It looks as if Grinnell’s Family Weekend is scheduled a mere month after the kids enroll.
Especially for families from far away … Have you gone in prior years? Found it worthwhile? My inclination is to come for it freshman year, but it’s definitely a schlep (and an expense to bring the whole crew out). Thoughts?
We wondered that ourselves. So we asked our son, who will be an incoming freshman at Grinnell this fall, if he wanted us to come. He said “sure”. We figure that even if the events aren’t all that worthwhile, we may hear more about how things are going than we might hear over the phone or text messages.
That’s my thinking too. I don’t need a dog and pony show but I was thinking it might be nice to see my kid in situ … and at a time when he wasn’t the only kid saddled with Mom & Pop. But I’d be interested in hearing from folks who’ve done it, because with the flights, it’s an investment.
My husband went because I dropped her off in August so this was his chance to be with her and see her at Grinnell. He had a good time and enjoyed meeting her new friends. Frankly I was jealous :). It was great for me to take her there for orientation, but he got to see her after she’d settled in a bit which he really enjoyed. Our D, for example, took my husband around to her favorite study spots, etc. I think knowing she made some friends and was connecting to the school gave him (and me) peace of mind. I don’t think the programming is the main draw – it’s just an opportunity, as you note @porcupine98, to see your kid “in situ” and know they have found a second home for four years.
Hope this helps!
We just discussed this week and decided to attend. DD will be a freshman and it will be a good chance to check in on her to make sure she is settling in and finding her way. Of course we can bring her anything she ‘forgot’ . We live in WI and it is a 6 hour drive for us, but very doable. Dad and I are alum and thus, while we know a lot about Grinnell, we are going to really to check in on DD, meet her friends, professors and ensure she is settled and happy. I did book a hotel and availability is shrinking quickly so if you are leaning towards going, you may want to book soon!
We should have a CC ‘reunion’! Maybe during move in weekend. Anyone game? Maybe Thursday night if most are planning to arrive the night before.
That’s exactly my thinking. It’s an opportunity to touch base. More important, I think, than the drop-off, though I’m angling for that too. 
We are not going to be to the hotel until around midnight on Thursday 8/18. I would think while we still have access to to our daughter, we’ll be pretty busy.
Looking at a previous NSO (new student orientation) schedule, it looks like the last joint event between parents and kids is lunch on Saturday ending at 1:30pm. Seems like that may be the time for the clean cut as it looks as if they will keep the kids pretty busy after that.
Last year, there was “family lounge” time from 8am to 5pm in the Laurel Leaf Lounge. Some time in there prior to lunch or just after lunch once the kids leave could be a good chance to have the “reunion”.
We actually have plans to head up to Chicago for 2 nights after we are done there, so we probably aren’t going to linger around too much once the kids are on their own.
Yeah, I think meeting up before send-off would be tough. Last night with the family and all…