The university were I was admitted will host an open house for admitted students. I will have the opportunity to get tour of the university campuses and it’s residence halls, as well as meeting some of the professors and stuff members.
When I told my mother to accompany me, my younger siblings over heard the conversation and now they want to attend the open house as well. My sister is 12 years old and my brother is 10 years old. Would it be Okay if I bring them along with me, or would it look bad if a bring kids to the event?
There were lots of younger siblings at the accepted students’ open house I attended with my daughter last year. This event is for you, not for the school–you’re in! Only if you think they will be a distraction to you and your mom, would there be a problem.
It will be crowded so nobody will notice or care if your younger siblings come. I agree that the focus should be entirely on you and the college so if they will get in the way don’t take them (just promise they can visit you at college once you pick the one you want to attend and you should be fine)
How about asking your mother whether she would be willing to remove your siblings if either of them becomes disruptive? That way, you don’t have to worry about their behavior.
The disadvantage is that your mother might miss out on the presentations. If there will be information that’s important for parents, that could be a problem.
The best Admitted Students Day that we went on was at Emory, where early in the process they separated admitted students and their families so the kids could hang and bond with each other and the parents could ask questions without embarrassing their kids.
I feel strongly that your younger siblings will be a distraction, and won’t add anything to your ability to make a decision. Leave them home. This is about you, not about them.
My kid ran accepted student days at her college. The students went one way…sans parents. And the parents went a different way. To be honest, I would try to do this without your siblings…this day is for you, the accepted student. Promise those younger siblings a weekend day visit once you start.
A 10 and 12 year old are going to be bored to tears and in the way. I had to take my 8th grade son on a four day college trip with older brother and he was a trooper, and thankfully he’s a big reader, but it’s a waste of time. Accepted student events would be particularly pointless. You are doing things like having lunch with other college students, meeting people from various clubs, listening to presentations about various majors or programs at the schools. It’s not just walking around looking at the flowers. There are often presentations geared specifically at the parents so I do think it’s fine for your Mom to be there.
My D and I are going to Admitted Students Day at her college on Monday. There is a separate agenda for the parents and the admitted students. For example, my D will be attending a couple classes while I watch a faculty panel discussion and a student panel discussion. I would think younger kids would be bored and distracting. We’ll be there from 8:45 am to 4:30 pm so it’s a long day.
Thank you all for the replies. I ended up taking my siblings with me to the open house at Rutgers. It all worked out great. Surprisingly, my siblings were more excited about the trip than I was. By the end of the day, they told me that they knew already where they want to go to college!
My D’s accepted students “day” starts next Thursday and runs through the following Sunday morning. The students and parents are separated and the students sleep in the dorms with a host while the parents arrange for their own accommodation. A parent actually asked the question about bringing younger siblings along on a Facebook page set up for the parents of the class of 2019.
The more seasoned parents thought it would not be a problem but then they did not endorse the idea enthusiastically either. A few parents commented that the younger siblings will most likely be bored out of their minds at most of the events. Another raised the issue that it is a college campus so they might be exposed to some less than desirable language.