DD’s classes are M-W-F or Tu-Th. Four days a week would make it hard to fit other things around it.
I do feel fortunate that we were able to personally view DD’s actual room. My next task is to read reviews on mattress toppers. DD is mostly a can-sleep-anywhere kid but seeing that plastic covered mattress made me think she will want something extra between her and it. We looked at some at Walmart but I don’t know how thick to go.
This is a big week for DD, with the 4th of July event planning at her Chamber of Commerce job! I hope it all goes over well and she doesn’t get too stressed out.
@bjscheel - My D16 now lives off campus, but for her first two years she lived in the dorms and had two mattress toppers on the bed. She bought both of them at Bed Bath & Beyond, but I don’t remember which ones they were. All I know is that one was not enough and after fall break she took back another one. She still claims that after she added the second topper her dorm bed was the most comfortable bed she has ever slept in.
@5050100 Thanks…I bet two 2" toppers would be comfy! I am looking at BBB now and see some with good reviews that aren’t super expensive (Authentic Comfort). However, I am thinking of sticking with no more than 2" because her bed is somewhat raised and she is short. In the room she was already demonstrating how she’d have to use a chair to get up into her bed!
@momtogkc My D19’s FL class is also 4 days a week = 4 credit hours. Not sure, but Calc may be 5 days a week…pretty sure it’s 5 credits, but D isn’t taking Calc in the fall.
D19’s schedule…she has no classes on Monday, and her earliest class is at 10:20am, and that one is only 1 day/wk. ? At least she knows herself. I remember my first semester in college. I got bad advice and had 8am classes every day, and a 9am tennis class, which was across campus and a change of clothes, and then back at 10am to the classroom side of campus. And I’m not a morning person. Maybe that’s why.
Thanks of mentioning that @momzilla2D -I just looked and the French class is 4 credits so I guess that’s better than nothing. It still makes it hard to plan a schedule when all other classes are MWF or TTh. As of right now she is taking a class that meets 3 hours just on Thursday nights which helps to give her little more wiggle room with the other classes. She took a photography class at the local college that met once a week and she liked that format so it might work for her.
It was Reception Day (R-day) at West Point. She had to report between 7-8am. I woke up at 3am and couldn’t go back to sleep because of my worry for D19.
The way it happens is they take about 50 new cadets at a time and their friends and family into the auditorium. After a brief talk by a Colonel, we are given 60 seconds to say good bye. I was doing ok until I saw D19 start tearing when she was getting her final hugs and goodbyes. She wiped away the tears quickly and got her stoic look before she got marched off. I hope the tears weren’t because she was scared. I hope they were because she’ll miss us during the next six weeks when we can’t have regular contact with her. It was gut wrenching seeing my baby girl wipe away the tears. Wasn’t it just yesterday I was changing her diapers and bathing her in the tub? I almost told her let’s go home. You don’t have to do this anymore. She told me in 8th grade she wants to go to West Point. She’ll get through these next 6 weeks and then the academic year starts 19 August.
We got to see her from a distance when the entire new class did their oath ceremony. Seeing her looking ok was relieving.
@ChicagoSportsFn - I thought of you yesterday when I heard on the radio that WP was welcoming their cadets. It sounds like she is living her dream - she will flourish and the 6 weeks will fly by. Sending you big hugs…
Hugs @ChicagoSportsFn. I can’t even imagine how draining yesterday was for you and your family. Will be thinking of you all over the next six weeks! Grateful for people like your daughter who choose to serve this country.
@ChicagoSportsFn Ugh, that must have been so hard! So proud of your D for sticking with it and can’t wait to hear what she thinks after the six week period is done! D19 has a friend who went to the Naval Academy. When the kids would ask him about it they said he looked excited and nervous at the same time. I told D she better send him a few letters in the next six weeks since he has no access to his family and friends. That reminds me, I will go buy a few cards today so she can start sending things this week.
Anyone else’s kids exhibiting anxiety about the move off to college, especially at a reach? D19 seems to be going through some imposter syndrome here coupled with significant anxiety. She will be seeing a counselor, but any thoughts from other parents welcome.
@ChicagoSportsFn - I got teary reading your words. Yes, even when we know it’s normal for them to be scared, the reality of them actually being scared and having to tough through it is gut wrenching at times on the parent side. Gone are the days where we could pretty easily make it all better.
Similarly @SJ2727 - for so many kids, the adjustment period at the start of college can be rough, and I tend to be one who would rather be realistic and assume it’s going to be hard than to be super optimistic (maybe she’ll have a pleasant surprise and the hard part is now, the anticipation). It sounds like it would be helpful to talk things through with a counselor, and to also know that many of her peers will be feeling anxious, lonely and unsure, maybe for many weeks. And it’s totally ok. Even if it lasts a while. If it ends up being difficult to get adjusted and settle into her new life, it is those very experiences that will help her grow as a person and gain a lot of life skills. There are so many unknowns at this point so it’s hard for her to imagine her day to day routine, who she will be having as friends etc. and that is unsettling. As far as academics go, the admissions counselors are very good at choosing students who can succeed and that part will be totally fine as long as she is taking care of her emotional needs. It will take her a little while to see that she can very much handle the academics.
My D17 has a good bit of anxiety and also goes to a college that is 15 hours away from home. She had a very challenging first semester (which means I did too), but she worked through it and things got a lot better in the spring. Now she is very glad she stayed and loves the education she is receiving. Plus. I’m super jealous of her upcoming fall schedule! She’s taking a playwriting course, Shakespeare and Gender, a romantic comedy film course, and class on feminist thought and politics.
S19 gets a little quiet when we talk about buying things to bring to school. When he talks about college in general (like looking forward to his orientation trip and the cool classes that are offered), he seems good. When we start getting more specific about which bedding to buy or which bag will fit his long board so we can check in on the plane, he gets less animated. He and his four best friends are all leaving home on the same day so I’m hoping they will be talking to each other about any anxiety. They are close and I think it’s going to help that they are all going to college a plane ride away from home. We gave him the Naked Roommate book and I noticed he’s been reading it. I know he’ll be a little scared. He’s never been away from home without a friend. I also know, though, that he’s prepared academically. The kids he knows from our high school who went to Bowdoin (or are still there) say they really did not struggle like some of their classmates freshman year and that our high school prepped them well. I also think being on the XC team will help him manage his time and make some friends. I know it won’t be all rainbows and unicorns and we will talk to him before he leaves about disappointment and about giving himself time to adjust. No school is perfect. I’m more worried about me here without him!
@ChicagoSportsFn a good friend of mine who lives around the corner sent her daughter to West Point last year. The goodbye was the worst part. The D is flourishing there and loving it. Had an amazing freshman year. It does seem scary but the admissions process is so intense and they only seem to accept those who can handle it. And your D is not alone! She’s with all of her classmates. It’s a long time to not talk to her but my friend said it got easier as the weeks went by and heading her D’s voice after six weeks was so reassuring!
@ChicagoSportsFn Hugs! A close friend of my daughter’s started at West Point yesterday too on R-day. My D’s friend is also a girl cadet candidate. We were thinking of them a lot yesterday. But yes, your D is strong and very determined, as well as my D’s friend. These girls will do amazing! It will be a tough 6 weeks for sure but they can do it. I would guess the 6 weeks will drag for the families more than it will for the cadets. Their days will be filled to the brim. She will have so much to tell you 6 weeks from now. Stay strong.
For those who know kids trying to get into full classes, see if the Coursicle app covers their College/University. It was recommended as being a very helpful way to get notified about openings in classes that are full. But it has to work with your specific school’s system.
Yep, last night a little breakdown from DD. Work was stressful, plans she had for a friend’s birthday are falling through, friend is particularly needy/clingy, DH got a little upset with her for making so many plans, she didn’t get to hang out with her boyfriend after the game, summer is slipping away fast. Then we were on to not wanting to leave friends, college is next month, she turns 18 next month, she doesn’t want to be 18, she likes 17, she’s going to miss her boyfriend and her cat so much. Spent an hour listening, commiserating, and gradually redirecting.
I’ll be glad when tomorrow’s 4th of July celebration is over and her job will be more relaxed- that should help. And I totally get her on the boyfriend thing. I went through the same thing 25 years ago moving to college…now he’s my DH.
Sorry your D is stressed @bjscheel - hope tomorrow is perfect for her then she can relax a bit!
Courscicle doesn’t work for us, we just have to keep checking on the portal throughout the day. It paid off though - D got into the Intro to the Music Business class that she wanted! Her schedule is much better than when she first started now. We are still keeping our eyes open to see if she could change the time for her English class - it’s not a huge deal but would help her schedule a bit. Also checking to see if she can get into the same freshman class that her roommate is taking - currently they are taking the same class but on different nights. It would be nice if they could at least be on the same night even if they can’t get in the same section. Again, not a big deal but I do check a few times a day when I get on my computer.
Does anyone remember how to check AP scores early? Last year on our thread someone told us how to do so through a different browser. It definitely worked but I didn’t write down what I did so I could do it again this year. I guess it really doesn’t matter because our state is released this Sunday, but of course, I am curious today.
