Hello all. My daughter will be attending UT Knoxville in the fall. She has orientation in July and they have a two-day “parent orientation” at the same time as the students (separate functions and itineraries of course). I have had mixed opinions as to whether or not it was worth the extra fees to attend this. My husband is voting no as sitting through lectures is not his idea of fun. Lol. I’ve toured the campus and the buildings already and have gone through the parent’s handbook online as well as joined the Parents Association there. Does anyone have opinion as to whether or not this orientation would give me additional information that I as a parent would need? It’s not required so I’m a little doubtful. Thanks in advance!
It sounds really up to you.
DH and I both went to Kid #1 orientation. It was also two days…but we drove, and stayed with relatives. We found the parent presentations to be excellent.
For kid 2, only I went. Her orientation was just before school started…and also her move in time. So…it was a multipurpose trip for me. Again…info was well done, but I have to say…almost identical to what I heard at a different college with kid 1. Still…it was nice to hear the president of the college address the parents…he was excellent.
If I had a third kid…I would go…again.
I don’t know this school specifically, but H and I went to family orientation at our D’s school and I went with S17 to his. I found both helpful. I loved that D’s school did a family orientation because we were able to take 3 of our 4 sons with us as well. Ironically, the one son who wasn’t able to join us would up at that school a couple of years later. This year, I went up with S17 by myself. He’s the youngest and I felt that he deserved the full experience. I learned things, made contacts and feel more comfortable with him up there having attended orientation. That said, I didn’t go to orientation for my son who went to the same school as my D, but D went up with him. My other two boys went to school locally.
My opinion is that if you can afford the cost and the time, do it. I loved connecting with my kids during the orientation and hearing what was going on while it was fresh in their minds.
Thanks so much for the insight. I wish that her college had a family orientation so that we could go through it with her rather than separately. I assume that it’s done that way to prepare them to be on their own and I can appreciate that, but as a worried mom, I would have liked to have spent the time with her.
Our two colleges did separate sessions for parents too. Believe me…in many ways, this is better for everyone. Think of it this way…many parents Nd kids have questions they would prefer NOT to ask in front of the other. The parent sessions really were geared towards parents and the questions they might have. The student sessions were for the students.
In addition, part of our kids’ student orientation was advisor meetings, placement tests, and scheduling of classes…which, frankly, I had NO interest in sitting through.
These days, I think a lot of parent orientations are designed to help parents let go of their kids. The basic message being, “We’re here. We’re organized. Let your student experience successes and failures on their own. It’s okay. It’s necessary. Let them go. Back off. Waaayyy off.”
IMO, if you’ve done one orientation, you’ve done them all. I personally would consider not paying the money. Heck, my transfer student didn’t even attend his own “mandatory” orientation, and he got all the information he needed during dorm meetings before classes started.
If you don’t live near campus, it may be your one opportunity to interact with staff, ask a few questions. I especially liked the open house portion where staff from housing, the food service, the health clinic, study abroad programs, work study, etc were all there. Many offered brochures that I took and later read. It was well worth doing.
We did the parent orientation even though I still had relatives in my hometown nearby and got my degree from that U> It was excellent. Great to separate students and parents- our had a dinner together. There is a lot of information given that means knowing so much your kid neglects to tell you, or won’t know. I guess everything is online and you have seen the campus. Was fun for me to revisit the campus besides the usual spots- but, boy, those hills are far easier when you are so much younger!
@trendi -
By family orientation, I meant that family members were welcome. The students were separate from us, stayed in different dorms and did different activities for the most part. The school invited siblings between 6 and 16 and provided activities for them that were separate from the parents and students. My other kids only saw us at meals and bedtime. I brought my oldest, then 18 and attending CC close to home, as well because my 13-year-old was in a full leg cast and using a wheelchair so I needed somebody to take care of him; the school was very accommodating. I stayed in the dorms at both schools, although I know many parents stay at hotels. I didn’t get to go away to college or grad school so staying in the dorm was a new experience for me. The savings on money also helped me to afford going.
Staying in the dorms is also a great reminder for those who went to college and may have forgotten a lot. Sure was nice to get a prepared breakfast in the dorm cafeteria without cooking or cleaning. But had to dress first. And that designated women’s bathroom was at the opposite end of the hall- the men’s was next door! A twin bed…
I personally think the “parent orientations” are for two reasons:
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Orientation is in the middle of the summer and you may have to drive your child a long distance to get to the college and what else will you do?
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Parents are more helicoptery these days so it gives parents more info about the college
I would look at agenda and see if you have any specific questions otherwise have fun in town.
Not all orientations are in the summer. Both of my kids’ schools had theirs right after drop off.They had separate things for students and parents. One was just a day and they actually built in a goodbye period to get rid of helicoptery parents. The other parent orientation was two days and included concerts and a few free meals. The sessions had some useful info regarding contacts, but all of this was available on the website.
@trendi mentioned fees. Do you actually have to pay to attend this thing? If so, I would just go shopping or visit museums until it’s time to retrieve your child from her orientation. Or, if possible, just send her alone. It seems crazy to pay for an orientation that you really don’t need.