<p>I was wondering if it'd be wrong of me to ask my parents to not come to my orientation in order to save that money for other things like Books, Clothes, Personal Expenses,and remaining Tuition. We're short about $7,000 bucks (my parents and I's contribution). I come from a low income household and I'd think it best for them to not come. I could be saving 600-700 and right now I still don't have any dorm stuff or clothes for up north. I do realize that this it's a parent's dream to watch their child go off to college and I'd like them to be there but it seems like such a waste of money. So what should I do?</p>
<p>That’s something you have to discuss with your parents, but many low-income students who fly to college arrive without their parents. It wouldn’t be unusual.</p>
<p>I don’t know your situation exactly, but if your parents are talking about coming that means they know they can afford it. It’s also a monumental moment, something sentimental. Them sending you off to college represents their success as parents in raising you. I’d say let them come.</p>
<p>My parents aren’t attending my orientation either. I don’t think it is that big of a deal and it saves us a lot of money in airfare.</p>
<p>I think you should talk to your parents. They may be willing to come up short in other areas to afford the trip, and no matter what you say, it’s their decision to do that. But maybe driving up is a better option than flying. Or taking a bus. Or flying you with one parent only. We can’t really see into their minds or know your relationship to them. You have to be the one to talk to them.</p>
<p>Good luck at Bates. One of my HS friends attended there and spoke highly of it.</p>
<p>If you can get by without having your parents sending you off, then it’s more economical to go by yourself and spend the few days before you leave as your “sendoff.” However, as someone stated before me, for parents to send a child off to college successfully is an achievement (and probably bittersweet moment) for them.</p>
<p>I think you should leave this decision up to your parents. They know their finances better than you, and will probably find a way to make this work if it’s something they really want to do.</p>
<p>My dad can’t make my orientation because he’s working and my mom is coming with me though her and my dad have implied that they don’t really want her to. It makes me sad because I’m their only child, but we don’t exactly have a lot of money either and I understand it’s better for our situation. I agree with everyone in that you should just talk to them about it</p>
<p>You’ll be going to the outdoor orientation, AESOP. They’d have the night before and just a little time with you on move-in day. You can have a wonderful celebration at home, before flying- whether that’s you and parents or a a bigger send-off. They may want to come for Parents Weekend. All this is a milestone for them, too. But the reality is that not all parents choose first day or even P Weekend to share the college experience. If they come another time, they can really hang out with you, meet your friends, see your classrooms, etc.</p>
<p>My situation was somewhat the reverse… I thought my parents would want to come but my mom and step dad just pulled me aside yesterday and asked if it was okay with me if they didn’t come for move in or parent orientation. They originally were going to but upon discovering that my orientation is separate and they won’t be seeing me, they don’t see the point. My stepdad doesn’t feel the need for my mom to attend the seminars and such that make up parent orientation (though my mom wanted to), and he also doesn’t care. They said they’d rather save the money to be able to afford family weekend at the end of September which allows for us to spend time together, for them to see my dorm after it’s all set up, etc.</p>
<p>It bothered me at first, but I guess now I’m fine with it. I won’t know the difference if they’re not there, because I wouldn’t be seeing them anyways. So now two of my best friends are driving me down (it’s about 4 hours), helping me move in, then heading back… and my dad is coming the next day for parent orientation.</p>
<p>^ Normally nothing important happens at “parent orientation.” The dean of one university said that the sole purpose of parent orientation was to keep parents away from students. They wanted the students to have an opportunity to socialize with each other, not take care of their helicopter parents.</p>
<p>My mom didn’t go to parent orientation and it worked out fine. I was told by other parents who attended (I carpooled with two sets of parents who went there) that they already knew most of what they were told or it was common sense. If you parent has an questions, you can look on the school’s website for an answer or call them.
I agree with B@r!um, it keeps helicopter parents away.</p>
<ol>
<li>Ask ur parents what they want to do.</li>
<li>If it doesn’t upset u that they r not there, then let them know that as well. They might be going because they might think that you would get upset if they weren’t there.</li>
</ol>
<p>They separated parents and students at my orientation. My parents dropped me off and spent the day at Disneyland with my younger sister while I went through my ten-hour orientation.</p>
<p>I went to orientation without my dad. It saved us a good little bit.</p>
<p>We have orientation in the summer and it’s not attached to our school year. You go a day early for Language placement testing and then the next day is Orientation. Orientation costs like $40 for each parent.</p>
<p>I live within driving distance, so if my dad went it would have been driving back and forth two days in a row and $40 for my dad to go. Instead, my dad only drove down once and picked me up once and I just stayed overnight on campus. I don’t really know how much we saved… maybe $100 or $200… but I figured that was $100 or $200 that could be spent elsewhere.</p>
<p>I was one of very few who went without my parents, but it really wasn’t that big of a deal. They separated us for most of the day, so I didn’t notice and my dad was able to join me at the very end of Orientation to go tour the dorm I was going to be living in, since he was picking me up.</p>