<p>We are having trouble scheduling an orientation trip for my son. It is a long, boring story. Anyway, he went to Summer Seminar and has been to the Academy with us for two Parent Weekend trips so he has some idea of what goes on there. Except for getting his boots ahead of time, how important is it that he go to orientation. I think his brother could get the boots for him.</p>
<p>If his brother comes here, it’s not important.</p>
<p>Orientation was good for me to talk to cadets and get their perspectives, but honestly it’s mostly death-by-powerpoint of boring details. If he’s signed on, he’s signed on ;)</p>
<p>Agree w/ Miss Muff. He’s done the visit and is familiar w/ the campus. If he’s committed, if he is mentally prepared, it is a done deal. </p>
<p>My son went in cold turkey, no SS, no orientation, no boots before I -day. He was mentally prepared, though, and he had no problems. He said since the boots were a different type than previous years, they were easy to break in and he suffered no blisters throughout BCT.</p>
<p>its extremely important if you haven’t been here and haven’t decided whether or not you’re coming. it gives you the chance to ask questions and get the “feel” of the place.</p>
<p>if you haven’t been here before, i think its very important. if not, its nice but not a huge deal</p>
<p>But you did get to spend the day/night with a really cool (if somewhat shy) cadet and her rather intimidating roommate missmuff. Have fun on spring break and steer clear of potter she is sick ;)</p>
<p>Orientation is a last opportunity to see the place up close. Your son will get a chance to spend the night with a cadet, and follow them to class the next day. The parents probably get more out of it. The chance to set up banking, and get the boots, but this can all be done later.</p>
<p>My daughter didn’t go to Orientation either. It’s not that she didn’t want to, we just spared the expense since she had been out several other times. </p>
<p>We did a family visit the summer after her 10th grade year, she did SS the next summer, then later that year she flew out again to shadow a cadet for a day. She was in love. So for her, there was no need to go again. She bought her boots on-line with no problem and was fine on I-day, which she opted to do that alone too… 
… </p>
<p>I agree with all the above: if you haven’t been yet, or don’t know for sure if it’s for you, then it’s good to go. Seeing the Academy in person is the best way to know for sure.</p>
<p>ds52262, sorry Potter is sick! I’m sure you will nurse her back to good health will all those yummy home-cooked meals over break!</p>
<p>Thank you for all of the responses. With them, I am feeling very comfortable with my son not attening orientation. Now if I can just convince him. { :</p>
<p>Just to be the devil’s advocate - even though your son has been to Parent’s Weekend and Summer Seminar, he may feel it is important to him personally to go to Orientation. We’ve had a couple things come up that were a matter of financial choices. We were pleasantly surprised when his grandparents jumped at the chance to give an early birthday present that solved the problem. I wouldn’t have thought of asking them, but they were so glad to have been told of a way they could support him. For Recognition, a lot of family members gave a little to get him one nice gift. </p>
<p>It’s just a thought. Once they leave in June, there’s so little you can get them for their birthday or Christmas that first year.</p>
<p>“Now if I can just convince him.”
Have him read these comments from cadets. I-day was the first time I’d seen the Academy. And I turned out fine. Going to or not going to orientation won’t make a lick of difference.</p>
<p>As a parent, the information packet I received was helpful for reference like pay, school schedule,etc. I hadn’t seen the academy up close which was totally awesome. However, I have also been able to find all that info from the packet online too… probably the only real thing I would have missed out on was all the super cool freebee givaways they had at Arnold Hall… that was FUN! I still use a lot of that stuff. 
My son had already been to SS and was flown out to the academy for a last look. So for him it was a bit redundant. Don’t know if that helped… but there you go…my two cents :)</p>
<p>Our family had never been to Colorado before and for us as parents, it was very important that we saw where we were sending our sons. Also, the information gleaned from the dinner (ours was Olive Garden) with other cadets was invaluable. After seeing the Academy, we were comfortable sending our kids there. I know there are parents out there who can send their kids off to college without seeing the school, but I was very uncomfortable with that whole idea. </p>
<p>We had a several questions answered at Orientation, and it did give us a better feel for what the kids go through there. If your child has been to summer seminar and you have been there before, I’m sure you would not be as “uptight” as I was!</p>
<p>My take on it was that Orientation was very good, but not a make or break thing…especially if you do your homework (aka reading what USAFA sends you in those packets). My only frustration with the orientation–people asking the same question (or permutations of the same question) several times during the orientation sessions and the information was SPELLED OUT IN THE PACKET! But all in all it was a good experience for both father and son.</p>
<p>Every year, someone asks a “gem” question at the Orientation briefings. (The kind that just confuses everyone, in the “Do you have ANY idea what this place is” type of question.)</p>
<p>I seem to remember a question from last year,“How many hours a day are devoted to military training?” Umm, maybe 24??</p>
<p>hardcore!!</p>