Yikes! She is working through it and I am sure something will work out, but it sounds very stressful.
I found out my S24’s issue was they changed the lab schedule for Orgo and changing his schedule that way would both require him to not take Macroeconomics (which he needs for the Econ minor he is currently trying to do) and also would make it much harder to do his club sports. So we discussed a bit the whole concept of slowing down anyway and just planning to do a glide/gap year if in fact it turns out he wants to apply to mde school, and I think he might be starting to see the wisdom in that.
Meanwhile he is still scrambling to find new summer plans, and I briefly looked into whether he could do an EMT course. He could, but then I started reading about what it is actually like to work as an EMT in a major city. And, uh, I am not so sure that I would encourage that frivolously.
He is otherwise late to be looking for various things, but some of his friend’s parents are pretty connected, and we know some people. Not the most meritocratic sentiment, and I really wish he would stop using the term “nepo baby” in these conversations. But it is April, and he will be home in less than three weeks now, so . . . .
Same. We (the royal we) encourage our kids/other students to network with alum, profs, blah blah…but why would we not also encourage them to network with their parents’ friends and/or business acquaintances, neighbors, other parents, etc. Seems inconsistent.
D24 wanted to be home for the summer but attends a school a thousand miles away.
She asked a couple of her professors if they had contacts in our area. Turns out, one professor had been a doctoral advisor to someone who is now conducting research at a local institution. A gracious introduction was made, an interview followed, and now D24 will be working at the local lab.
Perhaps your son similarly could reach out to his professors to see if they have any leads / contacts near your home?
Randomly, one of his best college friends is dating someone whose father is a Head of Department in one of our big local hospitals (I think I got that right), and she has already asked on his behalf. It can be a very small world sometimes.
I had a long absence keeping up on this thread, soaking in the last months of living abroad and having a senior. I need to go back and read all I’ve missed which I will.
Did want to quick pop-in and share some thoughts that spoke to me today from my DS’s meeting with premed advising. My gut has always gone against predominant attitude on the “game” of it all, and it was nice to be validated that I’m not alone even if in minority.
Sentiment was ignore the med school Reddit’s, take the risks, challenge yourself because it why you came here. Said when I sit on grad school admissions there really is such a thing as “too perfect”. He said he looks at them and wonders have they ever been challenged…I know you can win, but can you lose. Do you know how to fall, pick yourself up, and recover? Builds character, resilience, humans are fallible and I want to know you can make mistakes and push on.
Hopefully no B’s coming in orgo and physio finals, but still nice to get that feedback that it isn’t healthy to dwell on grades and perfection isn’t the goal.
He had the most amazing spring break shadowing at UChicago hospital, got to explore lots of departments. Solidified not interested in hospital administration side he was considering, definitely clinical, loved being in ER the most and also anesthesiology.
We visited D24 this past weekend, as a chance to see her and also bring some of her belongings home before move out in a few weeks.
It was a good visit. D24 does seem a bit worn out…mostly from a very hard year academically, but also as a natural introvert, I think the now seemingly constant socializing that comes with being in the sorority is both a blessing and a curse. I think she is glad to have options of things to do, but she also seems like she is looking forward to having a lower-key social life at home this summer. As someone whose social battery discharges very quickly in group settings, I completely get it.
As far as the academics, she is holding her own, but doesn’t seem to enjoy the classes much. I have encouraged her to think about other majors in the hopes that she will find a passion, but she is resistant. My H thinks that once the coursework gets to be more applied she may enjoy it more. I guess we’ll see. Next semester is lining up to be the most challenging yet. I feel like that will be the make or break her choice of major one.
Her roommate joined us out for dinner Saturday night, and it was the first time we’ve really gotten to meet with her (aside from an awkward 5 minutes on move-in day). She is very sweet, and she and D24 are definitely a good match. D24 is often very quiet around us, doesn’t share much, but having roommate there seemed to get her talking and listening to their stories, I felt like it was the best window into how the year has gone. Unfortunately, they will not be living together next year (roommate needs to stay on campus due to FA requirements), my D24 will be living with 2 girls from the sorority off-campus. I hope it is as good of a match as these two have been.
D24 talked a bit about her boyfriend - we did not meet him as he was home for Easter. She did ask for us to pick her up for move-out a day later than we had planned, as they are planning some fun activity for after exams.
Anyway, I guess with just over two weeks to go, it is safe to say she made it through year one
D24’s fall schedule drama has now officially completed. She met w/a bio professor today to ask to be added to a Genetics class. That professor told her she’d already been added to the 1st semester O Chem class. Sounds like the chemistry dept just forgot to include her in the email about it. O Chem now shows up on her fall schedule and she’s in the lab at the time slot she needed. The only down side of it is that she won’t be able to take the 0.25 credit ‘intro to health professions’ class, which overlaps on Wednesday afternoons when her O Chem lab is happening. Oh well, getting into O Chem was more important! She’s glad that it all worked out.
D24 also said that there’s a ton of tours on campus today. They’re probably doing one of their admitted student events like the one we went to a year ago. She said it makes it feel a bit like you’re an animal at the zoo.
D24 has found a CNA (certified nursing assistant) course to take early this summer and it’s only 3 weeks long, so she’ll be able to get state-certified quickly and then should be able to easily land a job working full time the rest of the summer. AND it’ll all count toward the ‘patient care experience hours’ she’ll need later on to apply for grad school.
However, it doesn’t appear (based on what I’ve been able to tell) that our state’s CNA certification is transferrable to TX. So working part time like 1 shift a week during the school year in TX isn’t going to happen. That’s ok though.
She’s going to finally go to the “CSOC” office tomorrow to get help in finding a PA job shadowing opportunity for next Jan Term. CSOC = Career Study Off Campus. She should have gone and done this weeks ago, but this is one of those lessons where she just has to learn the hard way.
Are you sure? When I’m looking, I see CNA reciprocity between the states once certified, including Texas. My son had to do same thing for EMT to work in college.
Adding, it may be an additional exam too, not sure for CNA so check that. For EMT he had to take state first and then once passed took national exam.
Pre-registration starts today for S24 and still much in the air. He wants to take an extra class, plus applied to be a TA and I am really trying to discourage it. Guess that he has to make the decision and can always drop a class.
The bigger issue here this week is both he and S21 are still not employed for the summer. I know it will work out but wow is this stressful!
It looks like S24 might be able to do some shadowing in a local hospital this summer, which I think would actually be great. Not that he needs to decide this summer, but I think the more he really learns about the actual life of health professionals, the better.
It would be great if someone shadowed medical patients who receive confusing medical bills and have to fight with their insurance companies over denied claims.
If someone could crack that code, it would be amazing.
Quick update. D24 is finishing her last week of classes then on to exams! She’ll have a week between her last exam and when she begins her CNA class back home. She just signed up for classes next fall and is trying to complete all the necessary lower level classes to apply for the upper level nursing program (she’s a direct admit as long as she keeps her grades up but still has to officially apply) and complete all the classes she needs for the honors college. Right now she’s signed up for 18 hours but will likely drop to 15 hours in the next week.
D20 has been trying to figure out life after graduating. Originally she was planning on becoming a PA but has been questioning that decision since she also wants to live abroad and PA is really a U.S. thing. So she is exploring the possibility of nursing. She graduated in China and has diplomas from the university in China and here in the U.S. That has caused her lots of headaches when she has looked at ABSN programs but she’s been taking classes needed for them this past year and working retail jobs and just got her CNA certification. She’ll be starting a full-time job at the hospital next month. So as of right now, I’m looking at having 2 nurses in the family.
Both S24s are deep in finals / final projects. Seems to be going OK! My S24 in engineering school did not get that from me. He still needs a job for this summer, but he finishes earlier than many kids do around here so hopefully he can find something after he flies home. I want him focused on exams right now. In happy news, as some of you know, we’re touring colleges with D26 this week. A visit list that I created (!!) because she’d been inexplicably dragging her heels (she’s an outgoing top student who loves school–I thought she’d be psyched about the college exploration journey). Well, all it took to turn things around was a school she really didn’t vibe with at all! Mom!!! WHY did you pick THIS?! We’re off to the races…whew.
I am absolutely blown away this year is nearly over, it feels like minutes ago we were deliberating decisions!
Today S24 is hosting a former classmate and her mom at his PPE class during admit day. Ironically girl that took over organization he ran, so fun they may end up in same place.
It’s been such a great year, hopefully ends strong with finals. Fingers crossed! Got some great news that he got VP of a club for his major next year. He also got his full driving training done and will work first shift as Driver/Lead EMT on Friday. He’s made a big impression there as a freshman I guess. I admittedly get a little feisty at times with amount of hours he’s putting in, he’s doing three to four 12-hour shifts a month. He has to work nights to be on trajectory for leadership. He’s hoping to apply for supervisor next spring which will then be paid too. The day shifts rarely see a call and they just study together. It’s become a really nice community for him and helpful on getting all the intel and tips from upperclassman.
Last good news that he got into the new super nice dorm which is top pick in housing lottery due to a position he has on campus. Kind of like themed housing that takes up a floor. He’ll be in a suite with four singles in it. Sophomores get worst housing there so it was a score. Most of his friends are in the dreaded dorm, but apparently there is a lot of lore from bad dorm and they become a tight community. Someone found out this dorm has had a ton of marriages over the years and did an article on it haha.
O Chem now shows up on her fall schedule and she’s in the lab at the time slot she needed. The only down side of it is that she won’t be able to take the 0.25 credit ‘intro to health professions’ class, which overlaps on Wednesday afternoons when her O Chem lab is happening. Oh well, getting into O Chem was more important! She’s glad that it all worked out.
n the eyes of D24
He still needs a job for this summer, but he finishes earlier than many kids do around here so hopefully he can find something after he flies home. I want him focused on exams right now. In happy news, as some of you know, we’re touring colleges with D26 this week. A visit list that I created (!!) because she’d been inexplicably dragging her heels (she’s an outgoing top student who loves school–I thought she’d be psyched about the college exploration journey). Well, all it took to turn things around was a school she really didn’t vibe with at all! 
Mom!!! WHY did you pick THIS?! We’re off to the races…whew.