Mood:
irritatedTopic: family
So Senior Daughter has been accepted at the school of her choice - luckily it is a state university and it's only 20 minutes away - so we won't be going through the whole going "away" to college thing here at the "Hello" house. She & I attended a "tour" already - which consisted of a very quick walk through the campus where much loud construction was happening making it very hard to hear the little girl they had giving us information. Not to worry - Photographer Daughter attended a program at the same campus when she was a Freshman in High School and I saw more then than I did ths time. Then Senior Daughter & I went to a "Preview" - which was a little more involved and including sitting in classrooms listening to professors talk about that major or college. Out of that, Sr. Daughter sort of has decided what major she wants. She's all fired up with school spirit. Now we get to go to a "mandatory" orientation. This will be a 2.5 days type of thing - complete with "meeting other freshman" socials and "parent" dinners and socials. She is also obligated to spend 2 nights in a dorm. Which - she will not be living in when she goes to school there - I mean we are only 20 minutes away & why spend that much money on a bed somewhere else when her bed here is basically free? Plus - allergy wise - she doesn't do well in strange beds or in strange rooms and irritability wise - she doesn't do well with people she doesn't know - especially to spend the night in the same room with them. She jokes that they'll be calling me saying my daughter made her room mate sleep in the hall! And I'm not sure that's much of a joke!
On the Upside to all of this - she gets a very compacted "what life will be like" as a Freshman experience. On the Downside - the cost. Are you KIDDING me? And you want most of tuition paid at the same time? And why do I want to spend my evening in a room full of other college parents? I have no issue with being involved - but face it - this isn't elementary school PTA or that sort of involvement. Talking with a friend's daughter who is just finishing up her first year at this same school, she admitted that the orientation is too long, some of the things just aren't needed, and they could have compacted it to 1.5-2 days.
Now just so you know - I've already done this with Photographer daughter - however it was for another unversity - about 3 blocks away from where Senior Daughter will go. Their orientation was one day & a half. I think there was some cost involved but probably for the meals more than anything else.
I once claimed that I'm not 18 anymore so I stay off of roller coasters - but I think this one is just now getting started & it's going to be bigger & badder than anything Six Flags can throw at me.
I'm taking donations . . . .just saying!
