<p>My D is a Comm major and a freshman who called today and said HS was harder than Tech. Really having second thoughts about being there because she isn’t challenged. Is the first semester always easiest?</p>
<p>CatiesMom, If your daughter feels her classes are too easy and she is not being challenged, perhaps she needs to reconsider being a communications major. Maybe another major would suit her better. Most kids at Virginia Tech certainly feel challenged, particularly those in majors like engineering , architecture and sciences. Virginia Tech is a great school and I would not let an offhand comment from your daughter this early into school throw you for a loop. Good luck to your daughter at Virginia Tech!</p>
<p>I think it is very common for the schools to take it easy on the kids the first semester - or even the first year. They know that for some it is a very hard adjustment. I have no experience with VTech but I wouldn’t throw in the towel yet.</p>
<p>If your D went to a really rigorous high school, this could definitely be true for a semester or two, especially if she is taking classes that she already had some exposure to in HS. My oldest experienced this. It does get harder.</p>
<p>It may be that when the first wave of exams rolls around, she may decide it’s not that easy after all.</p>
<p>Exactly as others are saying- neither you nor she should throw in the towel yet. Communications may or may not be the right major for her. Only time will tell. She may want to enjoy the classes being easy for her for now, while it lasts!</p>
<p>My sons (at different schools) found a significant difference between their 1st/2nd semesters and their 1st/2nd years. </p>
<p>As sevmom said - let her enjoy it while it lasts!!!</p>
<p>I’d probably put that in the “so what” category. I also think it is more likely to be the major rather than school. I also think that feeling “challenged” is likely highly overrated in the scheme of things.</p>
<p>I’m not a VT parent but a friend is. Her D started at Christopher Newport because, IIRC, her SATs were slightly under the levels required for VT. SHe found CN very easy and got excellent grades, and transferred to VT. I think she is more appropriately challenged there. She was originally pursuing a premed program, and has decided to take extra time to pursue actuarial science. I know another kid from our HS who went to VT with the idea of pursuing industrial design, and segued into architecture. According to what I heard, no problems with lack of challenge. He is a bright kid who tends to focus strongly on what he is interested in, albeit not one of the stars in a HS class of extraordinarily successful/talented kids</p>
<p>choose a harder major</p>
<p>or don’t… I did a lot more work in HS as an IB Diploma student than in college. Of course, my HS GPA was also higher than my college GPA, and plenty of students at my school worked harder (and got better grades) than I did.</p>
<p>also, how many exams or papers could she have possibly written by now? Might want to save the overconfidence until there are some 3.9+ semesters in the books.</p>
<p>Sometimes, kids find college “easier” because they’re taking the subjects that they’re interested in, and playing to their strengths, without having to struggle in “required” subjects that they don’t like.</p>
<p>(Not a VTech parent, though - just a general observation.)</p>
<p>I’m with Chedva. Also, I have found that there is a lot of b.s. type work in some of the high school classes–the kids in high school are way too busy and I think their load is definitely lightened when they get to college!</p>
<p>When I was there (many moons ago) my first quarter (yes, they used to be on the quarter system) was easier than my high school. It was nice for the transition and started me off with a decent GPA (a great thing for any future grad/prof school). The classes did go into more depth later. However, I was not a Communications major, but rather, in the sciences.</p>
<p>My freshman son this year (not at VT, but at a higher ranked private school) is finding his classes easier than expected too. I think many kids with a solid foundation from high school find the overlap easy to start with. Things do get more challenging (usually).</p>
<p>The students who did not have a good high school foundation (even if an “A” student in high school) or who major in partying/freedom/extra-curriculars just a little too much tend to be those who struggle to start with. Be thankful your student doesn’t appear to be in one of those categories.</p>
<p>And yes, if she’s taking classes that interest her, that could also be why they are “easy.”</p>