<p>Just a reality check for those of you parents of freshmen who went off to CA, FL, TX and the like. Be prepared to pick up your S or D at the airport at Christmas break, sans coat. </p>
<p>Not to mention hat, gloves, socks, shoes, etc. ;)</p>
<p>Well, my NE kid lost his umpty-umpth “coat” (ie, lightweight fleece) up here before ever taking off for Tulane. What else is new? He has replaced it with the requisite NorthFace fleece which he is wearing in this weekend’s frigid temps. Hoping he can keep it under his control until January when he heads south again.</p>
<p>Does anyone manage to keep an actual count of number of jackets lost/kid? And, yes, we need not mention hats (objeta non grata anyway), gloves (ditto) … (sigh)</p>
<p>When I came out to ucsd, I left my jacket at home. When I went back for the weekend, my dad brought the coat with him…“thought you might need this.” “What’s the temperature?” “35…not too bad, it was lower a couple nights before.”</p>
<p>Quite a shock to me considering it was 78 when I got on the plane in CA.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I just used to throw a coat/socks and sneakers into the car for the trip to the airport when AZ D flew back east for holidays…she never wore anything heavier than a hoodie, and never more on her feet than flip flops or Berks.</p>
<p>lol… funny how my mom just yelled at me today for losing my hat and gloves (again)</p>
<p>My Texas college son, after being warned by me to dress warmly (he was landing in NY at night and it was around 32) arrived home in shorts and a tee shirt, but he did have his coat with him! He left this morning wearing jeans, tee shirt, sweat shirt and with his coat…going back to a balmy 70 degrees. Funny I though he would go wearing shorts and a tee shirt, but I think the reminder of what cold weather really was like caused him to dress up for the trip back.</p>
<p>I’m thinking about applying to school in CA, and I live in NJ. Do your kids every regret being so far from home?</p>
<p>No regrets. When we first heard Texas we were a little worried, but he loves it and we are dealing with it. Best thing is that being from far away makes you more appealing as an applicant. You will meet more kids from far away, you will learn more about other parts of the country and perhaps get better weather! You’ll want to call home often, but it does work for us. My son said it was the best university for him and that is really what made him go there. You don’t want to go just because it is far away, but because it is the right school and happens to be far away.</p>
<p>No regrets, demgirl. He’s at Caltech, and it’s no farther in travel hours than a lot of places closer in miles. He’s loved it, and is the second generation in our family to go to college over 2000 miles from home. :)</p>
<p>NE kids from NYS loose their coats too. Think of it Saturday night- upstate NY- Frat House party and 100’s of black North Face jackets. D lost jacket last February- had to send up an old jacket that she had since 9th grade. This year we bought inexpensive down jacket at a Premium Outlet Mall (probably under $50 bucks- but a pretty good jacket) and a better one that remains under her watchful eye. As New Yorkers I have a slew of old down coats from my d and her sister - so hopefully I don’t have to buy too many more. Don’t spend alot on hats and gloves because they constantly loose that too.</p>
<p>wyogal–both kids still have their cold weather gear b/c in SoCal you can also go skiing in the mountains.</p>
<p>demgirl–D (first-year) expressed some feelings of homesickness, but she loves the school and the people and the weather. S (graduated last year) confessed that he had been homesick his first-year but realized that everybody goes through it to varying degrees.</p>
<p>No matter where you go, you’ll still be far from home, just a matter of plane ticket costs really :]</p>