Appreciate it, thanks.
You mean when you are dropping your new student off? If so, not long at all. Help child drag all his/her stuff to new dorm room, maybe set up a little, attend any school scheduled parent activities, maybe help student get books from bookstore, hopefully meet roommate and roommate’s parents (maybe not), hug and kiss child goodbye, tell them you are proud of them and to have fun and then skedaddle.
As far as getting a feel for the school, hopefully you already kicked and asked your questions during the initial visit and revisit and you can get more feel for it during Family Weekend when you can meet teachers and attend sporting and arts related events. New student arrival isn’t the time to do it, IMO.
Unless the parents are going to be going to school there too then not long. It doesn’t matter how I feel about the school since its my daughter that is going to be the one attending. I mean I do care about safety and all but at the end of the day its my daughter that has to feel the school is the right fit, not me. If I hate the school and she loves it then guess what, that’s where she will go. If I love the school and she hates it, she won’t go.
I won’t be the one there each day, doing the work, going to class, socializing, etc. so my feelings really don’t matter to much in the selection. It’s how the student feels that matters the most in my opinion.
At least where my DD is going, the day is VERY prescribed and lists the time the parents leave. Some parents might opt to get a hotel up the street for a few days but I ain’t!
We plan to be there from Thursday morning till Friday afternoon when parents are supposed to leave. Then we will stay in the town for the weekend.
The school will likely have a schedule. When it says “Goodbyes”, you should take that to mean you should not return to campus until Family Weekend (or to watch your child in a sporting event). Most schools invest in making the transition as smooth as possible and assume that parents will not be a factor in that.
If there are things you’re particularly interested in – talking with a coach, advisor, dorm parent, health services – I would see if you can touch base with them before you arrive. They are likely to be busy at drop off, but if you have talked shop before you arrive, it would probably be possible to stop by at a prescribed time to meet face to face.
The best time to get a better feel for the school is during Parents Weekend. Registration and orientation are geared towards the students. Parents weekend is all for you! And, don’t be surprised if your kid is ready to head off without you. They may be ready to head off and start the next phase of their life. And don’t linger longer than necessary!