Parents of the High School Class of 2017/College 2021

[Southernmiss]

Not expecting to see our son much, either.

He's keeping his off campus job over the summer.

A week of family vacation in July.

Maybe he'll be home a week otherwise.

 

[robinb]

My DD has her last final on May 9th. She and the BF have both been accepted to University of Colorado Boulder as transfers, but it's going to cost us more than double what she's paying at the UW-Madison. They also both just applied to Colorado State which is a bit cheaper and actually a better fit for both of them. I don't think they'll have a problem getting into CSU if they got into Boulder. I have no idea if his parents are on board with all this. They have to be, because tuition is too much for a loan. We're not wild about it ourselves. We have told her that we would rather have her stay where she is and use the extra money that CU and CSU would cost for graduate school where ever she wants to go. We would have supported her choice of CU or CSU if she had decided on one of them two years ago (University of Iowa is between the two are we were OK with there) but now it just seems like a huge waste of money. *sigh* While we are not happy, we won't tell her she can't go.

Her BF applied as a transfer at the UW but he didn't do it by the priority deadline so he's still waiting. He should know on Friday. Everyone PLEASE keep your fingers crossed that he gets in. They seem to be leaning toward staying here (in an apartment) with a Colorado school as a backup plan.

 

[bjscheel]

Any update @robinb ?

Well, you guys, DD graduated community college last night with an AAS in Graphic Design. She's done! She'll be working at her internship full time through May, then needs to figure out what's next. Now that classes are over, she can spend time on the job hunt. She'll kind of miss her classmates but is ready to be just working instead of having school and work!

I'm really proud of how she's handling her internship. She had some part-time training hours while the other designer was still there, but after that lady had her baby, DD has been doing all of the client work. It's been tough at times, being very new, not full time while school was still on, and no one else there that does the same job. But she's getting it done and nailing it. Good experience for her.

 

[Poohforyou]

Any update @robinb ?

Well, you guys, DD graduated community college last night with an AAS in Graphic Design. She's done! She'll be working at her internship full time through May, then needs to figure out what's next. Now that classes are over, she can spend time on the job hunt. She'll kind of miss her classmates but is ready to be just working instead of having school and work!

I'm really proud of how she's handling her internship. She had some part-time training hours while the other designer was still there, but after that lady had her baby, DD has been doing all of the client work. It's been tough at times, being very new, not full time while school was still on, and no one else there that does the same job. But she's getting it done and nailing it. Good experience for her.

Congratulations to her!

 

[bethbuchall]

@bjscheel Congratulations to your daughter (and to you)!!!

We pick my son up in just over two weeks! He'll be home for a week before leaving for his summer internship. The end date is still TBD.

 

[J'aime Paris]

@bjscheel
Great news for your daughter! Best of luck on her job search!

 

[robinb]

Any update @robinb ?

Well, you guys, DD graduated community college last night with an AAS in Graphic Design. She's done! She'll be working at her internship full time through May, then needs to figure out what's next. Now that classes are over, she can spend time on the job hunt. She'll kind of miss her classmates but is ready to be just working instead of having school and work!

I'm really proud of how she's handling her internship. She had some part-time training hours while the other designer was still there, but after that lady had her baby, DD has been doing all of the client work. It's been tough at times, being very new, not full time while school was still on, and no one else there that does the same job. But she's getting it done and nailing it. Good experience for her.

Congratulations to your DD! Graphic design sounds so cool! So, she's stopping with the AA degree? Or, would it make sense for her to pick up her BA later?

Thanks for asking about an update. Still no word from the UW for the boyfriend. They have not let any of the regular transfers know if they have been accepted yet. Rumor has it that the acceptance date was postponed because the application date was extended due to weather related school closures. They now say "early May" which could be tonight or next week. I'm on pins and needles waiting for the email ... I can't imagine how the BF and my DD feel. I hope that if the answer is bad that it won't come until next week after finals are over. The last thing she needs is a depressed BF if he doesn't get in. Oy! I do think he has a good chance since he's coming from a UW System school. The UW-System schools are loosely connected with the flagship Madison school and I believe that they have priority when it comes to transfers. My fingers are still crossed!

 

[yeahdisney]

DS got a letter for college stating he can be in the merit program. It is a discussion class for physics and or math classes. And today I got an email for first quarter room and board fee.

 

[bjscheel]

Congratulations to your DD! Graphic design sounds so cool! So, she's stopping with the AA degree? Or, would it make sense for her to pick up her BA later?

Thanks! The AAS is designed to be a full trade-style program and not a transfer program- it has as many graphic design class credits as a BA, in some cases more. Just not many Gen Eds. So if she went on, it would be mainly taking gen eds and she's not about that life She'd much rather be working. We realize there will be some places that say they require a bachelors but she'll deal with that by either applying anyway with a strong portfolio or looking elsewhere. It is a trade-off and we'll see how it goes. She definitely has the skills and has learned a lot so I hope she finds a great place. Found out this week she got 2nd at the State SkillsUSA competition.

Upthread I mentioned she had a portfolio day...the theme was fishing so she drew this with colored pencil and made die-cut stickers of it:

 

[bethbuchall]

Thanks! The AAS is designed to be a full trade-style program and not a transfer program- it has as many graphic design class credits as a BA, in some cases more. Just not many Gen Eds. So if she went on, it would be mainly taking gen eds and she's not about that life She'd much rather be working. We realize there will be some places that say they require a bachelors but she'll deal with that by either applying anyway with a strong portfolio or looking elsewhere. It is a trade-off and we'll see how it goes. She definitely has the skills and has learned a lot so I hope she finds a great place. Found out this week she got 2nd at the State SkillsUSA competition.

Upthread I mentioned she had a portfolio day...the theme was fishing so she drew this with colored pencil and made die-cut stickers of it:

View attachment 398925

WOW! That is beautiful!

 

[robinb]

Thanks! The AAS is designed to be a full trade-style program and not a transfer program- it has as many graphic design class credits as a BA, in some cases more. Just not many Gen Eds. So if she went on, it would be mainly taking gen eds and she's not about that life She'd much rather be working. We realize there will be some places that say they require a bachelors but she'll deal with that by either applying anyway with a strong portfolio or looking elsewhere. It is a trade-off and we'll see how it goes. She definitely has the skills and has learned a lot so I hope she finds a great place. Found out this week she got 2nd at the State SkillsUSA competition.

Upthread I mentioned she had a portfolio day...the theme was fishing so she drew this with colored pencil and made die-cut stickers of it:

View attachment 398925

That is beautiful! Thanks for explaining the difference to me .

 

[Poohforyou]

Thanks! The AAS is designed to be a full trade-style program and not a transfer program- it has as many graphic design class credits as a BA, in some cases more. Just not many Gen Eds. So if she went on, it would be mainly taking gen eds and she's not about that life She'd much rather be working. We realize there will be some places that say they require a bachelors but she'll deal with that by either applying anyway with a strong portfolio or looking elsewhere. It is a trade-off and we'll see how it goes. She definitely has the skills and has learned a lot so I hope she finds a great place. Found out this week she got 2nd at the State SkillsUSA competition.

Upthread I mentioned she had a portfolio day...the theme was fishing so she drew this with colored pencil and made die-cut stickers of it:

View attachment 398925

Wow, that is beautiful!

 

[bjscheel]

DD's internship ends tomorrow and then she has to find a "real job". I think she's sad to leave the internship company. She's been busy working full time and without wifi in her current living space so has only submitted two applications. She has money enough to take her time, but I'm just antsy about her next step! I also like to do internet research so I keep sending her links to jobs.

Just sent her one that's only a little related to her field, but the location, pay, and benefits are fantastic and might be a foot in the door to a position that is more of graphic design. Hard to know what to do.

 

[J'aime Paris]

DD's internship ends tomorrow and then she has to find a "real job". I think she's sad to leave the internship company. She's been busy working full time and without wifi in her current living space so has only submitted two applications. She has money enough to take her time, but I'm just antsy about her next step! I also like to do internet research so I keep sending her links to jobs.

Just sent her one that's only a little related to her field, but the location, pay, and benefits are fantastic and might be a foot in the door to a position that is more of graphic design. Hard to know what to do.

Best of luck to your DD in her job search!
It's exciting that she's moving on to the next phase of her life!

 

[robinb]

Hey everyone! I hope summer is going well for all the parents and students.

My DD finally made her decision between remaining a Wisconsin Badger or becoming a Colorado Buffalo ... and she's still a Badger! *whew*

They visited Boulder on their way to hiking in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone and really liked it. But, they finally realized that (1) they were going to lose AT LEAST one semester in the transfer process, (2) her BF barely had enough money for 4 semesters, he did not have enough for more than 4, (3) her BF's major is an 8-semester program no matter how many gen-eds you have, (4) the cost of living in Boulder is really expensive, and (5) CU does not offer my DD's major (Rehab Psychology) so she was going to study Psychology but it only offers a couple of classes in her preferred focus of Education.

After much discussion, my DH and I finally came to the agreement that she could go to Boulder and we would support her decision to go 100%. His family also gave them their blessing, but also told him that once the 529 money was gone, that was it. I think that acceptance from both sides gave them space to make their own decision and not just feel they are teaming up against their parents. They are now looking for a nice 2BR (so they have a study space) near campus and are fining pricing to be cheaper than a 1BR or studio in Boulder.

 

[sksjasams]

Hey everyone! I hope summer is going well for all the parents and students.

My DD finally made her decision between remaining a Wisconsin Badger or becoming a Colorado Buffalo ... and she's still a Badger! *whew*

They visited Boulder on their way to hiking in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone and really liked it. But, they finally realized that (1) they were going to lose AT LEAST one semester in the transfer process, (2) her BF barely had enough money for 4 semesters, he did not have enough for more than 4, (3) her BF's major is an 8-semester program no matter how many gen-eds you have, (4) the cost of living in Boulder is really expensive, and (5) CU does not offer my DD's major (Rehab Psychology) so she was going to study Psychology but it only offers a couple of classes in her preferred focus of Education.

After much discussion, my DH and I finally came to the agreement that she could go to Boulder and we would support her decision to go 100%. His family also gave them their blessing, but also told him that once the 529 money was gone, that was it. I think that acceptance from both sides gave them space to make their own decision and not just feel they are teaming up against their parents. They are now looking for a nice 2BR (so they have a study space) near campus and are fining pricing to be cheaper than a 1BR or studio in Boulder.

What a great update, Robin! Glad it all worked out!

Note...I did not intend on doing the huge quote, but the new system will not seem to let me shorten the quote or delete it once I started it.

 

[bjscheel]

Glad to hear they made the responsible choice, @robinb .

@sksjasams I've found I'm not able to highlight text and delete it anymore, I just have to hold down the delete or backspace until every character is deleted one by one. Annoying...

DD has had two job interviews. The first one will probably make their decision next week, but it doesn't involve a lot of graphic design so she's not too excited about it. The one she would love (all graphic design) will probably make their decision the following week. Maybe she doesn't have a shot at either, but we have discussed what she should do if offered the less desirable job next week. Leaning toward turning it down since she has sufficient funds to be picky for a while, but it also feels bad to turn down an offer when it could be a long time till the next one.

Right now she is leading a 3 day art camp here for middle schoolers, which she will get paid for but we don't know how much. It's helped keep her busy though.

 

[yeahdisney]

DD is in SC with navy boyfriend. we are not thrilled but she has the money for college and she is in top ten college for her major, we don’t want her to transfer to college there and then him leave early 2020 and then her be there in that college.
Had they went to the same school here they would if gone for an apartment here. His parents contribute $0 to his life and she again can afford it. So 2 months is the lesser of my evil. I have my blinders on! And I started dating DH at her age.
She got dean list last semester with 18 credits and she is taking a required language class online now. Hopefully next summer she will get an internship.

 

[aprilgail]

Picked my daughter up today from Boston! I get a week with her now before she leaves for Disney with her boyfriend. She is not going to work the rest of the summer other than a few tv/movie extra roles. She just got finished with a six month co-op working 40 hours a week so she is just having fun the rest of the summer. Her boyfriend just got an apartment in Connecticut for the job he starts in August. In Sept mine goes back to school for the fall semester and in Jan starts her next co-op, which I am pretty sure she will be looking at something in the Connecticut area for! Then two more semesters and school is done!

 

[wannabee]

Now that I am finally used to the empty nest......DS is returning home. He has decided to transfer to our local university and will commute from home. We will pick him up in 3 weeks after the summer semester ends. I'm a little surprised and it will definitely change the dynamic at home but we are excited to have him home.