The chem E majors at daughter’s school take 17 or 18 credits every semester in order to graduate in 4 years. Other engineering majors seem to be okay if they take 16. It’s all planned out so not a lot of choices. My daughter is in civil and the problem is because it is a small groupw, now that she’s in specialized classes there is usually only one section offered.
D got her summer plans lined up. She is nannying for the same family that D12 worked with the last 2 summers.
@twoinanddone I just checked my D’s program requirements, and you’re right, it takes 16-19 credits per semester (with most being 17-18) to grad in 4 years; because of its breadth, there are more requirements than in other engineering disciplines.
I see some double majors discussed. DS decided to do double major too. He has planned out his tasks. This is going to be interesting.
I was noting how quiet this thread has become. I joined it late, after admissions, when our kids were just starting college so I suspect many who were regulars on it probably don’t visit this website anymore. I guess it reflects where our kids are too, in the relative calm of the middle of college. I still can’t believe they are already in that middle, but they are!
Mine is having a blast this term, lots of hands on stuff in her engineering classes. She got selected for a volunteer research position at her school this past week that starts Monday. She has been trying to get something like that for a year now. Turns out she really needed certain courses first tof bemail useful. She is really excited about that. Summer internship offers are not due to come out until mid-March, so thinking about that is on her back burner. Some roommate bumps, but she sorted it out, though will be with different roommates next year. All in all things are going really well.
Hope the same for everyone else!
Not as much to discuss i guess? D’s doing great. Going to declare a major later this semester, applying to summer research and internships, enjoying herself. Not much to report and that’s just fine 
@NorthernMom61 so glad to hear your D is having a great semester! More good things ahead.
And yeah, it is hard to believe it’s almost half over. In some ways seems to have flown by.
My D is also doing well. She got along well with her freshman roommate and they are rooming together again this year. She is doing a month course in Spain in April. Then plans to meet up with a HS friend and travel in Europe for about five weeks. She will have a short summer because she plans to study fall term abroad in Chile. That term starts in mid July. We won’t see her much in 2017! I am glad she found what she likes, has made good friends, and is doing well at her studies. That is really all I can ask. (Except to win the lottery? If I played that is.)
Been a while since I checked into this thread. D15 is having her ups and downs as a drama major. Cast in first great role in the fall and my wife and I and S18 got to go out and see the musical. Gosh, that was fun. Wrote a one act drama that was staged by one of the student run clubs, and is asst director of another that just ended. But this winter she has tried out for so many spring roles and been shut out from each. So she is a bit bummed at the moment. Nature of the beast. On the plus side, she has a great paid (Yay!) internship as a production asst at a cool theatre in L.A. this summer, and has maintained a 3.5 GPA. Overall she is doing very well, even if she does not feel like it at the moment.
I check this thread from time to time to see how other kids are fairing. @vistajay - It sounds like your D is doing well. Being shut out hurts. My DD did musical theater in HS, so I remember the angst over callbacks and rejection. It’s hard.
My DD is doing well too. She’s busy with an a cappella group, sorority, an on-campus job, and an extra class this semester. She’s maintained around 3.65 and has been on the dean’s list 2 out of 3 semesters (upward trend each semester). She’s working towards an internship, though she’s struggling to find one. She has signed up to go on a networking trip to DC through career services on campus. Today, she told me she’s nervous. But, she was nervous before every audition and, when the adrenaline kicked in, she’d do great. I’m hoping she’ll produce the same adrenaline when meeting potential employers.
Working on Study Abroad for Fall 2017. She should hear if she got into her first choice in the next 2 weeks. Then the planning for that will take place.
I do feel like we are in a state of limbo right now: summer job plans, up in the air. Fall 2017, up in the air. DS17 college choice is still up in the air. I can’t make any plans until they have all of their stuff sorted out. Not looking forward to my DD packing up her room and having to sort between Summer and study abroad clothing needs.
When DS17 goes to college, we will be empty nesters. UGH!
Should be an interesting 2017.
@phoenixmomof2, same boat here… when S17 heads off in fall we will be empty nesters. I am looking forward to the travel H and I can do on our own!
D15 is doing well in school and in general. She will be going to Spain for a short term in Spring. Then she plans to meet a friend and travel a bit in Europe before heading home. She also is planning to study abroad in Fall 2017. The program she wants takes applications in April. She may only be “home” for 3 weeks before heading our for Fall term. I think now that “home” is a relative term and even though she still has a bedroom in our house, she no longer lives here.
hello, life has settle down for D…she is enjoying her upper level classes and now states she is excited about her career
She has a paid internship for the summer with a large Retirement center…she continues to love her Alzheimer research project and her new Mentor is a sought out professor in her interest with nutrition and taste…she is over the moon working on this team. Living arrangement have been not confirmed for the fall but looks like another year at the sorority house may be her only options if she doesn’t decide soon.
Can you believe that in a few short months this group will be half way through…college
My D and her 3 roomies were able to retain their on campus apartment for junior year.
I’m glad not to have to deal with landlords/leases/furniture yet.
She is busy with her classes, and her campus job. I’m looking forward to seeing her for a week in March.
My D is doing great and seems very happy. It’s amazing how much she has matured just in the last year and a half. She was never one to talk to the teachers outside of class all that much, but at college she has formed some good relationships with professors and even her department head. I never would have imagined.
She has a single this year and it has been wonderful for her. She should be able to get one next year too, and then she spends the second half of the year in London. She will likely move off campus for her senior year. Yikes! I can’t even believe we are talking about that already! The time has really flown.
She’s got some lures out there for summer internships. I’m really hoping that a particular one comes through. It’s right up her alley, close to home, and paid! So fingers crossed for that.
I really love hearing about everyone’s kids. It sounds like they are all doing so well. Hooray!
In wait and see mode here regarding the summer. DS has applied to probably dozens of internship positions including several where DH and I work. So far a couple of interview calls. Didn’t get one because they were really looking for juniors and above and the other is still pending as far as he knows. Keeping our fingers crossed.
So nice to hear how well your kids are doing! D decided to do a summer abroad program that her engineering program runs. It is in Rome this year. She seems very happy personally, socially and academically (knock on wood). ChemE program is challenging, but working hard to stay on top of things and still have a social life. Not to say there haven’t been disappointments, and plenty of emotional bumps in the road (2nd semester last year was awful!!) but she is turning out to be wonderfully resilient. If something doesn’t work out she’ll take a moment to be sad and then move on. Dean’s list 2 out of 3 semesters, although she let honors program go because it requires maintaining a 3.75, and she didn’t want the pressure. I whole-heartedly agreed with that decision!
Good luck to those applying for internships!
Like @phoenixmomof2 and @mtrosemom, next year I’ll be an empty nester. Expecting that will be a huge transition!
@jmek15 That’s great your DD is doing a semester abroad. My D is ChemE too and while she really wanted to do a study abroad she now says it’s too difficult given all the program requirements for that major and she probably won’t. Which is a pity.
She’s applying for internships now for the fall (doing a co-op this fall), but nothing has come through yet. Fingers crossed! I’ve been concerned that she’s not putting in the time needed to get a good internship because she’s always so busy studying for exams. She’s always been very concerned about getting good grades, and while she’s done very well so far (GPA > 3.9) and made the Dean’s List every semester, I keep encouraging her not to neglect the other aspects (like investing time to get good research/internships opportunities) even if it means slightly lower grades. I’m hoping she’ll find the right balance.
@insanedreamer it’s just a summer program with two classes rather than a semester. Like your D says, it’s really hard to do a whole semester abroad in engineering. Before she was accepted to the summer program, my D had been applying for many summer research and internship positions but was not getting responses, so I understand how nerve racking the wait is. She waited until the Holiday break to get started and that was probably too late. Hopefully lesson learned and she’ll begin a search early next fall. Once classes start she can only see the next deadline or test - it’s hard to make time for something that has a fuzzy timeline, but she needs to make friends at career services!! Chem-E seems like a tough major to find internships for some reason. I know some require Juniors to ensure they have taken certain technical classes. Keep us posted on where your D ends up during her fall co-op!
I think spring career fairs are a great opportunity to connect with hiring companies. Usually career centers have a list of companies planning to attend and your daughter can research which ones to target. These career fairs are very big, I have worked them myself.
That’s exactly the same as my D. I keep telling her that experience is as important as grades, but I’m afraid my influence in her decision making is waning (actually, more like disappearing altogether). She skipped the spring career fair (@VMT I agree these are great opportunities) because she had a mandatory class and an exam that day. I thought she had the wrong priority, but, I guess she has to learn for herself. At least she (hopefully) went to the career center event yesterday specifically for the fall co-op. I haven’t yet spoken with her, but we’ll see what resulted from that.