<p>Hi, i have a question. I live in california and will be attending yale in the fall and i was wondering whether most parents go with their kids to help move them in to college or whether normally the students just go by themselves. i am trying to figure out my summer plans n we cant plan a trip until we know this!</p>
<p>I don't know a parent that isn't going with for the
"move-in". I am sure there are some that won't go, but I believe most do.
Some schools even have a "farewell to parents" type of event (dinner or something)..</p>
<p>It's been said here that usually at least one parent goes to help them move in (can take 2 extra bags if you're flying), and can help make the trips to Walmart or Target to help get things you couldn't bring. However, if your parents can't make it across the country (which does happen), other parents will usually chip in and help with the moving-in process. When it really comes down to it, won't it be easier and more comforting to have a parent with you. (It really is very OK)--as soon as they leave, you are on your own...Good luck!!!</p>
<p>It's generally considered a rite of passage, and it helps ease the transition for both parent and student (probably more on the parent side, though).</p>
<p>Most parents will be there, so you'll feel very alone if yours could have come but didn't. If they can't, they can't, but you make it sound as if they can and you are trying to decide if you want them there. You will want them there, for all the chore-type and closure-type reasons others have already said. My sis drove from our house in MD to Wake Forest in NC alone in the fall of her junior year. She wanted to; she said most of her upperclass peers would be doing the move in on their own. So, she packed everything in her car, drove down there, and moved in all by herself(except for some help she got with heavy things from guys and other kids' dads). She found that even as a junior, she felt awkward moving in alone, and still whines about it 3 years later. </p>
<p>Again, you'll want your parents there as a freshman, and I'd bet you anything your parents really want to be there. This is as big a milestone as when you took your first steps and the day you started kindergarten. It's also probably the last one that will be for just you and them to share. They may not show it or ever say anything, but they'll be crushed if you tell them you are going to go alone. You are their kid and this is a big event in your life; don't rob them of experiencing it with you!</p>
<p>BTW: Would they even be okay with you going alone? I know you'll most likely fly and that plane tickets are expensive, but do they even know you are considering this? Some parents (my mom included) wouldn't even be okay with this.</p>
<p>Okay, CA parent here with a kid in school at Boston. I went for summer orientation, which was very parent informative..then sent kid (boy) on his own in the fall. As far as I know he did not feel left out of anything. Roommate's parents took him out for a meal when they arrived.<br>
So..if there is parent orientation I would vote for that over the actual move in..</p>
<p>Conveniently, the parent orientation is the same weekend as move-in at Yale. There is also a Freshman Convocation, a fairly dressy affair (women students usually wear skirts, men wear jackets)which students are required to attend as a class. Parents attend as well, packing the balconies of the hall. The President and Dean of the College speak and welcome the new class. - It's a memorable event.</p>
<p>Your parents will meet all your suitemates and their parents that weekend, as well. They'll shop for needed lamps or bookcases. They'll attend a couple of parent seminars. The entire weekend is structured with parent attendance in mind. You will want them there!</p>
<p>My D took both of her parents to help her move in. She was able to take more stuff on the plane and we were there to pay for stuff she needed when she moved in.</p>
<p>Also, it gave us, as parents, a bird's eye view of the university. I'm glad that we went.</p>
<p>Okay, if they are the same weekend I'd say that one of them should come. I will say that I went back last week at the end of my son's first year and met all the suitemates, etc. Up until that point, I had not met any of them face to face.</p>
<p>S flew alone (we didn't want to pay for another plane ticket). He went with a laptop and carry on and we shipped his bedding and bulky clothes. Many parents were there at orientation, but S did not feel left out. It was fine, really. If you can't go, or need to save $, don't worry--your kid will be OK.</p>
<p>I did the opposite of ebeeee - we skipped summer orientation, but flew with our D from Colorado to Boston in the fall. Helped her move in, ran some errands for her while she was settling in and getting to know her roommates. She didn't really need us (her roomates parents would have helped out and did help a lot when she was moving OUT) but it was a good 'rite of passage' for us all.
But I agree with others - do whatever works best for your family. In the end, it'll all be OK. And exciting.</p>
<p>I think it's very helpful for the parents to see your dorm room so they have a good mental picture of it, meet the roommates so they have some idea of who they are, and know that you're fairly settled in with most of the things you need. The parents being there on move-in day is probably as much (or more) for the parents as it is for the student.</p>
<p>Since you're going to Yale, you might want to participate in one of the orientation programs which begin before freshman move-in day. The FOOT programs, which are hikes at various levels of difficulty, are very popular and wonderful for getting to know other students before the year begins. If you do decide to do this, you could fly out first, and then your parents could meet you on move-in day. My D did the easiest FOOT trip (she's definitely <em>not</em> a hiker), had a wonderful time, and made friends she's very close to now. We drove up to meet her and move her in when the hike was over.</p>
<p>That said, a couple of my D's suitemates who are from the west coast moved in by themselves, and were fine. The girls all went shopping together during the first few days for things they needed both individually and for their common room. A car isn't necessary for this in New Haven: stores will deliver things like futons right to Phelps Gate. Then you just have to drag it up to your room. :)</p>
<p>imsilly, I'd say that the majority of kids at Yale have a parent there to move them in freshman year. That being said, there will be lots of people who don't have parents there. If you're worried that it's uncool to have parents there and no one does it, don't worry. If you're worried that it will be really weird if your parents aren't there because everyone else has parents in tow, don't worry about that either. It's a mixed bag and there will be plenty of folks to help you move in and get you oriented. Do what's best for your family.</p>
<p>Either way -- when my son started college on the east coast, I flew out with him, but when my daughter started college last year in NY, she wanted to go alone and so that's what she did. But then she went out early, met her roommate & stayed at her roommate's house - the roommate's family lives close to her campus -- so it ended up that on move-in day, she came in the roommate's car with the roommate's parents. (That worked out great, of course). The point is, she ended up going with parents in tow, even though they weren't her own parents. </p>
<p>But if there is a problem with the expense of travel for the whole family -- it's not that difficult to go on your own. If you do have to move yourself in, it's best to pack a little lighter and ship stuff to yourself rather than trying to carry it all. My daughter also packed a large box of her heavier winter clothing and left it home for me to ship out to her in October.</p>