Twelve years after first visiting UCSB, Dylan returned to enroll as a student there. Tyler, on the other hand, became a student at his campus sight unseen. Jenny always wanted her boys to stay in California. And, staying here they are. Both kids moved in this week. I'll share 23 facts--one for each year since Jenny and I got married--connected with their transition.
1. Tyler has been known within our family as "Jenny 2.0" because of his similarity to his mom. Indeed, like his mom, he's going to college about two hours north of home and majoring in mechanical engineering.
2. For several years, Jenny wanted at least one of her kids to go to UC Davis, where Tyler is enrolled. She always thought highly of the school's academic rigor and liked its distance from home--close enough to visit if we needed to, but far enough to offer privacy and freedom.
3. Parents are not allowed inside the UC Santa Barbara cafeterias unless they are also students. The cafeterias are open only during set hours for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All meals are all-you-can-eat.
4. Parents are allowed to eat at UC Davis student cafeterias. Even better, for a set price, parents can eat all they want to just like the students. The cafeterias remain open for service all day.
5. Produce served at UC Davis is locally sourced. The day I moved Tyler into his dorm, there was unlimited Mongolian barbecue as well as all the tri-tip you can eat. Desserts are made in-house. The price for all of this as a visitor? Eleven dollars.
6. Dylan can enter the cafeteria 19 times per week. Tyler, who chose the 7-day plan, can come and go as often as he pleases.
7. The only item of sentimental value Tyler brought to school is a collage on a posterboard made by a very close family friend. It includes several photos of his mom.
8. At UC Davis each incoming freshman is given one hour to move into his dorm with no limitations on time for parking. This one hour time-slot is reserved well ahead of arriving on campus. There is, however, a time limit on the dolly used to bring items from the car to the room. If returned after an hour, there is a $50 fine.
9. At UCSB, the student is given 45 minutes to move in during a predetermined time slot. Parking is limited to that 45 minutes, after which a day pass is given for a garage roughly half a mile away. There's no time limit on the dolly.
10. By the day Tyler first set foot on the campus of UC Davis, where he is a student, Dylan had already visited four times. Once to help me purchase a bike, once to visit after getting accepted, once for Picnic Day and, finally, to help Tyler move in.
11. Tyler left his bike at home and purchased a used one at Davis for $55. Dylan brought the bike he used in high school. Both schools have well documented issues of bike theft.
12. At UC Davis, Tyler lives in a clean, fully functional double shared with one roommate.
13. At UC Santa Barbara, Dylan lives in an ant-infested double shared with two roommates with the lights not working as of this morning. However, it is a five-minute walk to the beach.
14. The aforementioned lighting problem is to be addressed by UC Santa Barbara Housing. The ant problem? Well, finding a resolution for that is the responsibility of the resident. Who knew?
15. Less than a minute after first walking into his dorm room Dylan was asked by other freshmen in his hall to play Spikeball. He did. For more than an hour.
16. There are at least three other freshmen who live in or near Dylan's dorm who also went to Mountain View High. One is an Eagle Scout from Dylan's troop and another, his roommate, was the concert master in Dylan's band.
17. Dylan and Tyler both got the option of choosing their roommates. Both chose high school classmates.
18. The day of his move-in, Dylan and I went to downtown Santa Barbara to enjoy some Argentinian empanadas. The restaurant recommendation was that two to three empanadas would be a meal for one person. Dylan ate seven. By the way, UC Santa Barbara isn't in Santa Barbara. It's in Goleta. Downtown Santa Barbara is about a 15-minute drive away from campus.
19. Tyler's taking four classes his first quarter in college, including one on brewing beer.
20. Dylan not only moved in after Tyler, but he finishes his quarter earlier. His winter break is one week longer than Tyler's.
21. The boys and their friend group from high school stay in touch regularly through texting and a fantasy football league.
22. Dylan was first introduced to UC Santa Barbara through its Family Vacation Center. Because of her UC alumni status, Jenny was able to book a week there during summer break 2011. The FVC currently has a full 5-star rating on Tripadvisor.
23. Before moving in, the three of us thought we'd be talking to each other every day after we split up. But, such a commitment has been difficult to keep because both boys are busy. I love it.
