Great points, and I definitely second checking out resident life and student activities websites of your target colleges to get a feel for how lively campus is outside of classes.
For what it’s worth, Adelphi isn’t super far out on Long Island if you ask the locals. It’s in a suburban area, but very near at least one LIRR stop, getting you to Manhattan in well under an hour for a fun day trip. There’s a walkable strip with restaurants and such about a mile away, and one of the largest malls in the state is maybe 10 minutes by car/bus. Good beaches are around 20 mins away to the south (granted, not as exciting in winter as skiing). Agreed that a lot of students are local and don’t dorm on campus, but could be one to check out.
So true! My D23 got a 4.0 but has no friends and was on the verge of tears every tine she would talk about anything college social related over break. She was in a dorm situation that was not working for her and has moved now, so I’m hopeful it gets better. She is also applying to transfer but is shooting for the moon, so it’s not a sure thing.
I’ve learned that the outside does not always match the inside, so some of the kids that look fine, aren’t. It’s a huge transition and I agree that hyping the good old college days is harmful to some kids who are not going to have that experience and then just feel bad about it.
Man, saying goodbye this weekend was really hard. My kid also got a 4.0 and is doing great on the outside but has no friends at school yet. After spending a month hanging out with his amazing friends at home, he put on a brave face but admitted to me on his last day here that he didn’t want to go back.
After hearing transphobic stuff in the honors dorm lounge too many times, he gave up hanging out there. He’s not into the party scene at all. He feels like he’s the only one with no friends. I assured him there are other folks who feel the same way and that he’d find his people. He hypothesized that they’re all in their dorm rooms chatting with friends online just like he is (perhaps true).
He does like school for the academics. He said he might join some new clubs. We brainstormed which social circles he might click with. Some kids he’s friendly with will be in his classes. He said he’d be happy with just 1 or 2 friends. I think he’s finally ready to put himself out there a bit more. It’s just hard to watch as a parent. I’m proud that I kept it positive and didn’t cry in front of him! Here’s to a new semester with new opportunities.
This is my daughter. Although she met some girls she wants to be friends with right before break, and does have some superficial friends just not close ones. And she got two B+. In classes she took trying to figure out what to major in and decided she didn’t want to go that direction- so shooting for the moon (again) without the 4.0 .
Well, classes are canceled today at Alabama and there is SNOW.
The whole place has ground to a halt.
I think my kid broke out a hoodie.
He called the other night, bubbling with enthusiasm about his classes - another set of five with no “easy” ones. Two in philosophy, one poli sci, one Spanish, two Blount (4 credits total). He had really great things to say about all his professors but knows he will have to keep up with the reading to avoid a flameout. I’m so glad to see this awareness now, instead of in three months.
And! He has a paid internship for the summer! A state senator from our area - he volunteered with their campaign in 2022.
Now we just have to nail down off-campus housing for next year. It’s a bit more expensive in Tuscaloosa than it was for D19 in Morgantown WV. But the same REIT investor-corporate college housing behemoths run the big complexes, and I hate those outfits with the fire of a thousand suns.
San Antonio has ice! And apparently it’s the apocalypse.
I’m happy for all those kids who are doing well, and I’m sorry for those who are struggling. I hated my first year of college and only didn’t transfer because my grades sucked and I was lazy. In the end, I’m glad I stayed and wound up quite happy.
D23 is having a great time at school but her grades are pretty meh. She’s passing everything but got 2 A’s and 2 C’s for her first semester. Not terrible i guess, but not the stellar student that she has always been. But, she likes her school, suite mates (one was moved in November and a new one moved in which was great), and loves Texas.
Snow at Mississippi State as well, but they just moved everything online for Tuesday (and, just announced, Wednesday) rather than canceling the first two days of the semester. The primary reason given seems to be the cold rather than the snow, though—the physical plant can’t keep up.
At the University of North Texas (also very cold with a bit of snow) they didn’t cancel classes for today (also the first day of the semester), but some faculty have canceled on their own initiative.
Most white-collar jobs, if the commute stands a good chance of getting you into a wreck, you can shift your responsibilities for the day.
(Canceling a university class is pretty much never an actual full cancellation—if the first day was going to be syllabus review, then you assign reading the syllabus in place of the class.)
Just being a wise a$$. But it is nice. Not just weather. Even when I was in school you’d get profs cancel. At least today there’s email to let you know Vs waiting in the room and getting ghosted.
If your 2023 did a senior project in high school what did they do? S24 having a hard time coming up with something he is willing to do for 30 hours a week “for free” instead of school.
My daughter volunteered at our hospital for 4 hours every Sunday morning. She worked at the front desk, helped discharge new babies:), and served as the extra person when nurses needed an extra body in the room. A few times she even played patient for some med school students. She also decided she never wanted to work in health care!
Her senior project was service oriented, I know not all of them are.
They finally did away with the senior project in our district after many, many years of angst from senior students. My daughter wasn’t so lucky, but she taught some percussion classes to middle school band students and tracked their improvement.
Could they work in groups?
Intern with local employer.
Make something for community / landscape/ beautification.
Work with animal shelter.
Tutor little kids.
Good luck to her!!! I feel like if they do not get their moon shots, they will be at peace where they are. I told my DD to go back assuming she would not get in elsewhere and keep trying to love it. So far, she seems happier (she ended up getting a single in the move and I think that gives her the space she needs).
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