Not yet—she’s home sleeping, (hopefully) getting over a really nasty cold-type virus that’s going around up here. I’m strongly resisting the urge to call her repeatedly to try to wake her up and tell her…
Yay @dfbdfb family!! Great news. My neighbors are Muhlenburg grads, and they are nice, arty and successful people.
Congrats! If it’s the first choice I’d say go for it and have no regrets!
@dfbdfb I recommend Sudafed plus
Musinex plus pain reliever all separate. Then kids can take what they need for the symptoms they are having. Also gas-x and/or Tums can be good. And cough syrup or pills. It is easier to have a small first aid kit in the room. Mine also includes Benadryl, some creams and bandaids.
D17 got her financial aid package from Bama yesterday, and even with the Presidental Scholarship and engineering bonus, it’s still the least cost-effective school for her. Combine that with never having visited and loving the other two schools, and – even though it seems like a really great place – it’s out.
Now we’re down to two options, which we will re-visit next week.
@dfbdfb — CONGRATS!
Hopefully she will not have to recite ‘Henry Melchior Muhlenberg’ too many times.
Addressing the question about the medical kit, D14 has been away for 7 years (including boarding school) and for the most part there have been only a few things she’s really needed and kept on hand:
Advil, which I buy in the individual foil packets so they can get stashed in backpacks and travel kits.
An antibiotic gel
Bandaids
tweezers for splinters
athetes’ foot spray (hello shared showers!)
rehydration - Gatorade or we prefer the products from Skratch Labs which come in different formulas but individually packaged
Sambucol - our family has used it for years
Zicam
She also keeps a couple of cans of Progresso Chickarina soup and crackers
D14 had a scare with a heart arrhythmia during Sophomore year which was not properly addressed by the school nurse and coach (fainting after a run and sent home to take a hot shower.) So I will say that a good talk about advocating for yourself will go a LONG way. We had it in the ER, LOL, obviously too late.
I would also explain that carrying a water bottle around with you is not the same as drinking water - seems silly but a hydrated kid is an alert and healthy kid.
The only thing we really had to deal with was a MRSA scare which involved D drawing a circle around a red area on her leg, taking a picture of it and sending it to us, then drawing another circle around the area the next morning and sending another picture to us, which then prompted a trip to the doctor. MRSA can get out of hand quickly so knowledge about that is important too.
Any fever should bring questions about headache and neck pain (ask them to touch their ear to their shoulder to see if it hurts.) A trip to the health center is called for if there is neck pain, sensitivity to light, severe headache.
Knowledge is part of the first aid kit! Hopefully they have all had classes on how to help someone who is black out drunk and when to call for help. Our schools started that in 6th grade.
I tell my kids the only real lesson you need to learn in high school is how to ask for help and the only lesson you need to learn in college is how to ask for what you want - and they both apply to their health and well being.
Congrats @dfbdfb! Awesome news on the Grand MAC! Maybe you WILL be able to retire! Just 3 more, right?
@GrandMAC, yep, three more. I just did the math, and when the youngest graduates high school I’ll be in my mid-50s, so if they all go big-MAC like their older sister, there’s hope, however faint…
While it’s not absolutely necessary, you may want to consider filling out Power of Attorney paperwork for those whose seniors will be turning 18 in the coming months.
A friend suggested it to me. Without it, you may not be able to have access to their health status if they are hospitalized because they are over 18. The HIPAA waivers are also good to have signed too.
Just something you may want to have a discussion about.
@dfbdfb, Congrats. Sounds like you got fires and a shake with that BigMac. Well done…
Congratulations @dfbdfb on big MAC! <:-P <:-P <:-P
How many time zones away is that? 
So I talked to D17 on the phone, and after giving some advice on what medicines to take (now we’ve got two subthreads covered!), told her the MAC news.
There were tears, but happy tears, as I fully expected.
(And @payn4ward, it’s a four-hour time difference. Five hours if a proposal to make our time zones more rational gets a hearing in next year’s legislative session.)
I take Sudafed 12 hour when I go on air travel. And Advil. Other Sudafeds do not work as well.
Once I got Sudafed 24 hrs and it did not work as well as 12 hr, maybe because it was extended release…
Wow @dfbdfb family coming up with the special sauce recipe for the Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Scholarship! So happy DD has this amazing opportunity at her top school. Well done!!! Yay!!! =D> =D>
On medicine: I would add Ricola cough drops for cough.
Oh my, Binder of Adulting. and wow, Google drive for that!
Once RightCoaster get started with the Common Status software start-up, he can develop all kinds of app.
App for College FirstAid kit - with expiration dates, refill request alarms.
App for Adulting - what went in there? MoD gets royalties :))
We spent 24 hrs in Boston to attend NEU Honors welcome day on Sunday. And spent 14 hrs traveling and waiting in airports. How long till we can jut beam ourselves up or jetpack anywhere? :-/
There were 1500 people. They set up chairs in Cabot cage gym. About 26 rows of 60 chairs. I counted. And the cage was FULL. 
This reminded me DS’s middle school awards ceremony when they handed out 80+ awards (Honors, High Honors, Dean’s List) to the class of 120 kids. =D> Maybe every one gets Honors at NEU, I don’t know.
In any case most kids came with both parents plus some siblings so I think about 500 students attended Honors day.
They set up round tables and chairs for parents/family luncheon in the same cage, serving salmon and chicken and chocolate desserts. ~O) I was SOLD :))
The students ate at the International Village dining room. DS stuffed himself with burgers. 
DS’s Verdict: The french fries were decent.
It is a high compliment coming from DS17. :-bd
So no decision yet, but NEU stays in the list.
Oh, the weather was alright. We did not get snowed nor rained. There were piles of dirty snow everywhere but that was okay. Just had to miss out on 80 degree weekends back home :))
@payn4ward sounds like a pretty good visit at NEU! Great news.
Shockingly, not every kid got into NEU honors and even more shocking is that there are kids that are considering accepting admission despite having to pay the outrageous $70k sticker price.
Welcome back from Boston @payn4ward. At least I arranged the nice weather to last for your return, right? D visited NEU and liked it, but it was a bit too reachy and not a great fit (imo) so it came off the list. But now it’s on S18’s list, so I’m paying attention again. I’ll let him know the french fries are decent!
@dfbdfb Congratulations on the big MAC! I’m glad your daughter is crying happy tears!
@veehee and @stlarenas This a.m. I uploaded D17’s health care poa, hipaa release, and financial poa to Google Drive and shared the folder w/ DH and D17! Great suggestions, you two.
@texasmissy Thanks for the info on Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money.