Just got home from the 6-hour drive to visit my D14. She’s on break and decided to stay on campus and work and catch up with her schoolwork so the mountain went to Mohammed! It was a really nice visit. Of course we did a lot of shopping on my dime (many, many dimes, lol) but it was definitely worth it. I love, love, love her suite with 4 single rooms and two full baths. She’s living with 3 guys and hates that they are bad housekeepers (which must be saying a lot, lol) and will live in her very small sorority hous next year in, gasp, a shared room. But for senior year she’ll be back in the luxurious dorm.
It was a really nice visit. I’ve learned to love the girl on the couch who is very different from me but there’s nothing wrong with that!
DH is on his way to pick up both DD’14 and DS’15 for their spring break, along with a roommate who is going to stay here overnight before she heads home tomorrow. Sadly, I’ve been down with a fever and cough all week and it still goes on. I’m beginning to wonder if I have the flu even though I got vaccinated. It does seem like the flu lite. I.e., I don’t feel like I’ve been hit by a truck and I can enjoy binge watching old Star Trek shows…I just can’t do anything physical like walk up stairs without needing a nap afterward!
Clothes shopping seems to be the thing this year! We got d some professional items fo her internship. Well, then, almost out of the blue, there,s an offer from homeland security. It’s research, not work, and I doubt she’ll need to dress like she would at corporate headquarters. Good thing the clearance racks were my friends.
Speaking of clothing, my son told me not to order any dress shirts for him. He would pick them out. So, like a good mom, I ordered them! Well, they were on sale, and I also had a coupon! If he does not like them, we can return them. But, I wanted to take advantage of the sale. Besides, he will learn tomorrow if he got the internship with a local bank. My good friend works there, and in fact, she even chatted with him the day of the interview. She sent me a message that he will probably receive an offer of employment. It’s not big money, but at least it is getting his foot in the door with a financial institution.
Hi, all. We are just back from my high schooler’s spring break, which we spent on the sunny beaches of Mexico. DS was home for the tail end of his spring break in early March (he went skiing for the first half). While home he nailed down an internship for the summer, which will be local so I will have the great fortune of having him home again. He’s also been interviewing for internships NEXT summer (they require a security clearance, hence the long lead time).
Haven’t had to do much clothes shopping this year, as DS had plenty of dress shirts, khakis and polos already in his wardrobe. I bought him a new suit last year and actually managed to turn that into a quick weekend visit (oh the things we do to see our children). I also tend to supplement his wardrobe with a shirt or two when I mail him his care packages. He has so many clothes that he left a bunch here over winter break!
I won’t see him in April this year (unless he needs another suit I suppose!) but he is done first week of May and it won’t be long until then.
Good for you @cakeisgreat! Hoping you’re feeling better soon @mdcmom. DD14 was home for a short Easter visit. She landed an REU at U of SC and was contacted to interview for a second one, which she declined. She’s accepting the U of SC so will give up her on campus research position she had received. She’s definitely feeling the love, lol.
Starting the whole college process over with DS17. Even though he’s a totally different kid ( slightly lower gpa, higher test scores, not nearly the ECS as is sister) with different interests, I feel better prepared than last time. But the thought of paying another tuition - oy.
Agentninetynine: That’s great news regarding the REU! I have a friend whose sons did them while undergrads. They had wonderful experiences. One son is now seeking his PhD in math. The other is in medical school.
Good news! My son got an internship offer from the bank where he interviewed during spring break. We are very happy for him. He will learn a lot. The bank will start him as a teller in training, but he will learn all the areas in banking. This is a good thing, because he needs cash handling experience. The idea of having him home for the summer is also nice.
@momreads My favorite thing about the internship at corporate was having d home again for the summer. I envy you.
Now, we get 3 weeks. The research project gives her one week at home before it starts and then 2 weeks after it’s done. As my dad would say, “Better than a stab in the eye with a sharp stick.” But then, very little is worse than that!
That’s pretty much the time we’re getting with our D. She has to stay after finals for RA training so only has 5 days before she heads south for her REU. And then 2 weeks before she has to report back to school for more RA training.
Now the angst over grad school begins for DD - who is type A+. Anyone else have a kid who is already thinking about life after college?
My son already has talked about life after college, and as of right now, he just wants to enter the work force. That may not be the worst idea, his older brother, who is at a top law school, says. If the younger son is interested in an MBA and wants to go to a top program, schools often like to see work experience.
But that’s still two years away. He does like the idea of settling down south where he attends school. That’s fine. We would like to move farther south to escape the snow.
Ordinarylives: While I like the idea of my son returning home for the summer, he may not. Sure, the room and board are free, but he does not have many friends here. I’m hoping that his internship will lead to some new friendships.
Life after college? Now, my '11/15 was always planning for that… She’s also in a career where one needs experience before grad school, so she’s working right now.
But this one? She’s pretty sure she doesn’t want grad school and made a choice this year with her math major that reflects it (opted for a course other than Real Analysis). But ask her if she has any idea what she wants to do? Big, fat no. That’s one of the reasons why choosing between the internship at a corporate headquarters and a research project for the department of homeland security was so hard. D has quite a few friends still in the area. There’s a state flagship (neighboring state) about 40 miles away from us–one with OOS tuition so low many local kids go there. And she’s cheap. DHS provides dorm housing, but she’ll have to buy her own food. She’d have been totally find had she taken the internship, stayed home, eaten my food, and pocketed the portion of her housing stipend not used for gas.
It’s nice to read all the updates. The REU and internships sound wonderful!
My D has no idea what she wants to do after college, nor do I make too many inquiries. With D’s anxiety issues, we try to take baby steps - one day (maybe one semester) at a time.
D will be attending summer session at her school. I like most things about D’s school - their summer schedule is not one of them. Instead of having two 6 week sessions like most schools (which leaves a chunk of time for work or research opportunities), they have one session that runs from early June to the 3rd week of July.
I saw a post on the school’s website for summer jobs on campus, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea for D to work during the 6 week condensed session. She’s taking a lab science for a GenEd requirement that is likely to prove challenging for her. She’s also taking a writing intensive upper level English class. And I doubt that it would be cost effective for her to remain on campus outside of session. Fortunately, D can work for my firm in the weeks surrounding class. At least she’ll be able to earn some spending money for next year.
I’m traveling to D’s school next weekend for Mom’s weekend at her sorority. It’s the first event D has organized as the new Social Chair/VP. I am so proud of her for running for office (not easy with anxiety issues) and she was thrilled and rather surprised to be elected. It was a much needed boost to her self confidence. I’m so excited to see her and to meet the other moms.
DS is an engineering major and will look for an engineering position after graduation. He toyed with grad school but it’s not as crucial for engineering and most employers will reimburse tuition should he decide to pursue it while working. Both DH and I worked full-time and attended graduate school (law school for me) so although it is a grind, it can be done.
That’s about as concrete as he gets right now but I’m sure it will crystallize as he gets closer to graduation. He’s gearing up for finals and will be home in five weeks. It’ll be good to have him home again. He’s got many friends who will likewise be home for the summer and I know he’s looking forward to seeing them. Some will be at different locales for internships but there are already rumblings of weekend road trips to see the buddies who are in driving distance.
@overtheedge - that’s so great that your daughter is making these changes in her life.
The research project for the DHS sounds like an amazing opportunity @ordinarylives. What a great experience for her!
Having an employer pay for grad school is definitely the way to go @2014novamom. Even though as you say, it’s a lot to balance a job and school. But they’re young!
@momreads - Does your older son wish he’d taken a year before going to law school?
My son is now also thinking about law school. I think I’ll encourage him to take a year off just to recharge his batteries, though I’m not sure that’s necessary. @AvonHSDad, how’s it been for your son who went to law school immediately after undergrad? And how was it for him to study for the LSAT, apply and interview during his last year of college?
My daughter went straight from undergrad to law school. She completed her first year, then spent a year in Africa (with a granted leave from her law school) on a Rotary fellowship, then came back and finished law school. She got married on her spring break of year 3 and graduated about five weeks later, then passed the bar that summer. She, though, is ALWAYS involved in way more at any given moment than the average person. I think she went to law school mainly because she didn’t really have any other concrete plans at the time, but it has turned out extremely well for her.
Agentninetynine: My older son did take a year off between undergrad and law school. During that year, he worked a couple of jobs to make ends meet before deciding he definitely wanted to go to law school. It was a good decision. He lived by himself and juggling part-time jobs to pay his rent and food. He learned a lot about himself, he would say, especially his desire to live alone during law school. As he puts it, when he comes home at night, if the place is a mess, it is his mess. He has developed into quite a cook, too. When he graduates next spring, he hopes to work in DC but live in Virginia.
DD seems to be unclear about her plans after graduation, so far. She has decided to add a CS minor to her linguistics major, and has talked about going to grad school, but also seems shy about tracking down connections and research opportunities now that would help her get into grad school. She seems a little discouraged because she doesn’t feel like her drive and ambition match up with those around her, who seem like (paraphrasing her words) they don’t feel good about themselves unless they’re only getting 4 hours of sleep a night.
She is doing very well in her coursework but hasn’t found a summer job yet, and it’s unclear how much she’s actually been looking. She can always do food service, but she doesn’t feel like that would be the best use of her time, though the money is good.
Does anyone have a kid in this kind of place? Any thoughts on how to help, or even how much to help?
@momreads - sounds as if your son really has it going on. Good for him that he’s cooking for himself. Max is a good cook and has always shared dinner duties when he’s not on a mission. Both kids know how to cook a few basic meals, but DS is still a work in progress. He forgot that a hot pan needs some oil or butter before adding the eggs.
I think most kids are unclear about life after graduation @mdcmom. A few have a plan but I’d most of the students I’ve talked to have no idea and don’t even want to think about it.
