Great to hear @readingclaygirl What is tradition?
My own students are back to school and so far so good! I have very full sections this year, but the kids seem, largely, really invested and sweet. I do have a couple who seem to not notice that it’s time to start acting scholastic.
@ballerina016 - UROP after first month? Wow.
@Ballerina016 Oh I just meant it is a tradition because my college has tons!!! This is our first and we get our class banner
Or I see @readingclaygirl . You school has a lot of traditions. That is excellent!
Excuse my ignorance @texaspg since this is my first one going into STEM. Is this unusual? I believe many get UROPs second semester. And this is for CS major so most of them have coding experience.
@ballerina016 - Second semester is when students start thinking about research and going around and asking for mentors. The fact that the advisor is suggesting-discussing it this early is uncommon at most schools. Research can be even in languages involving no coding but it is just the expected workload that goes with it is a management issue.
I really love hearing the move-in stories. Thanks to everyone for sharing their happiness and tears. Both are helpful as we navigate this transition.
I’m on my way home after attending D16’s Convocation. It was a great event with many memorable speeches. The kids sat together (grouped in their new dorms) and parents and others sat in the side sections. I do think the parents got more from the speeches than the kids did, but I was impressed by how few kids were looking at their phones. DD ended up in the feature picture on the school newspaper this morning for the online article about her class. Before she woke up at 7, she had several texts from new friends mentioning this! Roommate situation isn’t perfect, but is bearable and even broadening, so I am encouraging her to see it as a plus.
First care package arrived safely and was appreciated. 
Can we share unusual requests? S asked for more towels. Apparently they stay damp- I’m guessing due to humidity in the dorm. They have a window AC unit but it doesn’t cool the whole room and draw the humidity out really well. How many towels did you send with your kids? (And yes, he could do laundry, but every four days will be a tough sell!)
I sent two bath towels, I did not get super plush ones, but the ones advertised as ‘quick dry’. D had an open closet and had a hook to hang her towel to dry.
Does your S have a closet with a door? Could he get an over-the-door robe hook or something to hang his towel on to dry on the outside of the closet?
@psychmomma, my D is also in a damp climate. She was storing her towels on a hook on the inside of her closet. She complained that they were not drying well and decided to move them to an outside hook. That solved her problem. May not be solve it for your S, but you could ask. I agree that doing laundry every four days is too often!
I am glittered and happy. And I got the honor of hanging the banner!
@mommdc “And we can claim the books as part of qualified education expenses for AOTC.” Do you have any advice for those of us interested in doing this too? Thanks!
Guess who’s washing his towels? He has an over the door hook so hopefully he’ll try that and it will work.
Related- do today’s dorm dryers shrink everything the way I remember my dorm dryers working? They have an air dry setting but wouldn’t that take forever? I assume low is logical for most clothes, medium or high for towels.
@psychmomma I have never used these but considered getting one for DS’s room. They are mini dehumidifiers. They are small and can be used in a bathroom, closet or small room. I saw them on Amazon.
I sent 2 towels plus a spare that can be used at the pool (or used when the other 2 are in the laundry). S16 was already doing a load of laundry on Sunday after having been there 5 days.
He called yesterday after the credit card I gave him got declined after 2 book purchases totaling about $200. I guess the credit card company thought the card got stolen and the thief went on a book buying spree!
I was happy to hear from him. He sounds like he is settling in.
Re: dryers, I assume they are not like mine at home with as many temp settings. D did her leggins and tees on low I think, hung her delicates to dry and just towels on hot.
Re: AOTC, the American Opportunity Tax credit. You can claim tuition, fees, books, up to $4000 of qualified education expenses paid out of pocket during the tax year, for a max credit of $2500. 40% or up to $1000 is refundable. Income limits apply.
If you have scholarships you need to coordinate AOTC for best benefit.
For example, if the scholarship covers tuition, then you can only claim fees and book expenses for the AOTC.
But that can still be over $1000.
@RyanG1207, that is weird, my CC called me on Monday to confirm some purchases, one at the book store. D used the card there all last year and I always tell them when we are going out of the state, so not sure why they called, maybe because of the amount?
@mommdc I didn’t even get a call from the credit card company. We’ve charged way more than $200 out of state in the past so I’m not sure why it was flagged. It’s not like he was buying expensive electronics or anything.