<p>GoAskDad, You need to connect with Saintfan, whose DD12 will be attending St. O’s.</p>
<p>familyof3boys, I was going to suggest the same thing!</p>
<p>Ya, me too - Saintfan’s D’12 is going to St. Olaf and she can share all kinds of good info about it!</p>
<p>GoAskDad - I have a BAM case for my bari sax and I love it! I’ve had it about 6 years now (maybe longer, can’t remember). It’s a cadillac of a case. :)</p>
<p>Along the lines of GoAskDad’s question, I want to start introducing D to college campuses (campi?) but I’m sort of afraid to start the process so early. I don’t think she’s ready, but at the same time I think she needs to start thinking about colleges because while I think she’ll have good stats, we will need to cast a wide net for financial purposes. Any advice on how to manage this with a kid who can see right through you?</p>
<p>I read a great article about the St. Olaf’s choir in World Magazine. I think you can’t access it for free yet, but it should archive in another week or two. It sounds like an <em>amazing</em> choir and director!</p>
<p>[WORLDmag.com</a> | Staying power | Emily Belz | Jun 16, 12](<a href=“http://www.worldmag.com/articles/19560]WORLDmag.com”>http://www.worldmag.com/articles/19560)</p>
<p>S was exclaiming how quickly freshman year went by this morning. He was comparing it to middle school which dragged and dragged, he said. I told him that it would be like an eyeblink and we would be starting the whole college routine. Says he, “I have a plan, and I am going to start much earlied than S12”. You gotta love that. He was talking about looking into St. Olaf at some point–one of this year’s graduating seniors is going there. I know they have a great choir program, but don’t know anything about their instrumental program. I’ll let him investigate all that. He is a take charge kind of guy.</p>
<p>This afternoon is the Jazz choir kidnapping! It will be a great surprise for him, and he will have a blast. I really appreciate the older kids letting us know about it, because I did have to rearrange some things in S schedule.</p>
<p>It is a glorious morning in the PNW. We love it when we see the sun!</p>
<p>Hi all…congrats to momsings, I have a bassist too (as you may tell from my screen name)</p>
<p>I dropped my D’15 at Brown on Sunday for 3 weeks. I went to orientation with her and helped her settle into her dorm room. All the 3 week class kids got singles - she was NOT happy - she wanted a roomie. But her building is all singles and there are 20 girls on her floor and they share an RA and do a lot as a group.</p>
<p>After taking her to buy textbooks I left my card in the ATM (Sunday, bank closed)…luckily I was staying in the area for a few days so I went back Monday to get it and took her for coffee. Tuesday - my last day up there - she asked me if I’d take her to lunch…still nervous and the friends she’d made so far were in class, I think she just wanted a last mom visit. I did that, then left Rhode Island yesterday.</p>
<p>Yesterday, during my 12 hour drive home, she texted to say her stomach hurt and she didn’t have Tums or anything (thought we packed that!). Brief mom panic. I told her to rest then go get Tums and some ginger ale, if that didn’t help to ask her RA where the nurse is. Luckily there’s a commercial street just a couple of blocks away so she got the Tums and ginger ale and now is fine. </p>
<p>Most of the kids at Brown are older, 16-18. I worried she wouldn’t find friends but she’s sent me pics of girls she’s hanging out with so far and she seems to be doing fine. The class itself (neuroscience and disease) is hard but she’s keeping up with the work and seems good with it. </p>
<p>I spent all year readying myself to “let go” of my 18 year old S but my little 14 year old rising sophomore D? Not so much. She’s been with the same kids here in Ohio since preschool, many of her current friends she’s had since she was 5 years old. She’s never had to be on her own with a totally new group of kids before, without even me to lean on.</p>
<p>I am so proud of her for learning to do things for herself and handle being lonely and getting her own Tums and making new friends, but I’m also nervous and a little sad not to be there for her when she feels sick or lonely or sad. I think I’m going to get a much more mature kid back in 2 1/2 weeks. But it’s a sweet sort of sad thing for me right now.</p>
<p>My D2015 just texted me that she is DONE with her last final. She is heading out to lunch with friends, footloose and fancy free. :D</p>
<p>GoAskDad – I wouldn’t put an expensive cello in a $169 case. At least, not if the cello is going to be schlepped to lessons and orchestra rehearsals, and especially not if it’s going to school. My D2012 has an Eastman fiberglass cello case (described as purple, but it’s actually more of a magenta color). It’s been to Europe and back (albeit encased in a Blue Whale over-case), traveled through the [Orange</a> Crush](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Crush_interchange]Orange”>Orange Crush interchange - Wikipedia) several hundred times, slid down a concrete flight of stairs (only once, that I know about!), and endured a two-year-long wrestling match with a tuba in the HS’s Instrumental Music storage room. It’s looks like hell, all scratched up, and has shed one latch and one handle. But it kept the cello safe. Worth every penny!</p>
<p>Thanks for the St. Olaf replies, everyone! (and the cello & case tips, too). I would PM Saintsfan about St. Olaf but, honestly, I’m not sure where to even begin with my questions about St. Olaf or visiting a college, in general. That sounds crazy, I’m sure - but I feel like I don’t even know what I don’t know. However, I think DS got one of those College Board emails with a list of college visit advice, so I might ask DS if he’ll read that along with me. When I mentioned the idea of casually visiting a college this Summer, he seemed interested - but probably just because it’s a trip somewhere.</p>
<p>I also posted a question on the St. Olaf board and I’ve gotten one response so far - from someone who lives in the area. Sounds like a great part of the country.</p>
<p>Ohiobassmom - good for your DD on going to Brown for 3 weeks - wow! We got a random email from Vandy (maybe?) regarding a Summer program & my DS15 would never, ever have gone. He is just too shy & too much of a homebody. I bet you are proud of your DD and you should be proud of yourself for letting her go on this adventure!</p>
<p>Ohiobassmom - I’m happy for your D (& YOU!) that she is settling in a bit to her Brown program, and temporary dorm life 
If you have any campus/neighborhood related questions, please feel free to PM me - my D’11’15 is a very happy student there.<br>
Regarding getting started early on college tours, I think it really can’t hurt. My D’12’15 is already planning on starting to look next summer, after completing her 10th grade year. I think that the more time you allow for it, the less pressured/stressed the actual touring process will be. Plus, it is good to start getting ideas early: urban/rural; small LAC/medium sized/large state U - what feels the most comfortable?, etc.</p>
<p>GoAskDad – maybe, instead of going on a big college-visit trip, it might be better to start with just doing the info session and tour at one or more colleges nearby to where you live. </p>
<p>When my D2012 was a rising sophomore, I took her to visit two schools within ~20 miles of our house. Both schools were somewhat familiar, because we’d been to community events held on their campuses. But it was interesting to do their info sessions and formal tours, and see the schools from that perspective. Neither school was one that was particularly suited to my kid – one is a huge mostly-commuter state school, and the other is a small private college that doesn’t have her intended major. But still, she was able to identify some strong “likes” and some strong “dislikes” about each school. And that helped us winnow down options later on when we began working on her college list more seriously.</p>
<p>Just a quick peek at this thread and saw StO references. I will be glad to give info and will pm later today or over weekend when I have more time - gotta hop in the shower :-)</p>
<p>Thanks you mayhew, I appreciate it! And Goaskdad, still can’t believe she did it :)</p>
<p>S’12 and I did our first college tour in his junior year, at the college in our town. It’s a strong LAC and was a very useful baseline for later visits which we didn’t do until senior year.</p>
<p>It is really great to use the local schools as a baseline for comparison. My S12 had already been to at least 3 local state unis before he started his search seriously.</p>
<p>Well, S15 kidnapping was a great success as evidenced by the group dancing in the school parking lot when I picked him up earlier today! They are going to be a wonderful group of kids for him to be buds with. He took quite a nap this afternoon.</p>
<p>^^^ Fun! Happy for your S!</p>
<p>We’re going to a conference in Philadelphia late July. Any suggestions of fun/educational things to do for a rising 10th grader and her family in the area? including college tours, if it’s not too late to plan. of course there is UPenn. But we haven’t planned anything yet. We have no clue how to do a college tour except for walking around. Walking around is okay, but think about the weather in July, it doesn’t sound too appealing if there’s nothing more.</p>
<p>Contact some philly colleges to see what programs they offer during the dates you are there. Some have info sessions, a meal on campus, etc.</p>
<p>ohiobassmom, so glad things worked out for your D. That would have been very worrisome for this mama. Kudos to you both for working through that so smoothly.</p>
<p>My 7th grade D was at a day camp this week that culminated in a camp-out last night. She texted me at 2 a.m. saying she couldn’t sleep. I texted her back, telling her she’d be OK, and got…silence. I was worried all night. Of course, she didn’t text back because she had promptly fallen asleep. Oy!</p>
<p>An idea for next year (forgive me if I have already posted this) - Ole Miss has a terrific summer program that offers college courses for students who have completed their sophomore or junior year of high school. There are many choices and many students are eligible for major scholarships based on test scores and GPA. My son, who will be in the class of 2015 because he is taking an early “gap year” to study in China next year, is taking computer science and logic this term and probably more computer science and U.S. History next term. He is loving it. He says the courses are good and the students are very friendly. For more info, go to [Summer</a> College For High School Students - The University of Mississippi](<a href=“http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/schs/about.html]Summer”>About | Summer College | Ole Miss)</p>
<p>suzy–I would have worried too. How sweet that all she needed to do was text you and then was able to sing.</p>