<p>Does anyone know how the freshman move-in and orientation process works and what role, if any, parents play in this? I understand that freshman move-in day is August 24th. Should parents plan on moving their kids in on the 24th and then leaving that day, or is there usually some type of parents program during those first few days?</p>
<p>In the past there have been plenty of willing backs to assist with move-in. D’Lions and other volunteers will be there to shlep stuff up 4 flights of stairs.</p>
<p>Move in times are assigned–or were in the past. That info will come with housing assignments. All move-in times are on the same day.</p>
<p>IIRC, there are 2 days of planned activities for parents. Move-in day will be busy and exhausting. Your car will have to be moved immediately after your student’s stuff is unloaded. Finding parking afterwards can be daunting. You will be encouraged not to linger around the dorms because there will be other students moving in and it’s pretty hectic.</p>
<p>The first afternoon, I skipped the tours etc because D2 and I needed to jaunt over to Target to buy dorm stuff. (We flew in so her from-home stuff was limited.) And spent considerable time trying to pick up her pkgs from Campus Mail.</p>
<p>The students had a mandatory hall meeting in the evening so there was no time to really see your student after dinner. </p>
<p>The second day offered a number of speakers for the parents who talked about Student Health services, Advising, Career services, Writing Center, etc. Students had their own speakers and meetings. There was a luncheon for parents (without students–who were elsewhere having their own lunch with their hall) and a dinner (with students). Students then had to report for a mandatory hall meeting–and that was it.</p>
<p>I left the next morning since I couldn’t fly out the evening before.</p>
<p>Thank you! So basically, if move in is on the 24th, parents should plan to stay overnight on the 24th and leave by the end of the day on the 25th?</p>
<p>Pretty much. The message I got from my D the end of the second day was basically: “I’m busy. You should leave now. See you at Thanksgiving.”</p>
<p>Btw, when your student’s housing information packet arrives, it will have info about the Parent Program. IIRC, there’s also a special program available for siblings too.</p>
<p>Oh, and the Parent Program is optional. Not all parents stay, esp those who live within a reasonable drive and don’t want to spend the night in hotel. Or have BTDT with older children. Or have kids who arrived on campus early for various pre-orientation programs or sports.</p>
<p>Our experience last year was as WayOutWestMom described. The move in was very organized and smooth. We had an assigned time to show up to a parking lot by the med school, where there were a Capella groups singing and bands playing. They released the cars 2or 3 at a time to head over to the dorm (the wait there can be about an hour), where D’Lions volunteers swarmed the car and unloaded it in under 2 minutes. They whisked everything away in big carts and we walked up the stairs to find them already at the room. We helped unpack and then H and I went out to a store for a few things for S. Kids and parents have different activities scheduled for a couple days. At the end of the second day there was a big meeting on the quad where different deans and the president spoke, welcoming them. After that, the schedule said clearly - parents and students have dinner together on or off campus, then say goodbye - the students had an activity after dinner that didn’t include parents. I thought it was a pretty good idea to define it for us clingy parents - “OK, it’s time to hug goodbye and ride off into the sunset.”</p>
<p>The whole move in was so much easier than expected!</p>
<p>I found a link to last year’s schedules for parents and students:
[Resources</a> : Orientation : University of Rochester](<a href=“http://www.rochester.edu/college/orientation/resources.html]Resources”>http://www.rochester.edu/college/orientation/resources.html)</p>
<p>I am wondering how move-in works for those flying in? If we get a cab from the hotel to the staging area and have to wait an hour in the cab that would be very $. Do we just go straight to the dorm?</p>
<p>D2 and I flew in via Southwest to Buffalo and rented a car for the drive to Rochester. Flying Southwest (or any airline) into Buffalo is much less expensive than flying into Rochester itself. Rochester is a smaller airport with a limited number of airlines serving it. Buffalo to Rochester is an easy 45-60 minutes on the NY Thruway.</p>
<p>Plus Southwest still allows each person 2 free checked bags and 2 carry-ons. Which is how we managed to get most of D’s stuff from home to campus. (Her carry-ons were a backpack with her laptop and her musical instrument case.) </p>
<p>For those flying in-- I’m sure housing will make alternative arrangements for you, but you’ll need to contact the housing office and make arrangements in advance. You can’t just “go up to the dorm” because IIRC the check-in procedures happen in the parking lot. That’s where your student will get the room key and sign her paperwork.</p>
<p>OTOH the ROC airport is just a few minutes from campus. Air Tran, another cheap carrier like SW serves the ROC.</p>
<p>Yeah, but none of them (Air Tran, JetBlue) serve my hometown.</p>