<p>Any idea why our parents can't stay in our dorms for parent orientation? It seems like it would be far cheaper and easier. Is this not allowed, or do they just not recommend it?</p>
<p>Where would they stay? On your floor? Asleep at midnight while you are traversing the MIT rooftops?</p>
<p>You could try sleeping on a subway car or under the roof of the Harvard coop, that's always popular</p>
<p>Your room is only going to be barely big enough for you and your temp roommate, there wouldn't be any room for parents also.</p>
<p>And besides, trust me, nobody wants anybody's parents hanging out in the dorm overnight during Orientation. Really. It's time for the parents to be elsewhere while you're starting your immersion in MIT culture.</p>
<p>And I say that as a parent.</p>
<p>That makes sense. I thought we might be staying in singles during the orientation time-frame.</p>
<p>You might be staying in a single, depending on where your temp room is, but if you're in a temp dorm where freshmen don't have singles, then you certainly won't be temped in one - where would the upperclassmen be living?</p>
<p>I am also a parent, and I totally agree with Mootmom. Your parents can NOT stay in your dorm room, even if you do get a single. Even if they were willing to sleep on the floor, there isn't enough floor space. Plus you will be very busy, and no one in the dorm (starting with your roommate) is going to want to have your parents around. It would take you more years to live that down than you are going to have at MIT. </p>
<p>If Priceline or Hotwire don't pan out, you can probably find something like a Motel 6 in one of the outlying suburbs. If finances are so tight that 2 nights in a hotel are still not possible for your parents, the best thing might be for them to stay home when you attend Orientation.</p>
<p>Yes, actually, parents staying home is a perfectly valid option. I did not attend Orientation with my son last year: I'd been to campus before so I didn't need the parent tours and info sessions, and since students don't move into their actual dorm rooms until after Rush at the END of Orientation (long after parents are supposed to leave), there wasn't much point in me being around to help unpack etc. </p>
<p>So yes: parents aren't required to attend Orientation and may even find it not a very satisfying send-off experience. We said our "love you and good luck"s at the airport. (Saved a lot of money that way, too, so I was able to come in Oct. for Family Weekend, which I think is a better time to visit anyway!)</p>
<p>having attended both Orientation and Family Week-end, I agree with Mootmom (as usual;)) - if your parents can only afford one trip, they should choose Family Week-end. Many of the events for patents that take place during Orientation are repeated during Family Week-end. Plus they can see the room you'll actually be living in and get a much better sense of you being "in place".</p>
<p>I guess I have misestimated the size of the typical dorm room, not that my parents would be attending Orientation anyway (they would have to fly down from Bangalore, India). </p>
<p>Family weekend might be a better option, though. What time is that usually?</p>
<p>It's usually the second or third weekend in October -- the weekend right after the long October student holiday weekend.</p>
<p>my parents didn't attend orientation for either me or my sister.. it's probably nice to have them there but they'll take a back seat anyway</p>
<p>CPW was wonderful even though I did not see DD once during the three days of events. Expect parent orientation would ( and should) be the same. There is no end to events for parents, giving an excellent overview of all aspects of campus life. I would encourage any parent to go if your goal is to experience and learn about MIT. Trying to help your kid adjust to campus is not a reason to attend. It's time they did that on their own.</p>
<p>I have now done CPW, Orientation, and Family week-end. They were all wonderful! But there would certainly be no reason to do all 3 if it was going to be a financial strain for the family. If parents were going to pick just one, I would choose CPW first, followed by Family Week-end.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your help. It was nice to have different points of view. I hope we get to an equilibrium point with my parents.</p>