you’re not that behind yet. Mine starts classes 9/30
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It’ll be interesting to see how your academic calendar works in the spring. I did grad school at Pitt. Started kind of early. They were also stingy with breaks. Meaning they ended WEEKS ahead of other schools. The major upside was early dibs on lower level summer jobs and several more weeks of paychecks.
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We get to see D24 next Friday because she unexpectedly got off the waiting list for a parking spot on campus. This means we are going to honor our promise to her and bring her our old Camry. We’re less than two hours away, so it isn’t an odyssey or an overnight. I’m excited that we get to spend a few hours with her, and I know she’ll be happy to have a car.
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We just started packing. Move in next week.
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He was a little nervous and they took the phones of all the students, but I’m sure it’s going well. They’re hiking and camping in a beautiful area of Yosemite.
Me, on the other hand, got quite sad. But we see him again on Monday to move him into his dorm. (They couldn’t move in before the trip.)
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Yes, it’s the quarter system, so he doesn’t get out for the summer until mid-June. I understand they have a lot of opportunities for jobs and research for the summer…I hope that pans out!
S24 covered 25 miles of the Appalachian Trail (bear bags and all 
) and had the best time. It was a new and great experience.
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They do! My D21 has had research positions on campus for 2 summers. They seem plentiful to me.
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Was this for a pre-orientation trip? So cool. Where is he at school?
During orientation, between move in and the start of classes.
Have received proof of life from The Child. We get a phone call some time tomorrow. Yay! Am irritated w/The Husband today because he has yet to book his plane ticket to go see her the weekend of 10/5-10/6 and he told The Child that he’d be coming. So hurry up and DO IT! AAAAHHH! Drives me bananas.
D24, like her sister, continues to find creative ways to call me old. This time, involving Instagram reels. 
According to word on the street on the Facebook parents group, COVID is going around campus. GREAT! Nothing I can do about it, though.
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My favorite memory of bear bags was of a group of kamikaze bears in New Mexico that would climb above the bear bags and drop down on top of them, ripping them open on the way down.
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Luckily they did not run into any bears. It sounded like the quality of their hangs was dubious at best!
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A couple fun/positive updates:
He had a big history exam on Friday and he texted us that he got an 88!! He was so excited- it is a tough class and he has been going to tutoring for it!
The second fun thing is we were watching his school’s football game last night on ESPN and we totally saw him on TV 
It was hilarious I started screaming “OMG it’s totally him”. We reversed the tv and re-watched it and sure enough, it was him! That was super fun.
We fly down next weekend for his fraternity’s parent’s weekend and I cannot wait to see him in person.
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Status updates from D24:
- she went to the 1st home football game last night. Said it was fun. Their team lost horribly. She has no idea what college the other team was from.
- said, “There were some parties after, we (her & friends) went to a couple.” I didn’t ask for details.
- is “talking to some people this week about getting a job on campus.”
- went to chemistry tutoring
- really likes the sci fi english class. Said they’re going to start reading “Starship Troopers” this week.
- called D26, who put our 2 cats on Facetime.
- sounds happy.
- Roommate’s mom visited yesterday. So far, in the 3 weekends after move-in, Roommate has spent time with 1 or both parents every weekend. Am dying to know what D24 thinks of this but don’t have the nerve to ask her about it yet.
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Thought I would reply and add a little “west coast” flavor. From the timing of a quarter based school. I continue to enjoy reading the updates and realize we are tracking a month behind everyone else. Thanks!
After flirting with a few out-of-state options and in state UC’s, my son ended up at a Cal State. At some point he had announced, of which he may have accepted 1 or 2:grimacing:, that he was a Tritan, Aggie, Boilermaker, etc. I truly did believe he was set on Purdue after a memorable campus visit. But, he just wasn’t ready to leave CA and his heart has been wrapped in his final selection ever since he has been toddler.
After gathering what is hoped to be the right amount of dorm room essentials, not too much and not too little, my wife and son headed south today. A 5+ hour drive from home they just got to town. Monday will be spent connecting with his aunt that is local, a Costco run for a few food items and enjoying the area. Tuesday is move-in day. Wednesday evening starts a campus and community orientation period and the first day of class is next Monday. Yes, fall term classes start Monday the 23rd. Just wow.
Freshman observations:
- “Wow, my life can all fit in the bed of a Toyota Tacoma. That’s kind of sad.”
- “Driving over 5-hours is not easy. I guess you guys were right, I won’t be coming home except for breaks.”
I am very much looking forward to our sons next steps. Having gone to an all boys high school there was a fair amount of structure. From his academic schedule/progression, sports and EC activities much of his day-to-day routine was decided for him. These next few years will be ones he will need to maintain and grow. In hindsight, it may have been best that he did not try to also take on going out-of-state. Not yet.
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So S24 made travel club team #2! Much more intense process this time: open tryouts, three rounds of closed tryouts, and then an all-day tournament with other area college teams evaluating new players. So he is super excited.
He is also excited about the social aspects, and in fact apparently a couple friends he had already made also got onto the team. Very cool.
Classes? What classes? We didn’t ask this time, but hopefully he can in fact balance all this.
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That’s how we felt when D23 made the dance team and went Greek first semester, first year.
It all worked out. I think athletes already have a leg up with working busy schedules, and don’t discount the support system your son is creating.
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So, S24 had his first disappointment of college after getting cut from a club sport after many (many) rounds of tryouts. He is “bummed” about it but not devastated and may, in fact, play for the club “B” team once he is over it. Unfortunately, he has been sick off and on since school started (and reports many other kids have been as well) which has been tough. Otherwise I think things are going OK - he seems to like it and enjoys his classes.
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