We Are Oriented

We returned from Mercer last night. The college orientation went pretty well. The hotel as a great gathering place to pre-meet other Mercer bound students was a flop, but the pool was nice. Hot, but nice.

The parental portions of orientation were informative and interesting. Indy went off and did her own thing. The kids had some of the same information sessions, just separate from the parentals. She didn't need to take any placement exams so she was hanging out for an extra hour with other kids not taking any exams. She got her Bear Card (student ID) made but she's getting her hair chopped off tomorrow so that ID will be run over accidentally by the car and she will be getting another one made when she goes back in August. Every guy says "it's ok, nobody looks at it". Indy and I keep replying "WE DO!" Guys just don't understand!

Mariah accompanied us on this trip and she had "sibling fun" for 3 hours. I'm not sure it was a ton of fun, but she did okay. I would have organized it differently were I in charge, but then I think that alot. They played some games and stuff. Bop It, Monopoly, did some crafts with popsicle sticks. Whatever. After that, Mariah hung with me. We said HI to Indy and met some of her new friends while they were eating lunch, we toured the info fair together, we ate our lunch together, talked to people, and shopped for t-shirts for a family photo (which Indy has pronounced "cheesy"). Mariah discovered an untapped mystery talent for pointing at a balloon with her Mercer map/fan on a stick and popping it from 25 feet away. Kinda scary but cool. We tried and tried to do it again, but it was a one time wonder. Even when I added "Silence! I KEEL you!" it didn't work.

Indy met people she liked (guys) but couldn't find a roomie (girls). Actually, there was one, but just before Indy was about to ask her if she had a roommate yet, she overheard her say she was going to be a commuter student (and only 2 families there that day were commuters), so she wouldn't be staying in dorms. Wouldn't you know it?! So she will be playing Roommate Lotto and I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. Indy usually only wins a free ticket when she does the Lotto thing. So now we won't know until end of July or mid-August who her roommate is and whether or not their stuff with clash with ours!

Indy took Mike with her to meet with an academic advisor. Parents weren't exactly advised to be there. I guess I can see where some parents can be a little too much and the kid needs to start being in charge of their own decisions. But since Indy has been doing this quite successfully for some time, and requested her dad accompany her, Mike didn't have any qualms about going against the advice we had just been given to say out of the academic advising meeting. Indy had heard several kids had scheduling problems and since she wanted to switch her Calculus to Chemistry she was concerned about how that might affect things. Calculus was full, so the advisor was a little nervous about taking her out to put her in Chem because he wasn't sure he'd be able to put her back in again if it didn't work out. There was no other way to do it though because the computer wouldn't let her enroll in 18 credit hours and then drop one class. Luckily, it worked out! Indy is very happy with her classes and once she gets over her early morning start times, she'll like her schedule too. She will have 16 credit hours.

She'll be taking First Year Seminar X which is only for the Service Scholars. It gives her 5 credit hours and extends the required Freshman seminar with weekly tutoring at an elementary school. She is excited about that. Oh, and.....she also gets to go camping and go on ropes course exercises with her cohorts group! I wonder if she knows about that yet?! I just read that in the catalog. Here's the course descriptions for grandparents and those who want to know more:

The First Year Seminar course sequence is the gateway to a liberal arts education at Mercer University. FYS 101—Composing the Self—and FYS 102—Engaging the World— introduce the student to the essential skills of critical reading, critical writing, and effective communication. Students develop and practice these skills through reading and discussing texts and by composing essays in which they propose and defend original theses with critical arguments. Students and instructors also apply these skills by discussing diverse texts and events in classes that are taught in a seminar setting with limited enrollment. In the Fall semester, students will read and discuss texts that speak to the theme of “composing the self.” In the Spring semester, students will consider issues related to “engaging the world,” whether as individuals or as part of a community. While various sections employ diverse texts, assignments, and approaches to explore these themes, all sections focus on helping students develop the habits of thought essential to critical thinking, reading, and writing. For this reason, FYS 101 and 102 are common core requirements in the College of Liberal Arts' General Education program.

Students will explore questions of the sources, worth, and consequences of individual
identity while they practice critical thinking, reading, and writing. All sections require use of diverse interdisciplinary texts and substantial written work. FYS 102 Prerequisite: Successful completion of FYS 101 or consent of the Director. Students will explore questions of life in the world, through such issues as social justice, cross-cultural interaction, and the conflict of social duty and the individual conscience, while they practice critical thinking, reading, and writing. All sections require use of diverse interdisciplinary texts and substantial written work.

This one sounds the same but isn't. This is required for all students who have been accepted into the Honors Program.

HON 101. First Year Honors Seminar I (1 hour)
This course introduces first year honors students to the Honors Program at Mercer
University. Students meet weekly in seminar format to read, to write about, and to discuss works chosen by the individual instructor.

And the rest of her schedule is as follows:

GBK 101. Among Gods and Heroes (3 hours) http://mercer.edu/gbk/
The introductory course in the Great Books Program concentrates on the ancient Greeks
and includes works by Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Thucydides, and Plato.

PSY 101. Introduction to Psychology (3 hours)
An introduction to and survey of the major content areas of psychology. The topics include biological, cognitive, social, and environmental influences on behavior, as well as the variety of philosophical, theoretical, and empirical approaches adopted by the discipline.

CHM 111. General Chemistry I (4 hours)
Prerequisite: MAT 133 or equivalent, or coenrollment in CHM 099.
CHM 111 is the first course in a two-part sequence that introduces students to the fundamental principles of chemistry. It studies matter and its transformation in chemical reactions. The states of matter, stoichiometry, equilibrium, and acid-base chemistry are treated in detail and are explained on the basis of atomic structure, chemical bonding, molecular geometry, and the kinetic molecular theory. Laboratory work introduces volumetric and simple analytical techniques in chemistry. The course includes three one-hour lectures and one three-hour laboratory each week.