@mtrosemom I’m in that exact same boat as well.
I enjoyed every minute that we had D home with us this summer. She was very gracious about going on trips or just hanging out with her boring parents and extended family because it’s likely that next summer she’ll take a research position and maybe a class and stay at school. She flew back to school on her own yesterday and isn’t expected home again until Christmas break. Friends picked her up at the airport and later I got photos of the view from her apartment and sunset a nearby beach. So happy for her, and proud of her courage and good heart. Watching her quietly navigate challenges and become aware of her own inner strength has been awesome. Wouldn’t have this play out any other way, but I miss seeing that smile every morning!!
I had a nice long talk with D last night about her plans for sophomore year. And she’s already talking about MCATs and GREs, internships and shadowing options, and which grad schools prefer students work a couple of years and which are more open to recent grads. The application drama seems like it’s getting ready to start all over again, but with even higher stakes. ARGHHHH!
Wow, that is too much to think about this early!
D just left this morning with a college friend to make the cross country drive back to school. This will be the first time she has driven more than about three hours at once. They are picking two girls up in about three days, so for half the trip they will have a car full. She is pretty excited for the road trip and to be starting her sophomore year. She is currently planning to do study abroad next fall, but depending on how the classes shake out it may be next winter/spring. She also is planning on grad school, but not yet thinking about the GREs, and certainly no MCATs!
You know that saying - transferring is like doing your freshman year all over again? It’s true, for both student and parents. Navigating a new bureaucracy, starting from scratch making friends…it’s especially challenging for a guy who doesn’t like change. I believe that once my S settles in he’ll be glad he switched schools, and I’ve seen some signs of that already. But it ain’t easy.
Our daughter is all moved in and unpacked. So glad she has a single room in an on campus apartment dorm rather than the very crowded quad that she had last year. She is absolutely thrilled to be there.
My husband and I are still trying to get back to Asia though. Two days of airline issues that have prevented our departure. Gotta love air travel in the 21st century. Hope it works tomorrow, getting up so early to make an early flight is taking its toll. Though there are worst places in the world to be stuck than in Maine.
@oneofthosemoms, best of luck to your S at his new school! Hope it’s a better fit and a smooth transition!
What a difference a year makes! My D has been back on campus all week, and classes start up next week. No hoopla with all of us going out there – this time she flew across the country, moved her things out of storage and set up her room all by herself. It’s wonderful to see the growth and maturity that came from that first year of college.
Wishing all the 2015’ers a great year ahead! 
Hello, I cannot remember my last post here (since there was probably only 1), but I just updated my 2018’s so might as well update my 2015
My D just started year 2 at Virginia Tech. She’s an Interior Design major. Loves the school, had a good first year, did summer session abroad. She’s living off campus with 3 other girls in a 4 bedroom/2 bath apartment, which is the norm - at VT there’s not alot of on campus housing available to upperclassmen. Only freshmen and Cadets are guaranteed housing. She’s involved in a few activities and generally enjoying life!
Hope everyone else has a great year!
Classes start today for my D! Starting sophomore year, and while the classes are tough - at her school/major in particular - she said she’s actually looking forward to them after the summer break. Spent summer living and working at the univ. but next year will be looking for a summer internship or research position–she just didn’t feel confident enough doing that her first year. Working at the univ (organizing summer activities) seems to have been a good experience for her though.
She now says she’s pretty sure she wants to work after college rather than go to grad school right away - then maybe go to grad school later. I guess we’ll see if that changes by the time she graduates - I hope she goes to grad school so she can create more opportunities for herself in her field. She is going to try for co-term, especially because her scholarship will extend to cover it, so that would leave her with a masters. But co-term is really tough to get in as it requires a 3.5 in each of 4 of the hardest undergraduate courses for her major, so fingers crossed that she’ll get those scores. (Her GPA so far is 3.9, but that was freshman year.)
So great to hear that so many kids on this thread are doing well.
My D moved in this Wed. Went pretty smoothly and we met some of her apartment mates which are really nice. They all went grocery shopping and she made a menu for the week.
She has called a few times, about a job opportunity, the books she is buying and renting, and a class she needs to drop because it would not leave her enough time to get to another class.
She had her first day of classes yesterday and said she really enjoys her ASL class.
She already took her PCAT this summer, and needs to apply to her university’s pharmacy program in the fall, although she has a conditional seat already. So soon she will have to order transcripts and ask for LOR.
My DD moved back on Sunday…into an on-campus apartment. I went grocery shopping with her but after this she is on her own! I think her apt.mate has a car. And despite me telling her a million times not to forget any medication, she forgot medication and I had to make trip back the next day (only an hour each way).
Our daughter is in an apartment style dorm and is loving fixing her own food so far. She has watched her foodie parents prepare food, and worked on basic cooking over the summer so she is actually a pretty good cook. The dining hall food was her only major negative last year (once she learned to cope with the concept of grading curves). She has noted that her roommates seem to find the food prep a chore. Funny enough, last Saturday night my daughter made food for her whole group of friends who each pitched in with a small amount of funds and it covered her groceries for this week.
Today is the first day of class for D. She has been back at school for about a weekhanging out, doing ECs, and getting her room in order. I can’t wait to hear how the first day of sophomore year went!
Got a call from D at Health Services earlier. Two stitches on a finger - was cutting an avocado for breakfast and the knife slipped. Unfortunately, she passes out when she experiences significant pain so she dropped. It does not appear that she hit her head when she passed out but they are going to recheck in a day or two.
Scenario went something like this - D cuts finger, screams (dramatically), passes out, 3 apartment-mates rush out & find her on the floor. They stemmed the bleeding and got her to health services. Mom gets a tearful call. Is it horrible that I’m trying not to laugh when I picture it? Her poor roomies!!
Update - she’s feeling better - aced a math quiz that others thought was hard. I imagine it will be hard to type for a few days, but the injury is not on her writing hand.
Gotta hate the call from Health Services, just for that initial panic. I am glad to hear that my daughter isn’t the only one who can’t stand the sight of her own blood (though she is fine with blood on other people or blood in TV and movie scenes, go figure). The scene will be the same, if/when my daughter cuts herself. We can laugh together (after the relief of knowing it really wasn’t serious).
At least in HS they learned to call and say “Daughter is okay, but …”
@jmek15 , your reaction is wise and priceless!
Hello! Been awhile…D is having a better social year but classes are in her words “*****” lets say maybe we are having a sophmore slump? I am heading down this weekend to catch-up with the grumbling beauty 
and we will be apartment hunting…lucky me…hope all is well and mid-terms coming up don’t become to much of a stressor in our kiddos life.
She will not make it home until Christmas this year due to finals so close to Thanksgiving 
. She will be going to one of her soriety sister home…I sure hope she has better attitude about life then she does right now.
I can honestly say finally and happily that I am enjoying being an empty-nester…so nice that the table is always clear now to eat on, when ever I feel like it.