I’m about to sign my son up for new student orientation and would like to hear from parents who have attended in the past if it was a worthwhile experience for them. My son is quite comfortable going without me!
IMO, it depends on how familiar and comfortable you are with various aspects of going to college. They will have seminars for parents on things like safety, financial issues, etc. If you went to college or had/have another child with the college experience, especially in a situation similar to what this child will be experiencing, then you might already feel like you know most of these things. So that won’t be worth going for, most likely. Then the only other issue I can think of is whether or not you have seen the campus already. If not, then there is some value in going, although you will see it at move-in. If you have visited already, then that is not a factor. So if both of those are negative in terms of reasons to go, I think it is probably preferable to let your child go alone.
I used it as a mini vacation in NOLA for me. I flew down with my son but didn’t go to the orientation sessions. Then we stayd two extra days to just have fun in the city.
^^^Well, there is always that, of course!! Any excuse to go to NOLA is a good reason in my book.
I am one that didn’t go with my now senior daughter. We were short on money 4 years ago when she went for the oritentation and I didn’t want to pay for the extra plane ticket, food, etc. I had a college friend in Baton Rouge who spent the time picking D up from the airport and getting her back and forth and just generally being an adult presence for my D.
My husband and I went to orientation and thoroughly enjoyed it. There were plenty of workshops etc. (I’m sure you can find a link to the listing). I wouldn’t say it was necessary but it gave us a better feel for all that is happening at Tulane. We met many people, both those who work at Tulane and other parents. There are very few times that parents are included, so we wanted to be there. If you are unable to attend, most of the information is available to you online or at move-in.
Thanks for the replies. I was looking for a good excuse to go, but my visit will have to wait! It’s a lot of travel for a short amount of time(no direct flights to NOLA from here), and the timing doesn’t work out to turn it into a vacation. I’ll save my money for next time!