Another summer is wrapping up, and I am starting to put my finger on the difference between the past summers when my children were younger, and the summer I just experienced with my teenage children. The difference is that I no longer needed to come up with fun, creative ways to spend the days. The days were instead filled with things that actually needed to be done — orthodontist appointments, filling out job applications, mandatory camps and practices, and even rides to the airport for travel with friends.
Once I realized our summer was almost wholly dedicated to these things, I thought, why not start to look at some colleges? We’re being so productive, why not get a head start? With my son as a rising junior, the time seemed right. So I started booking the tours.
Even though I’ve now lived in Georgia for 15 years, I had never set foot on the campus of Georgia or Georgia Tech. Without having a diehard allegiance to either, we decided to check them both out. We also decided to visit Clemson University while in South Carolina for a lacrosse tournament. We really just scratched the surface, but I’m feeling pretty proud of crossing three schools off the list this summer.
The universities are very smart in that they put you with a tour guide who has such a charming personality that, for a moment, you yourself consider going back to school and living in a dorm. They really should give them a commission. Seriously though, having access to a dining hall where somebody cooks for you at any time of day, and a bathroom (albeit communal) that gets cleaned everyday really sounds good to me right about now!
Now, I can’t say that touring a college campus is anywhere near as fun as some of the other summer activities you can do with your kids, but it’s definitely not a bad way to spend the day. It’s free, so you can’t beat that. It’s informative and motivating. And it’s ultimately one of things you will have to start doing at some point with your older children.
Scoop tip: Make it a little more fun by offering to take a friend for you child. This gives them someone to roll their eyes at when you make goofy comments during the tour.
At the end of the UGA tour, we took the boys to eat in one of the dining halls, which for teenage boys was a dream! Checking out Tiger Tavern at Clemson was exciting too. Unfortunately it was right before driving home, otherwise my husband and I would have enjoyed having a college-priced beer again.
So if you’re in my shoes and dealing with kids who no longer think the pool is cool (don’t even get me started on that) grab a friend or two and go visit a college campus. I’m not going to tell you which one we liked best, lest we offend someone. It’s not for me to decide anyway. I just really hope I look good in the team’s colors… and I already have so much red and black!
Did you know Taqueria Tsunami is opening a second location in Athens, right downtown.
Here’s an article on dorm decorating by our Savvy Scooper.
Also, if you are heading to KSU, we love their cafeteria.
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