Making The Grade

I know I am not alone when I say that I was anxious to get my daughter's first college report card. I had heard the first semester out of high school can be a struggle for some students to juggle moving away from home, homesickness, meeting new friends, possible joining a fraternity or sorority, on top of tough college courses without mom and dad around to help balance time and stay on top of everything. For these reasons, my daughter intentionally took a lighter load this first semester to balance out all of these adjustments. We were happy to recently see she pulled good grades which definitely makes it easier to write that second semester tuition check.

I have a friend whose daughter did well and as a gift to her parents, printed her report card, wrapped it up and put it under the tree. I thought that was such a cute idea. Alternately, I know of freshman students over the years that floundered their first semester and ended up back at home regrouping and getting it together at a community college until they were more ready for the challenges of a university. Our daughter heads back to school in a few days for a second semester with more courses than she had her first semester, but hopefully she is ready for it. The tuition is the same regardless of the number of courses taken, so it is best to load up on as much as they handle and get your money's worth.