Forgot to add, first kid is on his own at this point, so we really are giving that amount to just one kid.
I love that these schools are emphasizing community involvement and giving back. DS16s Honors program also requires community involvement of 100% of their students. Is anyone elseās school doing anything for the community during orientation? We received an email that CofC is doing a school supply drive during orientation for the local schools and for needy CofC students on a tight budget.
As we are cutting down on our own expenses to be able to pay tuition, we asked DD not to work first semester. I can see a change in her spending habits already. She feels guilty that we went against our believes of getting more for less with her school and is trying to save on anything she can.
Iām not a pro at work study either, @HappyFace2018, but if Iām reading it correctly it averages out to be around 8 hours per week, depending on their pay rate. The administration folks we heard from during the sampler stressed that school comes first, so it sounds like there could be some flexibility. @sseamom is right, the jobs are on campus and seem pretty low key. She might enjoy a few hours in the library or wherever she would get placed. Sheāll only have 4 classes, even if there is more outside work I donāt think sheās going to have the 7a til 4-6p days she was putting in during high school. (And that was just school time, not homework time.)
@PAO2008, sorry to hear about your sonās troubles. I have some concerns about communication as well. I saw on the school website there are language placement exams, info for first years is supposed to come in a āsummer information packetā. Should that have come already? Or is it still early and itās on itās way? I nearly emailed the office in charge today, but deleted it and decided my D should handle it when she gets home from her appts. later on. (See, thereās my struggle again. Itās so much easier for me to just do things myself, but I know thatās not teaching her anything. Ughāam I that awful ālawnmower parentā I read about on facebook this week?!)
I truly do believe that a large majority of kids get the sacrifices we make for them.
That annoying thing when you see people posting about their AP scores and getting them by tricking the server into thinking they live in a different state. Ugh people I know itās annoying to wait but can its only 3 more days and now you are stressing me out.
Maybe you should avoid those threads if they are stressing you out @readingclaygirl
They arenāt even threads on here. @carolinamom2boys Itās people I went to school with on Facebook. I think Iām going to try and avoid it as much as possible.
Thatās sounds like a good plan @readingclaygirl . The whole transition to college is stressful enough.
Never wait to be contacted by an adviser at college. Students have to be to ones doing the contacting. Itās so different than it was in high school. Be passive at your peril, I tell D16.
Also, D16 has pulled up her 2016/2017 academic calendar, including the deadlines for add, drop, and withdrawals, as well as breaks and exam weeks. Weāve also done a 7-year academic/licensing plan. We reworked her planned study abroad semester from sophomore spring to junior fall.
By the way, has anyone who is co-signing a student loan for a DC been counseled to take out life insurance on the child? Weāre not borrowing or co-signing for D16, but I read some horror stories over the weekend.
@dyiu13 Iāve read/heard people suggest this. Iām sure many have obtained better interest rates on private loans but the parent plus loans are forgiven in the case of death of the student/parent (although I believe the forgiveness of debt will trigger a taxable event).
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/death
@carolinamom2boys Yep! Thereās a mandatory community service project on Day 2 of orientation. Last year they painted crosswalks
Dās school does a day of service during the week-long orientation, so yes, all the students get an education in public service. D has always been all about leadership, so her scholarship makes, perfect sense. And @Waiting2exhale , as you can imagine, Fisk has a very long history of people āmaking good troubleā.
@PAO2008 wow-sorry your son has run into such problems! Dās school has bi-weekly conference calls and lately theyāve been about FA and payment issues-we were able to get an important question answered that way. We all listened in, but D asked the question.
@LexieAnn My D16 will be getting a job first semester too. We really need her to contribute as she chose a financial reach for us.
D16 will be involved with group community service through her honors program.
D16 has already been in contact with the CEO of the local Girl Scout council in OK and will continue to volunteer as an āadultā Girl Scout while sheās in college. This isnāt any requirement just something she wants to do.
Thanks @carolinamom2boys and @HappyFace2018 ! Best of luck to anyone waiting for AP or IB scores.
On working, DS has already signed up to be an intramural sports official so he will earn something but my understanding is that he can vary his commitment from week to week so that will make it easier. He actually thrives on being busy so we are requiring at least 1 club and some sort of on campus job (max of 10 hours per week).
For those of you that have DC that will be/are attending college far away and flying to their destination, how are you dealing with mattress toppers? Iām reading that the memory foam type require āairing outā for 24-72 hours. I can order via Amazon and she can deal with the airing out in her dorm and then remake her bed. I can pray that we can find one during our shopping day or order for in store pick up at BBB (pricest option it seems) and then begin airing it out in our hotel room and transport it (seems like it will be clumsy. Iām envisioning an āI Love Lucyā episode). Whatās your plan of attack?
@Undercovermom1 I didnāt know we had to air them out, thanks for letting us know. We purchased the student starter package with the add-on memory foam topper from OCM that our campus sent along because my son didnāt seem to have a big preference for his bedding/towels. Now that we did it, Iām happy we chose it because itās all boxed up and ready for move-in. I was hoping to keep the mattress topper rolled up and in the box as it came during shipping, but I guess we could air it out and then try to somehow fit it in our SUV on the drive to campus. I know if I fully unpack the box they shipped, Iāll never fit it all back in after washing the sheets and towels! As a tip, if any of you do shop through OCM, be sure to search the web for other coupons - we quickly found one so the total price was very good, even after their posted discount.