We couldn’t wait to hear what happened after move-in on Saturday night. They certainly did a lot on that one night! When I asked him what they did in the evening, he said ‘last night seems like a long time ago…’ It sounds like he and his roommate went exploring around campus, then had a bbq and then went to their house meeting. Then they (it’s not with his house, I’m not sure with who) did a ‘sharing’ exercise, which sounds fun. After that was the Glow party, which he really enjoyed. He said it was dancing to music, but with headphones.
Anyway, the 2nd day of OWeek, the families can go to some sessions regarding career, how to navigate college, etc. and then we met our S for lunch. After lunch, my son and his suitemates walked over to the Chapel while we watched on monitors at Harper quad. I agree with @milee30 about the speeches. Especially Nondorf when he said it was the best class ever, lol I also liked that Ellis said (when he was just addressing the parents only in the quad) to let our children know to “take us for all we’re worth.” Ellis was a good speaker, even though he spoke only briefly. Also, I think the parents were clearing out due to tireness, and also, for some weird reason, the bugs were out. So for future people who will be attending OWeek, bring a cover up!
Anyway, afterward of course, it’s the bagpipe procession, and a few parents broke down.
The reception for parents was in an outdoor tent, very low key and casual. Altogether, it was a wonderful event and a great weekend. Most of all, we are so happy for our S as he starts his new adventure at UChicago.
We are back after the long drive home today. It was a great weekend. If you missed convo, it is available on Youtube. I found Boyer’s and Zimmer’s speeches to be the same, or very close to, last years convo. Nondorf’s was very short, but I think almost word for word for what he said last year.
My son really enjoyed the whole weekend. My wife and I did also. I was very impressed with what was said in the “Taking advantage of College Opportunities” presentation on Sunday. It was presented by the Career Counseling group (Internships/Jobs), Study Abroad, and Student Leadership. It really appeared that UChicago is making great strides in how they are preparing students for life after school.
Couldn’t have asked for better weather. One note of interest, they’ve turned one of the study rooms in my son’s Campus North House into a dorm room. So, one year in and they are already re-purposing rooms.
I can also tell you that if this weekend was any indication of the quality of dorm food, UChicago beats the other college cafeterias I’ve eaten at in the past 4 years (probably about 7). The options were great and the amount of healthy options was exceptional.
I was really surprised at how long a parade of 1800ish students was in length.
On a side note if you follow the College on Twitter, they posted a four block of pictures of the recession. The handsome guy in the class of '22 t-shirt giving a high five is my son. He says he’s famous.
“I found Boyer’s and Zimmer’s speeches to be the same, or very close to, last years convo. Nondorf’s was very short, but I think almost word for word for what he said last year.”
I think they say the exact same thing every year. In Nondorf’s case it probably is true - every year the class gets stronger and more accomplished.
Addendum: Nondorf should only speak for a few minutes as his role there is to present the class to the President and Dean. Now that he has been released from his duties pertaining to the Class of '22, he is free to begin the work on Class of '23 . . .
They should post #'s in the next couple of weeks - hopefully!
Yes, Nondorf looked ready to get this party started and Zimmer was there to chaperone. It would be interesting to talk to both of them after a few drinks.
Saw a huge tent at Midway earlier this afternoon with tons of students lining up for food. Just wonder whether that was a college event or graduate school event.
The entire campus and Hyde Park is bustling with students and their activities. What a far cry from just one month ago when everywhere was quiet on a lazy summer day.
I like the energy on campus now with students coming back. So many eager and happy young faces. The downside is, however, that it is nightmarish to try to find a parking space on campus in the middle part of the day, especially when there is street cleaning and a few blocks are off limit for parking.
@abbygirlrose Thank you for the info. My kid said most of the participants looked like 20 something or even older. Hence our guess was that it should be a graduate students event but we were not sure.
Thanks for the updates on the going-ons in school! If anyone else hears anything, I’d love to know. I know that the undergrads have many activities happening this week before classes begin on Monday like academic and career advisor meetings, going to Chicago for food and desserts, bbqs, etc.
@brianboiler Yes, I am in the class of 2022 facebook group, thanks! I just posted a video on the entire procession, so hopefully, you guys can find your kids in it.
"I think I’m just having withdrawal symptons from getting updates of his activities every day "
Yes. I start out missing him and being a little annoyed he can’t be bothered to send a short text to let us know he’s alive, but then I quickly cycle back into being grateful he’s busy and engaged in such a great place. Happy he’s launching, would appreciate a few more updates.
Some observations from a stroll in the Main Quad this afternoon:
While I presume most of the parents had gone home, there were still quite a few left taking pictures of their kids. Most of these helicopters were Asian parents though ;)
I saw a few groups of presumably freshmen leaving Reg and heading towards Main Quad. My guess was that they all belonged to the same house and they just got their library card. The freshman were so easy to spot because they all looked like high school kids :))
The diversity of these college kids was amazing. I saw white, Asian, Hispanic, black, Muslim and possibly international students all mingling together and walking happily through Hull Gate. For a while, I got misty eyes and thought about the famous quotation: ".. they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Pardon me for being sentimental :)
@85bears46 I totally agree with you about the diversity. My daughter’s second choice was a school where she would have fit right in and felt very comfortable because most everyone there would have been pretty much just like her. I’m so proud of her for chosing UChicago where she’ll meet people from every background who will broaden her horizons and challenge her.
I also liked that Ellis said (when he was just addressing the parents only in the quad) to let our children know to “take us for all we’re worth.” Ellis was a good speaker, even though he spoke only briefly. Also, I think the parents were clearing out due to tireness, and also, for some weird reason, the bugs were out. So for future people who will be attending OWeek, bring a cover up!