Anyone else counting the days until they send their kid to college?

[jerseygal]

This thread doesn't apply to my life at all now. I just wanted to take a trip down memory lane and lend some support.
My girls are 21 months apart. Great kids, didn't experience the terrible twos. Nothing. They certainly had opinions, but were respectful. And then...When the eldest was a Sr. I was convinced Linda Blair from the Exorcist had taken over.
Arguments over clothes, boys, food, TV, the phone, the color of the sky it was an insane asylum. They were going to miss each other. 20/20 I get it, they get it, but the last few months of Sr. year I wouldn't wish on anyone.

FUNNY, don't miss the days of "us being the strictest parents and EVERYONE else is doing it"! "NO ONE else's parents care"!

 

[Junebugwv]

Child #5 just graduated from HS and will be going to college 3,000 miles away and I am as ready for him to leave as he is to go. He is no problem and we get along, but I love seeing my kids make preparations for the launch out.

 

[tvguy]

Nope. They left. They came back. They left again. They came back. They left, and finally now only one is back.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Things are still rolling along here. Trying to cram everything in....aack!

 

[DawnM]

NO!

I am encouraging the kids to live at home and commute!

 

[mom2rtk]

NO!

I am encouraging the kids to live at home and commute!

That's a great fit for some kids, but I'd be surprised to see it be the perfect for everyone.

Just out of curiosity, how old are you kids?

 

[Kimberlyann11]

NO!

I am encouraging the kids to live at home and commute!

I told mine (upcoming high school senior) that if she went to the school fifteen minutes down the road she could still live on campus. I think she thinks that is still too close to home for her.

Her top choice is ten hours away.

 

[ronandannette]

{{sigh}} I've actually stopped counting. DS did NOT get accepted into his program for the fall after several months of a rigorous admissions process (203 applicants for 30 seats). This news came after he had already taken a "gap year" - he graduated in June 2014 and planned to start college this fall. The past year has been kind of a nightmare in itself as him just kicking around for months is a total clash with our values to the point DH and I had to decide whether we were going to have enough grace to let him work through the process or simply toss him out on his ear. The only thing that kept us all going was the hope of school in September. Now we're facing another long, bleak year and this time, for real, he needs to get his act together as he re-applies for fall 2016. Wish us luck! (Blessedly we will all have a respite from one another as he will be working out of town all summer beginning on Sunday.)

 

[jerseygal]

{{sigh}} I've actually stopped counting. DS did NOT get accepted into his program for the fall after several months of a rigorous admissions process (203 applicants for 30 seats). This news came after he had already taken a "gap year" - he graduated in June 2014 and planned to start college this fall. The past year has been kind of a nightmare in itself as him just kicking around for months is a total clash with our values to the point DH and I had to decide whether we were going to have enough grace to let him work through the process or simply toss him out on his ear. The only thing that kept us all going was the hope of school in September. Now we're facing another long, bleak year and this time, for real, he needs to get his act together as he re-applies for fall 2016. Wish us luck! (Blessedly we will all have a respite from one another as he will be working out of town all summer beginning on Sunday.)

HOPEFULLY, he will get admitted for fall, 2016! BEST OF LUCK; the respite will probably be good; hope so!

 

[powellrj]

I told mine (upcoming high school senior) that if she went to the school fifteen minutes down the road she could still live on campus. I think she thinks that is still too close to home for her.

Her top choice is ten hours away.

My DD was the same way. There is a good school that offered her major so close she could have walked there. Her oldest DB goes there but he's married.She tells everyone she wanted to go to a school far enough away she couldn't hear the football games from our backyard! She ended up a little over an hour away.

{{sigh}} I've actually stopped counting. DS did NOT get accepted into his program for the fall after several months of a rigorous admissions process (203 applicants for 30 seats). This news came after he had already taken a "gap year" - he graduated in June 2014 and planned to start college this fall. The past year has been kind of a nightmare in itself as him just kicking around for months is a total clash with our values to the point DH and I had to decide whether we were going to have enough grace to let him work through the process or simply toss him out on his ear. The only thing that kept us all going was the hope of school in September. Now we're facing another long, bleak year and this time, for real, he needs to get his act together as he re-applies for fall 2016. Wish us luck! (Blessedly we will all have a respite from one another as he will be working out of town all summer beginning on Sunday.)

All I can say is Bless your heart, and you have my sympathy!

 

[mom2rtk]

All I can say is Bless your heart, and you have my sympathy!

Same here Ronandannette.

 

[ronandannette]

HOPEFULLY, he will get admitted for fall, 2016! BEST OF LUCK; the respite will probably be good; hope so!

All I can say is Bless your heart, and you have my sympathy!

Same here Ronandannette.

Thanks everybody - this actually made me giggle though. Isn't "bless your heart" actually some sort of insult? (I've learned so many fascinating things on the DIS...)

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

My 19 year old is looking forward to going back to college in August. I've been putting him to work around the house since he hasn't found a part time job - had several interviews but they didn't pan out. At least he quit complaining about having to work around here.

I'll miss his help when he goes back but he does annoy the heck out of me by staying up until 2am and then sleeping until noon and he's already used up our month of June internet bandwith. We've been turning the internet off at midnight when my husband goes to bed in an effort to get him off his computer and into bed earlier but then he just gets on his phone. Ugh.

 

[Rhombus]

Thanks everybody - this actually made me giggle though. Isn't "bless your heart" actually some sort of insult? (I've learned so many fascinating things on the DIS...)

Supposedly in the southern US, yes, it's sometimes considered a slight insult.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bless+your+heart

 

[teller80]

{{sigh}} I've actually stopped counting. DS did NOT get accepted into his program for the fall after several months of a rigorous admissions process (203 applicants for 30 seats). This news came after he had already taken a "gap year" - he graduated in June 2014 and planned to start college this fall. The past year has been kind of a nightmare in itself as him just kicking around for months is a total clash with our values to the point DH and I had to decide whether we were going to have enough grace to let him work through the process or simply toss him out on his ear. The only thing that kept us all going was the hope of school in September. Now we're facing another long, bleak year and this time, for real, he needs to get his act together as he re-applies for fall 2016. Wish us luck! (Blessedly we will all have a respite from one another as he will be working out of town all summer beginning on Sunday.)

I wouldn't think it was too late to get in somewhere if he wanted to. He only had a 7% chance of being admitted and he didn't have a backup plan? What did he do for his gap year? Most kids I know who do one do volunteer work (a BIG one is woofing), could he continue doing that another year? The more he postpones going the harder it will be to go back.

 

[StitchBuddy]

{{sigh}} I've actually stopped counting. DS did NOT get accepted into his program for the fall after several months of a rigorous admissions process (203 applicants for 30 seats). This news came after he had already taken a "gap year" - he graduated in June 2014 and planned to start college this fall. The past year has been kind of a nightmare in itself as him just kicking around for months is a total clash with our values to the point DH and I had to decide whether we were going to have enough grace to let him work through the process or simply toss him out on his ear. The only thing that kept us all going was the hope of school in September. Now we're facing another long, bleak year and this time, for real, he needs to get his act together as he re-applies for fall 2016. Wish us luck! (Blessedly we will all have a respite from one another as he will be working out of town all summer beginning on Sunday.)

Can he go to community college close to home to get the process started??

 

[powellrj]

Thanks everybody - this actually made me giggle though. Isn't "bless your heart" actually some sort of insult? (I've learned so many fascinating things on the DIS...)

I live too far north for it to be an insult, its more like I really feel for you and its the best I can come up with to let you know it! LOL!!!

 

[ronandannette]

I wouldn't think it was too late to get in somewhere if he wanted to. He only had a 7% chance of being admitted and he didn't have a backup plan? What did he do for his gap year? Most kids I know who do one do volunteer work (a BIG one is woofing), could he continue doing that another year? The more he postpones going the harder it will be to go back.

Can he go to community college close to home to get the process started??

No plan B. He was applying to a rather exclusive program to study film production. There are not many like it in Canada and definitely no others that are viable under our circumstances. FWIW, he made it through the first two rounds of elimination - portfolio and interview - and was placed on the wait list to be considered if any candidates cancel. From what we've learned, almost nobody gets accepted the first time they apply.

One thing we all agreed he will NOT do is go to college just to "go". That would be a waste of time and money and we'd rather see him get an entry level job somewhere and bide his time while he reapplies. The culture and employment markets in Canada are slightly different than the States. There is much less expectation that absolutely everyone will go directly from high school to university, or that absolutely everybody will end up with a degree. It pretty much seems to be a given in the US, but not here. Maybe that's why you see far fewer people with degrees in Canada being under-employed and unable to find work in their field. (Not to say that it never happens; it's actually a big problem for new immigrants, but I digress...) Positions in retail, hospitality and manual labour are still quite readily available to high school graduates (or less).

I live too far north for it to be an insult, its more like I really feel for you and its the best I can come up with to let you know it! LOL!!!

Thanks again - where I come from it means exactly what it says too!

 

[teller80]

One thing we all agreed he will NOT do is go to college just to "go". That would be a waste of time and money and we'd rather see him get an entry level job somewhere and bide his time while he reapplies.

I agree 100% with this. I hate seeing kids graduate with loans upon loans just because they think college is a necessity. It's not. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge supporter of education, but not when the kid is going just to go. They have to WANT to go. I hope something comes up for him!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

NO!

I am encouraging the kids to live at home and commute!

My sons friend who went to the same college as him last year changed his major. His parents are making him live at home this upcoming school year and go to the local 4 year college because they have the major there to save money. It's supposed to be a decent college - just not the one he wants.
He is extremely upset about it and is working part time to save money for it and trying to get scholarships for his chosen college.

So keep in mind your kids may not want to live at home and commute. Mine would go crazy with that option and so would I. LOL