In addition to wanting to prove something to himself - especially since he has endured two brain aneurysms! - Roy also wanted to be a role model to our kids and his fellow students. He was an excellent student, finishing with a 3.75 and being invited into two honor societies. It was a proud day to see his hard work, sweat, and sleepless nights converted into a degree!
Our son, Tyler, has taken the rough road toward his degree. He scored a 30 on his ACT. He was an incredibly brilliant but incredibly lazy student in high school. But with that ACT score and a decent GPA, he received top level funding from TOPS, a Louisiana fund that helps with tuition (and sometimes a stipend) to many students. He also had Distinguished Freshman and marching band scholarships. The university was practically paying him to attend! But before the first semester started, he decided to quit band and switch to an incredibly grueling major. He ended up with a .1 GPA for that semester, losing all of his aid and scholarships. But he did bounce back. After a few more major changes, he is set to get his degree next May after 5 years at the school.
Our daughter, Jess, is a sophomore. She is at the same university as Ty, She also had a Distinguished Freshman scholarship, middle level TOPS, and a marching band scholarship as part of the Colorguard. Jess is also my ADD child. She is very smart, but doesn't feel that way at times. On the upside, she knows how to work. She puts lots of time and effort into school. But she takes it very hard when she doesn't do as well as she hoped.
Her father and I have tried to tell her that sometimes it is a matter of the teaching style of the professor that you have to adjust to. Sometimes, to be honest, the teacher isn't that good. And I believe that you ask for help - like the free tutoring offered - when need be, though Ty and Jess are not big fans of that! I appreciate the fact that she wants to do her best - and that she doesn't want to follow in her brother's footsteps as far as his grade roller coaster went. She has also switched majors a couple of times, but not to the point that it should delay her graduation.
After getting a lower grade than she (and I) thought she deserved on a paper, she was ready to quit school. Some parents may have yelled or threatened, but I understood. At the same point she is now, after three semesters of school, I quit college. I was working in my chosen field of radio and wanted to keep at that. So I took three semesters off when the bug finally hit me - I wanted my degree. I went back to school and plowed through, even doing two summer sessions each summer. So, even though it took me 5 years to get my degree, I was only actually in college for 3 1/2 years.
Will Jess' father and I let her take a break from school? Yes - we both did. Do we want her to get her degree? Absolutely! She has to make a decision that works for her. I have wanted her to be a strong, independent woman in every way. I had to make a lot of very important decisions about my education, career, etc., and she will have to also. I will listen, offer advice if she wants it (and maybe even if she doesn't), but at the end of the day, she has to decide what is right for her, and she will have to own and live with that decision.
Like life, college is NOT for sissies!
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