Most kids already have the “A” vaccine. College kids living in congregate settings (dorms) are at higher risk of contracting Meningitis. The “B” vaccine is newer and protects against a different subtype. The overall chance of contracting Meningitis “B” is not huge, but it is potentially a very dangerous disease which proceeds rapidly. 1 in 10 die. Also, 2 doses are more protective so ideally get this scheduled now.
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After thinking ours was ok we are now getting emails from some of the schools that FAFSA sent them something incorrect and it will take them awhile to reprocess. Argh!
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D24 just found a roommate! I am so glad because she is in an especially small cohort program that has its own dorm (120 kids total in the program so maybe 70 girls in the group).
Everything is moving so quickly now.
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Please make sure they are fully vaccinated for both. We just almost lost our 15 year old friend to meningitis B- the scariest thing. Still trying to figure out how/where he was exposed- likely from athletic team. But so scary how quickly he got sick and how in less than 4 hours went from headache and vomiting to being rushed to ICU near death.
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S24 is headed to Auburn and I assumed he would need Meningitis B but nope, they require a PPD (TB test) within 6 months of the first day of classes, and proof of measles vaccine. Every school is different.
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Totally agree.
I agree. Regardless of requirements, teens should get the MenA and MenB series of vaccines.
Back when I was in high school, a healthy football player in my school died with no warning from meningococcemia. The tragedy shook our school and community. A close classmate was also sickened and nearly died. She missed a full year of school. The onset is VERY fast and it’s easy to mistake for other illnesses. It’s not common, but it’s not rare enough to take the risk of passing up the vaccine.
Here’s a link to a post I made last year about the vaccines:
Also, as far as I know, both Men B vaccines are 2-dose. Bexsero doses are separated by 1 month, while Trumenba doses are 6 months apart. Menactra is the ACWY serogroups and used to be 2 doses, but can now be done in one.
There are ABCWY serogroups, and the ACWY shot(s) plus the B shot(s) will give full coverage. I really wish there was better info communicated to parents about the B shot. Hardly any kids get it 
(~30% for Men B vs ~90% for Men ACWY).
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I got my S23 the meningitis B shot last year because of your post. I had to wrangle with his pediatrician a little bit about it, because I guess she didn’t think it was standard but they did go ahead and give it to him. I just called about getting it for my S24, and they acted like, of course he would be getting it at his physical in May. I’ll follow up the at the appointment make sure it happens though!
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And I’ve seen some regional public universities try to grow in UG student count, which in turn hurts the more local public universities.
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I just checked D24’s shot record and her school requirements. MMR and Men A is required, Men B is recommended. She had the Men B shots as a sophomore and junior so she is all set.
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Same here. Thank goodness.
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So off campus as well? I can see how there are problems brewing for some neighborhoods. Ours is on campus only, outside only, and not during class (we hold lots of classes outside in nice weather).
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D24 was super annoyed with me yesterday evening because I made her read the course descriptions for the First Year Seminar classes that she’ll need to pick from at the end of May. Every student signs up for 1 of these to take their fall semester of 1st year at the school. Whoever your professor is for that FYS class is who your faculty advisor will be throughout your time at the school.
But what was interesting was that D24 said a few times, “Nope, I don’t want to take that one. It sounds too political” or “that one sounds too left wing.” She’s very middle of the road in terms of politics and wants to connect w/people NOT on a political/issues basis. I kind of hope she ends up in either the “Finding the Good Life” class, taught by a philosophy professor or “In Pursuit of Happiness,” taught by a psychology professor, or “YOU ARE BEING PLAYED: The Science of Behavior Change & Manipulation,” taught by an econ professor. But I think that the “AI in Film & Television” class might be an option she likes, too.
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we had a local 18 year old die playing the game. trying to “shoot” his friend as he was driving away and ended up jumping on the truck to try to shoot through a window, fell and died when he hit the pavement…
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I work in higher ed - it’s not just students and families who are in limbo. It is an unmitigated disaster for a large number of colleges and universities, too.
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Do you recommend any of his books in particular?
I have not read his books. I have watched/listened to him speak 3 times though. If you go to his website you can find at least one of his talks on-line. He basically gives a roadmap for how to best handle transitions. I wish I had heard of this when my kids were entering high school, because it would have worked well for that transition, too.
Has anyone on here read any of his books? I’d love a recommendation!
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We’re having the same discussion at home. Is it OK to follow someone on the IG if they’ve never met? Normally the answer in our family is “no.”
We generally apply that to “who can follow back,” since they follow plenty of interest accounts like fashion and art for example, but there is no need for those accounts to follow them back.
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I’d say its pretty common for kids to follow future class mates and allow them to follow back at this stage. I know that D24 has at least 100 new follows and followers on instagram just from the “college” class of 2024 instagram page. I have no idea if she’ll ever meet all of these people, but it already makes her feel part of the community. And she is not a big social media kid!
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