Parents of the High School Class of 2017/College 2021

[yeahdisney]

DDs BF went back to the navy Wednesday and our family flew out same day to disney(wow it is busy).
Today her dorm called and offered her a office type job every 3rd weekend 8a-11a sat and Sunday. She took it and it happy, she wanted a little something. Everyday clothes and no cost or time to travel. And she can sub for others if she would like and she can do homework while there.
Her brother picked same college and same dorm for next year.

 

[bjscheel]

DDs BF went back to the navy Wednesday and our family flew out same day to disney(wow it is busy).
Today her dorm called and offered her a office type job every 3rd weekend 8a-11a sat and Sunday. She took it and it happy, she wanted a little something. Everyday clothes and no cost or time to travel. And she can sub for others if she would like and she can do homework while there.
Her brother picked same college and same dorm for next year.

Great when they can get an on campus job. And how convenient to have both kids in the same place!

 

[aprilgail]

My daughter went back today- supposed to get easier each time but this time was really tough for me- I was in the supermarket this morning and the cashier asked me " How are you today" and I burst out crying. She is on work co-op this semester so she stays in her dorm until the end of April while she is working full time and then in May and June she has a sublet because the work co-ops are 6 month periods-so I wont have her back home until July and she is applying to be an RA next year so if she gets that she will have to be back at school August 15h for RA training stuff. She is hoping she gets the RA job because if she does that would mean zero student loans for the year.

 

[bjscheel]

My daughter went back today- supposed to get easier each time but this time was really tough for me- I was in the supermarket this morning and the cashier asked me " How are you today" and I burst out crying. She is on work co-op this semester so she stays in her dorm until the end of April while she is working full time and then in May and June she has a sublet because the work co-ops are 6 month periods-so I wont have her back home until July and she is applying to be an RA next year so if she gets that she will have to be back at school August 15h for RA training stuff. She is hoping she gets the RA job because if she does that would mean zero student loans for the year.

That would be rough. Hope she gets the job though, for the financial aspect.

 

[yeahdisney]

Them going back is tough. DS goes next year. We will be empty nesters then. BUT they are both going to be only 1 hr 15 min away. My work is 45 minutes from my house, so for me I don’t mind driving towards them seeing them and eating with them, and bringing a cooler and then grab groceries and coming on home. And they can catch a train to come home and arrive 30 minutes from our house. I can be calm, I think.

 

[bjscheel]

We also get an empty nest next fall, but DD20 is one hour and our youngest will be just 1.75 hours away, not bad. I still have small moments of panic though that I didn't have with DD20. Maybe it's because she'll be not quite 18 when she goes, vs. her sister being nearly 19? And just being the youngest. DD17 is also small and looks young so she still feels more like my little girl. But she spent most of last summer away working at camp and she was fine. It'll all be okay

DD20 is at her internship interview right now as I type!!

 

[aprilgail]

We also get an empty nest next fall, but DD20 is one hour and our youngest will be just 1.75 hours away, not bad. I still have small moments of panic though that I didn't have with DD20. Maybe it's because she'll be not quite 18 when she goes, vs. her sister being nearly 19? And just being the youngest. DD17 is also small and looks young so she still feels more like my little girl. But she spent most of last summer away working at camp and she was fine. It'll all be okay

DD20 is at her internship interview right now as I type!!

Mine is really small too so it was weird sending off my 88 pound 17 year old daughter to college!

 

[aprilgail]

Second day of working full time and then going grocery shopping and her train was so packed she missed her stop and had to go to the next one and walk back with her grocery cart to her dorm- adulting is difficult LOL. I was just sitting here and another thread was talking about some TV show my daughter had filmed on and I went back to google to find this commercial she did- it was a google graduation commercial I think it was 2014 or 2015- my daughter is at 0.09- the kid getting out of a car, she is on all of 2 seconds LOL-

 

[J'aime Paris]

We took DD back to school last night. She's staying with her "big" for a couple of days, since Rush will be starting soon. The sorority has pre-recruitment activities, fun bonding nights planned, etc.

It was nice having DD home, but the time went way too fast!

DD is super super excited for her Gross Anatomy Lab this semester!! Admission to the class is a "reward " granted by professor permission to sophomores who received an A or A- in Anatomy.

 

[robinb]

My DD is in Costa Rica with her boyfriend and their (third wheel) best friend. They flew out yesterday and they'll be back in 13 days. What an adventure! Of course, I'm worried. I keep on telling myself she'll be fine.

 

[dreamin_disney]

My daughter goes back next weekend. She’s not looking forward to dealing with one of the roommates. The 4th roommate is rude,has a really bad attitude(no one can tell her anything cuz she’s a bad #$$ Queen) selfish, inconsiderate, messy and disrespectful. Plus her bf is over all the time and at all hours even stays the night. When signing up for roommates all girls selected no overnight guest and filled out same questions with same answers like will share some items but must ask first, respecting personal space and items and no overnight guest etc. well roommate #4 breaks all the rules even after the girls have called several meetings. The 3 girls are tired if the 4th girl. RA is worthless and wasn’t returning calls or talking to the girls .dd had to go above her RA to seek help. She has a meeting when she goes back. She said the roommate drama is more stressful than her classes and she took 17 units plus weekly volunteer hours she has to do for her program.

On a good note DD is doing awesome ACADEMICALLY

 

[robinb]

I just wanted to pop in for a little brag. I think I told you before that my DD had kind of a bumpy freshman year. She got a bad grade in her (new) major in the spring because she didn't listen to me and check Rate My Professor and other resources to vet her professor. He was incredibly hard and she had him for TWO classes. She re-took the class over the summer and aced it. She signed up for 16 credits last fall, including 2 300-level classes and ended up with a 3.9 GPA and on the Dean's List! She brought her cumulative GPA up a half a point from the end of the spring semester to the end of the fall semester. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for continued success.

Now, the annoying news. She's on vacation in Costa Rica and I just realized that she's going to miss her first day of school because of the flights they chose. Just when you think they might be heading in the right direction they do something dumb like scheduling their flight back on the first day of school. *sigh*

 

[bjscheel]

So I've been anxious since late fall about DD acquiring an internship. Just couldn't find many to apply for. She had one interview and got the impression it wasn't what she wanted. She might hear from them tomorrow. But she had a different interview today and got an offer. She is supposed to call them back Monday if she wishes to accept. She will be job shadowing at first, and then taking over a position during a maternity leave. She will definitely be paid during the maternity leave, not sure about before then. We thought the maternity leave was happening sooner but it's not till May. She quit Target to allow time for an internship, so she may not have much of an income for a few months. Some of the tasks aren't her favorite but she knows it will be good experience. She is also nervous in that it feels like a grown up job and not just an intern job I know that the owners are really great people. She says she plans to accept.

So yay she's got one, it's not perfect but few things are. Looking forward to her not working every weekend.

 

[dreamin_disney]

My dd went back this past weekend. She wasn’t looking forward to having to live/deal with one of her roommates. A new girl moved in to replace the one that left. Dd says she’s really nice and they get along. The rude roommate is rooming with new girl and already making her feel uncomfortable. Hopefully the rude roommate will spent more time with her bf at his place since new girl will be there and on campus on the weekend. The rude girl has been back on campus for two weeks and kitchen was a mess so she doesn’t follow the cleaning rule especially after she cooks

Took dd grocery shopping and spent about $130. She stocked up on some good stuff that should last her a while.
She does meal prepping so this semester will be better since we’ve learned tricks and budget better(plus it was all free $$ from apps)

Costco
-frozen bag of raw shrimp
-frozen tilapia
-Acai packs to make Costco Acai bowls
-cluster nut mix
- salad topping 24 pack for $3 has sunflower seeds, nuts and other stuff

We split the package with her
-frozen big bag if green beans
-string cheese

Walmart
- frozen single packaged chicken breast
-bread for sandwiches or grilled cheese
-Hawaiin bagels for
-3 pack of small naan bread for mini veggie pizzas
-roasted turkey
- bag of coleslaw for Asian salad
- Asian sesame dressing
-wing sauce
- honey teriyaki
-frozen veggies
-carrot sticks for dipping and slices for cooking
-pizza sauce, pasta sauce
- frozen bag if mix fruit for smoothies
-jasmine rice
And other stuff
She has an air fryer and cooks everything in it.
Also bought her an 8 cup rice cooker for Christmas .

Those that freeze bread or bagels, do you just thaw out in the fridge or counter? Will it be hard once thawed out? Dd might not eat all the bread and bagels so would be nice if it can be freezed‍

How is everyone doing with their food budget? This year is sure a lot cheaper than freshman year $3500 meal plan

Would love any tips or advice that has worked for your kids.

 

[sksjasams]

DS will be moving into an apartment this fall. He lived in the dorms for two years, so it has been great not having any of that stuff to worry about. I will be reading all your food/grocery tips for this fall!

My biggest question about food is how do you decide how much money they will need? It will surely be less than the dining hall food plan, but it needs to be enough to cover lunch on campus, and then groceries for breakfast/dinner/weekends.

Did your students move into unfurnished apartments? I have started buying some kitchen items, but I am freaking out about the amount of furniture he will need. We have no extra furniture, so he will need a bed, dresser and desk/chair for his room alone, not even counting any living room furniture. Plus transporting it there and either storing it at home or in a storage unit over the summer....

 

[J'aime Paris]

DS will be moving into an apartment this fall. He lived in the dorms for two years, so it has been great not having any of that stuff to worry about. I will be reading all your food/grocery tips for this fall!

My biggest question about food is how do you decide how much money they will need? It will surely be less than the dining hall food plan, but it needs to be enough to cover lunch on campus, and then groceries for breakfast/dinner/weekends.

Did your students move into unfurnished apartments? I have started buying some kitchen items, but I am freaking out about the amount of furniture he will need. We have no extra furniture, so he will need a bed, dresser and desk/chair for his room alone, not even counting any living room furniture. Plus transporting it there and either storing it at home or in a storage unit over the summer....

My DD is living in the dorm for her sophomore year too. It's required by her university.
She's set with her apartment for the fall as well. And she's ready to have more space/freedom!

I'll be watching for the food tips too!


As far as the furniture...DD says there is a university facebook page that has a big "sell off" in the spring. Seniors/grad students that are moving on, are looking to unload all their apartment stuff. Luckily, DD's lease start date should coincide with the sell off, and we can put things directly into her apartment. But I'm sure storage options are available in the area, for a price of course, lol!
Also, she will have 2 roomies. They will all pitch in to contribute to the common areas of the apartment.

Maybe your son can see if his school has something similar?

 

[bjscheel]

Those that freeze bread or bagels, do you just thaw out in the fridge or counter? Will it be hard once thawed out? Dd might not eat all the bread and bagels so would be nice if it can be freezed‍

How is everyone doing with their food budget? This year is sure a lot cheaper than freshman year $3500 meal plan

Would love any tips or advice that has worked for your kids.

I freeze bread all the time, thaw on the counter. Bagels not that often but I think they would be okay if not frozen for a long long time.

I don't know what all DD fixes for meals. I know she made chili last week. She'll do ramen or other noodle packets and put frozen vegetables in it. I try to give her cooked meats because that's something she doesn't do for herself that often. So if we have ribs, meatballs, roast, or leftover rotisserie chicken I share with her if we're going to see her. I have given her the frozen pre-formed hamburger patties too-not necessarily to cook as a hamburger, but to have single-serving size ground beef handy to brown and mix into something.

Her apartment had living room furniture, and a desk for her bedroom. So we bought a bed frame (a metal one that folds up on Amazon, no headboard) and mattress. We bought a dresser on Craigslist but she ended up using a 6 square storage shelf with fabric pull out drawers that we already had. Found an office chair on the curb, and took her drawing desk from Goodwill. Picked up kitchen items here and there. And her hoarder great-aunt has a closet for the greats to "shop" from. Fortunately, her lease runs August 2017-May 2019, when she's done with cc, so didn't have to pack up over the summer. (Though probably will bring it all home this summer till she figures out her next step.)

No sell-off day there but there should be one. Last move-out day there was so much stuff piled around the dumpsters. So many mattresses. My nephew stopped by and picked out some odds and ends for his apartment.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Did your students move into unfurnished apartments? I have started buying some kitchen items, but I am freaking out about the amount of furniture he will need. We have no extra furniture, so he will need a bed, dresser and desk/chair for his room alone, not even counting any living room furniture. Plus transporting it there and either storing it at home or in a storage unit over the summer....

We're from the class of 2016. DS moved into a place last summer with several roommates and we were in the same boat. It wasn't too, too painful. To eliminate the need for a dresser, we got him a Malm bed from IKEA ($224, link below), which has two large storage drawers underneath, and he also has a nice closet. We found him a small desk and chair at IKEA, too ($100), that fit at the bottom or his bed since he was sharing a room with someone. (I think most of the time he does his work either at school, or sitting in his bed, so idk if the desk really even gets used other than as a table.) And a small fridge of his own, which he wanted, even though there is a full kitchen - I believe they all have them. We picked up the mattress at a box store and sheets from WM (I like their sheet quality - and price). I'd also been picking him up some kitchen items here and there, but between all of them, they have most of what they need. (I do remember shipping him a can opener through Amazon one time.) My mother bought him a coffee maker so he could make his own coffee at home. He spends about $60-75 weekly on groceries, depending on where he shops and what he buys. (Staples are turkey and rolls, pasta and frozen meatballs, pizza shells/Boboli, sauce and mozzarella, Chobanis, pineapple, apples, protein bars, bottled water, etc.) They rotate responsibility for things like toilet paper, paper towels, dishwasher tabs, cleaners. Most of the roommates had already been renting elsewhere and they had a big TV and living room furniture. We had an extra table and chairs that seats all of them.

Bed: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/...MIjJfIq_WG4AIVmEoNCh0q0gcPEAQYASABEgI8F_D_BwE

A word about this. 1) We ourselves ditched our beautiful pencil post bed to get this exact bed in King, and we love it. We've had it for six years or so and it's held up really well, so we felt perfectly comfortable buying another. DS loves his, too. It does take a bit to set up (it took DH and DS an hour or two, but DH is great with that type of thing). Once done, it's sturdy. I asked DH if it would be hard to move (since DS rents year round, his is staying put) and here is what he said: "Easy. Just unbolt the head and footboard and move the pieces like any other bed", just in case anyone was wondering. People either love IKEA or hate it, lol. The drawers on the bottom are decent size and hold quite a bit. Boys don't have as much as girls, and for DS, it's plenty. I did get some small-ish containers to go in the drawers to separate and hold things like socks and underwear so they didn't get lost in there. (Whether he uses them or not, I have no idea!)

HTH, and good luck!

 

[aprilgail]

DS will be moving into an apartment this fall. He lived in the dorms for two years, so it has been great not having any of that stuff to worry about. I will be reading all your food/grocery tips for this fall!

My biggest question about food is how do you decide how much money they will need? It will surely be less than the dining hall food plan, but it needs to be enough to cover lunch on campus, and then groceries for breakfast/dinner/weekends.

Did your students move into unfurnished apartments? I have started buying some kitchen items, but I am freaking out about the amount of furniture he will need. We have no extra furniture, so he will need a bed, dresser and desk/chair for his room alone, not even counting any living room furniture. Plus transporting it there and either storing it at home or in a storage unit over the summer....

My daughter has an apartment this year but it is part of on campus housing so it is furnished-but it has a kitchen which is great because she doesn't need the meal plan now. She has a work study job and make 100.00 a week and uses that for food shopping/eating out.
We just signed a lease for an off campus apartment for Sept- that is not furnished but what happens in most cases are the kids that are leaving are either graduating or moving back on campus so they sell the furniture to the next kids coming into the place. My daughters boyfriend bought all his bedroom furniture from the kid before him and then sold it to the kid moving in when he moved out. I am hoping that will be the case for my daughter, she said if not just get her a mattress to use on the floor (I would buy a frame though and not have her bed on the floor!) We bought all the kitchen items for this year like microwave, toaster, blender, mixer and utensils so she will just bring all that (other than the microwave) to her new place. They are buying the living room furniture of the last group of kids that were in that apartment.

 

[dreamin_disney]

DS will be moving into an apartment this fall. He lived in the dorms for two years, so it has been great not having any of that stuff to worry about. I will be reading all your food/grocery tips for this fall!

My biggest question about food is how do you decide how much money they will need? It will surely be less than the dining hall food plan, but it needs to be enough to cover lunch on campus, and then groceries for breakfast/dinner/weekends.

Did your students move into unfurnished apartments? I have started buying some kitchen items, but I am freaking out about the amount of furniture he will need. We have no extra furniture, so he will need a bed, dresser and desk/chair for his room alone, not even counting any living room furniture. Plus transporting it there and either storing it at home or in a storage unit over the summer....

It will depend how much your son eats. My dd doesn’t say much. The frozen stuff will last her her awhile. The most expensive haul will be the first one because you need all the little stuff (condiments,seasonings, sauces etc) to main items(breads, lunch meat,veggies, meat etc) . The shopping trips after that won’t be so expensive.
I got dd some canned and frozen veggies to have when she ran out of fresh. I also got her frozen fruit. Dd stays on campus so we try to go out there once a month or she comes home on main holidays.

And a small fridge of his own, which he wanted, even though there is a full kitchen - I believe they all have them. We picked up the mattress at a box store and sheets from WM (I like their sheet quality - and price). I'd also been picking him up some kitchen items here and there, but between all of them, they have most of what they need. (I do remember shipping him a can opener through Amazon one time.) My mother bought him a coffee maker so he could make his own coffee at home. He spends about $60-75 weekly on groceries, depending on where he shops and what he buys. (Staples are turkey and rolls, pasta and frozen meatballs, pizza shells/Boboli, sauce and mozzarella, Chobanis, pineapple, apples, protein bars, bottled water, etc.) They rotate responsibility for things like toilet paper, paper towels, dishwasher tabs, cleaners. Most of the roommates had already been renting elsewhere and they had a big TV and living room furniture. We had an extra table and chairs that seats all of them.

HTH, and good luck!

We bought dd a fridge with a mini freezer so that’s been helpful. Her apartment has a fridge but with 3 other girls it can get full and sometimes gross if people are clean. Dd gets her favorite or must have things in her mini fridge in her room. All meat and frozen veggies n fruit stay in main fridge/freezer

Before move in the girl did a group chat and volunteered stuff to bring like
-dd took toaster, microwave dish cover, cleaning supplies
-Roommate #2 took microwave, broom, cooking utensils
-Roommate #3 took blender, rice cooker
-roommate #4 took can’t remember

It’s started out with the girls all suppling and sharing toilet paper, dish soap, sponges, cleaning supplies etc but that changed fast because some weren’t chipping in for the donating toilet paper roatation. Plus rude roommate would take rolls ( that she didn’t donate) and give to her bf when he ran out.

Each girl had certain things that weren’t shareable items like my dd’s air fryer, roomie#2 coffee maker, and 3 had their own mini bullet type blenders