I Researched and Researched.
In spite of the pandemic, some things at Dylan’s college are proceeding as they normally would – namely, class and housing selection for next fall.
For me, this is like having a party. I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t feel this way – but getting to choose so much is such fun! To be fair, yes, it’s Dylan’s choice. In fact, other than us paying for college and housing and food, it really has nothing to do with me at all.
But OMG, I so enjoy the process! I “help” by organizing the various classes that Dylan needs for graduation. This requires my going to the college website, and cutting and pasting the requirements into a Word document. I mean, seriously, it’s not even actual research.
Then I go into the course catalog and look at descriptions, and I see what’s available on the “classfinder” and then I put those things on the list, too. Then I make it really pretty and give it to Dylan, who looks at the exact same stuff he could find on the internet, only it’s in his hand. And he picks which classes and schedule he likes best.
Then, at my insistence, he picks back-up classes, too.
And this time, I also visited “RateMyProfessor.com” – a site Dylan told me about – to check out all the professors. Currently, Dylan has one professor who – while a fine person – is not exactly teaching to the ADHD crowd. So reading reviews of the various professors helps me guess who will be best suited to teach Dylan.
Then of course, the classes started filling up before Dylan’s “turn” and he had to use his back-ups – a thrill a minute! It’s a bit like winning an auction, getting into the right classes.
But never before have we gone through the housing choice!
First, Dylan had no idea that different rooms cost different amounts. So there was some education involved.
Second, Dylan chose a roommate – and also decided he would like to have a single room. This was a new set of problems, of course.
Finally, Dylan and his roommate – together – chose two other people for an on-campus, four-bedroom apartment. Many of the dorms are “apartment-style” so Dylan’s chances were much better at getting into one of those.
And then – this was the most fun – Dylan had to choose, along with his three new roommates, where he wanted to live. Oh, the joy!
I researched and researched some more. I studied the floor plans. I asked questions on the Parents Page. I considered what it would mean for Dylan to have a kitchen. Where would the laundry be?
How high up should he be? What about tornados? (The city really was hit by a tornado about a month ago – so this was a real worry.) Did he require a fitness center in the basement? How close should he be to the cafeteria? How far away would he be from his classes?
Of course, absolutely none of the results had anything to do with me. Dylan and his friends did all of the choosing. I would not have picked what they picked, but I sure did know a lot about it when Dylan told me what they’d decided!
Having these things in my future keeps me hopeful. Even if it’s Dylan’s future, and not mine, offering that hope.