College Admissions Questions (4 Viewers)

[Binky The Doormat]

We are headed out to visit Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount in the LA area and then headed to USF and Santa Clara University.  Any FBGs familiar with these locales and have any travel/logistics advice? 

Thinking we fly into either city - rent a car and drive Gonna have to fly into either LA or SF then rent a car.  Any particular places to stay, eat, etc?  

 

[El Floppo]

We are headed out to visit Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount in the LA area and then headed to USF and Santa Clara University.  Any FBGs familiar with these locales and have any travel/logistics advice? 

Thinking we fly into either city - rent a car and drive Gonna have to fly into either LA or SF then rent a car.  Any particular places to stay, eat, etc?  

Curious about the NCal schools...whats making you consider those particular schools? 

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Curious about the NCal schools...whats making you consider those particular schools? 

our daughter is the one that is interested in these schools with a particular eye on psychology degree.  

 

[SFBayDuck]

We are headed out to visit Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount in the LA area and then headed to USF and Santa Clara University.  Any FBGs familiar with these locales and have any travel/logistics advice? 

Thinking we fly into either city - rent a car and drive Gonna have to fly into either LA or SF then rent a car.  Any particular places to stay, eat, etc?  

My daughter applied to LMU, Pepperdine, and Santa Clara, getting accepted into LMU and SC and waitlisted at Pepperdine. Unfortunately this was all during lockdown times, so she never saw LMU or Pepperdine, and we did a self tour of Santa Clara. 
 

As for travel, LMU is pretty close to LAX and SFO is right between SC and USF. So it really just depends on where/what you want to see while on your trip, as SF and LA are very different. You want beaches, stay in LA. You want to check out a true City, then stay in SF.

Only other thing I’d advise is if you have time drive up/down the coast instead of I-5. It’s way more scenic and you can check out places like Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Carmel/Big Sur. There’s really nothing to see on I-5. 

 

[Galileo]

Anyone else have a kid going into their first year at Purdue this fall?  This is not so much an admissions question as it is a bit of a rant, but I figure this thread was the best place for it. 

What an absolute CLUSTERF*CK the Purdue housing situation has been.  For starters, the system for scheduling a move in time, which was supposed to open July 1st, completely crashed and couldn't handle the traffic.  They finally got it up and running by July 5th, but the only available move in times for the majority getting into the system was Midnight - 7:30 am.  We were told to sign up for that and then try to go back in later over the next several days and change the time as they add more time slots to the system.  Two changes later, my son finally got a reasonable time slot.  Move in set for August 14th...OK, some glitchy technology.  We got through it.  Then...

This past Thursday they hosted a virtual event to discuss housing and meal programs and such.  They dropped the bombshell that 2500 freshmen would be receiving an email survey to indicate preference for ALTERNATIVE housing.  They do not have space for 2500 kids!  Oooh, the Facebook groups have blown up!  Of course, my kid was one of the lucky randomly selected 2500 kids.  They have reconfigured spaces in existing dorms.  This includes making standard double rooms into triples, triples into quads and non room spaces like basements and study lounges into barracks style living spaces.  They have also rented out off campus apartment buildings which they will then rent to students through a master lease agreement run through university housing.  Some of these apartments are a few miles away from central campus which has been described as a 15 minute bus ride away.  So, my son is a month away from his move in date, not sure where he will end up, and not sure what kind of cramped, or inconveniently located, living quarters he will end up in. 

On another issue, his schedule hasn't been able to be settled because his AP scores aren't available yet.  His advisor has signed him up for classes for which he should already have credit, for example Calc 2.  He should be in Calc 3.   Advisor says he can switch when the AP scores get report IF the Calc 3 classes aren't already filled.  IF?  Really? 

I am sure (hope?) everything will eventually work out, but we are off to a less than impressive start at Purdue.

 

[ericttspikes]

Anyone else have a kid going into their first year at Purdue this fall?  This is not so much an admissions question as it is a bit of a rant, but I figure this thread was the best place for it. 

What an absolute CLUSTERF*CK the Purdue housing situation has been.  For starters, the system for scheduling a move in time, which was supposed to open July 1st, completely crashed and couldn't handle the traffic.  They finally got it up and running by July 5th, but the only available move in times for the majority getting into the system was Midnight - 7:30 am.  We were told to sign up for that and then try to go back in later over the next several days and change the time as they add more time slots to the system.  Two changes later, my son finally got a reasonable time slot.  Move in set for August 14th...OK, some glitchy technology.  We got through it.  Then...

This past Thursday they hosted a virtual event to discuss housing and meal programs and such.  They dropped the bombshell that 2500 freshmen would be receiving an email survey to indicate preference for ALTERNATIVE housing.  They do not have space for 2500 kids!  Oooh, the Facebook groups have blown up!  Of course, my kid was one of the lucky randomly selected 2500 kids.  They have reconfigured spaces in existing dorms.  This includes making standard double rooms into triples, triples into quads and non room spaces like basements and study lounges into barracks style living spaces.  They have also rented out off campus apartment buildings which they will then rent to students through a master lease agreement run through university housing.  Some of these apartments are a few miles away from central campus which has been described as a 15 minute bus ride away.  So, my son is a month away from his move in date, not sure where he will end up, and not sure what kind of cramped, or inconveniently located, living quarters he will end up in. 

On another issue, his schedule hasn't been able to be settled because his AP scores aren't available yet.  His advisor has signed him up for classes for which he should already have credit, for example Calc 2.  He should be in Calc 3.   Advisor says he can switch when the AP scores get report IF the Calc 3 classes aren't already filled.  IF?  Really? 

I am sure (hope?) everything will eventually work out, but we are off to a less than impressive start at Purdue.

Damn. No issues so far for my daughter (as far as I know). Didn’t even know about any move in issues. She scheduled her move in Aug 14, 11am and had a choice of later afternoon too. She was accepted to a learning community a few months ago for Engineering and band kids and got her first choice of Shreve Hall. She’s trying out for marching band and the practice field is across the street. She hasn’t received her room # or roomate info yet, so we hoping no problems. Thanks for the heads up. She’s been setting it all up. I’ll make sure to tell her to keep on top of everything. Hoping things work out.

 

[stbugs]

Anyone else have a kid going into their first year at Purdue this fall?  This is not so much an admissions question as it is a bit of a rant, but I figure this thread was the best place for it. 

What an absolute CLUSTERF*CK the Purdue housing situation has been.  For starters, the system for scheduling a move in time, which was supposed to open July 1st, completely crashed and couldn't handle the traffic.  They finally got it up and running by July 5th, but the only available move in times for the majority getting into the system was Midnight - 7:30 am.  We were told to sign up for that and then try to go back in later over the next several days and change the time as they add more time slots to the system.  Two changes later, my son finally got a reasonable time slot.  Move in set for August 14th...OK, some glitchy technology.  We got through it.  Then...

This past Thursday they hosted a virtual event to discuss housing and meal programs and such.  They dropped the bombshell that 2500 freshmen would be receiving an email survey to indicate preference for ALTERNATIVE housing.  They do not have space for 2500 kids!  Oooh, the Facebook groups have blown up!  Of course, my kid was one of the lucky randomly selected 2500 kids.  They have reconfigured spaces in existing dorms.  This includes making standard double rooms into triples, triples into quads and non room spaces like basements and study lounges into barracks style living spaces.  They have also rented out off campus apartment buildings which they will then rent to students through a master lease agreement run through university housing.  Some of these apartments are a few miles away from central campus which has been described as a 15 minute bus ride away.  So, my son is a month away from his move in date, not sure where he will end up, and not sure what kind of cramped, or inconveniently located, living quarters he will end up in. 

On another issue, his schedule hasn't been able to be settled because his AP scores aren't available yet.  His advisor has signed him up for classes for which he should already have credit, for example Calc 2.  He should be in Calc 3.   Advisor says he can switch when the AP scores get report IF the Calc 3 classes aren't already filled.  IF?  Really? 

I am sure (hope?) everything will eventually work out, but we are off to a less than impressive start at Purdue.

That sucks and it’s ridiculous in terms of not having space for 2500 students. How do you screw that up so much in admissions?

One note that I think I mentioned before.  My son did retake a Biology course he could have passed out of because an advisor recommended it. He still passed out of chem, calc and an another, but he’s a biochem major and the advisor told him that the class was a lot different than HS. My son mentioned he had taken the AP course his junior year so he felt rusty and it worked out well as he got a 4.0 his freshman year and wasn’t overwhelmed. He’s still ahead as he took some organic genetic something or other this spring that his advisor said would be the his hardest class at Clemson and is usually an junior or senior class.

It may not be the same situation but I wouldn’t stress too much. With the housing situation as is, it might not hurt to have an easier schedule to adjust to college. You see some amazing things kids do and course loads taken in HS, but sometimes I feel like so much is planned with the help of parents. I wonder if kids aren’t getting the most valuable part of college, learning to be on their own and handling their own ####. I still have to remind him about stupid things but he got his summer lab/research job all by himself by networking with a upperclassmen in the same class as him.

 

[Galileo]

Damn. No issues so far for my daughter (as far as I know). Didn’t even know about any move in issues. She scheduled her move in Aug 14, 11am and had a choice of later afternoon too. She was accepted to a learning community a few months ago for Engineering and band kids and got her first choice of Shreve Hall. She’s trying out for marching band and the practice field is across the street. She hasn’t received her room # or roomate info yet, so we hoping no problems. Thanks for the heads up. She’s been setting it all up. I’ll make sure to tell her to keep on top of everything. Hoping things work out.

I wish my son had gone the Learning Community route, but he chose not to.  Many of the LCs have designated living spaces.

 

[Galileo]

That sucks and it’s ridiculous in terms of not having space for 2500 students. How do you screw that up so much in admissions?

I can see how their algorithm may not have been accurate this year.  So many students took gap years, deferred acceptance, whatever.  They very well may have gotten a higher percentage of students accepting enrollment than they anticipated.  But they knew their numbers on May 1st at the commitment deadline.  Why not communicate the potential for this housing situation rather than waiting until July 8th to spring it on us?  Why force us through the charade of submitting preferences for a living area only to pull it out from under  2500 kids.  Why does my kid pay the same (if not more for some of the possible auxiliary spaces) for lessor accommodations?  

They released a video preview of examples of these auxiliary spaces... https://www.housing.purdue.edu/Housing/AuxiliaryHousing.html

Apparently not a new issue for Purdue.  But in 2018, I think those were temporary spots for whatever reason.  This year's version is intended to be for the year.

 

[ericttspikes]

I wish my son had gone the Learning Community route, but he chose not to.  Many of the LCs have designated living spaces.

That link you shared below showing the Auxiliary Housing is Shreve. Damn, that looks really crappy cramming 3 into a room. Since we haven't gotten confirmation, I assume 3 to a room could still be on the table. #$%&. That sucks, she'll hate that.

 

[Galileo]

That link you shared below showing the Auxiliary Housing is Shreve. Damn, that looks really crappy cramming 3 into a room. Since we haven't gotten confirmation, I assume 3 to a room could still be on the table. #$%&. That sucks, she'll hate that.

Emails went out the night of the 8th to those who were "randomly" chosen, and a survey for area of preference followed the next morning at 9 am for any of the 2500 affected.  Your daughter seems to be in the clear from my perspective.

 

[HarryKane09]

We are headed out to visit Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount in the LA area and then headed to USF and Santa Clara University.  Any FBGs familiar with these locales and have any travel/logistics advice? 

Thinking we fly into either city - rent a car and drive Gonna have to fly into either LA or SF then rent a car.  Any particular places to stay, eat, etc?  

A few random thoughts from a seasoned California traveler from flyover country...

Shop around a bit on the different airports in LA and SF, both for flights and rental cars.  Flight availability and costs can vary wildly, as can rental car prices.  Santa Clara University is really close to the San Jose airport, which you can often fly in/out of a lot cheaper than SFO if your travel times are flexible.  Loyola Marymount is right by LAX so trying one of the smaller LA airports probably won't be more convenient.  Southwest and Delta fly into Long Beach, which will be a bit farther away than LAX but I wanted to mention it just in case there's a deal to be had there.      
  
Rental car prices are really high right now (rental car companies sold off a lot of inventory to stay solvent during the pandemic, haven't fully replenished their supply yet to meet demand) so expect a pay a premium, especially for dropping off at a different place than pickup.  
 

ETA: If you’re a Costco member, HIGHLY recommend investigating car rentals through Costco Travel.  They work with Alamo, Avis/Budget, and Enterprise.  They usually bury everyone on price and you don’t have to pay anything upfront.  

If your drive between LA and SF is during daylight hours, highly recommend driving along the coast if you haven't before.  It will take a bit longer, but there's nothing quite like it.  The Interstate route won't be scenic.  

The Pepperdine campus is beautiful.  So nice, I'd almost recommend doing the SF leg first then driving down to LA, so you don't see the Pepperdine campus first.  There are so many great college campuses, but man Pepperdine's setting really is special.  

As for eating... highly recommend eating on-campus at one of the dining halls if your timing and tour allows for it.  The food won't be great, but if you're going while classes are in session, it's a great way to get a feel for the vibe of the student body and daily campus life.  Are the students are stressed and studying while eating?  Are they interacting with each other or alone together on their phones?  Are the students dressed or are they wearing what they slept in?  I'm not passing judgment one way or the other on any of those choices, just pointing out information that can be obtained and see if any of it is a good fit for your prospective student.   

 

[Yo Mama]

A few random thoughts from a seasoned California traveler from flyover country...

Shop around a bit on the different airports in LA and SF, both for flights and rental cars.  Flight availability and costs can vary wildly, as can rental car prices.  Santa Clara University is really close to the San Jose airport, which you can often fly in/out of a lot cheaper than SFO if your travel times are flexible.  Loyola Marymount is right by LAX so trying one of the smaller LA airports probably won't be more convenient.  Southwest and Delta fly into Long Beach, which will be a bit farther away than LAX but I wanted to mention it just in case there's a deal to be had there.      
  
Rental car prices are really high right now (rental car companies sold off a lot of inventory to stay solvent during the pandemic, haven't fully replenished their supply yet to meet demand) so expect a pay a premium, especially for dropping off at a different place than pickup.  

If your drive between LA and SF is during daylight hours, highly recommend driving along the coast if you haven't before.  It will take a bit longer, but there's nothing quite like it.  The Interstate route won't be scenic.  

The Pepperdine campus is beautiful.  So nice, I'd almost recommend doing the SF leg first then driving down to LA, so you don't see the Pepperdine campus first.  There are so many great college campuses, but man Pepperdine's setting really is special.  

As for eating... highly recommend eating on-campus at one of the dining halls if your timing and tour allows for it.  The food won't be great, but if you're going while classes are in session, it's a great way to get a feel for the vibe of the student body and daily campus life.  Are the students are stressed and studying while eating?  Are they interacting with each other or alone together on their phones?  Are the students dressed or are they wearing what they slept in?  I'm not passing judgment one way or the other on any of those choices, just pointing out information that can be obtained and see if any of it is a good fit for your prospective student.   

Agreed, Pepperdine is one of the most beautiful campus locations. I was accepted there back in the day, but couldn’t swing enough of a scholarship to be able to afford it. LMU is nice too and is super close to LAX.  Burbank airport is my favorite of the “smaller” airports and is closer to Pepperdine. 
 

Lots of cool spots to eat on the coast in malibu near Pepperdine, and some decent wineries in the area too. 

 

[HarryKane09]

Agreed, Pepperdine is one of the most beautiful campus locations. I was accepted there back in the day, but couldn’t swing enough of a scholarship to be able to afford it. LMU is nice too and is super close to LAX.  Burbank airport is my favorite of the “smaller” airports and is closer to Pepperdine. 
 

Lots of cool spots to eat on the coast in malibu near Pepperdine, and some decent wineries in the area too. 

Good call on the Burbank airport.  Closer to Pepperdine, and not LAX so the logistics of getting in/out/through the airport will be a lot faster.  
 

When we did our SoCal college visits, we used the Ontario airport because it’s so close to the Claremont Colleges and we wanted to look at a couple of those.  Liked the people we met at Claremont a lot, intrigued by the collective of small schools giving a small-school feel with the resources of a larger school.  (I wished I’d heard of them when I was looking at colleges - I think I would have liked Claremont McKenna a lot.). We went a different route, but definitely a place we would recommend to others.  

 

[bigbottom]

Just an FYI that Pepperdine is very religiously conservative. HS girlfriend and one of my best friends went there back in the day and it was no joke. I’m told it’s very similar these days, though I only have second hand info. 

 

[Foosball God]

Thoughts or info on Cal Poly?  Little Foosette is a rising senior and wants to apply for their Graphics Communication program.

 

[bigbottom]

Thoughts or info on Cal Poly?  Little Foosette is a rising senior and wants to apply for their Graphics Communication program.

SLO I presume?  I’ve heard absolutely great things. If it’s Pomona, that’s where I went and I can tell you lots. 

 

[Foosball God]

SLO I presume?  I’ve heard absolutely great things. If it’s Pomona, that’s where I went and I can tell you lots. 

Yeah SLO, sounds like Cal Poly is hard to get into, though I think she'll have a better shot with her specific major.

Also, we're out of state so that will be a bit of a killer tuition wise even if she can get accepted.

 

[bigbottom]

Yeah SLO, sounds like Cal Poly is hard to get into, though I think she'll have a better shot with her specific major.

Also, we're out of state so that will be a bit of a killer tuition wise even if she can get accepted.

What state? 

 

[Foosball God]

What state? 

Virginia

 

[bigbottom]

Virginia

Ah okay, so no WUE option. 

 

[Foosball God]

Ah okay, so no WUE option. 

Don't even know what that is, so I expect no.

 

[Yo Mama]

Just an FYI that Pepperdine is very religiously conservative. HS girlfriend and one of my best friends went there back in the day and it was no joke. I’m told it’s very similar these days, though I only have second hand info. 

Good point - aside from $, the other deciding factor for me in not choosing to go there were the heavy religious commitments at the time - required chapel and church each week, multiple required religion classes, strict conduct rules. 

 

[Binky The Doormat]

A few random thoughts from a seasoned California traveler from flyover country...

Thanks man!  Appreciate the recommendations!

Unfortunately we have already locked in a couple of big things 

- flying into LAX, getting the rental car through there

- doing Pepperdine/Loyola Marymount first

 - have hotel reservations close to USF and spending 3 days there

Still looking around for good options in LA to stay, eat, sightsee - and places/things to do and eat in SF

 

[El Floppo]

Thanks man!  Appreciate the recommendations!

Unfortunately we have already locked in a couple of big things 

- flying into LAX, getting the rental car through there

- doing Pepperdine/Loyola Marymount first

 - have hotel reservations close to USF and spending 3 days there

Still looking around for good options in LA to stay, eat, sightsee - and places/things to do and eat in SF

I dont know if its still a thing, but I vaguely recall Burma Superstar being fairly close to USF.

Have you looked at St Marys in the East Bay? Somebodys kid here is going there...

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I dont know if its still a thing, but I vaguely recall Burma Superstar being fairly close to USF.

Have you looked at St Marys in the East Bay? Somebodys kid here is going there...

thanks ...but  I have no idea of what you are takling about 

help

 

[El Floppo]

thanks ...but  I have no idea of what you are takling about 

help

Burma Superstar was a very hot restaurant in SF a while back. My memory of it has it nearish to USF campus.

St Marys is a nice little college kinda near Berkeley. Pretty sure an FFAs kid goes there

 

[⚡DEADHEAD⚡]

Burma Superstar was a very hot restaurant in SF a while back. My memory of it has it nearish to USF campus.

St Marys is a nice little college kinda near Berkeley. Pretty sure an FFAs kid goes there

There are a few Burma Superstars in the East Bay, including Alameda and Berkeley. Something happened though. They're not affiliated with the SF one, I think. Different websites. Anyway, good food, but it's been years since we've been (kids, pretty much).

St. Mary's is in a beautiful, somewhat remote in a suburban sort of way, not particularly diverse part of the Bay Area. The same St. Mary's of basketball success in recent decade or so. A Gonzaga rival, though less so these days I think. Pretty strong alum program in Bay Area too I think. Oh, and pricey.

 

[MindCrime]

Have a tour set up for Florida Gulf Coast University in a week. Anyone have any experience there? It’s much smaller than U.South Florida and UCF which are also on the short list, not sure how my son will react to the difference in scale, but looks promising.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Anyone else have a kid going into their first year at Purdue this fall?  This is not so much an admissions question as it is a bit of a rant, but I figure this thread was the best place for it. 

What an absolute CLUSTERF*CK the Purdue housing situation has been.  For starters, the system for scheduling a move in time, which was supposed to open July 1st, completely crashed and couldn't handle the traffic.  They finally got it up and running by July 5th, but the only available move in times for the majority getting into the system was Midnight - 7:30 am.  We were told to sign up for that and then try to go back in later over the next several days and change the time as they add more time slots to the system.  Two changes later, my son finally got a reasonable time slot.  Move in set for August 14th...OK, some glitchy technology.  We got through it.  Then...

This past Thursday they hosted a virtual event to discuss housing and meal programs and such.  They dropped the bombshell that 2500 freshmen would be receiving an email survey to indicate preference for ALTERNATIVE housing.  They do not have space for 2500 kids!  Oooh, the Facebook groups have blown up!  Of course, my kid was one of the lucky randomly selected 2500 kids.  They have reconfigured spaces in existing dorms.  This includes making standard double rooms into triples, triples into quads and non room spaces like basements and study lounges into barracks style living spaces.  They have also rented out off campus apartment buildings which they will then rent to students through a master lease agreement run through university housing.  Some of these apartments are a few miles away from central campus which has been described as a 15 minute bus ride away.  So, my son is a month away from his move in date, not sure where he will end up, and not sure what kind of cramped, or inconveniently located, living quarters he will end up in. 

On another issue, his schedule hasn't been able to be settled because his AP scores aren't available yet.  His advisor has signed him up for classes for which he should already have credit, for example Calc 2.  He should be in Calc 3.   Advisor says he can switch when the AP scores get report IF the Calc 3 classes aren't already filled.  IF?  Really? 

I am sure (hope?) everything will eventually work out, but we are off to a less than impressive start at Purdue.

Sorry to hear this.  I don't work in admissions, but I encounter a fair amount of admissions-related stuff just from reading higher ed media.  My understanding is that admissions offices are kind of flying blind right now.  The kind of housing scramble that you're describing happens sometimes, but it's definitely a screw up.

With regard to calculus, you might encourage your son to contact the chair of the math department, or have him ask his advisor to do so on his behalf.  Math departments everywhere deal with this exact issue all the time.  The department chair will not surprised or put out by this request. 

At my university, we routinely allow students to register "up" if they think their AP score is going to come back good, and then a flunky in the math department manually switches their registration to a lower course if the AP scores come in lower than expected.  It could be that the folks at Purdue have considered that approach and opted against it -- in that case, your son's email to the math department is going to get a firm but polite "no" but it's not as if he's out anything. 

But it's also possible that his advisor doesn't really know how Math wants to handle this situation.  If he's majoring in a STEM field (which I'm guessing he probably is given that he wants to take a third semester of calculus) and his advisor has more than two weeks of experience on the job, that's pretty unlikely.  But advisors aren't omniscient and mistakes happen.

Finally, there's a good chance that Calc III simply isn't a class that ever fills.  This may be a case where the department can't literally promise him a seat, but they "know" with 99.9% certainty that there will be plenty of seats available in August.  A phone call or email might help set your son's mind at ease if that's what's going on.

If all else fails and he can't get into Calc III until the spring, it's not that big a deal.  He's ahead of the curve in terms of getting his math sequence done, and he's not going to forget how to evaluate an integral between now and January.  (This is a super-common worry among students and parents, and it's completely unfounded.  Mathematics knowledge doesn't actually depreciate that rapidly).  

Good luck regardless.   

 

[The Z Machine]

Back in the day, I would have registered for both Calc II and Calc III, then dropped the one that wasn't right.  Not sure if that's an option.

 

[bigbottom]

Sorry to hear this.  I don't work in admissions, but I encounter a fair amount of admissions-related stuff just from reading higher ed media.  My understanding is that admissions offices are kind of flying blind right now.  The kind of housing scramble that you're describing happens sometimes, but it's definitely a screw up.

With regard to calculus, you might encourage your son to contact the chair of the math department, or have him ask his advisor to do so on his behalf.  Math departments everywhere deal with this exact issue all the time.  The department chair will not surprised or put out by this request. 

At my university, we routinely allow students to register "up" if they think their AP score is going to come back good, and then a flunky in the math department manually switches their registration to a lower course if the AP scores come in lower than expected.  It could be that the folks at Purdue have considered that approach and opted against it -- in that case, your son's email to the math department is going to get a firm but polite "no" but it's not as if he's out anything. 

But it's also possible that his advisor doesn't really know how Math wants to handle this situation.  If he's majoring in a STEM field (which I'm guessing he probably is given that he wants to take a third semester of calculus) and his advisor has more than two weeks of experience on the job, that's pretty unlikely.  But advisors aren't omniscient and mistakes happen.

Finally, there's a good chance that Calc III simply isn't a class that ever fills.  This may be a case where the department can't literally promise him a seat, but they "know" with 99.9% certainty that there will be plenty of seats available in August.  A phone call or email might help set your son's mind at ease if that's what's going on.

If all else fails and he can't get into Calc III until the spring, it's not that big a deal.  He's ahead of the curve in terms of getting his math sequence done, and he's not going to forget how to evaluate an integral between now and January.  (This is a super-common worry among students and parents, and it's completely unfounded.  Mathematics knowledge doesn't actually depreciate that rapidly).  

Good luck regardless.   

Just an FYI on the Calc thing - my son tested out of some Calc classes based on his AP test, and then got his ### handed to him in the upper level Calc classes he took as a freshman.

 

[stbugs]

Just an FYI on the Calc thing - my son tested out of some Calc classes based on his AP test, and then got his ### handed to him in the upper level Calc classes he took as a freshman.

Yep, that’s exactly what I replied earlier about. It might be a blessing in disguise. My son’s advisor recommended he not pass out of everything especially one class and he retook just the Biology course the advisor said was a lot different. He was taking a hard Calc class (passed out of other one) and would have taken more advanced Chem and Bio. I think it served him well to not have a crazy first semester (pre-COVID). I remember passing out of a bunch of classes in my day as well and my two worst semesters grade wise were Freshman Fall and Sophomore Spring (fraternity legal issues). I remember how overwhelmed I felt taken advanced classes for everything. Still managed above 3, but it was eye opening how much more work college was than a very good high school, especially for engineering/science majors.

With housing issues and CV rules, not having a super hard schedule might be beneficial. I’d say that there’s an extremely small chance that taking Calc 2 again will keep a student from getting in all of their class needs by graduation or have any impact on jobs. Heck, could help the GpA in the end. 

 

[SFBayDuck]

Just an FYI on the Calc thing - my son tested out of some Calc classes based on his AP test, and then got his ### handed to him in the upper level Calc classes he took as a freshman.

Same kind of thing happened to me back in the day - I had AP econ credit, took the other pre-req econ class first quarter which was a breeze, then registered for a 300-level econ class my second quarter and I got crushed.

Burma Superstar was a very hot restaurant in SF a while back. My memory of it has it nearish to USF campus.

St Marys is a nice little college kinda near Berkeley. Pretty sure an FFAs kid goes there

You might be thinking about my daughter as she was down to St. Mary's and Davis, but she chose Davis.  

 

[SoBeDad]

Thanks man!  Appreciate the recommendations!

Unfortunately we have already locked in a couple of big things 

- flying into LAX, getting the rental car through there

- doing Pepperdine/Loyola Marymount first

 - have hotel reservations close to USF and spending 3 days there

Still looking around for good options in LA to stay, eat, sightsee - and places/things to do and eat in SF

Just visited my daughters who move to SF and LA last year. I highly recommend the Huntington Botanical Garden near Pasadena.  Also, the Getty Villa, but you have to reserve free tickets to Getty in advance. We also went to a good comedy club in Hollywood and multiple vegan restaurants, if that's your thing I can pull up some recommendations.

In SF, I recommend walking the Embarcadero, with a great farmers market on Saturday, a 35min audio tour of a WW2 submarine is worthwhile. The Asian Art Museum is excellent. Golden Gate Park is very good, for at least driving through to see the windmill and Buffalo, biking or walking if you have time. Lots of food options, but stay away from the Tenderloin district unless you wanna see lots of homeless. If you have time, Muir Woods about an hour north, and some of the coastal beaches about 90 minutes south, this one Greyhound Rock County Park & Beach was great, but there are many others. Again, one of my daughters is vegan, and the best vegan food we tried was near Monterrey about 2 hours south. If you have time, the Big Sur area 3 hours south has good beach vistas and hikes.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Just visited my daughters who move to SF and LA last year. I highly recommend the Huntington Botanical Garden near Pasadena.  Also, the Getty Villa, but you have to reserve free tickets to Getty in advance. We also went to a good comedy club in Hollywood and multiple vegan restaurants, if that's your thing I can pull up some recommendations.

In SF, I recommend walking the Embarcadero, with a great farmers market on Saturday, a 35min audio tour of a WW2 submarine is worthwhile. The Asian Art Museum is excellent. Golden Gate Park is very good, for at least driving through to see the windmill and Buffalo, biking or walking if you have time. Lots of food options, but stay away from the Tenderloin district unless you wanna see lots of homeless. If you have time, Muir Woods about an hour north, and some of the coastal beaches about 90 minutes south, this one Greyhound Rock County Park & Beach was great, but there are many others. Again, one of my daughters is vegan, and the best vegan food we tried was near Monterrey about 2 hours south. If you have time, the Big Sur area 3 hours south has good beach vistas and hikes.

this is great!  Thanks very much!

 

[Galileo]

On another issue, his schedule hasn't been able to be settled because his AP scores aren't available yet.  His advisor has signed him up for classes for which he should already have credit, for example Calc 2.  He should be in Calc 3.   Advisor says he can switch when the AP scores get report IF the Calc 3 classes aren't already filled.  IF?  Really? 

Well the boy got a 5 on his Calculus BC exam, so now we get to figure out how to get his schedule settled.  It appears Purdue will open a portal from July 22-23rd for students to make schedule change requests.  I hope this system works better than their housing move in date request system did at the beginning of the month.

5's in Calc BC, Physics 2, Computer Science and AP Stats...3 in Comparative Government (his first 3 out of 12 AP classes...I am amazed at what he has accomplished)

 

[SteelCurtain]

Anyone else have a kid going into their first year at Purdue this fall?  This is not so much an admissions question as it is a bit of a rant, but I figure this thread was the best place for it. 

What an absolute CLUSTERF*CK the Purdue housing situation has been.  For starters, the system for scheduling a move in time, which was supposed to open July 1st, completely crashed and couldn't handle the traffic.  They finally got it up and running by July 5th, but the only available move in times for the majority getting into the system was Midnight - 7:30 am.  We were told to sign up for that and then try to go back in later over the next several days and change the time as they add more time slots to the system.  Two changes later, my son finally got a reasonable time slot.  Move in set for August 14th...OK, some glitchy technology.  We got through it.  Then...

This past Thursday they hosted a virtual event to discuss housing and meal programs and such.  They dropped the bombshell that 2500 freshmen would be receiving an email survey to indicate preference for ALTERNATIVE housing.  They do not have space for 2500 kids!  Oooh, the Facebook groups have blown up!  Of course, my kid was one of the lucky randomly selected 2500 kids.  They have reconfigured spaces in existing dorms.  This includes making standard double rooms into triples, triples into quads and non room spaces like basements and study lounges into barracks style living spaces.  They have also rented out off campus apartment buildings which they will then rent to students through a master lease agreement run through university housing.  Some of these apartments are a few miles away from central campus which has been described as a 15 minute bus ride away.  So, my son is a month away from his move in date, not sure where he will end up, and not sure what kind of cramped, or inconveniently located, living quarters he will end up in. 

On another issue, his schedule hasn't been able to be settled because his AP scores aren't available yet.  His advisor has signed him up for classes for which he should already have credit, for example Calc 2.  He should be in Calc 3.   Advisor says he can switch when the AP scores get report IF the Calc 3 classes aren't already filled.  IF?  Really? 

I am sure (hope?) everything will eventually work out, but we are off to a less than impressive start at Purdue.

I'm not familiar with what is happening at Purdue, but this year has been the most disruptive in higher education.  Budgets are uncertain.  New student enrollment projections are completely in flux.  Returning student retention is completely unknown.  Residence capacities have been adjusted due to social distancing requirements.  Study abroad programming is completely thrown upside down (i.e., if Purdue was planning on 1,000 students going abroad, and now they aren't, then they need to house these students somewhere.)  Meanwhile, this is all in an environment where state aid is being cut/adjusted.  And the business office at many universities are trying to find ways to balance budgets (easy way to do that is bring in more students.)

Like I said, I'm not familiar with Purdue and their situation.  I just share all of this so you can understand this is much bigger than any one office.  I hope your son's situation is good, but you'll be surprised at how resilient students are and how much they bond in these crazy situations.

 

[MAC_32]

I'm not familiar with what is happening at Purdue, but this year has been the most disruptive in higher education.  Budgets are uncertain.  New student enrollment projections are completely in flux.  Returning student retention is completely unknown.  Residence capacities have been adjusted due to social distancing requirements.  Study abroad programming is completely thrown upside down (i.e., if Purdue was planning on 1,000 students going abroad, and now they aren't, then they need to house these students somewhere.)  Meanwhile, this is all in an environment where state aid is being cut/adjusted.  And the business office at many universities are trying to find ways to balance budgets (easy way to do that is bring in more students.)

Like I said, I'm not familiar with Purdue and their situation.  I just share all of this so you can understand this is much bigger than any one office.  I hope your son's situation is good, but you'll be surprised at how resilient students are and how much they bond in these crazy situations.

I laugh as a coping mechanism...and I have been laughing throughout our budget meetings over the last 2 months.

Finance team, what do you need in order to finalize this year's budget?

We need to know how many new students to expect, what type, if our retention forecast needs amended, adjusted residence hall capacity, a priority list for covid relief round 3, state aid figures, and confirmation that they won't be adjusted for a 7th time.

We can't provide any of that information.

GREAT! (shoots self

 

[Galileo]

The Purdue housing debacle continues.  Of course as I posted earlier, we received word that my son was one of the lucky 2500 freshmen that would have to be placed into reconfigured spaces or off campus apartments.  Housing assignments were supposed to come out on 7/23.  On 7/21 I started seeing many social media posts of parents with kids who were getting their assignments early.  We got nothing.  There were stories of desired roommates getting split up, freshmen being placed into rooms with upperclassmen, and at least 3 I saw who were being placed into rooms with an RA (that sounds like fun!).  7/23 rolls around and we still have nothing.  Tried to call housing, but could not get through via phone.  Son sent an email.  Got an auto reply about a high volume of mail...blah blah blah.  Got a return email on 7/24 basically saying they are still working on it.  I read from others that did get through to housing who were told there are still about 200 kids that they still do not have placement for.  So it looks like we hit the lottery again...made it to the final 200!  They seem to be hoping people will cancel their housing contracts or otherwise not show.  They may be forced to set up some "temporary" housing to begin the year.  Our move in time slot is Aug 14th at 2:30 pm.  I guess if we don't have a place to live by then, I will just drop all my son's stuff off at Mitch Daniels' office (Purdue President and former governor of Indiana).  All of this is a bit aggravating, but it's got to get worked out somehow, right??

 

[dnurk]

Sucks for your son.  Makes me think of the scene from Revenge of the Nerds 

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8kMSbv4qdFQ/VZktoqcNKbI/AAAAAAAASrk/CIbWRI2rgRE/s1600/Atoms%2Bbanner%2Bfor%2Bsmash%2Bup%2Brevenge%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bnerds%2Bgymnasium%2Bbanner.jpg

 

[Galileo]

Sucks for your son.  Makes me think of the scene from Revenge of the Nerds 

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8kMSbv4qdFQ/VZktoqcNKbI/AAAAAAAASrk/CIbWRI2rgRE/s1600/Atoms%2Bbanner%2Bfor%2Bsmash%2Bup%2Brevenge%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bnerds%2Bgymnasium%2Bbanner.jpg

This is what my wife keeps referencing.  My son doesn't understand the reference though.  lol

 

[ericttspikes]

The Purdue housing debacle continues.  Of course as I posted earlier, we received word that my son was one of the lucky 2500 freshmen that would have to be placed into reconfigured spaces or off campus apartments.  Housing assignments were supposed to come out on 7/23.  On 7/21 I started seeing many social media posts of parents with kids who were getting their assignments early.  We got nothing.  There were stories of desired roommates getting split up, freshmen being placed into rooms with upperclassmen, and at least 3 I saw who were being placed into rooms with an RA (that sounds like fun!).  7/23 rolls around and we still have nothing.  Tried to call housing, but could not get through via phone.  Son sent an email.  Got an auto reply about a high volume of mail...blah blah blah.  Got a return email on 7/24 basically saying they are still working on it.  I read from others that did get through to housing who were told there are still about 200 kids that they still do not have placement for.  So it looks like we hit the lottery again...made it to the final 200!  They seem to be hoping people will cancel their housing contracts or otherwise not show.  They may be forced to set up some "temporary" housing to begin the year.  Our move in time slot is Aug 14th at 2:30 pm.  I guess if we don't have a place to live by then, I will just drop all my son's stuff off at Mitch Daniels' office (Purdue President and former governor of Indiana).  All of this is a bit aggravating, but it's got to get worked out somehow, right??

Damn. That completely sucks. So sorry to hear about that. They aren't prepared at all for this year IMO. Biggest class ever, stacking kids in housing like a cords of wood and having Covid vax be optional just as Delta wave is accelerating. What can go wrong?

 

[bigbottom]

The Purdue housing debacle continues.  Of course as I posted earlier, we received word that my son was one of the lucky 2500 freshmen that would have to be placed into reconfigured spaces or off campus apartments.  Housing assignments were supposed to come out on 7/23.  On 7/21 I started seeing many social media posts of parents with kids who were getting their assignments early.  We got nothing.  There were stories of desired roommates getting split up, freshmen being placed into rooms with upperclassmen, and at least 3 I saw who were being placed into rooms with an RA (that sounds like fun!).  7/23 rolls around and we still have nothing.  Tried to call housing, but could not get through via phone.  Son sent an email.  Got an auto reply about a high volume of mail...blah blah blah.  Got a return email on 7/24 basically saying they are still working on it.  I read from others that did get through to housing who were told there are still about 200 kids that they still do not have placement for.  So it looks like we hit the lottery again...made it to the final 200!  They seem to be hoping people will cancel their housing contracts or otherwise not show.  They may be forced to set up some "temporary" housing to begin the year.  Our move in time slot is Aug 14th at 2:30 pm.  I guess if we don't have a place to live by then, I will just drop all my son's stuff off at Mitch Daniels' office (Purdue President and former governor of Indiana).  All of this is a bit aggravating, but it's got to get worked out somehow, right??

I am so sorry that you and your son are having to deal with this. 

 

[HarryKane09]

I laugh as a coping mechanism...and I have been laughing throughout our budget meetings over the last 2 months.

Finance team, what do you need in order to finalize this year's budget?

We need to know how many new students to expect, what type, if our retention forecast needs amended, adjusted residence hall capacity, a priority list for covid relief round 3, state aid figures, and confirmation that they won't be adjusted for a 7th time.

We can't provide any of that information.

GREAT! (shoots self

Oh man.  That’s rough, and I’m sure that’s going on with Finance teams all over the country right now.

I was working at a two-year college when the housing crisis tanked the economy.  We knew we were going to have a gigantic spike in enrollment of both the 18-year-olds who were going to stay home for a year instead of going away for school, plus an influx of non-traditional students who had job disruptions and would go back to school to change careers.  But since we couldn’t forecast it with much precision, it was a huge cluster#### adding course sections and staff at the last minute.  And all that didn’t have to factor in things like on-campus housing of any kind, much less making good on guarantees of on-campus housing without knowing how many to house.  OMG what schools are going through now are that snafu times a hundred.  

 

[SFBayDuck]

Sucks for your son.  Makes me think of the scene from Revenge of the Nerds 

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8kMSbv4qdFQ/VZktoqcNKbI/AAAAAAAASrk/CIbWRI2rgRE/s1600/Atoms%2Bbanner%2Bfor%2Bsmash%2Bup%2Brevenge%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bnerds%2Bgymnasium%2Bbanner.jpg

This is what my wife keeps referencing.  My son doesn't understand the reference though.  lol

First thing I thought of, too.

I know several years ago Oregon had a freshman housing shortage, and they were putting kids in hotels on the edge of campus.  After Greek rush and kids who dropped out freed up some space I think it was pretty temporary and they were able to find spots for everyone in dorms.  Fingers crossed this gets sorted out for your boy while he stays in the penthouse suite of some W. Lafayette hotel.

 

[Galileo]

First thing I thought of, too.

I know several years ago Oregon had a freshman housing shortage, and they were putting kids in hotels on the edge of campus.  After Greek rush and kids who dropped out freed up some space I think it was pretty temporary and they were able to find spots for everyone in dorms.  Fingers crossed this gets sorted out for your boy while he stays in the penthouse suite of some W. Lafayette hotel.

Lol...Problem is there aren't many hotels in reasonable walking distance to campus...only 2 that I am aware besides the one on campus.  In fact, the nearest one I could reserve for parents' weekend in October is 30 miles away...and I tried booking this 2 months ago.  The university secured lease agreements with several nearby apartments.  I think they gained about 1000 beds doing that.  But we apparently did not get one of those.  One of the apartment complexes where students are assigned is still under construction.  Some parents visited this past weekend and posted a bunch of photos of the unfinished buildings. I don't see how those will be ready in time.  Another apartment was scheduled for demolition last year, but the university ended up delaying that to use it as a quarantine facility.  Now they have assigned students to live there with demolition rescheduled for May 2022.  There were moms #####ing about the horrible condition of the buildings at this location their children were assigned to.  I offered a swap with my son...no takers. 

They have promised us a bed for move in day, but no idea where.  It likely will be something temporary and very well may be like the nerds for a while.    Kids have until July 29th to cancel their housing contracts without penalty should they decide to go live elsewhere.  Some kids may no show,  and maybe some of these cramped kids lose their #### and decide to move out after a couple weeks.  I figure it will work out somehow.  We entered a contract.  They have to hold up their end of the contract and give my kid a place to live.  My son thinks it would be cool to live in Mackey Arena...lol...fat chance of that.  The hardest part of all this is the not knowing...not being able to plan anything in terms of what we need to bring or what we will even have space for.  Of course then there is the prospect of having to move at some point during the school year.   We'll cross that bridge if/when we come to it.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Sucks @Galileo, not what you need as you're sending your kid off to college.  Fingers crossed it works out for the best and it becomes a "remember those first couple of weeks at Purdue" stories your son and his friends tell some day.

 

[soothsayer]

My oldest son is a '22 grad. Just received his first college acceptance to Grand Canyon U in Phoenix. He toured there last winter and fell in love with the campus. But....

He is a baseball player and is interested in playing baseball in college. He has three different visits lined up at Division 3 schools near us (MN). He wants to see if any of the local area schools will grab him the same way GCU did. So while GCU is is first choice, he knows he can't play baseball there (Division 1). If he chooses GCU, he may play club baseball as they have a strong program that plays a varsity-like schedule, including travel.

My understanding is that GCU has around 16K students on campus but then buttloads more who attend there online. Anyone here have any experience with the campus/school?

 

[johnnycakes]

My oldest son is a '22 grad. Just received his first college acceptance to Grand Canyon U in Phoenix. He toured there last winter and fell in love with the campus. But....

He is a baseball player and is interested in playing baseball in college. He has three different visits lined up at Division 3 schools near us (MN). He wants to see if any of the local area schools will grab him the same way GCU did. So while GCU is is first choice, he knows he can't play baseball there (Division 1). If he chooses GCU, he may play club baseball as they have a strong program that plays a varsity-like schedule, including travel.

My understanding is that GCU has around 16K students on campus but then buttloads more who attend there online. Anyone here have any experience with the campus/school?

No experience checking in here.  What are son's chances of making a career out of baseball?  Slim and none?  Time to put on the big boy pants and kiss that dream goodbye.  Go somewhere where he can get the best education he can.