DD had a good experience freshman year. She got great grades and and handled the transition to school better than expected. She joined a few clubs and volunteered. She made a small group of friends who like going to art and musical events who also aren't into the party scene. She is up for an officer position for her main club. The worst part was her roommate was not the best and spent a lot of time on the phone arguing with her parents.

Son got waitlisted for number one choice and never got off waitlist. Ended up at second choice school and didn't seem that enthusiastic last summer, but ended up having a really, really good year. So it all worked out in the end.

He enjoyed his classes and wasn't overwhelmed. Although he didn't really talk much to his two roommates, he met a bunch of other people and was really involved in an activity that took up a lot of time. Both roommates stayed up really late playing video games (not with each other, they played separately and didn't really speak to each other even about gaming). In a way having roommates who don't really talk made it more motivating to go out and do things because it wasn't so great to hang out in his room. Whenever I called he seemed to be out and about - eating, studying, and/or hanging out with other students.

He also said the people he has been meeting are really nice and it is so great to be in a place where everyone wants to be in school. He went to a large public high school and there were so many disruptive students even in honors /AP classes.

Anonymous wrote:Yes...gap year helped a lot with arriving on (LAC) campus feeling ready to take advantage of resources (writing ctr, career ctr, etc.), get involved, and make friends. DC commented that other students they'd met who'd taken various kinds of gap years all seemed to arrive with more readiness to benefit from everything college had to offer

Curious what gap year activity?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes.

Harvard was magical.

Kid is living the crimson dream.

Stuff it haters!

Well, at least you’re being humble about it.

Sounds like a 13 year old boy before bedtime here

Pretty good! UC Davis, he chose it based on proximity to state cap and faculty strength in his major. He was pleased that it has been really fun too! Live music, parties but not crazy ones, politically interested / active students, great campus town and he was able to travel a lot using Amtrak.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This forum gets so angst-y about admissions, but I’m guessing ultimately everything turns out pretty darn great upon matriculation. Would love to hear about your DC’s first year experience!

I don’t know. Kids seem to transfer a lot more than they used to. When there’s so much hype built up around a process and an experience, many kids are bound to feel let down.

This. Seems every friend I ask says their kid had an "Ok" year, not great. Freshman year was amazing for me. Makes me sad for them.

Anonymous wrote:Nope, Brown. Rough time with shooting then a couple suicides

Mine had a great freshmen year at Columbia. Got into clubs he wanted, made lots of friends, loved his classes. Adjusted to the pace and curve, did very well. He had been worried that the Core might be a distraction from his major but he actually loved those courses and sees huge value in the approach.

Yes...gap year helped a lot with arriving on (LAC) campus feeling ready to take advantage of resources (writing ctr, career ctr, etc.), get involved, and make friends. DC commented that other students they'd met who'd taken various kinds of gap years all seemed to arrive with more readiness to benefit from everything college had to offer

My DC had a great year. They chose a school that was academically a little less rigorous than high school and a good social fit. They’re way more engaged in campus life than DH and I were and doing extremely well academically. They made a good choice.

Anonymous wrote:Nope, Brown. Rough time with shooting then a couple suicides

That was a tough year.

Anonymous wrote:Nope, Brown. Rough time with shooting then a couple suicides

I'm so sorry to hear this...

Nope, Brown. Rough time with shooting then a couple suicides

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine got a touse bid and had an incredible freshman year. Bonded with his pledge class and has a tight group of brothers whom I'm guessing he'll be close with from decades from now. Made a fantastic GPA, helped in no small part by older fraternity brothers in his major and the house test banks. Gets invited to the best parties, tailgates and mixers on campus, and took a gorgeous girl to his formal on the lake. He's already networking with alums for lucrative internships and jobs (and he just finished freshman year!). The future's so bright, he's gotta wear shades.

Go Chad!

And Tyler, Grant, and Jason!

Anonymous wrote:Mine got a touse bid and had an incredible freshman year. Bonded with his pledge class and has a tight group of brothers whom I'm guessing he'll be close with from decades from now. Made a fantastic GPA, helped in no small part by older fraternity brothers in his major and the house test banks. Gets invited to the best parties, tailgates and mixers on campus, and took a gorgeous girl to his formal on the lake. He's already networking with alums for lucrative internships and jobs (and he just finished freshman year!). The future's so bright, he's gotta wear shades.

Go Chad!