After we get my son moved into his dorm on the 19th, how much are parents involved the rest of the weekend? I saw there was a convocation on Saturday morning. Is this something parents are supposed to attend as well? I’m just not sure how much we’re supposed to stick around for, or if it’s better to just clear on out of there.
I remember my parents left immediately after all the dorm meeting stuff was done that night. I don’t think you’re required to leave campus as parents in any way, but I’m not sure if there’s much for parents to do, either.
Leave.
Read this humorous story about this very question.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/23/opinion/sunday/taking-my-parents-to-college.html
Yea, I know to leave as soon as possible… but “when” was my question. Are we supposed to leave literally as soon as they are moved in? Are we supposed to attend something else after that? I’m new to this. Believe me, I will be just as ready to leave the crowds and madness, but I wasn’t sure. I was figuring Friday afternoon.
And thanks @Nataliedragon for your reply!
We came a long way from across the country so we stayed Saturday night and went out to dinner without our daughter and left Sunday morning after a trip to Niagara Falls. If we lived closer we would’ve left right after the convocation on Saturday. They have things to do, people to meet, frat parties to attend, etc.
Thanks @Renomamma. It’s a two-day drive for us to get there too, and I was thinking about squeezing in some other places close by as we head home.
Come to think of it, you really don’t need to go to the convocation. I didn’t go to my son’s because we had a long drive home.
But for Cornell we came early on Thursday (wed night maybe) with sibling and did exploring (falls) together first. Then left Sunday morning. Our Cornell freshman didn’t really need us there after we helped her move in on Friday.
My parents stayed during move-in day and left the morning of the next day. Technically speaking you can stay however long you want, but probably before classes start would be ideal.
I’ll also add that your kid will probably be way too busy to spend all that much time with you. I remember I was so busy attending things like meeting my faculty advisor, RA floor meetings, mandatory events, it was sort of crazy. Even more so if your kid is taking placement exams for class credit. Look at their orientation packet, you’ll see for sure.
Also, just talk to your kid about this. Maybe they will want to show you around and are not quite as busy as I remember, I don’t know.
I would recommend that you go to the Convocation, I really enjoyed hearing students & the President speak. We also went to a presentation by the Dean of the college (Human Ecology), not sure all 7 of the colleges have that. We then left.
@bahiablue – after you move your child in on Friday, the students have orientation activities beginning that evening. You will not see your child again until Convocation or after. Many (most?) of the colleges have presentations/receptions after Convocation, and as a first time parent, I found the college session useful.
You will be on your own for dinner Friday night. Some parents end up making a Target/Wal-Mart run for anything needed for dorm, but you will need to coordinate with your child to deliver anything you buy as you will not be able to get back into the dorm on your own.
Last year we moved in on Friday at our specified time, which was later in the day. In the AM, we went to bookstore, Barton Gymnasium for a new student open house for learning about campus resources etc, and then we dropped her off at her swim test. Ate lunch after that, and then moved in. Saturday we went to convocation and left shortly after that. Not a lot of time for long goodbyes because they are so busy with orientation activities and floor meetings, etc.
Go to the convocation and skip others. It was a lot more memorable than the graduation. I still remember the speeches that were given at both of my kids’ convocations.
We arrived Thu night. Moved in on Fri with multiple runs to stores. We had dinner on Fri then the student went out with their new friends that night. The convocation was on Sat morning. We spent rest of the day with our kid and left before dinner on Sat. Many long distance parents stayed until Sun, but don’t expect to see much of your kid after Saturday. Parties begin that night.
I know this is parent posting…I would make sure your kid has “dressed up” clothes for going out. Students tend to get dressed to go to parties. Guys should have blazers (suits) in their wardrobe, and women should have dresses and nice shoes. They may also need some interview clothes. The idea of college students only wear sweatshirt and pants is not the case here. D1 left a lot of her nice clothes, bags and shoes at home. We had to bring them up next time we visited.
We’re flying from CA with DD and are getting in late on Wed PM b/c of flight logistics; we didn’t want to arrive late Thurs PM and then have move-in day on little sleep/rest. Doing BBY for lots of stuff and looking at shipping some things instead of checking a ton of bags. Planning on doing last minute errands and the like on Thur, move-in Fri AM and then the legacy reception and convocation Sat AM … then we’re getting out of town. By then IMO DD will be ready for us to go, and we’ll be ready to leave ourselves. To the prior poster about them being v busy, I agree; DD’s ical is loaded with stuff from Friday afternoon until Tuesday when classes start.
Plus, since we’ve been to the campus many times over the years, DD knows where stuff is, etc. and doesn’t need any help with that side of it IMO.
@TallTim if you use Big Red Storage, you can ship to them and they will have all the stuff in your kids dorm room upon arrival. We are a 12 hour drive to Cornell, so last year, I shipped almost everything to Big Red, and it was waiting in the room for us. A very nice convenience, since everyone is trying to use the elevators. https://www.bigredboxes.com/
We attended parent specific sessions - including one for internships, greek societies etc. We made it a point to go to Cornell Dairy store and got some ice-cream. You can get some from the store too but that is limited flavor - you don’t always get corn icecream! 
… You stay as long as you need to - don’t count on your kid to be there. They are either too busy or don’t want to be with parents. We walked a lot on campus and sorta know the place better now. If you are from far away, definitely use the time to do some sight seeing - finger lakes, Niagara, NYC - are all closer if you drive!
Enjoy - since you will be there at great time!
I agree with cd2015, lots to do, both to learn about the school and to enjoy yourself if you have more time still. Personally as parents we found many informative sessions both during orientation and parent’s weekend in October. And we love the Ithaca area, nice please to be, just keeping in mind you kids will be busy.
Thanks everyone for all the info and helpful tips!!
Few hints on move in:
- Cornell has volunteers to help you move everything to your room. To make sure things do not get lost, label everything with Name, Room # and phone #.
- Carry breakables up yourself.
- If you are driving to Cornell, use garbage bags for clothes, sheets, and towels. You can even put large garbages over your clothes on hangers (like a garment bag). Again, label everything.
Stuff you may need:
- most dorms have communal bathrooms, pack shower slippers, bath robe, shower caddy.
- Fan - it can be very hot until Oct.
- Umbrella, rain coat, rain boots - it’s always raining or snowing.
That’s an excellent suggestion about labeling everything with the room # and phone #. It’s obvious now that you say it, but I never even thought about doing that. Thank you so much. This is very helpful!