D26 just lined up a summer internship/job. She is pretty excited about it all. (She has never worked before!)
It is a small startup tech company that her brother works at- so that will be an interesting experience for both of them!
He said he was only okay with her applying because he doesn’t work with that group!!
She just has to decide if she wants to work full time or part time. She is struggling with that decision.
I am hoping that she picks full time- but I can understand it being her last Summer before college that she may want to take it easy!?
I guess its a good problem to have!!!
I wouldn’t use the roommate situation as a reason to decline the dream school if that’s what she wants. It’s still so early.
D26 was asked by someone to be their roommate, and then the person backed out cuz she had a bad food allergy and felt safer in a single. D26 found another roommate in short order, no hard feelings with the first kid.
Up thread some of y’all were talking about the “new college wardrobe”
D26 is going through this also.
I think she is trying to find her style and possible a re-invention of who she presents herself to be.
We went shopping recently and found almost nothing. She is a hard fit- (she has the Olive Oyl from Popeye body type) plus there is nothing in these stores right now. And the stuff we did find was high priced for low quality stuff (I do not mind paying a pretty penny for high quality clothes that will last over time!)
Out of frustration- we decided to try Stitch Fix as a last-ditch effort -did not get the greatest reviews so did not have high hopes- but OMG.
She liked almost everything in the 1st box and most of it actually fit well (as in they seemed to actually look at the notes she put into the system). Keeping half of it and she is supper eager to order another box soon.
Just a random FYI for anyone who is in the same situation right now!!
Is UChicago lower on her list because the academic program isn’t exactly what she wants? Or is it more location/vibe of the school? It gave my D22 pause for undergrad because of the “where fun goes to die” stigma – and then she looked at the essays and was too done to even attempt them after all her other applications – but for grad school, I think it would be an amazing environment! Gorgeous campus, studious kids, and I just picture people sitting and discussing the meaning of life, but in a brainy way, LOL. And we love Chicago.
I feel you, though – mine is trying to make grad school decisions while also gearing up for exams and graduation – and this week is Beer Bike at Rice, so nothing is getting done, lol.
Congrats to your D26 on the job! I hope it’s a great experience. Mine has never worked before, either. I would be very surprised if she got off her duff and found a job for this summer, though.
Oh, and glad to hear Stitch Fix was spot on! I’ve heard that from others, too – but never before for a teenager. Good to know!
My kid’s style is largely described as “thrifted” LOL – her favorite pieces are baggy pink cargo pants, either black Chuck Taylors or pastel Air Jordans, and a graphic tee (she likes the boxy shorter cut from American Eagle), sometimes tucked in and paired with a belt – and a faded black denim jacket. Left to her own devices, this is what she’d choose to wear every day (she wears a uniform for school) – but she likes to experiment with various kinds of dresses, too.
She wants to stay in NY, basically. She liked the school when she visited and it’s apparently the #2 department in the field she got admitted in (I think Columbia is #1 so for both reasons that would be her top choice..if she gets in, she only sent the app in last week I think so don’t know how long she’ll have to wait to hear). I think her boyfriend is quite keen to spend some time in Chicago so maybe he can try persuade her, haha. Although the NYU program is in a slightly different field, I have to admit it’s kind of perfect for what she wants to do. So…I don’t know. And it’s not a neat decision day like it is for undergrad! Chicago has an end-April decision date but NYU has only given her two weeks from today! Crazy timelines. She declined CMU already, their due date was a couple of weeks ago and she already had the Chicago admit by then.
Ok, friends. We’ve made it halfway through the Big College Visit Trip. First college- Dickinson- was a nope, after the campus tour she leaned over and said “I don’t think I’m gonna go here”. Then on to Smith. One of our favorites for her- both DH and I think she’d love it and have a great experience there. After the admitted student tour she says “I just don’t feel it in my gut. I’m thinking it’s down to my top 2”. So this morning we have time to kill in the hotel, I suggest that she look at the biology programs of her top 2. She immediately says, “well, it’s back to top three because I had a dream last night about Smith and now it’s back in the mix.”
I’m gonna paste the AI overview below because it more or less covers it, LOL. It used to actually be beer back in the day, but now it’s strictly water. The partying all week leading up to the race, however, is NOT water.
Beer Bike at Rice University is a premier annual spring tradition since 1957, combining a bicycle relay race with a drinking competition between residential colleges. Teams of 10 riders and 10 chuggers compete in alumni, women’s, and men’s races, where chuggers consume beer or water before riders race a lap.
Key Aspects of Beer Bike:
The Race: Held at a track, each team consists of riders and “chuggers” (drinking either beer or water). It is a relay format where the next biker cannot start until their corresponding chugger finishes.
The Participants: All eleven residential colleges, the Graduate Student Association, and alumni teams compete for bragging rights
Festivities: The event includes a massive water balloon fight, a parade with creative floats, cheer battles, and, in the preceding week, “Hell Week” which features pranks and campus-wide events.
Atmosphere: Known as the biggest, most chaotic, and celebrated campus event, it fosters school spirit and community.
The event is largely organized by the Rice Program Council (RPC) and is deeply embedded in the undergraduate culture at Rice, often referred to as “the best day of the year.”
Oof, that is a tough decision. I totally get wanting to stay in NYC, though.
The timeline is rough. My D22 had one school with March 15 as the deadline to accept. She turned them down because it was just too early to make a decision.
However, April 15 is her final day to decide – among her remaining seven choices. I don’t know if she’s going to do the requisite research to choose properly in the next six days, but I also can’t exactly breathe down her neck about it.
Every 50-something woman I know has taken up either pickleball or mah jongg or both, LOL. Is this an Atlanta thing?
I’m not even a little athletic – I walk while listening to audio books, which is the extent of my skill – but I’m being given the hard sell on mah jongg by some friends. I haven’t ventured into it yet, though.
I started playing tennis during Covid but our doubles teams have morphed into mostly pickleball now. My husband never wanted to play tennis, but he has started pickleball as well. I prefer tennis, but..
S26 is totally paralyzed in the decision-making process, revisiting 2 schools in the next week or so. We’ve set the date of April 21st to try to make a decision. Happy Friday to all! It’ll be fine, right?!
Prom is a week from tomorrow, and I’m standing by and cringing as pre-prom picture/dinner plans/drama is in full swing. I will NOT miss this aspect of high school!
But on the up side, my kiddo has a fabulous unique gown that she’s really looking forward to wearing. She loves cosplay, this kid, so only something dramatic for senior prom would suffice.
Better to take his time and feel great about the decision. I will say our third visit to Pitt this week confirmed my son’s choice (which was a little surprising since Pitt has been #1 since last July!) I hope your visits do the same for your son.
If he’s down to two, flipping a coin and then seeing how you feel with the result is actually a really good way to gauge what your gut is saying!
When my older daughter got down to her final two, one made more sense on paper and was the more practical choice – but she really wanted to go to the other one. She followed her gut, and it was a good decision.
I live in Manhattan and Mah Jong is huge with 40+ y.o. women. I can’t tell you how many people I know play, have asked me to join groups, etc. A friend told me at her kid’s private school auction, playing Mah Jong with a socially prominent parent at her exclusive women’s club was one of the hottest items.
Meanwhile every time I hear the words Mah Jong, I think of this.
Pickleball is all the rage in our neck of the woods. It would drive me bananas to live next door to an outdoor pickleball court, though. We have a friend who loves playing it. Too much like tennis and I don’t care for tennis. If I had to choose, I’d go for mah jongg!
I don’t know if she’s going to do the requisite research to choose properly in the next six days, but I also can’t exactly breathe down her neck about it.
