The off to college thread......
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Archive through August 04, 2003 25   08/04 04:46pm
Archive through August 16, 2003 25   08/19 12:00pm

Egbok

Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 09:48 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Aus, what an exciting adventure ahead for you and your ds!! We'll be here for you when you get back. It's okay to cry, you've earned those tears and this is a big life changing moment for you and your ds...be kind to yourself!

Can you tell I'm a pro? Last year this time, I was going through ENS even though my last kidlet was still at home as a high school senior. This year all three of my kidlets will be going to college. DD for her Masters/Credentialing and she'll be living...well, somewhere...arrangements aren't finalized at this time. My middle kidlet (ds#1) will be leaving next week for the east coast to begin his Sophomore year and the "baby" (ds#2) begins his Freshman year and dorm living, but he'll be within driving distance...staying in California.

I've survived so far, but I'm feeling your pain because I was there and I completely understand what you're feeling and going through. Take care!

Reader234

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 07:42 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
It was a great day!! Since we got there 3 days after everyone else, we got 2 carts, and made a total of only 5 trips! (I only had to do 1 of the 5!) He missed some of the Freshman mixers, but we saw the pics, and his roomie said him and his dad didnt want to wait an hour for the elevator, they climbed the stairs!! When we first got off the elevator, there was a welcoming crowd of app 20 kids, they all CHEERED "NATE" - since I called to let them know we'd be there, just late, they waited to have the floor meeting till my son got there!!


My son was not "popular" or even known in high school (he's hard of hearing - not deaf, definately misunderstood!!) When I left, he grinned and said "Mom I feel like this is home, I LOVE it here!!" May this feeling last all thru school!! I'm still smiling< I'm happy, he's happy! (did I mention it was his 18th bday!!)

Moondance

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 08:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Congrats to the college go-ers!

My friend's daughter is leaving in a few weeks and I remember seeing this thread... I compiled a list from everyone's suggestions so I can give it to her... let me know what I left out:)

-Plastic cups, bowls, spoon, fork, etc.
-Small flashlight, extra batteries
-Clip-on lamp
-Extra extensions cords
-Power strips with surge protector for plugging in stereo, TV, computer, etc.
-Push pins for bulletin board area
-Small whiteboard with dry erase marker to mount on front of their door for people to leave them messages
-Postage stamps
-Quick breakfast foods
-Prepaid calling cards for long distance calls to home
-All the necessary toiletry items in a great plastic carrying case of some kind so she can get it to and from the showers
-Small fridge
-Plastic box to put food in so it doesn't attract bugs
-Most dorms will not let you nail or tack anything to the walls so get some of that tacky putty stuff that doesn't damage walls to hang posters
-An alarm clock with the loudest buzzer you can find
-A large can of Lysol
-Portable TV
-Rolls of quarters - for doing laundry, vending machines, and sometimes FOOD when funds are running low
-Laundry detergent/dryer sheets
-Flip-flops (to wear to and from the icky communal showers)
-A small tabletop fan - white noise is great at muffling dorm sounds when trying to sleep or study
-Assortment of spices/condiments
-Duct tape
-Waterproof picnic blanket for studying outdoors
-Contact list with addresses, phone numbers, etc. for family/friends/doctors/etc.
-First aid kit
-Backrest for sitting up in bed or on the floor

Tabbyking

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 08:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
and don't forget to check out what you might need in the way of computer cables to hook up the kids' computers!
also, i know where my son is going to attend they have laundry cards. you put your card into a machine, put in paper money and it adds it to the card. they suggest adding just 5 bucks at a time, in case the card is stolen.
we already bought our small table-top fan when we were last visiting the school. they don't need a/c--being as they are on the california central coast--but they may need to move the air around and it probably is great for 'white noise' as Moondance pointed out!
we are also going to get the small packages of applesauce, the easy mac stuff, granola bars, string cheese, bottled waters, etc., for my son to put in his fridge or store under his bed. he can chill the applesauce and water as needed. we are on the 14-meals/week system to start. any meals you don't use by sunday are gone. so we are encouraging him to eat 2 big meals a day. he isn't usually hungry when he first gets up, so a granola bar and applesauce might be just what he needs to get him to lunch. we told him he needs to eat 3 meals a day when he knows he will be coming home or going somewhere else for more than a day or two.
first quarter he starts school at 10:00 on mondays and has no friday classes...i hope he uses the 3-day weekends to get some studying done! well, i can hope! lol
the only really good news is we get to drop him from our car insurance policy and count him as an interim driver...he has cost us 1,600/year and that's with the good student, good driver discount on our oldest vehicle...but, alas, dd will be driving by december or january!

Sia

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 10:30 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
A low, flat under-bed plastic storage box with lid (about $8 at the dollar store) is a great thing for storing food in a dorm room, since ants and insects could be a problem. Hope your kids have a great year!!!

Tabbyking

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 10:52 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
yep, we got them at walmart for under 4 bucks a pop. they are 7" high and made by rubbermaid with lockdown lids, so they fit snug.
i wish they could have loft beds, so they could have more space, but cal poly won't let them. the beds are 9" off the ground.
i'm sure the kids will have a great year, once they settle in! thanks, sia!

Midlifer

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 04:28 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Walmart is a wonderful thing for college kids! We made at least 25 trips (an exaggeration, but it seemed that way because I can't stand walmart) when we helped our DD set up her apartment near campus. She left yesterday, is safe and sound at college, and I hated coming home from work yesterday to see her emptied room. When is Thanksgiving break? lol

Reader234

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 06:19 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Yes, we have the underbed storage, but my son's bed was litarally only 1" off the ground!! Thank goodness for the Linen's and Things/Bed Bath Beyond that has bed risers!! Also, at his school, his school id doubles as a debit card, so there is no need for change of any kind - they swipe that id for pop machines, vending machines, laundry machines, the bookstore, every on campus food court... I thought it was a great idea, we shall see!! And instead of the spray can of lysol, (dont forget paper towels!!) we bought the lysol+towellets, Target had them - cleaning cloths in a plastic container!!

(and we found the local WalMart!! He loved knowing how to get there!!)

Tabbyking

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 09:07 am EditMoveDeleteIP
reader, i am glad our son's bed is 9" off the ground already, because they are not allowed to use bed risers where he is going.
i think they are offered a different swipe card (separate from the i.d.) for debiting, but our son didn't want one. he had to earn all his own spending money and he said he will walk to the ATM across campus each time he wants extras, so he can think about if he 'really wants something or not'. lol the school i.d. card IS programmed with his meal plan and can be used for free bus service throughout the town of san luis obispo.
if my son had a swipe card for everything, he would expect US to put the money onto it for him. since we are scraping to get the other 14k a year, he is on his own for his treats and entertainment! (reader, i was wondering if your son's swipe card has a PIN or if he is just out the money if he loses the card and someone else finds it?)
i am glad your son can use the risers! otherwise, his underbed snacks would be confined to licorice whips, slim jims and pixie stix! lol

Reader234

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 12:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks Tabby for your suggestion about the car insurance!! His card confuses both of us I might add!! I know they can check on balances online,and track usages and they can call a # 24/7 to report it lost or stolen... I know he gets a weekly "dining hall" allowance, so if they do the fast food bit, they get charged more than if they do the dorm dining halls all u can eat buffets!!

And you are right about earning his own spending money! I worry too that he just doesnt get the value of a $$!! He worked all summer, and I told him I wasnt putting the whole amount in his account!! He also wanted to have "cash", dont know which is best to keep track of, it is an experiment!!

Oh, and calpoly and 3 day weekends!!! My son has 2 Saturday classes, that are part of English and I think microcomputer courses, so he said they are "optional" (did you hear the breath I just sucked in?! LOL Mom had another one of "those" lectures on how fast that gpa goes down!!) (My dh went to a polytech school, not easy by any means!! Good for him!!)

Tabbyking

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 03:44 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
reader, one of the scariest things about my son wanting to major in engineering is that everyone we met who was in their zillionth year of college had started as an EE major, then been put on academic probation, then had to change majors, or in some cases, go back to community college....
i'm not kidding--from the waitperson at applebee's to the kid who gave the dorm tour--we heard story after story of kids who didn't make it in engineering! if my son buckles down, he can do it. if he thinks he can study for 15 minutes total each day as he did in high school and still get over 100% in calculus and physics, as he did in high school....i fear for his wake up call!
the dean of EE told us that only 50% of the kids who start the EE program actually make it through. about 20 fail out totally and another 30% change majors. mostly to 'business', if the kids we met were any indication!
i can't go with him to make sure he studies, doesn't make the wrong decisions regarding partying, etc., so i just have to trust he won't want to come home, pay rent, and go to the local college, which operates out of 4 portables ;>), and is a small branch of a community college 45 miles away.

Moondance

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 04:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Just found this link:)
http://www.chuckiii.com/Freshmeat/dorms.shtml

Reader234

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 04:01 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Tabby, I should give your son, my dh's email!!

My dh barely study in high school, skipped 2 GRADES for goodness sakes (who would skip 8th grade? Seriously, think about it, he's already skipped 2nd grade, now go from 7th grade TO HIGH SCHOOL!! What were they thinking?!!!


OH, and he's a double E!! He went to Rose-Hulman (back then Rose Poly Tech I think!! only 6 majors and all guys!!! *g) Right now, he just read the alumnus news, got seriously depressed (he was downsized twice, laid off, and one job he had there was embezzelment issues w/ a boss, and we got stuck w/ honesty and IRS, not good!! SO, we are not livin high ok?!! We're hoping things turn around, not all great double E's are millioniares!!)

Where was I?? LOL, he loves the tech aspect of his job, and of school. Now my son... could go either way. Since he was so left out of life in high school, I could see him going nuts... but, he does have a good head on his shoulders, so I (like you I'm sure!!) am just trusting his gpa will mean more... (he has the added incentive to see me look for work, i have the lower gpa!! lol!!)

Monkeyboy

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 04:10 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Great site Moon! How funny that its on a site with term papers for sale! LOL

Moondance

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 04:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I know! LOL

Tabbyking

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 04:28 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
i laughed when i saw the list: can opener needs to have the 'corkscrew' side, too!
my son cannot use extension cords. i mean, he knows how to use them (he is going to be an electrical engineer, duh!), they aren't allowed to use them.
no need for pots and pans...
i will have him take plastic forks and spoons and some paper plates and bowls for using the microwave in the lounge area. i had to laugh, though...i was picturing some state-of-the-art 1,000 dollar microwave and they have those teeny goldstar 39-dollar jobbies. sheesh!
there are fully loaded kitchens in some of the common areas, one for each 'cluster' of dorms, where they can cook real food if they want to.

reader, i know the dean told us at our april meeting that most of the 2003 graduates in engineering are going to have trouble finding jobs in their field this year. however, everything is cyclical, and he said that 5 years from now we will probably be in an upswing. i know EE's who are making pottery for a living and others who are new graduate and making over 50k already. i think one big thing is internships. although it will add some time to when he graduates, my son could do well to get to know some company and have them get to know him...besides, when i asked the dean how many kids actually graduated in 4 years, he started laughing like a nut. he knew of exactly one student who was going to graduate in 4 years this year (2003) and she was a double major in computer engineering and business and, by the way, turned 18 in march. the rest of the kids, who are not freakin' geniuses, take an average of 4 years and 2 quarters. if you aren't done by 7, you're out!
now, for famous alumni of my son's school:
john madden
ozzie smith (there is statue of him at the ball diamond)
and my son's personal favorite:
weird al yankovic LOL

Moondance

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 10:29 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Another good link
http://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/bhs/pto/CollegeSupplies.pdf
It's a pdf doc

Reader234

Friday, August 22, 2003 - 07:22 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I forget all the 'famous people from ds school, the only one i do remember is Jack from Will and Grace!!

IF you all get the chance you should listen to Suzy Boggus' "Letting Go" it must come with a huge warning, its a tear jerker!! But such a special time for our kids!!

We called (heaven forbid he call home!! lol) and he's still enjoying college!! My friends informed me that I should see a 'huge' change when he comes home, for one, he will come home as a 'visitor' not as a 'child'... I think I saw this in him this summer!! What a transition!!

Midlifer

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 07:04 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Reader....what you'll also see is that your child no longer will view you as the "dumb parent", but will actually value your opinion. I think that that's why it becomes harder and harder to let my DD go back (she's a rising junior). I went through this with my older daughter, too. I was truly depressed when the younger one left last week. There is a weird transition from "child" to "young adult", when you're really speaking to them as adult to adult (along with maintaining the parent status).

Egbok

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 08:24 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Okay, I thought I was doing fine with #1 DS heading back east to college. But last night, I went up to his room to leave him a little gift and I saw that he has all his clothes neatly folded and ready to be placed into his luggage....and I started crying. I really surprised myself!

He leaves tomorrow morning at 6am and I'm gonna miss that kidlet! <sigh>

Midlifer

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 10:53 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I hear ya, Eg. But that feeling, too, shall pass...until next August.

Aus10

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 12:40 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hello all from sunny and HOT FL! He's in! And ya'all can pat me on the back because I didn't shed one tear......On campus anyway. :) So far so good on the roommate and the only thing they seemed to duplicate was extension cords, which was good because neither boy seemed to bring enough. Room was SMALL, but had an unbeleivable amount of storage when we actually got to putting things away. From this first time parents perspective move in was the most efficient organized chaos I'd ever seen. I had to laugh tho....by the time all we parents were leaving we looked frazzled but the kids seemed to still have tons of energy left. I'm looking forward to going back and visiting when I don't have to work so hard! :)

Egbok

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 01:37 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Congratulations Aus!! It's all so exciting for us as parents and especially for them as first time college students living in a dorm and away from home....on their own, making their own decisions, doing their own laundry, calling home and asking for money...and the beat goes on!! LOL