The younger son probably is not ready for all the trouble I’ll go through to compile everything, but someday, he will be. Right now, he has been applying for part-time jobs so he can earn some money toward his board for the upcoming spring semester – does not want to rely on his parents for all his expenses. He twisted an ankle over the weekend, so he is a bit hobbled. He also has gotten approval for his resume to be submitted to an upcoming career/internship fair, as he would love to land something in his major for next summer.
I don’t have recipes for most of my son’s favorites and just cook them “by feel.” He has started to watch me cook when he’s home to get a sense of how they’re made.
DS is getting ready for a a road trip with the team this weekend. He’s been named a starter and is excited about that. DH and a friend are flying to the game and taking the opportunity to make a long weekend of it. I am staying home with DD, who has obligations with her club team and is getting ready for the start of her school year.
My DS is living in an apartment this year and we did some cooking this summer. Very simple crockpot recipes, etc. When we found “good” ones, I put them in a document on Google drive and shared the folder with him. As I am finding more possibilities, I am sticking the recipe or the link in that same folder. I had told him I would type them up (like on paper) for him to put in a binder and he looked at me like I was crazy. He wanted to know why ANYONE would do that with Google Drive so easily available! Hopefully he never tries to cook a recipe when the internet goes down!
@Maryjay60 – if he’s like my son he would just use his phone! Actually, I have Google drive installed on all my mobile devices so even if the wi-fi went down in our house I could use my phone to look things up or use it as a hotspot for devices that don’t have their own data plans. Now, if we had a widespread data outage that would be a problem, but I suspect the last thing on my mind in that case would be looking up a recipe!
DS and I use Google drive, Dropbox, etc. frequently actually. If he needs a form or other document, I just drop it in one of those places and he has it available. More convenient than email because any changes are available to both of us right away. It was handy during the college application/athletic recruiting process.
@2014novamom Oh, yeah, we use Google Drive a LOT. As you said, it was very handy for filling out all the applications. Occasionally, DS still drops a paper or job application in for me to review - it is nice that you can work on a document together at the same time and both (or all) see the changes as they occur! I just am not a huge fan of having my computer or phone out when I cook. I’m too messy. I do it, though, when trying a new recipe I found on line.
DS lost his job. They had a “3 strikes” policy and he got two strikes last fall, whe he missed 2 staff meetings, before he got his act together. He went through the whole year with no more strikes, and says he was one of the best workers there. He worked all summer and put in a lot of hours. Then the other day he misread the schedule and was 45 minutes late.
Since his first strike wouldn’t be dropped from his record until October (so close!), they “had no choice” but to let him go. He was so close! Aaargh.
A hard lesson. Frustrating that they apparently had no room for any flexibility. He’s so angry and I don’t blame him. Also he now has to find another job and he loved his other one, probably won’t find anything as well-suited to him. At least it’s a good time of year, lots of places should be hiring since the students come back next week.
So hard when they have these setbacks, so far away, and for all the benefits of technology, virtual hugs just aren’t the same.
@calla1
Same here. Last year, our daughter left for her first choice of school, and now she is taking a year of leave.
I am not expecting she is going back to her old school though.
For now she is taking some classes at a college nearby and hopefully will be getting a part time job and going to work.
I would like to believe that she could learn from her experience.
Haven’t heard much lately from my son, but when I do, he seems pleased with what he has been doing. Just landed a tutoring job. Once a week. Maybe more during test time. Working with a local high school girl who is struggling in AP stats. He has been trying to get a more permanent, part-time gig with local stores, but that has not panned out. His classes are going well, and already, he has to start thinking about registration for the spring! He told me that he had not even looked at the schedule – that will come probably this week as he needs to schedule an appointment with his adviser.
He has been trying to get more involved on campus this year, which makes us happy. He just got a position as a mentor to the international students. His job is to help them adjust to American culture. He also wants to work with clubs in his major, as they may lead to co-ops or internships.
I saw DS this weekend as well. Drove to an away game and watched him play, then visited with him for a bit after the game. I might see him again this weekend but definitely on Oct. 10 when all of us head to Cleveland. Loved that he sent me a sweet text after he was back on the bus thanking me for coming to see him and how nice it was to see me. Sending him a care package tomorrow!
2014novamom: That text was so sweet of your son. I’m sure that he will appreciate the care package, too.
Spoke with my son a couple of times yesterday, and with good reason. During the summer, after he turned 18, our bank offered him a credit card – with my permission, of course. So he accepted it, and he decided quickly he would use it once a month to pay his fraternity dues. Then, he would pay it off immediately. Good thinking. He is building credit, but not going wild with plastic. Well, at the start of the month, we got a statement. He owed nothing. Good! I’ve been watching the mail daily, but no bill. I knew something was wrong. I knew the bill was due soon. So I called him. No, he did not have a bill either. Now, he was spooked. All worried that he would be paying some unreal interest rate for something he could not control. And, we learned the account was not tied to others that I could see. He said that he knows he told the customer service rep that he told her to link the accounts. So we traded calls a couple of times before I got into the account. Sure enough, the bill was due, but not overdue. I fixed the issue – at least for this month.
Even my older son was quite dismayed with the bank. Yes, his kid brother is an adult, but he also has not had the experience of using a credit card or paying for it when it’s due. A lesson learned for us.
I am a senior getting ready to submit my first essay for NMF application. The deadline is on Oct 7. I just realized I should have my essay reviewed by a few more people than my family members.
I am also just abut to finish my common app essay - first application due on Oct 15th.
Since you all are parents who had recent experiences, I would really appreciate if anyone can review my essays and provide me feedback. Please PM me if you can help.