Is the nest half full or half empty when they come home on the weekends?

We just survived our daughter's first year of college. Everything that I imagined could happen happened. Wrong roommates, partying, home sickness, a friend's alcohol poisoning, average grades, and 2AM texts to get her out of there. But it was good too in a way. She learned to manage and grew emotionally. The second semester went much smoother and she had good grades. She pledged to the sorority of her choice and called us at one in the morning when she got her bid.
For you parents out there who don't know what you're getting into in a couple of months, or for you who know and would like to compare war stories, I created this blog titled: A child's first year of college from the parents' point of view: Is the nest half full or half empty if they come home on the weekends?
Why do I use parent in singular form even though her father lives under the same roof? Because it is different for the men who, as in our case, snore away obliviously on the couch while the mother gets texts and horror emails from her only child away in college. The father gets clued in when the drama is over and the kid has moved on.
I will give you detailed updates at least once or twice a week about the previous year (I saved all our emails). Since I already know that it has a happy ending, I can give you the gory details without worrying you too much.
For privacy, I have changed all names.
Now come along for the ride...

Greek Life in College, better than we thought

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

pledging is fine we're almost done i got my big sister yesterday!!! :D
nd thats good i hope grandpa gets to go home soon

She told me before she returned to campus on Sunday that she signed up for helping at her school’s Open House next Saturday, which means she will stay on campus for the weekend. So far I haven’t heard from her, but assume she’s not coming home. My father is doing better and is being released from the hospital today. I might fly home this May instead of for my parents’ 50^th wedding anniversary next year in July. He might not be around then. I am trying to stay here long enough so I can finish my semester, because if I just miss one class, I am lost. Missing two classes would be the end for my course (English Composition 121).

Alexandra worked at her school’s Open House on Saturday, so I picked her up afterwards. Her first words were: Mom, by the way, I changed my major. To Communications. I said, “Praise the Lord.” Really, I am glad, because Marine Biology includes so much math, chemistry and physics, she would have been overwhelmed and frustrated. Now she has much easier math ahead of her and courses she can do, like public speaking, which is no problem for her. She spoke to rooms full of people during her years as a Girl Scout and since she was seven years old, she danced in front of hundreds of people, in shows and competitions. I am really relieved, because Communications is a broader and more versatile field, and easier for her. She is not all that into studying, thankfully she has great memory and social skills which hopefully will bring her far in life.

She got her big sister in her sorority and is so excited about belonging to that sisterhood. Whether sororities and fraternities are negative or positive, this is how I look at it: Before she even started college she researched the Greek organizations on her future campus and talked to people in different sororities. During “Meet the Greeks” she already knew exactly which group she wanted to apply to. She went to every one of their meetings, made friends during her first weeks on campus, and when the night of the bidding came, she received her bid. It was a huge deal. Out of 15 applicants, she was one of 4 freshmen who received a bid, a guaranteed spot for the next semester. She called us at 1 in the morning, exhilarated that she just got the call and was accepted. So, she decided what she wanted, showed her face at all the meetings, made friends, succeeded in being accepted, went through the pledging process, and reached her goal. Her sorority is involved in community service, they tutor each other because you need to have a good GPA to stay in it, and during the six weeks of pledging, there was no partying and alcohol allowed what so ever. Doesn’t this sound great to us parents? And for the fact that sororities and fraternities do nothing but party… if kids in college want to party, they will, whether it’s with a Greek organization or on their own. I trust that she made a good choice and picked a good sorority, not the ones you hear bad news about. She did all the research herself and reached her goal, and I am proud of her.

Math and the Greeks

Still Wednesday:
Al,you can’t imagine how happy I am to get such upbeat e-mails. I know right now you live from weekend to weekend, but eventually it will get easier to stay on campus, I promise.

It’s actually great; you are away during the week in a fun environment with everybody in the same boat (away from home) and home on weekends and holidays. You’re on your own but not totally. College is like a buffer between home and the big world. Don’t give up, it’s doable. I might fail math but I will finish the semester and give it a shot.

Love you lots, Mom

=]
i still have 2 classes. next i have history...i really like that class actually and then i have music fundamentals for 3 hours...blahhhhhhhh
i like that class but i just dont like how long it is
anyways i have to go catch the bus to get to history now
peace xo Alexandra

And when you’re done, the day is almost over, see. Anyway, I am tackling passing scientists here at work with algebra questions. Without them I would be lost for sure. If I pass, I will bring in a cake to celebrate.

I hope you have time to eat lunch on busy Wednesdays. Mom

i do have time to eat lunch and i can eat dinner after my last class i just dont want to right now
i signed up for XYZ (sorority) =] and my RA who lives right across the hall from me is in that sorority so i can ask her like anything. i saw Lauren at meet the greeks too at her sororities booth and i kinda feel bad cuz she wants me to sign up for hers too and i was like being friendly about it but i really dont wanna be in that sorority cuz shes crazyyy
anyways have a good night and ill talk to u in the A.M. =] Alexandra

Crazy weather and my class

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 Hey, today is Tuesday – October according to your way of thinking.

Did you find out anything about the sorority you want to join yet?

We had a thunderstorm last night around 7, I had to turn off the computer, but it didn’t last too long. How was it up there? Was it fun to watch in a safe house? Any of your roommates scared? The guys were probably hiding under their blankets…

I have class tonight, yippee. Later, Mom

it was crazy here during the storm....really windy and buckets of rain, a group of us was tryin to get to dinner in the caf. which is 2 ft away and we couldn’t even do that because we watched others come back in from the dining hall and got soaked in those 2 seconds of being outside,
thankfully it didnt take long for it to pass
one of our elevators is broken so now it takes even longer so now i have to take the stairs to make sure i get out and to class on time
yay its tuesday only 4 more full days till i get to come home and we can go to the Irish festival......and the dentist....yayyyyyyyyyyyy lol

Wed, 15 Sep 2010: I do hope though that you still enjoy being on campus and not just count the days until you come home. Do enjoy every day, like I said, you’ll never have it as good again: No bills, no cooking, no cleaning, and fifteen hours mean full-time. Homesickness will get better over time, believe me.

Last night at my math class a student of Asian descent got mad at a guy who made the remark: “This is like Chinese to me, or like Chinese surgery.” He felt offended, biased against Asians, and the professor had to step in and break up what could have escalated into an ugly fight. The other guy apologized, but it wasn’t good enough for the Asian who kept harping about how offended he felt. Crazy. There are lots of different races in my classroom. It’s an interesting mix and conflict can happen, but we learn a lot from each other, it’s great. I was surprised, not shocked, but amazed how quickly something can escalate. No wonder there are always wars in the world. I’m certainly learning a lot of math, but it is very hard and I need to practice every day for at least two hours and have our scientists here at work explain stuff to me. I will be so glad when it’s Christmas and I’m done with this semester. If only I make it through math, the rest should be a lot easier.

Have a great day, Love, Mom

PS: Did you go to class yesterday? You kept mailing at all hours of the day.

hmmm thats never really happened in any of my classes ever, I guess its because my generation is so used to having all different cultures in our classes.
today is meet the greeks yay!!!
yes i went to class yester, i only had from 9:30 to 10:45 so i was done and then i did all my homework and stuff. today i'll be in class for forever! till 7:15, I'm in my english class right but don't worry I already did all my work cuz i'm awesome like that
okay see ya later!xo Alexandra