Knowing when to say goodbye

[Elle Woods]

I pit...well, in all honesty, I'm not sure quite who to pit. I'm somewhat sleepy and torn in emotion, so bear with me.

I have a 17 year-old cousin. She is beautiful, sweet, smart, and wise beyond her years. Extremely mature. She has never been arrested, isn't promiscuous, and is (aside from the occasional teenage snit-fits and fighting with parents) a good kid. No drugs, no alcohol, spends most nights at home due to no more friends in the area (they've moved, etc).

However, when it came time to apply to colleges this past fall and winter, she overestimated her chances and did not get into a single one of the colleges she applied to. The last rejection letter came in June, and it was too late for her to apply anywhere else but a community college. There is only one community college in her area, and it offered not only almost no courses in her field of study (physics), but it is overrun by horrible girls who threatened her life many times and made her high school life a living hell. She refuses to go there, and I don't blame her.

She has spent a lot of time alone in her room because no one was around (she doesn't have many friends in her area, again) and is very envious of everyone who has gone off to college. So, she has decided that upon turning 18, she's going to find an apartment in a student-friendly area of Daytona Beach, FL, getting a job, and planning to attend a community college in the spring semester with hopes to transfer into a university next fall.

* why Daytona Beach? She has her heart set on going to Florida, and the college she'd like to attend (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is situated there. She also has a few college acquaintances there who she can get together with and meet up with once she moves.

* what about the apartment? She's planning on working full-time now to save up money for that first payment and for emergency money, and then working full-time in FL (hopefully getting a job arranged before she moves) to pay the bills. She is choosing to move in a student-friendly building because of its safety advantage and, generally, lower rent.

As a current college student, I can honestly say that this doesn't sound unfeasible to me. While not a generally popular option, I do know some who have done this very thing, and many who are doing something similar. It's not for everyone, but she only plans for it to be temporary.

Her parents are not having this. At all. They have pulled out every threat possible: no Internet, no car, no monetary support, endless guilt trips, the whole gamut. They seek hours-long conversations with her in which they proclaim ignorant falsehoods such as, "You just don't want to go to college", "If you move to the city, you'll become on drugs or a prostitute in six months", "You're not allowed to move". All of these conversations end in tears. Her parents keep trying to meet her half-way, and when she does, they decide it isn't good enough and want her to be even more flexible and kowtow to their demands. For example, her mother tried to negotiate it into a "one-month extended vacation" in which she would move down to FL with my cousin.

Parents are supposed to support. Why not offer her some monetary or other means of support? She plans to come back home often and for holidays. If they're truly convinced she can't make it on her own, why would they deny her things she needs to do just that?

Her parents are very overprotective individuals. She is an only child, and an attractive girl. Certainly, they're going to be worried. What parent wouldn't? But when they have their daughter in tears almost every day, constantly worrying that she is a "bad person" for wanting to branch out and go her own way...well, I'm not sure that it's right. I understand that my aunt and uncle want what is best for my cousin, but I can't help but think they aren't being just a little unfair, and it's clear that they're not ready to cut the cord.

[Elle Woods]

I should also add that she will be 18 on October 10th, and that she is not naive in the least. She is quite clever, and one of the biggest skeptics I've ever met. She'd fit right in here, actually.

Also, she has confided in me that one of the reasons she is so gung-ho about leaving is because her mother is overbearing and she feels much more comfortable when she is home alone, anyway. Although I think she'd function well with a roommate, too.

[MikeCollins]

My parents were controlling assholes.

There now I've said my piece.

[Oy!]

Originally Posted by Elle Woods

I pit...well, in all honesty, I'm not sure quite who to pit. I'm somewhat sleepy and torn in emotion, so bear with me.

I have a 17 year-old cousin. She is beautiful, sweet, smart, and wise beyond her years. Extremely mature. She has never been arrested, isn't promiscuous, and is (aside from the occasional teenage snit-fits and fighting with parents) a good kid. No drugs, no alcohol, spends most nights at home due to no more friends in the area (they've moved, etc).

However, when it came time to apply to colleges this past fall and winter, she overestimated her chances and did not get into a single one of the colleges she applied to. The last rejection letter came in June, and it was too late for her to apply anywhere else but a community college. There is only one community college in her area, and it offered not only almost no courses in her field of study (physics), but it is overrun by horrible girls who threatened her life many times and made her high school life a living hell. She refuses to go there, and I don't blame her.

She has spent a lot of time alone in her room because no one was around (she doesn't have many friends in her area, again) and is very envious of everyone who has gone off to college. So, she has decided that upon turning 18, she's going to find an apartment in a student-friendly area of Daytona Beach, FL, getting a job, and planning to attend a community college in the spring semester with hopes to transfer into a university next fall.

* why Daytona Beach? She has her heart set on going to Florida, and the college she'd like to attend (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is situated there. She also has a few college acquaintances there who she can get together with and meet up with once she moves.

* what about the apartment? She's planning on working full-time now to save up money for that first payment and for emergency money, and then working full-time in FL (hopefully getting a job arranged before she moves) to pay the bills. She is choosing to move in a student-friendly building because of its safety advantage and, generally, lower rent.

As a current college student, I can honestly say that this doesn't sound unfeasible to me. While not a generally popular option, I do know some who have done this very thing, and many who are doing something similar. It's not for everyone, but she only plans for it to be temporary.

Her parents are not having this. At all. They have pulled out every threat possible: no Internet, no car, no monetary support, endless guilt trips, the whole gamut. They seek hours-long conversations with her in which they proclaim ignorant falsehoods such as, "You just don't want to go to college", "If you move to the city, you'll become on drugs or a prostitute in six months", "You're not allowed to move". All of these conversations end in tears. Her parents keep trying to meet her half-way, and when she does, they decide it isn't good enough and want her to be even more flexible and kowtow to their demands. For example, her mother tried to negotiate it into a "one-month extended vacation" in which she would move down to FL with my cousin.

Parents are supposed to support. Why not offer her some monetary or other means of support? She plans to come back home often and for holidays. If they're truly convinced she can't make it on her own, why would they deny her things she needs to do just that?

Her parents are very overprotective individuals. She is an only child, and an attractive girl. Certainly, they're going to be worried. What parent wouldn't? But when they have their daughter in tears almost every day, constantly worrying that she is a "bad person" for wanting to branch out and go her own way...well, I'm not sure that it's right. I understand that my aunt and uncle want what is best for my cousin, but I can't help but think they aren't being just a little unfair, and it's clear that they're not ready to cut the cord.

While I think it is unkind of your aunt and uncle to attribute less than pure motives to your cousin, I think you need to straighten out your thinking a bit too. Either you want them to 'cut the cord' or provide your cousin with support. If she expects to receive support from them, it is not unreasonable for them to set terms. If she is unwilling to accept those terms, it is not legitimate for her to then expect financial support, no matter how worthy her intentions and goals may be. It would be nice if they were willing to give her that support, but it is not something that they owe her. Independence has a price.

Your cousin may be extremely mature and non-naive for her age, but I think 17 is a little young to go out on her own, myself. If I were her parents, I think I'd be having a fit and doing as much as I could to prevent it. I'm sorry it's upsetting her so (and that her parents' reactions are hurting her so badly - and admittedly, from what you are saying, they are being hurtful) , but if she is that mature, surely she can recognize that waiting a single year, working while living at home, and building up more of a financial base from which to move into independence would gain her a lot both financially and emotionally, and lose her very little.

[Celyn]

Oh ye gods! The poor girl's plans sounds *exactly* the best one. I'm sure lots of people would advise -"OK this is very dispapointing, but don't give up, do something consturctive with the hope of getting into higher education next academic year. ANd tht is what she wants to do. Heck, damn parents.

I know how I'd have felt at 17 ('cos that was exactly when I cleared off to university, and even years on, things like getting that scary envelope with results in do rather stick in the mind ) I'd have been absolutely distraught with disappointment. Although I'd have been better offthan she, insofar as I was planning to go early - so I would have had the simpler choice of simply going back for an advanced year at a school that I enjoyed well enough.

Poor kid.

What is the deal exactly? Is Dayton Beach terribly far from her home and parents? I can see that they might worry, but she is only doig what she probaly *was* going to do in any case.

How horrible.

I certainly hope they will come round to the idea, but if they really want to reduce her wise plan to a one month vacation...............

If she can be fierce enough, she could say "fine I;ll get by without a car, and for internet, I'll jsut make do with visit to the public library or an internet cafe" but I get the feeling the parents would think of something else. The *money* aspect coudl be serious. DUnno how easy or hard it wil be for her to pick up and job that will keep her in food and accommodation *and* allow her to save.

Of course, reusing any sort of financial emergency bakcup is, ironically, almost a good way to *send\* her into "immoral earnings" (Joke) Strange parents!

I DO hope someone can make them see sense.

[catsix]

The *money* aspect coudl be serious.

Especially since her parents' income will be considered on her FAFSA when she applies for student aid, and could decrease the amount of aid she can get substantially.

It's not just whether they pay the bills, it's if they refuse to and yet their income is still considered on your FAFSA. If it is, it looks like you are supported by your parents and can afford more out of pocket for schooling than if you weren't financially supported by them.

[Yeticus Rex]

I started out in college (and the dorms) when I was 17 also, but I did have the support of my parents which does make a huge difference. I did party more than I should have studied, and subsequently I felt so guilty about my first year grades, that I decided to fund the rest of my college by myself and I relieved my parents of any financial assistance. Got a job, moved to an apartment and matured. Eight years later, I graduated with a couple of degrees and almost a third, married and with a two-year old, and a mortgage. My parents were probably the happiest of all, since I was determined to do all that on my own without relying on them constantly. It wasn't that they couldn't support me, it was that they realized that I chose to not make my burdens their burdens.

It sounds like she'll be fine on her own. Very seldom, plans are executed precisely as we envisioned them. It sounds like she is being mature enough to improvise with a sound back-up plan. Her parents may be feeling guilty themselves that things didn't work out as planned and are scrambling to support her on their terms and rules. That usually works fine until the age of 18; but time is running out for them and their guilt cannot be wiped out in a couple of months, hence their irrational behavior.

Hope everything works out eventually for all of them. I'll say a prayer on her behalf.

[Elle Woods]

Thanks for your responses, everyone.

I do want to make clear that she'll be 18 upon leaving, so she'll be a legal adult and allowed to and all that. She actually has a considerable amount of money saved up from previous jobs - not a spectacular amount, but around $5,000 at least. She can and is prepared to get by on her own, as her parents have made it clear that they will pay for any college tuition. She wasn't preparing on asking for money for them at all, they just came out and said they would be denying it.

She lives near Atlantic City, NJ which is pretty far from Daytona Beach. It should be noted that we have another cousin who, at age 18, was allowed to go from Huntington Beach, CA all the way to New Orleans for college. I understand her parents' concern, but I think some sort of understanding on their part or compromise would be better than denying monetary and emotional support.

[sinjin]

ummmmmm

Physics is a really hard major, but in all reality ERU is not a really tough school to get into. In addition, freshman year is about the same anywhere including CC; English 101, some sort of Humanities class, Chem I, Calculus and some bs intro to college class. Just because the CC doesn't offer a lot of Physics courses means nothing. So why is she moving to Daytona and not staying home and getting good grades at CC to get into ERU next year? Something does not compute.

PS: As soon as she turns 18 she can do whatever she wants. Adults do as they want; and pay for it.

[Elle Woods]

As for why she is not going to the local CC, read this from my OP (bolding for emphasis):

There is only one community college in her area, and it offered not only almost no courses in her field of study (physics), but it is overrun by horrible girls who threatened her life many times and made her high school life a living hell. She refuses to go there, and I don't blame her.

And if she can't stay home and go to college, why not go to the town she intends upon moving to? She has wanted to move out forever, and as an observer of their family, it would be good for her. Daytona seems like a good match for her, as well.

[kniz]

Originally Posted by PictsiePat

Just because the CC doesn't offer a lot of Physics courses means nothing. So why is she moving to Daytona and not staying home and getting good grades at CC to get into ERU next year? Something does not compute.

PS: As soon as she turns 18 she can do whatever she wants. Adults do as they want; and pay for it.

Did you miss the part about the girls from high school that will be there giving her fits? One of my sons went to a CC where he thought things would be great because he'd know a lot of people. Turned out bad and he transferred after the first semester. This girl needs to get away from her family or they will control it the rest of her life. Her folks will learn to live with it after she does it, but are going to give her hell until then. I wish her the best of luck.

_{Oh, and she has a wonderful cousin who is concerned for her}

[sinjin]

REPLY to the physics thing: You don't take but a couple of actual physics classes in your first two college years, at most one in the first year. And as for life threatening college girls

[Priam]

Originally Posted by PictsiePat

REPLY to the physics thing: You don't take but a couple of actual physics classes in your first two college years, at most one in the first year. And as for life threatening college girls

Uh. I read the campus police reports in my college newspaper. You'd be surprised how many are about women. Plenty of girls get quite violent with other girls... maybe even more vicious than guys get with each other. And even if they don't actually follow through on their threats, the last thing a person needs when entering a new environment of any sort, let alone a college, is extreme harassment from others. You get quite enough difficulty just moving up the learning curve of your new life.

Back off, 'kay?

[Elle Woods]

Seriously, Priam. One of the girls who has threatened her actually beat a pregnant girl within an inch of her life...as a sophomore in high school. Over a one-night-stand, where she herself was the other woman.

My cousin is no coward, but just the thought of spending any more time in a school with these girls made her balk.

[catsix]

PictsiePat said:
And as for life threatening college girls

You have obviously never lived with a college girl who threatened your life and then hired someone to carry it out.

Priam said:
Uh. I read the campus police reports in my college newspaper. You'd be surprised how many are about women. Plenty of girls get quite violent with other girls... maybe even more vicious than guys get with each other.

Here is someone with a more realistic opinion of death threats made by college girls.

Elle Woods said:
My cousin is no coward, but just the thought of spending any more time in a school with these girls made her balk.

I can imagine, as I have been in a similar position. I hope that she can get away from there and go to the college of her choice.

[Br'er Lapin]

Elle --
Might you suggest to your cousin that she consider moving slightly less far from home, and attending Camden County College (about an hour from AC)? It is a very good school, community college though it may be, and they have a Physics program designed to transfer to 4-year universities.

[Br'er Lapin]

Bah, hit submit too soon.
Anyhow, the school is in a good area with inexpensive apartments nearby.
Perhaps if she went this route for now, it would be getting away from her parents and getting things done academically, without making her parents too unhappy.

[Elle Woods]

Bre'r, that sounds like it would be right up her alley. I'm not sure if it's too late to apply there, but I'll pitch the idea to her. Not sure how she would feel about moving to the Camden area, though.

[Br'er Lapin]

Elle --

Classes have indeed already begun (though she tehnically has almost another two weeks for late registration, that seems much more complicated than necessary). Something to consider for winter or spring, however.

"Camden area" makes it sound so ominous -- it's not all like Camden City up here!

[Elle Woods]

Forgive me - I'm not a Jerseyan myself, and I have heard bad things about Camden itself. In hindsight, I believe I have been in the county before, and don't remember it being the nightmare the city is purported to be.

[Amberlei]

As a parent with a child soon to enter college, I'd just like to say that there is a world of difference between moving away to go to a college you've been accepted at and moving away to a new city with the hopes of eventually going to college. There is a structure and a kind of safety net in place at universities. Room and board are assured, as are the basics such as electricity, telephone, water, and garbage pickup. I would be extremely fearful if my son had plans such as your cousin's. I can definitely see that there are benefits to her plan, but there are also quite a few drawbacks. Jobs are not always easy to come by, especially for a teenager, and life can be much harder as an independant adult than one would imagine as a teenager. I feel her parents are not unreasonable in being worried about her prospects.

[NajaSong]

Originally Posted by Elle Woods

Bre'r, that sounds like it would be right up her alley. I'm not sure if it's too late to apply there, but I'll pitch the idea to her. Not sure how she would feel about moving to the Camden area, though.

Camden County College is in Blackwood, not Camden. It is a nice school in a nice area. I went there and found the classes much more challenging than those in the four-year school where I transferred.

CCC would be maybe a thirty-minute commute, depending on the route she takes.

Here's their site

[Celyn]

LOL - that is sort of amusing 'cos to me over this side of pond, Camden is a failry intersting bit of london.

Anyway - Bre'r Lappin's compromise sounds pretty good. Insofar as he seems to kow the place well enough to recommend it,a dn insofar as it means that *both* pareants and cousin are making a compromise. Parents might then be a bit more calm

Oh, and I an also believe bad stuff about scary girls - never had that trouble myself but you do hear of bad high schoools with vious girls in them (And, yes, I can believe they might be mroe vicous than boys fighting)

I do hope it works out. Sounds like a girl with sound thinking anyway.

[NajaSong]

Originally Posted by Harleen Quinzel

Camden County College is in Blackwood, not Camden. It is a nice school in a nice area. I went there and found the classes much more challenging than those in the four-year school where I transferred.

CCC would be maybe a thirty-minute commute, depending on the route she takes.

Here's their site

Taking the time to actually look at the site, there is a Camden campus. I don't know about that one, but the Blackwood campus is very nice. The Blackwood campus would be closer to her also - she could take Rt 73 or the White or Black Horse Pikes to get there.

[NajaSong]

There's also Stockton State College in Pomona, just outside of AC. I was a Bio major there, so I can't speak for their physics program. It's very student oriented with no fraternity or sororities on campus, no big sports programs. Although that may not appeal to everyone, it appealed to me quite a bit.

Can you tell I used to live in Jersey?

[tremorviolet]

One thing she really needs to consider is the instate/out-o-state issue. Community college is really cheap if you're instate. If you're not, it can be a lot more expensive. In Florida, for instance, they require a year residency to qualify for instate tuition. And if you enroll as an out-of-state student, you can't change it to instate after a year. You'd have to drop for a year and work full-time.

[Elle Woods]

Harleen, she lives but five minutes away from Stockton, in Port Republic. However, it is too late for her to go there as classes start soon. You have all been very helpful and I'll forward along these suggestions to her.

[Elle Woods]

tremorviolet, I think she's checked this out and told this to her parents, for whom tuition cost is not an issue.

[FilmGeek]

So, start in the Spring. You don't have to start college in the Fall, after all.

No one takes more than one class in their major their first year. Plus, CC will help get a lot of core credits out of the way, and it will show her parents that she is responsible and can take care of herself, etc.

[Br'er Lapin]

Originally Posted by Harleen Quinzel

CCC would be maybe a thirty-minute commute, depending on the route she takes.

I can personally testify that CCC to AC takes almost exactly one hour down the black horse pike, but that's still relatively close.

CCC's program outline for physics is on page 37 of this PDF: http://www.camdencc.edu/catalog_upda...5/transfer.pdf
It appears pretty, uh, impressive, especially compared to ACC, famous for having little of anything.

PS Harleen - I'm a Bio major at CCC, looking to transfer to Rowan.

[sturmhauke]

Criteria for independent student status for federal aid purposes:

An independent student is at least [one of the following:] 24 years old, married, a graduate or professional student, a veteran, an orphan, a ward of the court, or someone with legal dependents other than a spouse [e.g., children]

If you meet the criteria for independent status, you only use your own income on the FAFSA. If you don't, you have to use your parents' also. I tried to get independent status when I went to college, because I was living on my own and getting no support from either parent, but I didn't fit the definition. I did get some grant money anyway, since my dad was unemployed and my mom didn't make that much, but I still had to take out loans.

[Maus Magill]

I would second the Camdon suggestion, for tow reasons, Daytona is a long way from NJ, and have you every tried to find real estate in Daytona in October?

She would really want to go down there in May, after all the snow birds leave.

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

Originally Posted by Elle Woods

There is only one community college in her area, and it offered not only almost no courses in her field of study (physics), but it is overrun by horrible girls who threatened her life many times and made her high school life a living hell.

Egads, death threats? What the heck kind of high school did she go to?

If she's like most physics majors she ought to be ready for advanced math and rigorous, college level science. Are these murderous girls from her HS likely to be taking those classes?

Unless, of course, they're like that 'tough gang of astrophysicists' in the Gary Larson cartoon, who would 'monopolize the telescope and intimidate the other researchers.'

[sinjin]

Thanks P of S for some adult skepticism about the rampant Girl College Death Gangs of Doom. Do we have any cites about these evil chicks? Are they on every campus or do they only rule in NJ? I can't imagine "death chicks" in Calculus or Physics at my campus. Maybe I just don't recognize them. Do they have a tatoo or uniform. Maybe I'm just overlooking them.

PS Elle are you really your cousin? Just wondering.

[Elle Woods]

Thanks for your help and advice, everyone. I'll send these answers along to her right away.

To answer some of your questions:

Spectre, she went to a run-of-the-mill Catholic school. This type of behavior among girls happened when I was in high school too, and I've heard about it in other places as well. As for their majors, I have no idea, only that they'll be attending and that she is dead set against attending.

And, no, PictsiePat, I am not my cousin. If I was, it's logical to assume I would have said so from the start. A question to you: what's your problem? Nothing in this thread has been particularly unbelievable or offensive, yet you've had nothing but negative or skeptical things to contribute.

[msmith537]

Originally Posted by Elle Woods

....She'd fit right in here, actually.

..yeah..she's an unemployed teenager with a high school degree who lives at home!

Thanks P of S

Did you mean to call him that ...cause it's pretty funny.


I have to agree with some of the posters who recommended that just up and moving to florida with a HS diploma and a dream may not be the best way to go. My recommendation is to take some classes closer to home and save some money. She can always transfer to Florida after a couple semesters.


As for the South Jersey drama, I don't really have an opinion other than there are a lot of schools in the tri state area.

[Ghanima]

Getting accepted for Spring session when you didn't get accepted for Fall does happen, but not when you don't go to some other school in the meantime. She wasn't good enough the first time, why should the school accept her after six months of doing "nothing" (academically)? I think her chances of getting into this school are much lower than she thinks.
She should really find something to do in the meantime that looks GOOD on a college application. Take some classes somewhere. Enroll in a community college near Daytona. Go abroad for a few months and practice a foreign language. Volunteer somewhere. Work in a laboratory as a grunt assistant. Something, anything. Because "coffee jockey" doesn't really impress the admissions board.
Also, her chances of getting a decent job in a college town in October are low. All of the college students will have already taken most of the jobs! She does have an advantage by being available to work full time instead of part time, but I'd still be pretty skeptical. Also finding housing might be an issue for the same reason.
She'd be better off manipulating her parents into funding some sort of alternative "adventure" for her to have abroad or taking some classes somewhere. I did this exact thing when I was 17. I told my parents I was either dropping out and moving out or they could send me abroad for the year. They chose to send me abroad. It ended up being the best thing for all of us. Sometimes parents need to be played.

[Priam]

Originally Posted by PictsiePat

Thanks P of S for some adult skepticism about the rampant Girl College Death Gangs of Doom. Do we have any cites about these evil chicks? Are they on every campus or do they only rule in NJ? I can't imagine "death chicks" in Calculus or Physics at my campus. Maybe I just don't recognize them. Do they have a tatoo or uniform. Maybe I'm just overlooking them.

There's a fine line between "skeptic" and "asshole". I would suggest you evaluate where your toes rest. However, in the interest of answering your questions, I will continue onwards and hope you'll simply consider my suggestion before you post again.

Speaking from personal anecdotes, I know of at least two violent girls who roamed the halls of my very Catholic, very disciplined high school (both were in my class of 30). I can only imagine it gets worse in schools where security and restraint aren't given quite as high a premium and drama levels are significantly elevated.

Beyond that, first of all many people have mentioned you don't take many, if any classes in your major during your first quarter/semester. You take general requirements with every other type of major, plus some braindead course on the college itself. This means, depending on the size of incoming freshmen, she's got a good chance of landing a class with at least one person she would very much like to avoid.

Second of all, they don't build self-contained ghettos for the underwater basketweaving majors. People mix while wandering around campus, while getting lunch, while looking through the library...

In other words: if this is a small community college, or even a medium sized one, I would give her good odds of running into the gang of femme fatales.

[Priam]

*sigh* size of the incoming freshmen class. I would assume the size of incoming freshmen are about par for average.

[Priam]

*sigh* size of the incoming freshmen class. I would assume the size of incoming freshmen are about par.

[Elle Woods]

Ghanima, my understanding is that she never actually applied to the school in Daytona, rather, she recently learned about it and wants to go there. It's apparently not a very hard school to get into, either. And she never intended upon enrolling this spring; she was going to work this semester, enroll in a community college in spring 2005 and try to get a job/internship/volunteer position in her field of study, and then apply for the fall 2005 semester.

[Ruken]

Originally Posted by Priam

Beyond that, first of all many people have mentioned you don't take many, if any classes in your major during your first quarter/semester. You take general requirements with every other type of major, plus some braindead course on the college itself.

Not always. This sort of crap can be avoided depending on what school one goes to.
As for physics majors, the ones I know took one physics class each of the two first semesters of school. They were sequential, so starting in the spring wasn't really an option. Note that these were not the easy pre-med physics classes that most of the students took, but "intro physics for physics majors" or some such beastlyness. CCs may not offer such courses.
She'll need lots of math. Usually multivariable calculus by the end of sophomore year. This could mean four semesters of math (if she starts w/calc 1 and also has to take linear algebra). Getting behind in this is not going to help her physics majoring.

So anyway, I would urge her to do a bit more investigating before she gets her plans set. It could save some pain and delays later, even if it means she has to wait until next Fall to start.

[Ruken]

Missed your last post there Elle. Well, whatever she does, I hope it works out and that her parents don't make things too tough for her.

[Sean Factotum]

Elle, you said the two of you have another cousin who made the long-distance college move with no problems. Ever think of recruiting that cousin's parents to help with this? Right or wrong, your AC cousin's parents still think of her as a little girl, and it sounds like they're not about to argue with a "child." Having "adults" on your side in this would probably work a lot better than any argument you can muster up.

Just a thought.

[vibrotronica]

IMHO, any 17-year-old who can save up $5,000 is ready for her first apartment and a year at the beach. Although after the hurricane hits this weekend, there might be a shortage of cheap apartments in Daytona Beach.