Sunday, July 15, 2007

Advice for High School Seniors

Scott’s an incoming college freshman. In my quest to offer advice to those families approaching this time, I have some additional advice. Once your Einstein has narrowed the college choice down to THE one he or she will call home, be sure to send in the housing application and fees pronto or else you may find yourself in Scott’s shoes.

“I can’t believe this,” he said as he threw down the letter. “What?” I asked.
“My new dorm room is the janitor’s closet,” he answered. Of course, that’s an exaggeration. It’s a study room or lounge, and it may not even be where he ends up. And some students in the past have actually liked this setup. That is according to that letter. You guessed it. My son has been relegated to that limbo known as temporary housing.

Here’s the problem. I guess it’s kind of like being bumped from an overcrowded plane flight. Right now, Hendrix College has more bodies and too few dorm rooms. Some colleges are forced to put students in motel rooms when this happens.

“Look on the bright side,” I said. “At least you’ll be on campus.”

6 comments:

Naomi said...

I remember years ago when I was a student, having friends in a similar situation to Scott. Unfortunately the accommodation problems seem to be part and parcel of student life.

Marion said...

Way to go, Sheila...you let him see the consequences to his actions. I loved those lessons, when the consequences weren't too huge!

Sheila said...

Well, they (who are they, anyway?) say "the early bird gets the worm." In this case, it's the best dorm rooms.

Lorelei said...

Thanks for the advice, our son will be heading off to college in a couple of years and we have no idea what to expect or how to plan!

Anonymous said...

LOL, Sheila, the same thing happened to me in the early 50's at Tennessee Tech (known as TPI back then). I, and several others, spent the first few nights on cots in the boiler room under one of the dorms. Soon, we found a lady near campus who rented out rooms to college kids, and it turned out to be quite enjoyable living there.

Sheila said...

Holy Cow! I hope he gets into a real room and not one under a boiler room. It doesn't sound too bad to be in a study room or lounge but I guess it's the idea of not knowing what to expect that's a little unsettling.