Hey there all,
Bringing my incoming freshman to BB at the end of May and wondering if I should be attending the parent orientation. Husband doesn’t plan to attend, but I wondered if it was useful for networking with other parents? (And if thinking this makes me a helicopter parent, please gag me NOW.)
We came for Capstone Scholars weekend so I’ve had a day’s worth of info sessions and really enjoyed meeting other inbound parents. Also have been following this board (more obsessively lately) for all the tips. Thank you, experienced parents (particularly those with engineers), I am in your debt. Would appreciate the opinions of the collected voices of wisdom!
Best,
Amie
Hi! We didn’t make it to Capstone Scholars so I don’t know how much an overlap there is… Thinking back to the welcome session at our BamaBound…thinking back to looking around at the hundreds of people in that big room…I would say that at least half the students had at least one parent with them (and probably more like 2/3). Maybe someone who has a a student involved with putting on BB will comment with some stats? No, you are NOT a helicopter parent for going to BB. You don’t spend much time with your student during the two days, but I got a LOT out of the various sessions and from talking to the other parents…loved it. (If you are within a couple of hrs of Bama, then maybe it’s not so important to attend; but being 9+ hours away, there was no way I was NOT going to attend BB. Loved the time on campus and met so many great parents! My hubby did not attend.) If you can get away to attend BB as a parent, I would highly recommend it. Roll Tide!
If you are not from Alabama and aren’t already familiar with campus, I would definitely go. Even if you are familiar, I would go. You never know what gems you will pick up at the sessions that you would not know otherwise. You may meet a helpful administrator, or nice parents. It only actually takes about a day and a half or so. It’s a good time to explore, too, when the streets aren’t jam packed and you can wander around at leisure and soak up everything.
If you can afford it (in terms of travel costs and time off), I highly recommend that parents go. (OP mentioned you’re bringing your student, so do come yourself!) There is always new information and additional tips to be gained if you actively participate in the parent sessions. If I were going by myself, tho, I would feel a bit lonely (noting post above you will not be with your student much), so try instead to link up with other parents you might know who are going to the same session (roommates? or CC’ers), so you have someone to be with. BB can be where some lasting parent friendships start. Why should your student have all the fun in university?! There are great restaurants to try and many things to do.
If at all possible, I would attend. I went last year in the middle of a huge project for work. I was very glad I did–especially for some strange things. Like the discussion around campus safety and parking. They will discourage the freshmen from bringing cars. I was glad I was there to hear that so we could make a decision on our own, using their information as one data point. There are some specific steps on meal plan selection if your child pledges a Greek organization that was useful.
At the end of day one, there are a couple of hours for you to reconnect with your child to plan schedules. Ours were already planned out, but based on some information from an Avanti, we tweaked a few things. I helped my child plan their first semester schedule because she has 4 years to graduate–no more. I helped her manage the logistics of all the variables of the schedule and class options, then she chose times and professors. I wanted her to see how to do it herself the next time.
If you are active on the Class of 2020 Parents FB page, then you will have more information than a lot of people do going into Bama Bound. However, I still learned quite a few things from the actual time there.
I didn’t learn anything in the Bama Bound information sessions that I didn’t already know, but I had spent a lot of time on CC and on the school’s website, so I think I knew a lot more than the average parent. And it was reassuring to hear what I already knew “officiallly.” Even without learning much, I thought attending Bama Bound was worthwhile. I had never seen the campus (my husband did the visit with my daughter), and I know my daughter appreciated having me there. I got to meet some parents, and we had lunch with D’s roommate and her mom, who were coming in for the next BB session.
Other than football weekend, it was the only time we as parents were able to go. Grandpa went with him for Capstone Scholars so I can’t compare. They did have a lot of info sessions that were applicable, so if you have the financial means and time, I would go. If not, I don’t think you will miss out especially if you are on all the UA FB pages and on here.