Parents of the Class of 2019

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Thanks for all the sympathies, I feel worse for DD than anything else, but she's good with her friends, which is the most important part.

We finally had our final meeting with our college search consultant, and she did offer one other piece of advice that I want to pass on, have your child check the FERPA exception to allow you to interact with the school without needing to have your kiddo on the phone as well. That way if you're paying, and you have to deal with admissions, you don't have to wait until they're out of class before you can call.

 

[yeahdisney]

For the poster, who’s daughter’s trip was cancelled-I would be very grumpy. I would feel like when they changed the trip to just one week that they were hoping it would be cancelled and that they would not be the bad guy for cancelling. I’m glad she gets to go with your DH for part of the trip.


DS volunteered for vacation bible school this week. He has helped each year, since he was too old to go for study. And one of his scholarships, I believe he needs to continue to have volunteer hours to receive it each year.
He still is going to grad parties. Mowing for $.
I called about his computer, it was ordered June 3 and he had received no updates. It now arrives Monday, his back pack for it arrived today. He will complete his last task for admissions this weekend, the task opened June 18.
Wednesday he will be getting a spare pair of glasses, signing up for student Visa card and getting POA for health document started. At the end of summer he will apply for updated passport. July he starts online Spanish class. And in July he gets AP score for a class, I’m hoping it can count for a gen ed class. At the end of July he finds out his room mate and suite mates.
I think he only need desk organize items to buy for the dorm and then folders and stuff for classes.
And then EEK! DH and I are empty nesters.

 

[PollyannaMom]

DS is back, and had a great time. He's so glad he did the pre-orientation trip! He said his group really gelled, and he's excited to start college now because he already has some friends.

The e-mail situation is still not fixed, but there is another "ticket" in, and I now have an IT person's direct line.

He did connect with a roommate, and they requested each other on the system last night. They'll have a third guy assigned to them based on the computer questionnaires they did, and should find out their room location next month.

Parent orientation was long, but had some good stuff.
There was a great speaker: The Ripples Guy
then a bit of useful information squashed in between a bunch of boring stuff,
and then the dean gave a really good talk at the end.

They should have moved us around more between these presentations (I now know why my students ask to go the bathroom when they don't really have to go!) but overall, it was a good.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We need to start shopping for the dorm. There is a good list on the school's website, but do any of you who have other kids in college have any suggestions that might not be on that list? I'm thinking 2 sets of sheets, is that enough? DS has free laundry in his dorm and he knows how to use it, and he knows that he is going to have to use it.

 

[sk!mom]

We need to start shopping for the dorm. There is a good list on the school's website, but do any of you who have other kids in college have any suggestions that might not be on that list? I'm thinking 2 sets of sheets, is that enough? DS has free laundry in his dorm and he knows how to use it, and he knows that he is going to have to use it.

I always offer the same advice...minimal, minimal, minimal. Space is the biggest struggle in a dorm room. If he has two sets of sheets, where will he store the extra set?

DD did her 4 years of college with one set of sheets. Easy enough to strip them off, wash them and put them right back on the bed. In all honesty, I doubt most college kids change them very often. She also had only two towel sets. She used makeup remover wipes rather than wash clothes.

My best advice is to buy only absolute necessities. The space is tight and shared. He’s not going to the wilderness. He can always go to Target or use Amazon if he realizes that he lacks something that would be used enough to warrant the space it takes up.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Thanks sk!mom! He (on his own, not me) washes his sheets about every other week, he doesn't like to use them much longer than that.

I am wondering about storage things, space saving things, that sort of stuff.

 

[bjscheel]

DD will just have one set of sheets. There is room above her wardrobe to set a tote if she needs to store things up there. Her bed is high enough for some storage underneath but not lofted. Her biggest concern is storing her makeup and hair products in their bathroom (it's in the room so just her and roommate). She has a lot of that stuff and the vanity is not big.

DD found out this week she is in charge of raising $50,000 for revamping the city park! She is excited and hopeful to have a success to put on her resume but also feeling pressure and wondering what to do. She's going to have kids sell lemonade at the fireworks on the 4th and DH is making her a lemonade stand right now. But that's going to be a very small start. She's also raring to get social media going but the IT is supposed to get her an official email first and she doesn't know if that will be Monday or two weeks from now. This may be a multi-year project...

 

[design_mom]

We are also back from orientation. I am so exhausted -- and DS is too. (I don't think we even made it off campus before he fell asleep!) We did *some* walking, but not a lot so I think it must be more mental exhaustion! Similar to what Pollyannamom said -- I wish we could have gotten up between sessions or moved around or something -- but it was well done with lots of good information presented. Parents and students were together for most of day 1, but on Day 2 parents and students were separate.

Bad news, good news, bad news.

Bad: DS did not get into any of the LLCs he requested. Freshmen were required to choose at least 3 and encouraged to choose up to 5. The housing lady at the accepted students' event indicated that most people get their first choice and pretty much everyone gets one of their top 3. The one that DS ended up in wasn't even on the list. It's called "Academic Neighborhoods" and I think they're just grouping kids by their majors. DS doesn't seem to concerned. He wasn't gung-ho about LLCs anyway. He's more concerned about the actual dorm location/assignment. He won't find that out till late July/early August. He was hoping that one of the business-related LLCs would be near the business school (so those were his top choices) but there was no guarantee of that. Maybe he'll luck out.

Good: DS got all the classes he wanted. We had heard of people having to go down to their 6th and 7th choices, but DS got his first choices.

Bad: Some of his class times are pretty lousy. For business students, all of them take a series of classes called the First Year Integrated Core (FYIC). Half are assigned to it the first semester, and half get it second semester. DS wanted it first semester and he got it (yay!) They take the FYIC in small-group sections and you take all 4 classes together with the same small group. They got pre-registered into it, so they did not get to choose the times. DS's FYIC are late afternoon/evening. He's got class till 5:30 two nights a week and 7:20pm two nights per week. He's also got 9am class every day, but quite a bit of middle-of-the-day free time on Mondays and Wednesdays. But as DS says "you can't be too picky when you're a freshman. At least I got my classes... and it's only for a semester." I'm proud of his good attitude.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

We need to start shopping for the dorm. There is a good list on the school's website, but do any of you who have other kids in college have any suggestions that might not be on that list? I'm thinking 2 sets of sheets, is that enough? DS has free laundry in his dorm and he knows how to use it, and he knows that he is going to have to use it.

I got DD and her friends each a set of these sheets for graduation as part of a "dorm care package". https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072YWG6R8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also got her a compact tool kit, and a travel sewing kit, which everyone goes looking for, but very few kids actually have.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I got DD and her friends each a set of these sheets for graduation as part of a "dorm care package". https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072YWG6R8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also got her a compact tool kit, and a travel sewing kit, which everyone goes looking for, but very few kids actually have.

Those sheets are so clever!

The tool and sewing kits are great ideas as well. I met half the girls on my floor because my dad and brother had put together a "leftover tools" kit for me. I've since bought the cute pink sets for my nieces when they've gone off to school.

 

[Eureka]

Where are you all buying/ordering twin extra long sheets? The beds are actually twin size but they recommend extra long and a mattress topper. DS doesn't care about colors or anything but I want to get him decent sheets.

Edited to add, I don't remember if I posted that we went to orientation and his class schedule is set up and I feel much better about everything having been there. Now we are setting up the payment plan and he is off competing in a national competition this week. But it's going to be August before we know it!

 

[soccerdad72]

I think we got XL Twin sheets from Kohl's (or Bed, Bath and Beyond?). They're in most stores, especially this time of the year, since pretty much every dorm has Twin XL beds

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Amazon, they have tons. Pretty much everywhere does right now though so if you want to shop, you can.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Our Walmart has XL sheets.

We bought DS' bedding stuff yesterday--comforter set and an extra set of sheets. He went with me and picked them out, which surprised me. Most of the time he just says get whatever, he doesn't care. The comforter set is a Twin/Twin XL, and the comforter should be fine lengthwise, but I'm not sure if the sheets will fit the XL bed, so I'm going to have him keep those for his bed here and get another XL set just to be on the safe side--he wants to take 2 sets. He really liked the comforter, I may go get another one for his bed here later on because his needs replaced too.

I hadn't thought of a small tool kit, that is a good idea.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Where are you all buying/ordering twin extra long sheets? The beds are actually twin size but they recommend extra long and a mattress topper. DS doesn't care about colors or anything but I want to get him decent sheets.

I found XL sheets for DS at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and just ordered his comforter from Wayfair today. (That's a regular twin, but I'm not worried, based on how he "makes" his bed and the fact that he'll likely have the top bunk.)

 

[PollyannaMom]

After only three days at home, DS is off again (a high school trip, now that the underclassmen and teachers are done too). DH says it's the universe's way of getting us used to the house with him away at college - one week at a time.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

I found XL sheets for DS at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and just ordered his comforter from Wayfair today. (That's a regular twin, but I'm not worried, based on how he "makes" his bed and the fact that he'll likely have the top bunk.)

My DD is the same way, the sheets are all I've bought for her for now as we have to pack everything up to take it to Mass from Colorado, and I'm not driving for 3 days to drop her off at school!

 

[Eureka]

I found XL sheets for DS at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and just ordered his comforter from Wayfair today. (That's a regular twin, but I'm not worried, based on how he "makes" his bed and the fact that he'll likely have the top bunk.)

Thanks. I found some on Amazon too that I bookmarked. I got him a light blanket and comforter already using Kohl's cash and a friend's daughter is living off campus next year and doesn't need her twin mattress topper so we're all set there. I hear you with the making of the bed (or lack thereof!). We still don't know how many roommates he'll have/room set up yet.

 

[bigbabyblues]

DS' last scholarship came in the mail today. It was $500, but it will help. His schedule should be emailed to him sometime this week, and he is going to ask a friend who will be a senior at the same school to look at it and see if he suggests any changes.

 

[mom2rtk]

My DD is the same way, the sheets are all I've bought for her for now as we have to pack everything up to take it to Mass from Colorado, and I'm not driving for 3 days to drop her off at school!

But the real question..... are you willing to drive 3 days to drop off her stuff?