Parents of HS class of 2020

[WVMomof3]

How are all of our seniors handling these crazy times? DS is most disappointed about a State TSA convention being cancelled. He had several projects entered that he has worked very hard for. Prom is indefinitely postponed and no word on graduation yet. He is also disappointed in the changes to the AP testing. He is considering asking for refunds for a couple. I don't see how these will count for college credit when they are taking out materials that should have been covered in a college class. I am happy that he was able to get his National AP award after last years tests so if he is able to get refunds for a couple, I am fine with that. Still no final decision on where he is going next year either.

 

[JimMIA]

Hi! Another mom of a senior here. What a crazy senior year. DD is also heading to UCF in the fall. It’s going to be so hard to have her that far away (we live in WA state) but I am thrilled for her and the opportunities it will allow her to have. She’s very excited about the warm weather. I was excited about more trips to Disney. . Of course this whole Covid thing makes it hard. I’m not sure how orientation will work now? Time will tell I guess. Right now I’m trying to enjoy time with her while I have it. Good luck to all your kids!

GO KNIGHTS! CHARGE ON!

UCF has not made any decisions yet on Orientation. They sent an email this week saying the situation is very fluid and most employees are working from home. We are scheduled for Orientation June 1-2. You know there is a parallel orientation for parents too...right? Orientation is mandatory for students, optional for parents -- but the parent program really looks worthwhile.

I suspect they are going to do the orientation online. UCF has enormous online capability, and they already have one version of orientation that is one day online and one day live on campus -- so it wouldn't be a huge transition.

They announced this week that all Summer A, C, and D classes will be conducted online -- which leads me to believe that they have not yet given up on regular classes for Summer B, which starts in mid-June.

If you have any specific UCF questions, PM me. We've spent some time there, and my next door neighbor's son is a junior in engineering.

 

[billlaurie]

My son is in the same boat, senior activities, AP testing, graduation, and so forth, modified, cancelled, or in limbo. He hasn't selected the school yet, has it down to 3, and I think this situation is making him (and us) drag his feet. I am really worried about the virus and its impact but I try to keep it in perspective and not live in fear. There are many risks in life, be it illness, accidents, assaults, whatever, but I think we have to keep living and not let them consume us. If colleges open in the fall, he will go. My fear is that the virus will still be raging enough for everything to stay closed. My husband has suggested that maybe he should take a gap year or defer instead of attending college remotely as a freshman or maybe take some online classes at the community college instead. We want him to have the full freshman college experience. It is hard to know the right answer.

 

[JimMIA]

How are all of our seniors handling these crazy times? DS is most disappointed about a State TSA convention being cancelled. He had several projects entered that he has worked very hard for. Prom is indefinitely postponed and no word on graduation yet. He is also disappointed in the changes to the AP testing. He is considering asking for refunds for a couple. I don't see how these will count for college credit when they are taking out materials that should have been covered in a college class. I am happy that he was able to get his National AP award after last years tests so if he is able to get refunds for a couple, I am fine with that. Still no final decision on where he is going next year either.

I suspect the kids are taking it better than we are, lol!

So far, we've had a Grad Bash trip to Universal Orlando canceled, and the Senior Picnic canceled. Still waiting to hear on Prom and Graduation. Graduation is late May and Prom is a week or so before.

DD is focused more on college than on the last few weeks of school. She would be upset if she misses Prom, but she'll get over it. I thought she'd be crushed about graduation, but no.

We still have a big 2-week trip to Alaska planned, but we shall see on that one.

 

[Southernmiss]

Dd got the big news we were sort of dreading last night.

She was accepted to 2 of her dream schools. Schools that are hard to get into. Yay for her. But our out of pocket requirement is more than we are willing to swing.

She has 2 great offers from instate colleges that will give her $ to attend.

So the disappointment we were waiting on happened last night.

It is a bummer because several of her friends, due to their family income, are going to their dream schools for very little or no family cost.

Her best friend forever also got the same disappointing news last night. So they can share their disappointment together

In the next few weeks, she'll make her final decision. Pretty sure I know where that will be.

 

[wallawallakids]

GO KNIGHTS! CHARGE ON!

UCF has not made any decisions yet on Orientation. They sent an email this week saying the situation is very fluid and most employees are working from home. We are scheduled for Orientation June 1-2. You know there is a parallel orientation for parents too...right? Orientation is mandatory for students, optional for parents -- but the parent program really looks worthwhile.

I suspect they are going to do the orientation online. UCF has enormous online capability, and they already have one version of orientation that is one day online and one day live on campus -- so it wouldn't be a huge transition.

They announced this week that all Summer A, C, and D classes will be conducted online -- which leads me to believe that they have not yet given up on regular classes for Summer B, which starts in mid-June.

If you have any specific UCF questions, PM me. We've spent some time there, and my next door neighbor's son is a junior in engineering.

Thank you! I didn’t see the email they sent so this is really helpful. I understand they probably can’t make a final decision about anything yet, at least not until we start to see some downward trend. I really hope they get a chance to do it in person, but I understand if they don’t. I actually didn’t get to see UCF. DH flew down with DD and they both loved it. I was hoping to finally see it at orientation so I will keep you in mind when I have questions. Thank you again!

How are all of our seniors handling these crazy times? DS is most disappointed about a State TSA convention being cancelled. He had several projects entered that he has worked very hard for. Prom is indefinitely postponed and no word on graduation yet. He is also disappointed in the changes to the AP testing. He is considering asking for refunds for a couple. I don't see how these will count for college credit when they are taking out materials that should have been covered in a college class. I am happy that he was able to get his National AP award after last years tests so if he is able to get refunds for a couple, I am fine with that. Still no final decision on where he is going next year either.

We haven’t heard anything here yet about what is canceled except the school musical which DD had a very difficult time with. We are currently out of school until April 24, but there have been talks of extending that.

We saw the AP testing change and DD said she was still going to take them. (I agree with you on the colleges decision to accept them or not may be up in the air). I was sort of hoping she wouldn’t bother. She hates second year AP calculus (and she’s not a math major anyway). The other 3 she is scheduled to take feel (to me anyway) like they aren’t must haves for college credit (Lang/enviro sci/ Us Gov) but I’m letting her choose. Honestly I am more worried about my JR and his AP tests/ and canceled SATs. I hope colleges are really flexible with next year’s seniors because this Junior year is a mess.

I think the hardest part of this for DD is missing out on the social part. She misses her boyfriend, and having fun with friends. She’s done really well considering and had one major crying fit about how senior year is supposed to be fun and it’s been terrible. Other then that she’s been in really good spirits. She didn’t want to attend graduation anyway, so if that is canceled I guess it’s ok with her. She is even ok with the fact we had to miss our Disney graduation trip and if July gets canceled, I think she will roll with that too. One thing that has been the hardest is that my husband is a doctor. So he’s been away from us and honestly, that’s been really hard. We are all worried about him staying safe and it is a constant reminder of what’s going on when you have an empty chair at the dinner table. We miss him. A lot.

It’s just a crappy senior year and if I think too much about it then I cry. I’m trying to remember that it’s not all about one year. We are all currently healthy, we have a roof over our heads, and food on the table. Many are in worse shape. Who knows, maybe this will make our kids more compassionate and understanding. Maybe it will help them leave for college with a little less homesickness!! Maybe they will appreciate what they have more when life returns to normal. I guess that is what I hope for in this anyway.

 

[WVMomof3]

Dd got the big news we were sort of dreading last night.

She was accepted to 2 of her dream schools. Schools that are hard to get into. Yay for her. But our out of pocket requirement is more than we are willing to swing.

She has 2 great offers from instate colleges that will give her $ to attend.

So the disappointment we were waiting on happened last night.

It is a bummer because several of her friends, due to their family income, are going to their dream schools for very little or no family cost.

Her best friend forever also got the same disappointing news last night. So they can share their disappointment together

In the next few weeks, she'll make her final decision. Pretty sure I know where that will be.

DS is having that problem also. So far I am not having luck convincing him that he can not afford his dream school. His other choices are great too, so I am really hoping he can see the light and it is not me saying no you can not go to this school. We need to sit down and talk about it some more.

 

[wallawallakids]

Dd got the big news we were sort of dreading last night.

She was accepted to 2 of her dream schools. Schools that are hard to get into. Yay for her. But our out of pocket requirement is more than we are willing to swing.

She has 2 great offers from instate colleges that will give her $ to attend.

So the disappointment we were waiting on happened last night.

It is a bummer because several of her friends, due to their family income, are going to their dream schools for very little or no family cost.

Her best friend forever also got the same disappointing news last night. So they can share their disappointment together

In the next few weeks, she'll make her final decision. Pretty sure I know where that will be.

I’m sorry for your DD. That is hard. My daughter also had one school she really loved and they gave her no where near what we needed to swing it financially. She was really disappointed but now she is completely over it and happy with her new decision to go elsewhere. She has a lot of friends that are going to expensive Ivys who have sort of snubbed her choice to attend a state school but she has rolled with it. She has a plan that allows her to save her money for grad school, which is really important to her and she’s excited now about the warm weather in Florida. . So there is hope that your DD will pick a new “dream” school and love it just as much before she has to leave. However, it is such a hard blow in the meantime. I hope that having a friend in the same situation helps her to feel better about it faster. Hugs. It’s hard on us moms too when we see our kids disappointed. Especially when they worked so hard for something.

 

[JimMIA]

My daughter also had one school she really loved and they gave her no where near what we needed to swing it financially.

This is just a guess, but that school probably didn't have a lazy river at their football stadium!

https://www.wesh.com/article/ucf-lazy-river-outside-football-stadium/29148048

 

[wallawallakids]

This is just a guess, but that school probably didn't have a lazy river at their football stadium!

https://www.wesh.com/article/ucf-lazy-river-outside-football-stadium/29148048

It didn’t!!! She made a much better choice.

 

[mickey squared]

Hi! Our son has the opposite commute. We live in Orlando, and he attends University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. Distance learning now. We wonder how next semester will unfold. Good Luck to your DD. @wallawallakids

 

[wallawallakids]

Hi! Our son has the opposite commute. We live in Orlando, and he attends University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. Distance learning now. We wonder how next semester will unfold. Good Luck to your DD. @wallawallakids

Thank you! What a small world! How is distance learning going? Also, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you handle his moving in so far away? I have been thinking of this a lot. Did you purchase things after you got here? Shipped things? I feel like I have no idea how to move someone into a college so far away.

 

[mickey squared]

Thank you! What a small world! How is distance learning going? Also, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you handle his moving in so far away? I have been thinking of this a lot. Did you purchase things after you got here? Shipped things? I feel like I have no idea how to move someone into a college so far away.

He chose that school to play football as well. We are originally from NY, but Fl is ALL about sports, education comes second. Since he is not NFL bound, Fl schools were out and UPS is beautiful. He was up for the adventure, but the cross country flights, with the time changes grew old for us when we were visiting for the football games! We did purchase everything there, easier and much cheaper!

My oldest graduated from UCF and is a teacher. My youngest is a senior in HS and still hasn't decided her school. Any questions, ask away

 

[pilesoflaundry]

My middle child will graduate this year. What an interesting way it is going to be, still waiting to see if they go back to school at all. I know my child will still graduate and get a diploma but walking or having a ceremony is still up in the air. It's hard to commit to a college and a plan for dorms or not, what if they aren't open by August?? So much more stressful than the usual HS graduation thing this year.

 

[choirfarm]

I didn't know this thread when I posted my other one. So are you guys not having any trouble sending your child to the dorms in the fall if we do not have a vaccine or way to test anti-bodies? What about those of you with people in music or theater like my daughter. Here is an article about a choir that did everything right... How are musicians supposed to "live" with the virus... I've been in choir since I was 8, so over 45 years.. I just don't see how we can meet again until we have a vaccine or something. I don't see how my daughter can be in a musical until we figure it out...

https://www.latimes.com/world-natio...6Bi1MgvAIdUFyeVS3WayrJPrDwsRYCgtgEvU-nQPmt4Po

 

[wallawallakids]

I didn't know this thread when I posted my other one. So are you guys not having any trouble sending your child to the dorms in the fall if we do not have a vaccine or way to test anti-bodies? What about those of you with people in music or theater like my daughter. Here is an article about a choir that did everything right... How are musicians supposed to "live" with the virus... I've been in choir since I was 8, so over 45 years.. I just don't see how we can meet again until we have a vaccine or something. I don't see how my daughter can be in a musical until we figure it out...

https://www.latimes.com/world-natio...6Bi1MgvAIdUFyeVS3WayrJPrDwsRYCgtgEvU-nQPmt4Po

To be honest, I don’t think any of us can really know anything about fall yet. I hope for the best and that I can send DD to college because I want normality for her. But so much has changed in the last few weeks, how can any of us know what next week brings, let alone several months from now? What I do know, is that worrying every second of the day and having no hope for the future doesn’t help. So with my DD, I talk to her like fall is happening and on. I’m trying to look on the positive side because we all know (even DD) that everything is up in the air, so we don’t have to mention it every time we talk. All future plans are based on “if we get this under control” and if that’s what everything is based on, then it doesn’t have to be constantly mentioned.

 

[JimMIA]

To be honest, I don’t think any of us can really know anything about fall yet. I hope for the best and that I can send DD to college because I want normality for her. But so much has changed in the last few weeks, how can any of us know what next week brings, let alone several months from now? What I do know, is that worrying every second of the day and having no hope for the future doesn’t help. So with my DD, I talk to her like fall is happening and on. I’m trying to look on the positive side because we all know (even DD) that everything is up in the air, so we don’t have to mention it every time we talk. All future plans are based on “if we get this under control” and if that’s what everything is based on, then it doesn’t have to be constantly mentioned.

We're doing the same thing, but I am concerned about the fall.

What I think will happen here in Florida is that the warm weather will reduce the spread of the disease during the summer.

Our 10-day forecast right now is mid-80's highs and 70 lows, but in a few weeks that will go up considerably. Our normal summer temps are low 90's daytime to mid-80's at night. Inland in Central Florida, temps are high 90's in the summer. Coronavirus doesn't do well in hot temps, so that should have some moderating effect.

But then, what will happen when cool weather returns in October? And then in November, all the snowbirds from the NE and Canada come down, and who knows what effect that will have?

 

[choirfarm]

To be honest, I don’t think any of us can really know anything about fall yet. I hope for the best and that I can send DD to college because I want normality for her. But so much has changed in the last few weeks, how can any of us know what next week brings, let alone several months from now? What I do know, is that worrying every second of the day and having no hope for the future doesn’t help. So with my DD, I talk to her like fall is happening and on. I’m trying to look on the positive side because we all know (even DD) that everything is up in the air, so we don’t have to mention it every time we talk. All future plans are based on “if we get this under control” and if that’s what everything is based on, then it doesn’t have to be constantly mentioned.

Yeah, we aren't talking about the virus at all in our house. And yes, when the subject comes up, it is like it is happening.

But I am a planner. How can we live without making plans or making them, remaking them. II refuse to plan a Disney vacation until their is a vaccine. It is pointless. Not wasting mental energy... But college.. This will break her heart.... A planner with nothing to plan. A musician with nothing to do... Me on both counts.

 

[JimMIA]

DD is having a happy Monday. We were on Spring Break last week...which meant absolutely NOTHING to do except watch TV and play games.

Today she is back in online assignments and happy to have something productive to do.

 

[Southernmiss]

As I mentioned in the other thread, our DD has an autoimmune disease. I can not live with what ifs about college.

If music/choir/performing are loves and college plans, and the fear of catching something by doing those, it may be time to gently begin to direct the path to another field. What other subjects are they good at?

In the last 3 weeks we have seen all kinds of creativity in finding other ways to do things.

As for my daughter, she is steadily doing school work, applying for scholarships, and gaming with friends or texting with them.

The virus is a sideline at our house, not the main focus.

We had a couple of hard discussions with DD this weekend about her acceptance to her dream schools and the financial realities of our not swinging the estimated family contribution. She is persisting on that path. We have a couple more things to entertain with her there (video conference on Friday with the school to discuss financials), but really DH and I would love for her to break from that idea and accept the great offer that she has with instate schools.

Parenting is hard at any time, but this virus has created unprecedented territory and unfortunately navigating it is not easy.

Us planners have to learn to let go and roll with it.