What A Difference Five Years Make

Back in 2008, I did a post after dropping off my oldest at college for the first time.  It was about the differences between when I was in college in the 1980's and what college appeared to be like in 2008.  We dropped my son off last week (different university) and I have to say, the experience was nothing like five years ago.  Part of it is the difference between a boy and a girl.  My daughter had enough stuff to fill the back of my van with its seats down, plus her own car.  My son only managed to fill about half of my van, plus he rode in it with us, as freshmen at his school are not allowed cars.  We managed to get all of his belongings in ONE bin, so he only had to make one trip from the van up to his room!  And his dorm room is twice as big as any of her dorm rooms ever were!  He has a suite with 9 other guys, but there's a living area, 4 bedrooms (he only has one actual roommate) and 4 study areas with 4 desks in each.  These aren't big spaces, but it's still a lot of room compared to what my daughter had where she and her roommate lofted their beds so that a desk could fit under each bed.

He also didn't take one photo with him.  I think my daughter had 2 or 3 cork boards worth of photos plastered around her bed and desk.  I find it a little embarrassing that he didn't want to have a single photo of his life back home, but that's just the way he is.............(sigh)

Other differences:

My daughter was required to have a phone/answering machine in her dorm room, for emergency messages.  Can you imagine a college telling a kid they have to have a landline now?

I didn't see one TV during move in (although we did take him a day early, to avoid the crowds).  When my daughter moved into college, it seemed as though everyone brought a big screen TV, which is really quite obnoxious in a tiny dorm room.  I can't remember the last time my son even watched TV.  Kids just use their computers now.

Nobody wears lanyards anymore. Five years ago, EVERYONE walked around with lanyards around their necks.  I guess it's not cool anymore.

Even though smoking is way down from when I was a college student, there were still a few smokers walking around campus when my daughter started.  My son's university, like most public schools in the state, are smoke-free campuses now.

Everything is online now.  In some aspects, it's made kids more responsible.  Parents are no longer getting paper tuition bills or report cards in the mail.  It's up to the student to constantly check school emails and websites to be on top of scheduling, etc.  However, all this online stuff also makes it easier for parents to check up on exactly where their child is at 2:40 p.m.everyday, and what time and where he last used his card swipe.  Big Brother (make that Mom) is watching.......

Seriously though, this is taking some adjusting.  I miss my little guy (all 6'1" of him)!