Unpleasant surprises at college? What would you/your kid have looked into, in retrospect?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Crappy dorms? This is why you take a tour of the school before applying. I think the parents are more bothered by ugly dorms than the kids. I don’t understand the outrage regarding the difficulty in getting in state tuition. Simple math here…out of state kids pay out of state prices.

Not all schools include dorms in the tours! And the ones you see online are usually not a great representation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey, Old Dorms are great since the massive 2018 renovations. All the dorms have A/C now, parents of prospective students

OMG my twins live in the "old dorms" at UVA and they are AMAZING. Best location on grounds, completely redone, A/C, modern lounges and brand new shiny bathrooms.

Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled discussion...

Okay I may have said I loved living in old dorms (I did!) but I'm so jealous

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make sure that your kid has all their booster shots, understands HIPPA and FERPA, understands all area requirements, prerequisites, how to declare a major & minor, and also how to access health care promptly if necessary (telehealth can be an option)

I have no idea what HIPPA is. And it's vanishingly unlikely that your student will need to understand HIPAA while in college.

NP here, but I think the point is you need to know if f your kid is 18 or older, you don’t have access to their medical info or care. You will need a medical POA for the state in which they’re living to make medical decisions should they be injured, sick, etc. Our friends’ son just had to have an emergency appendectomy while at school, and when they arrived at the hospital where was having surgery they couldn’t see him or get any information.

The point is, it is HIPAA, not HIPPA

I humbly apologize for the unintentional error, DCUM. Please find it in your heart to forgive my benighted soul.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make sure that your kid has all their booster shots, understands HIPPA and FERPA, understands all area requirements, prerequisites, how to declare a major & minor, and also how to access health care promptly if necessary (telehealth can be an option)

I have no idea what HIPPA is. And it's vanishingly unlikely that your student will need to understand HIPAA while in college.

Uh, you'd be wrong.

If your over 18 kid gets hurt at college, you need to make sure they understand the forms that allows the release of information to you.

This is something super basic that everyone needs to understand.

I remember when this happened with my brother, all they could tell my mom over the phone was that he was a patient at that specific ER and that's it.

[Anonymous]

If your kid plans to bring a car to campus, find out the parking situation first.
My kid goes to a school with no parking at the dorms. The school REALLY does not want students bringing car to campus freshman year, but there are ways to buy a parking pass at other lots.
Every year, I see parents complaining about their kids having to park far away from campus, or not following the parking rules and getting their car towed, etc.

Then sophmore year those kids rent an apartment far from campus and just drive to campus for class where, once again, find there is no "free parking" near their class. Seriously I've seen severaly people complain that their kid missed class because they couldn't find a place to park.

[Anonymous]

Parents and kids today are spoiled brats! The academics are too hard - it’s college, stupid! The dorms aren’t like my suite at home - it’s communal living stupid! Where’s the entertainment/ fitness center - it’s not a country club, stupid! The food isn’t tasty - it’s a cafeteria, stupid! I can’t get a job - because you’re stupid! Grow up, people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't look away from the parent boards at my kids' colleges, and yet reading them is not bringing out my most compassionate self. There's a lot of outrage about how hard it is to get in-state tuition, how hard classes are, how dumpy the dorms are, how mediocre the food is, etc. etc.

Did your kid have surprises like that, and did it affect what you looked at for any younger children?

Stop reading the boards. Who is at college, you or your kid? If the kid has a specific, actionable, complaint they should be encouraged to advocate for themselves (eg. if they hate the food, petition for a better salad bar or whatever).

Also, many young people live in dumpy old dorms or awful apartments and mostly, they're fine with it. It's the adults that are horrified.

One of the reasons college costs have skyrocketed is that parents have expectations about how the facilities are and expect fancy dorms, rec center, and food. University admins decide they have to build new fancy dorms and a new fancy dining hall and a new rec center to attract those full pay out of state students and legacy students. The university then has to raise tuition to start repaying the loans for those new fancy buildings....

[Anonymous]

The food situation was a disappointment, but not to the point that we would seriously reconsider the school choice. Just a bit of false advertising/ bait and switch in the description of the meal plan. But hopefully she will find a good off campus situation next year.