<p>How long are parents supposed to stay? Do they get to eat at some of the foods at the dining areas for free or do we have to use those guest tickets built into our meal plan?</p>
<p>if you plan on partying…then the sooner they go the better :)</p>
<p>Some parents stay the weekend, some leave right after dropping their kids off. Some go to convocation and the college welcome meetings that take place that weekend, some don’t. My parents stayed until Sunday, but didn’t go to any orientation events with me on Saturday. We had breakfast in the Commons Sunday morning, and they left.</p>
<p>Starting out at a university is a big step for many so I thought it was really helpful to attend the parent events at orientation. The orientation for my son’s college, CALS, was very informative and came in handy during the semester as my son made choices about courses and navigated the academic program. The clubs/activities event was also very helpful. We were able to learn about summer internships, religious organizations, academic and cultural clubs, sports teams, outdoors activities and more. Again, it was interesting to compare notes with our son after that event to see what he thought was interesting and what he felt he’d get involved in. It also helped him land a summer job as he had a sense of some interesting opportunities that were available. We ate in the cafe using his meal plan guest tickets. There were many families eating there. We helped him lug all of his bags up to his room and met his roommate.</p>
<p>While he was busy with all the freshman activities, we toured the art museum and the beautiful plantations. We also grabbed a bite to eat as a family and picked up a few items that he forgot at local stores. We also visited the bookstore to check out the books he’d need for his courses.</p>
<p>Every student and family is different, but the more you know starting out the easier it is later on to navigate such a big campus. Enjoy!</p>