<p>
Money is a big issue here. Hotels (like Holiday Inn, Hilton) which normally go for $150 are charging $300+/night and they all require 3 nights minimum ($1000+). One could stay 30 miles away, but that’s not very convenient.</p>
<p>It’ll be fine. She can walk up down the hallway in her bathrobe and curlers, offering Hawaiian punch and cookies to everyone. Yikes!</p>
<p>As I see it–how good is your mom as an "invisible being?
Check out any possible cheaper choices than $300!–hopefully something is available. that is definitely the best option. But if it doesn’t work out, I wouldn’t overly worry about “being the one with the mom”. One night (even the first) won’t kill you–nobody parties in single rooms anyway. If you were my kid–I’d expect the floor at least (and probably the bed) and in return be the least visible person around–sorry, you didn’t get to college all on your own–you owe me one night.</p>
<p>If there are “FAMILY EVENTS” the next day, that means that there are other family members in the area. Either they live close by, or or staying at a local hotel? Maybe trying to bunk with one of those extended families is an option. Or skipping the Family Event if it is too awkward to ask a relative if you can sleep on their couch.</p>
<p>Even though the money is tight, this is a once in a lifetime moment for a new college freshman, and those first opportunities to connect are important.</p>
<p>OP could attend those events by herself, while her mother stays in the room. Frankly, there will be so many parents around, students really wouldn’t notice OP’s mom. My kid’s best friend’s parents hung out in her single for 3 days during the day to build her an Ikea closet (they determined the dorm closet wasn’t sufficient to house all of her clothes). The father would call out to kids walking by her room to ask random questions. Th girl lived through it. She just told people that her parents were crazy. The father happened to be a very well known contributor at Cornell.</p>
<p>We attended family events for both of our kids. They were worth attending. I think OP’s mom deserves to be there.</p>
<p>HELICOPTER PARENT HERE:<br>
Never, NEVER, ever would I stay in my kids’ rooms! </p>
<p>The coed dorms had a lot of the males taking showers and walking down the halls in towels. The air was extremely humid and stagnant.
There will not be room for MOM on the floor, or anywhere in the room. DD1 also had a single.</p>
<p>If anything, DD1 wanted to stay in my air-conditioned hotel on the first night because it was miserable in the dorms in NY with no AC. We had boxes, packages, plastic wrap and all kinds of crap on the floor, bed, desk, closet, etc. She also knew Mom was paying for a regular dinner and breakfast the next day.</p>
<p>DD2 also did not stay in the dorms on the first night and came back with us to the AC room. Her room was a triple and there was not an inch that wasn’t covered by boxes.</p>
<p>Mom, please stay in another area if Ithaca is booked.</p>
<p>The prices at the hotels really are outrageous. I made a mistake in my booking for this year, so we aren’t staying over at all in Ithaca. We’re driving up early Saturday morning, moving our sophomore into his dorm, spending the day with him and then leaving. I booked a room in Binghamton so that we can leave late and not have to drive all the way back to NJ. </p>
<p>I would take a look at couchsurfing. It’s actually very safe. Some of the very same homes that do airbnb also do couchsurfing, except that they don’t charge if you sign up as a couchsurfer. It’s worth trying. My cousin uses it all the time and has met really interesting people. I would do everything in my power to NOT stay in the dorm.</p>
<p><a href=“Meet and Stay with Locals All Over the World | Couchsurfing”>Meet and Stay with Locals All Over the World | Couchsurfing;
<p>With your mom’s permission, could you post on the freshman FB group to try to find another single mom staying in the area who might split hotel costs with your mom (someone who already has a room with two beds)?</p>
<p>Yes all of the hotels are full. We’re staying at the Country Inn and Suites and got a phone call last week notifying us that 100 Ithaca College freshman will be staying with at our hotel on Cornell move in weekend !! So that should be interesting. ( I guess they had a larger yield than they had expected).
Hey, let Mom stay the night. She’ll probably help get your room organized. And yes, she probably does not expect you to hang around with her. She knows you have lots of activities to go to. But if she cannot find an affordable hotel room - what the heck is the big deal?? I would admire someone who wasn’t embarrassed by his Mom. It shows maturity and self confidence. And most kids wouldn’t think anything of it.</p>
<p>If I where in your shoes, this how I would approach it as a guy…
first, thinking about the scenario.
- It depends on the distance…for me the drive would be 6 hours.
- Mom is making the drive to bring me to school.
- Second, Hotels.com shows all hotels booked solid in the Ithaca area (if I was going to book a room now I found a Holiday Express in OWEGO…46 minute drive --almost an hour drive away)
- Mom loves me & is proud of me & I’m her kid leaving home.
- Mom’s money is very tight… when she is in Ithaca she is homeless
- Mom shared my high school experience and gave me encouragement to get into Cornell</p>
<p>If I was in this situation, I would welcome her into the room ,even sneak her in, and she might spend time putting things away or tidying things up…and then I would go off to the required things I need to do as part of orientation. If I had free time I would go for an afternoon or evening walk with Mom around campus and let her know that I appreciate her help & I love her.</p>
<p>She’s gone in the Morning and she leaves on a positive loving note.<br>
I know I would prefer that she not stay with me… but there is no way I can tell mom to get lost after she makes the long drive. yea… I would give her my bed and make her feel welcome for the night…and let her know we got to Cornell as a team.<br>
That way I can look her in the eye the next time we meet and not feel bad.
I may be weird but that’s the way I see it.</p>
<p>Payne, you’re not weird, you’re a nice kid.</p>
<p>OP, you’re a nice kid too, don’t get too freaked out about it, it’s only one night.</p>
<p>Payne - your parents must be very proud of you. </p>
<p>This is not an ideal situation, but it is only one night. I would recommend for OP’s mom to go to the President’s Convocation. It is a very nice way of being welcomed to the Cornell family.</p>
<p>Payne, love you for writing that post. I am glad there are kids who still think like you. </p>
<p>However, I also don’t think mom should stay in the dorm… It’s an exciting time for new students, even if OP has a single room, kids will be popping in or walking by the room to introduce themselves and I feel that somehow the dynamics would be different if mom was there. They will be less likely to “intrude” on family time and … of course there is that issue with going to the bathrooms, esp. if it’s an all male dorm. </p>
<p>We are visiting schools all summer (DS is senior) and I was surprised to learn how expensive Ithaca hotels are compared to all the other towns we have been or going to! We found our “cheapest” at $179 for Ithaca, however we aren’t going during move-in. </p>
<p>I just looked on Priceline Express deals for 8/24 for:
** 1-star (gulp!) hotel is now at $169. Free breakfast, parking. Ithaca, NY
** 2.5 star hotel $143. Free breakfast, parking. Owego, NY
** 2 star hotel $84. Free breakfast. Weedsport, NY</p>
<p>(With Priceline express you don’t find out the name of hotel until after purchase but you will know location and amenities offered)</p>
<p>Tell Mom No. You need to meet kids on your floor and could be labeled “mommy’s kid” freshman year.</p>
<p>Ok. I did not see that your mom had lost her job, sorry. Have you contacted the school for options? Maybe they can give you ideas of more affordable places to stay. My son’s U gave parents a list of rates in our area. Can you come up with the money and help up your mom? Something you can sell, do some work here and there?</p>
<p>Another option is to move in by yourself and then have your mother visit you in the fall when hotel cost is lower. A lot of students, especially international students, move in by themselves due to cost and distance. This would be a good way of avoiding any embarrassment.</p>
<p>It is not “cool” but it’s one night, you’ll get over it. Air matress will do wonders.</p>
<p>From the only response it sounds like the OP is sort of defending the decision so not sure what the issue is. Also don’t understand, if there is a family function folllowing, why other arrangements can’t be made…or why a cheaper hotel at some determined halfway point can’t be found…but whatever works I guess.</p>
<p>You probably won’t want your mom there Saturday night. There WILL be parties and going out with kids on your floor while there’s no work to be done is a great experience. Try to explain to your mom that you just want some space and to make adapting as easy as possible. If she can find somewhere else to stay, that’s ideal. If not, she should understand that the family events really are not valuable. I was an orientation leader and most of the family events are just Cornell’s way of marketing to potential future students and donors. She won’t be missing much at all. It’s not the end of the world if she has to stay with you, but do what you can to find a better solution.</p>
<p>I haven’t posted in a while but dam this is just a bad idea. For better or worse people form opinions on first impressions. People will remember the kid who had their mom stay with them in the dorm the first night, you don’t want that. </p>
<p>Start mowing lawns or something for the rest of summer if you need to come up with some free cash.</p>