Love NYC!
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Have to say how happy I am that S24 does not have to do a room mate match or anything like it. His school does it the old fashioned way, they fill out a survey and get matched by the school. So much pressure these kids dont need (his biggest issue is hoping for a single, otherwise it will be what it will be!)
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Well, trying to catch them in the right mood is always the key. I am hoping for this week. Classes ended yesterday and graduation is Sunday. When they were in middle school, a group of them would visit the elementary school in the last week of classes (6th and 7th; Covid prevented that for 8th and 9th and they never returned to it ā¦ I am hoping opening this might spark a visit).
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Just paid for first semester. I guess it is really happening now. Still in disbelief my first born will be going to college.
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My kid is going random as well, she had a few connections on an app but didnāt feel like pursuing them as roommates. They pick their rooms sometime in July so there will be a lot of time to coordinate and get to know each other before move in in Sept.
My older kid has great luck finding roommates on the collegeās message board and 3/4 of them will room together again next year.
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@sbinaz Friendly reminder that you are talking about the place where many of us make our home.
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We just got back from a short trip in NYC to celebrate S24ās graduation. We learnt that if you going to buy water, buy it from one of those food trucks. Of course, the prices vary depending on the locations.
Near the United Nation HQ, water was less than two bucks, but near touristy areas (Central Park, Wall Street, Time Squareā¦ etc) the price would be four to five bucks. Near where we stayed, it was close to the Carnegie Hall, it was about 2 bucks.
And yes most the subway stations were very convenient, if you donāt mind how they are dirty and smelly. We used it a lot to get to everywhere.
Not to mention the ālandminesā we frequently encountered on the streets. from pets or people? I donāt knowā¦
Nobody goes to NYC anymore, it is too crowded . . . .
My S24 also decided NYC was a no-go for him (and to be fair, he really does not like jostling through crowds), but of course I know lots of people who could not imagine living anywhere else. Personally, I briefly tried to pitch the idea that college is a great opportunity to try out living in a place which would otherwise be very expensive to try out, on your parentsā dime in fact, but again my S24 was not having it.
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My colleague who lives there says itās not the same - and he said numerous people have gotten punched or randomly assaulted, not just the celebrities youāve read about.
My sister was just there and loved it but noted itās dirty and smelly, inside the subway and out. Her husband had never been and thought it was fantastic.
I think - like itās always been - NYC is an acquired taste. I never liked it. My college gf, on the other hand, always loved it and thatās why we broke up - and she lived there for 20 years or so until moving to the Island to raise her son.
I hope everyone who goes has a wonderful time.
I find it in poor taste to use this thread to disparage a place where any posters live and/or love. It does not add to the conversation on this thread in any meaningful way.
I have plenty of thoughts about many places in this country that I would never care to live or visit, but respectfully, I keep those to myself. If someone really felt the need to report on their impressions of a place, a simple āItās not for meā would suffice!
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Itās just one personās opinion and an opinion of a 17 yr old at that.
Heck, I live in AZ and many people think all of us Arizonans are nuts for living in the hot desert. 
The US is a really big place and thereās something available for everybody.
Iāll be quiet now.
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Whatās wrong with hearing someoneās experiences and feelings? Sometimes the truth may hurt, or conflict with the experiences of others, but IMO, I like to hear it all.
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S21 (huge planner, very organized and structured) goes to an LAC in the Northeast. He filled out the roommate form and surprisingly the school did a not so good job at matching a roommate. We thought that since the college is small they would do a good job. He was paired with a recruited athlete (S21 is not an athlete) who had very different hours and a very different curriculum. Some things were out of his control, like the roommateās family showing up early on moving day to build an illegal structure inside the dorm room with no notice. The structure was eventually taken down but this start did not make any of us feel easy while dropping off our first born.
It ended well as the roommate moved out in 2 months with another athlete when a vacancy was available and S21 got the whole suite to himself. I think it was a good life lesson for S21 and all of us, in hindsight. My S21 loves the LAC and is thriving there.
S24 does not plan ahead beyond an hour and lives with a āLets see what happens next; It will be an adventureā. He is using the same approach with finding a roommate. This approach causes me a lot of stress but I will have to let him learn. He is going to a large college where there is a FB group in place for finding roommates. That is too much structure for him.
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Thereās an adage that covers it. Something most of us were probably taught as children.
Perhaps if this was a thread on the topic of āfavorite/least favorite placesā, it would make sense, but it isnāt.
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I agree with you. And also think that should include disparaging all states, not just the ones that the majority of posters like. It does seem like thereās a bit of a double standard.
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S24 told me last night he is going random. He has some concerns about inconsistent noise and cleanliness standards, but he said he just couldnāt be bothered to do the social media thing. I told him my two cents is going in with no expectations can sometimes be helpful, and often you end up meeting more new people through a random roommate than you might through one you already know has common interests.
And then we also talked about all sorts of other things he needed to be doing, like signing up for a couple placement exams, making sure he was following procedures for getting credit for APs and the college courses he took, and so on. I basically had to explain to him that the college has stopped CCing us on every email, so if he wants help with anything he needs to tell us!
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S24ās school does survey and super late pairings. Beginning to wonder if thatās by design as my good friend told me her sonās future roommateās mom reached out to him with a request to change dorms. I am sure giving more time invites all this switcheroo.
I am letting him decide, but I think he is contemplating quiet floor and sub-free housing. Is the sub-free housing common these days? Heās very social but in a spikeball, intramural sports, go out to dinner and play cards way. Super early riser and allegedly a lot of pre-meds choose it. I read last year had a great social vibe and encouraged him to lead that effort if he does indeed choose this route.
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S21 has always picked the Sub free housing and loves it. If your son is an early riser that is certainly the way to go as there would be less late night partying there.
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Going through this at our house, too. Iām trying to tactfully remind D24 to keep an eye on deadlines and such. Ultimately, she has to sink or swim on her own. And she doesnāt like my ānagging.ā
Mt. Holyoke also does random roommates based on a survey. Surprisingly, that is the one thing my child has done. I like the random system. Both of my boys did it by choice and while they didnāt wind up with life-long friends, they did meet a lot of different people that way.
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It definitely came up on several tours. I was pretty persuaded by the one guide who said they tried it and liked it because of just the different, not lessor, social vibe. Not that everyone has to care but I think it makes sense if you want to use it in that way (kinda reminds me of the people who donāt keep kosher but always order the kosher meal on flights on the theory it is usually better quality as well).
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