PARENTS of College Freshman...How are things so far?

[Hrhpd]

DS is loving school, but quickly realizing that he cannot have as much of a social life as he would like. His brother warned him that it was going to be 4 years of hell, but I don't think he quite understood how intense it is. He is on the swim team, but that may go the wayside as the pressure increases. He has a great group of friends from high school there and he is meeting some new ones. All in all, it has been a great transition.

 

[NAB]

Well for the most part everything is going well. He loves his classes and he actually gets up on time for his 8:30 am class. This was one thing I was worried about because he was really hard to get up in the morning and he stayed up late.
He was afraid to do his laundry and texted me at 10:00 at night asking questions. When he found out the dryer was going to take an hour he freaked because it was getting late. Told me it was not hard at all , just time consuming. So I'm sure he won't do it at night again. He even sent me a picture of it all folded nice and neat. Told me when he watched me it looked really hard to do....lol

He is having some trouble with his room mate. When they picked each other they both said they were non smokers. His room mate smokes . Not in the room but he bring friends over that all smoke and the smell on their clothes really bothered him. He is also eating and drinking his stuff. He didn't come with anything to make meals on the weekend so my son said sure use my pot etc and he doesn't wash it after he uses it. My Husband and I just told him to talk to him and settle it that we could not do that for him or go to the dorm people if you can't resolve it. So they talked it out. But last night I guess his room mate stayed up late playing video games loudly , son asked him to turn it down. He wouldn't so not sure how this will turn out now. I think it will be up and down with these too .

He is excited and happy so that is all that counts. Hope he can keep it up. He usually dies with his school work half why though.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

We moved DS in to UVA on August 21st. DH has been to UVA for 2 football games and tailgates while I've been to one. So, we've had a chance to see him at school. Last weekend was Fall Break, and it was the first time he's been home. DS filled us in on everything. He hated it the first week (too much stress about his class schedule, buying books, new computer died, soooo hot in a no A/C dorm, homesick), but now he likes it a lot. The warm Kirkland beer at parties still tastes bad, but he can finally sip it without gagging.

He and his roommate get along great. Both boys got their parents to bring their electric guitars to school a few weeks ago, so they now have jam sessions regularly. He has been exploring the fraternities (parties, parties, parties). He may rush in January if he finds one he really likes. Classes are going well. Econ is his favorite. Spanish is the most work. Music is fun. His grades are awesome! He got a 93 on the Econ mid term that all his friends bombed. All his other grades are 95s or above with the exception of his first paper for English Writing. The grade was in 3 parts - a C+ for main claim (thesis), A for reasons, B+ for textual evidence - so he got a B over all. He was not happy that a third of his grade was based on one sentence. He decided to meet with the prof next time to make sure his thesis is strong before he writes the rest of the paper.

He is tired! Staying up to 12:00 or 2:00 every night is taking its toll. He needs to get to bed earlier but that's not going to happen. He is eating 3 meals a day on his meal plan, but at least two of those are Chick-fil-a. Seriously...Chick-fil-a twice a day, every day. At $2470 a semester it's the most expensive Chick-fil-a he will ever eat. He mastered laundry after the first week and a half, but has yet to wash his sheets or towels....ick...the towels must be about ready to walk away on their own now! I reminded him he has a second set of each, wouldn't hurt to wash them!

His campus was inundated with rain last week. He thanked me for the umbrella that he insisted he would not use, and I insisted he take. And he said he wanted me to go ahead and order the Bean boots that I wanted to order for him this summer. He didn't want them before, but he really wishes he had them now.
Finally, he texted me yesterday to say he went to the campus flu shot drive and got himself a flu shot - smart boy! So, all in all I think he is doing GREAT!

 

[KiminChicago]

DS is doing quite well. As others have commented, it's like aliens kidnapped my kid and left a kind stranger in his place, lol! Senior year of high school was really rough, it seemed like he was always in a bad mood and I couldn't ask him about anything without him getting upset. Now we text each other quite a bit (not every day, but often enough) and he calls home once a week. His dorm floor started out 80% girls and 20% guys which probably explains why he already has a girlfriend (who takes selfies with my son that she shares with him and he forwards on to me, so I can tell he's getting out and doing things). He bought a season pass to the football games and is also spending a lot of time studying.

He has come home a couple of times already, once on Labor Day weekend when it seemed like the whole campus empties out and the last time so we could go shopping for a suit to prepare for a job fair and also to purchase some cold weather clothes. Now he's talking about getting an apartment near campus for the summer, so I'm sure the visits home will taper off as time goes on.

 

[NAB]

Mine just came home or Thanksgiving. He looks like grizzly Adams. Grew out a beard and his hair is getting long. He worked at McDonald's so he wasn't allowed a beard until now.

I told him he could bring his wash home and he was all excited and said he didn't think he would be allowed...lol . He even cleared off the table and asked if the dishes go in the dishwasher. I said who are you .

Seems to really like it had a few problems with the roommate all is good now. It is so nice to have him home , I just keep staring at him at times...lol

 

[NHdisneylover]

DD continues to be very happy. I sent her a care package for Halloween--she is not a big candy eater, so I ordered a bunch of streamers, balloons, cut outs, etc fr her and her suite mates to decorate with for the holiday. The box arrived today and I got a message asking if I had had it sent--it sounds like she and the roommates are thrilled with it.
So there is another carepackage idea for those looking

 

[Bec3b1g]

Glad to read so many success stories. Both my twins are struggling this freshman year

One of mine is having a terrible time with sleep because his roommate snores. He's having 2 a day basketball practices. He's dropped 10 pounds already. On top of that, he's getting hazed by 2 of the kids on his team. DS has been standing up for himself and this has lead to retaliation on the court. He had to get stitches the first week of practice. DH says cheap shots can go both ways and this will get settled eventually. I just hate that he's so miserable. He's ready to walk away from his scholarship and wants to transfer at the end of this year

 

[The Mystery Machine]

DD continues to be very happy. I sent her a care package for Halloween--she is not a big candy eater, so I ordered a bunch of streamers, balloons, cut outs, etc fr her and her suite mates to decorate with for the holiday. The box arrived today and I got a message asking if I had had it sent--it sounds like she and the roommates are thrilled with it.
So there is another carepackage idea for those looking

Neato!

DD had her b-day. We sent her flowers and a balloon bouquet.

Sorry to hear about your twins, Bec3b1g. (HUGS)

 

[StitchBuddy]

My DD is doing great. She got her athletic gear this week, so she was quite excited. They have a fall break coming up next week. She can't come home, because of practice. SO we are going up there for the week-end. I can't wait!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My DD is doing great. She got her athletic gear this week, so she was quite excited. They have a fall break coming up next week. She can't come home, because of practice. SO we are going up there for the week-end. I can't wait!

My dd is hitching a ride for mid-term break this week. She will be here on Wed. night. and go back Sunday. We are going to try to cram in a boot shopping, new winter coat, scarves, gloves, hat, and a flu shot.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Glad to read so many success stories. Both my twins are struggling this freshman year

One of mine is having a terrible time with sleep because his roommate snores. He's having 2 a day basketball practices. He's dropped 10 pounds already. On top of that, he's getting hazed by 2 of the kids on his team. DS has been standing up for himself and this has lead to retaliation on the court. He had to get stitches the first week of practice. DH says cheap shots can go both ways and this will get settled eventually. I just hate that he's so miserable. He's ready to walk away from his scholarship and wants to transfer at the end of this year

Has he tried earplugs? My daughter is using them when her floor is noisy.

 

[mom2rtk]

Glad to read so many success stories. Both my twins are struggling this freshman year

One of mine is having a terrible time with sleep because his roommate snores. He's having 2 a day basketball practices. He's dropped 10 pounds already. On top of that, he's getting hazed by 2 of the kids on his team. DS has been standing up for himself and this has lead to retaliation on the court. He had to get stitches the first week of practice. DH says cheap shots can go both ways and this will get settled eventually. I just hate that he's so miserable. He's ready to walk away from his scholarship and wants to transfer at the end of this year

UGH. Sorry he's having such a rough time. I hope things settle down.

 

[rszdtrvl]

Glad to read so many success stories. Both my twins are struggling this freshman year

One of mine is having a terrible time with sleep because his roommate snores. He's having 2 a day basketball practices. He's dropped 10 pounds already. On top of that, he's getting hazed by 2 of the kids on his team. DS has been standing up for himself and this has lead to retaliation on the court. He had to get stitches the first week of practice. DH says cheap shots can go both ways and this will get settled eventually. I just hate that he's so miserable. He's ready to walk away from his scholarship and wants to transfer at the end of this year

Hope things get better.

 

[NFLDERS]

Enjoying reading this thread thanks OP! Our sons went through their college years a long time ago. They are both Dads now, and cherish their post secondary years as do we their proud parents.

Good luck all, and enjoy!

 

[NFLDERS]

Hope things get better.

^
This.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Glad to read so many success stories. Both my twins are struggling this freshman year

One of mine is having a terrible time with sleep because his roommate snores. He's having 2 a day basketball practices. He's dropped 10 pounds already. On top of that, he's getting hazed by 2 of the kids on his team. DS has been standing up for himself and this has lead to retaliation on the court. He had to get stitches the first week of practice. DH says cheap shots can go both ways and this will get settled eventually. I just hate that he's so miserable. He's ready to walk away from his scholarship and wants to transfer at the end of this year

Oh that is awful--your heart must break for him. I hope it improves really soon.

 

[clh2]

My DD is now a senior...and I cannot believe how fast the past couple of years has gone. We've already made hotel reservations for graduation weekend!

But - just chiming in with a couple of ideas for care packages - that were easy-peasy to send and not all that expensive.

Cheryl's Cookies has a sampler pack (6-cookies) that you can send for about $7.

http://www.cheryls.com/free-6-cookies-plus-shipping?flws_rd=1

The Popcorn Factory has "popcorn greeting cards" that are inexpensive to spend that include a small sample of popcorn.


http://www.thepopcornfactory.com/$5-popcorn-smile-card-tpf-64659?searchKeywords=popcorn greeting&storeIdTab=10201


But - at this time of year - we always sent DD "1" each of every type of trick or treat candy we were giving out. Postage was not all that bad!

Now - granted - DD would always prefer something that was homemade...it just was not always easy to get that done!

 

[NHdisneylover]

I just bought DD's airfare home for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!
I am so excited--she is in the US and we are in Germany and we were not sure if airfare would get low enough or if she'd spend the holidays with her grandparents just a couple of hours from where she is in school. I am so thrilled we got a semi decent price and I will get to have her home for nearly a month. She is planning on staying in the US and working this summer (and no longer has a residency permit so could not spend all summer here anyway), so this is my one chance to have her here this school year.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Glad to read so many success stories. Both my twins are struggling this freshman year

One of mine is having a terrible time with sleep because his roommate snores. He's having 2 a day basketball practices. He's dropped 10 pounds already. On top of that, he's getting hazed by 2 of the kids on his team. DS has been standing up for himself and this has lead to retaliation on the court. He had to get stitches the first week of practice. DH says cheap shots can go both ways and this will get settled eventually. I just hate that he's so miserable. He's ready to walk away from his scholarship and wants to transfer at the end of this year

I am so sorry to hear this. I really hope things get better for him soon. You'd think team mates would support one another! And you'd think the coach would put a stop to any anti team behavior. As for the snoring...I recommend earplugs. I use them every night...DH snores!

 

[Bec3b1g]

Thanks, everyone. He's using earplugs. I do hope that if the hazing (demanding his money, food, & clothes) continues that coach will eventually see how it's getting settled (elbows to the head & kidneys and that kind of stuff) and step in. For sure my DS would never say anything. Maybe once they start playing games they'll have a common enemy and this will end.