Parents' Weekend Expectations - Boston College

<p>Hope everyone’s off to a great start to the new school year - all the support and tips of fellow CC members has helped make the whole process and transition so much easier, many thanks to all that have contributed and hope you continue to do so!</p>

<p>This is our first experience as our son is now a freshman at BC. He seems very happy and active and adjusting better than we could have ever hoped. We are so pleased to see that he is doing so well and taking advantage of the many things that BC and Boston has to offer. </p>

<p>I would love to hear what other CCer’s experiences with Parents’ Weekend have been. Although it is scheduled for Friday - Sunday, I’m curious to find out how much time we should expect our son to actually want to spend with his family throughout the three days. We respect that he will have commitments with friends, clubs, schoolwork for the next week, etc. Some of the parent events scheduled seem similar to the ones that we attended during orientation, so we are not sure if it is necessary to attend them again. I’m more curious to see what his classes and professors are like, and would rather try to blend in the larger classes to check them out…nowhere near my son of course!</p>

<p>I asked him what his plans are so that we know what to expect but have not heard back yet. We would love to spend some time with him, but don’t want to hover or suffocate, yet am curious to know in advance what we should expect so that it ends up to be a pleasant visit without any hurt feelings, especially with his younger brother. </p>

<p>If any students or parents have any advice or experiences, please share the with us!</p>

<p>Thanks so much!</p>

<p>Dear emtforlife : Our family has had two at Boston College for the last two years - with our oldest graduating and off to other climates, our now junior will be the sole source of our attention for this year’s parents weekend. So, what can you expect?</p>

<p>Friday’s campus event is the Boston Pops concert. If you have purchased tickets with your son, by all means attend as this is a great night of entertainment. The best part of the evening takes place in the closing 15 minutes which will be the pep rally before the Saturday football game. Our suggestion would be that you should brush-up on the “For Boston” lyrics. If you are not signed up for the Pops evening, by all means this will be the easiest night to move about the campus area. Arrange for dinner and some quiet time in one of the surrounding restaurants.</p>

<p>Saturday’s action is dominated by the football game - the campus area is gridlock to do not expect to have an early morning meet-and-greet with your son before the game. Now, this year might be different from the last couple of seasons : if BC’s offense cannot get into some type … and type … of rhythm, this week’s game could be done by halftime. See if you can arrange dinner near your hotel with your son - traffic leaving campus will be impossible so if you are at the game, take the shuttle buses to your car and bring your son with you if possible. As for the game itself, some freshmen will sit with their parents - but most will stay in the student section. Just stick around long enough to hear eveyone sing “Build me up Buttercup” in the fourth quarter.</p>

<p>Sunday is when you will likely have the most time - perhaps over breakfast or lunch - but most students will be back on the books by Sunday night.</p>

<p>Hope that all of this helps guide you around the campus next weekend. If it helps, I’ll be there wearing my BC garb!</p>

<p>There will be parents in the classes, so tell him he won’t be embarrassed. And, IMO, the Friday sessions for parents are somewhat different than orientation, so worth attending. And of course, a chance to meet/listen to the Prez speak about the future. Catch up with your S for a coffee or snack during class break on Friday. Or take tour the campus yourself. Check out Gasson and Bapst, if you haven’t seen them yet.</p>

<p>My must-do every time in town is to visit White Mountain Creamery – homemade ice cream, next to the T-Stop. Enjoy.</p>

<p>Scott: normally, I do wear BC garb, but one of my D’s profs earned his doctorate from my alma mater (and was a post-doc there when I was an undergrad). I am tempted to wear the old school visor to that class. :D</p>

<p>I still have BC family connections, but not on the undergrad level, so I won’t be attending the events of the weekend, with the exception of the football game, but wanted to add my two cents. I love going to the Pops concert. Most, if not all students, attend with their family and there always seems to be a surprise or two during the evening.</p>

<p>I am a diehard football fan, so I suggest you stay for the entire game. The best part for me is at the end when the football team comes down to the student section and the band plays the Alma Mater. I get goose bumps every week. The band seems to have mixed up the tunes a little this year and I’m not 100% sure I’ve heard all the old standards. The band is really good and keeps everything lively. Maybe with a victory under the belt, some of the old favorite songs will return. Most students sit in the student section and make a visit to their folks sometime during the game.</p>

<p>My one regret is that I never attended any classes on Friday. Living in the area, I never took the day off to go to a class or two. I wished I had. </p>

<p>I also enjoyed the Sunday Mass and would suggest attending. The music is wonderful and I had a real community feeling when I attended with other BC parents and students. It just brought the weekend to a wonderful end and it confirmed for me the joy I had that my daughter was attending such a wonderful institution.</p>

<p>Have a great visit and welcome to Boston!</p>

<p>Dear Scottj, Bluebayou and Dogwood,</p>

<p>Thank you so much for taking the time to give such well thought out and insightful advice. I have taken all of it to heart and appreciate how it’s helped us plan our first visit for Parents’ Weekend at BC. We are looking forward to a fun and busy weekend!</p>

<p>I am driving up Thurs. night in order to make son’s 9AM class…have to make sure to get there early as he says the class is already packed…he’s premed and I wanted to see how his professors compare to their PEPS reviews…I love to see teachers and their personalities and teaching styles so I can visualize what the kids are talking about when they share about their classes…reminds me of Back to School night back home. I’m curious to see if he finds the classes/profs/tests as harsh “weeding out” classes as I’ve heard…he didn’t take the easier professors based on PEPS and was up for the challenge so I’m wondering how that’s working out. He has a Calc test this Friday, so I will use that time to attend some of the BC presentations. His father and brother are taking the bus into Boston late Friday night as little brother has school on Friday.</p>

<p>Based on your advice, we now have 3 seats in section P so that we could face the fun festivities of the Superfans! It would be fun if my son’s younger sibling would be able to shift to the student section to be able to partake in the BC spirit and festivities as he’s never been to BC, but I’m not sure how strict the stadium is with seating, even if he was to wear a Superfan shirt to the game. I’m more interested in watching the Superfans than the game! So happy that BC finally has a win under its belt so we have some hope for the weekend! I’ll be sure to have the video camera set for the fourth quarter for “Build Me Up Buttercup” and the Alma Mater! My son has two football players next to his dorm, so I’ll have to look up their numbers and cheer for them!</p>

<p>The traffic warning after the game is great advice, I think now we may take the shuttle to Cleveland Circle and explore the eateries there instead of leaving by car…may try to figure out how to take the bus or T to find Roxy’s Grilled Cheese from Food Network’s Food Truck Race…my younger son is a fan so it will be his touristy/celebrity event of the weekend! Any suggestions on local eateries that we can take the shuttle or T to? We can only get to our hotel by car, as the Brookline hotels where we normally stay at were booked. We’ll have to have dessert at the White Mountain Creamery…I’ve also passed by J.P. Licks which has peaked our interest. Hopefully the rain will stay away and we can spend a peaceful moment enjoying our ice cream at the end of a long day.</p>

<p>My son has classes most of Friday from 9-5PM and has club meetings on Friday night so we aren’t able to attend POPS this year…if he has a pocket of time we may use the time to grab a quick bite on campus so I can see where he spends his meals and get the vibe of the student body…maybe he’ll even “treat” ME to dinner =D. I haven’t been to Gasson or Bapst yet, will I be able to go in on my own on Parents Weekend? I’ll ask my son to give me a tour, hopefully it won’t be his first visit! </p>

<p>Thanks again for all the great advice…we will be thinking of all of you during our visit and how you’ve all helped us plan! Hopefully I’ll get to meet some of the friends he’s made…he seems to made a lot of new friends and joined a lot of student organizations so I’m so happy he’s made the effort as he was a low key kid in high school. </p>

<p>Scottj and Bluebayou: I have read so many of your BC posts since this past spring when my son was accepted, and reading your experiences and how much BC has been a positive impact for your families have truly been comforting and inspiring. Whenever I see one of your posts, it feels like s celebrity sighting! </p>

<p>Dogwood: Thanks so much for the warm welcome to Boston! It is nice to hear that people love BC enough to partake in their festive events even without having current students. The BC Alumni Network sounds amazing and I’m hoping that my son (and possibly his younger brother) can feel the love of the BC community resonate this weekend!</p>

<p>Enjoy your visits everyone and feel free to add any other thoughts after the weekend so that we can start planning for an even better Parents’ Weekend next year!</p>

<p>Thanks the kind words; glad I am able to help.</p>

<p>While an impressive (and imposing?) building, Gasson holds classrooms, so it is open and easy to walk through. Bapst is a library and is open as well.</p>

<p>If you haven’t met/heard from Father Jack, he’s worth a visit.</p>

<p>Free parking is available on the Brighton Campus. Shuttle busses are provided, or perambulate in good weather.</p>

<p>For casual pizza, I’m a big fan of Bill’s in Newton Centre. But there are plenty of other restaurants in Newton, as well as a gazillion places in Boston. The Eagle’s Nest is a popular hangout. Or, consider someplace touristy but great (Little Italy/North End?) or that your S can’t afford (Legal Seafood?).</p>

<p>P.S. “Crashing” the student section requires a SuperFan t-shirt and a student ID. So, if your S has a friend who is not attending the game, perhaps he can ‘borrow’ the ID.</p>

<p>[Parking</a> Information](<a href=“http://www.bc.edu/alumni/invest/parents/parentsweekend/parking2.html]Parking”>http://www.bc.edu/alumni/invest/parents/parentsweekend/parking2.html)</p>

<p>[Schedule</a> of Events - Boston College](<a href=“http://www.bc.edu/alumni/invest/parents/parentsweekend/schedule.html]Schedule”>http://www.bc.edu/alumni/invest/parents/parentsweekend/schedule.html)</p>

<p>Thanks for your kind words. Scottj and bluebayou definitely know so much about BC, I just have a lot of passion for the school. Our family has been attending football and hockey games for many years, so I am on campus quite a bit. I do have a child still there - but in the law school. Another child has both undergrad and grad degrees from the college.</p>

<p>Just want to add that parking is not permitted in any BC parking lots on game day unless you have paid for a permit - and those are bought for the entire football season. Also, you are not allowed to park in the neighborhoods around campus. I have friends who park in the Chestnut Hill Shopping Mall lot and walk over (1+ miles), but we take the T, getting on at Riverside (D line) and getting off at the Chestnut Hill stop and walking over. It is a lovely neighborhood to walk through and you come to the back side of the campus- just follow the crowds. If you are coming from Boston, take the Green Line B line and get off right in front of BC.</p>

<p>Your younger son will be able to sit with his brother in the student section. I would think the students would love to have a little brother to toss up after they score a touchdown (and the little brother will never forget the experience!). H and I always sit in the student section when there is rain (and we certainly don’t look like students anymore!). There is always room and we get there early to sit under the overhang. We have never been asked to leave and there are always others there as well.</p>

<p>You are in for a wonderful weekend. Enjoy and welcome to the BC family!</p>

<p>I forgot to pass on one very practical piece of advice. If you need to use the restroom at the stadium, do not use the restroom in the endzone where the students sit. That is also where the visiting team fans sit. It is a very small restroom and is always packed and you wait forever. If you are sitting in section P, use the restrooms down around section T. That is a very large restroom. You will get in and out in no time - you might even beat your husband!!</p>

<p>Hahahaha!!! That is a VERY important tip! Thanks for passing that on…I’ll have to let my son know it may be worth coming even from the student section! You can’t get info like this anywhere else! Enjoy the weekend!!</p>

<p>

Celebrity sighting? Emtforlife, you have made my day … and weekend. As for Saturday, Section CC, Row 19 - ask for ScottJ. I’ll be there.</p>

<p>Dear All : Friday night Pops Concert was a joy as usual with a Salute to Broadway as the theme and the guest “Wicked Divas” from the Broadway/National shows of “Wicked”. </p>

<p>Just returned from the Saturday football game, a 27-19 loss to Wake Forest where BC’s own mistakes during the game came at absolutely critical junctures. Energy in the standium was down from years past, undoubtedly due to the early season losses. Fourth quarter saw BC mount a comeback that had the stadium rockin’, but a midfield fourth-and-four came up short in the final two minutes.</p>

<p>In closing, we spent some time speaking with some freshman parents in Section CC (fittingly for a College Confidential siting) - one of whom now knows “scottj” from College Confidential. None the less, the freshman parent feedback was how welcoming the BC community is for parents during this weekend. As we are in the midst of our fifth parent weekend, I occasionally forget that one simple fact and thought it worth sharing here on College Confidential.</p>

<p>You’re right scottj - there definitely is a lack of energy in the stadium this year and it has been building game to game. Coming home on the T, H got into a discussion with others and the general feeling is that this is a young team and as long as they seem to be moving in the right direction, there is hope. The q-back is improving, but there is a real chance they may not win another game this year. They have Clemson, VT, Maryland and Fla. St. coming up - it could be painful! At least, the rain held off today:)
I wished I could have seen the performance last night. Any surprises? I keep hoping that Bruce S. will get on stage and play a bit, before his son graduates.
Glad your weekend has been a success.</p>

<p>Thoroughly enjoyed yesterday at BC. We parked at Needham Industrial Park and took the shuttle to campus. Very timely and organized! Again, I find BC to be such an accommodating college. Spent before game with son at BBQ then proceeded to the game. He sat in the student section and we sat in our seats. I agree the crowd participation was less than rowdy, but we enjoyed ourselves and were glad the rain held out. </p>

<p>We had dinner reservations(made by one of his friends parents who has a senior) and knew to make reservations in advance. Many of his friends parents are legacy so was interesting to hear BC stories and also hear how our sons are adapting to college life! They all are enjoying it.</p>

<p>As a parent of a freshman I have found each visit and experience at BC to far exceed my expectations! My son is loving it there and we are so happy to be part of the BC family!</p>

<p>So happy to hear that everyone had an enjoyable Parents’ Weekend! With all of your great advice and support, I felt prepared for the weekend and I couldn’t have imagined having had a better time other than having an extra day to visit more classes and explore a bit more. The most important element was that the forecasted rain stayed away during the day throughout the weekend other than a few drops for a few minutes during the football game. There’s a long read ahead, but I had such a great time I wanted to share with my new BC Family!</p>

<p>Friday was such a picturesque day with the summer like weather, and it was perfect as that was the day I trekked about campus the most. I was able to catch a glimpse of my son’s first class during the last ten minutes (I mentioned to him before class that I might be a tad late, he said I could still come in through the back door of the lecture hall…slipped in quietly with no problem). After class he met up with me (he surprised me by coming right up and saying hello as I went out the back door and he went out the front…I was looking down at my phone as I did not know where to turn next). I was so happy that he walked side by side with me as we chatted along, not dodging or embarrassed by my very presence as I expected. Went to his dorm to drop off my boots while he went to catch up on reading in the lounge before his next class (luckily I had boots in the back seat of my car as I was prepared for the rain, Brighton Campus where we were directed to park was VERY muddy and wet from the recent rain, my suede flats that I wore for walking about would NOT have survived as we parked on the mushy field.) </p>

<p>We arrived separately to his next class which was very small, but there was another set of parents there, and we felt safety in numbers even with the intimate setting. The professor was very welcoming and the class discussion was quite engaging. It was so nice for me to feel her warmth and how she stimulated the students’ thinking and how comfortable my son and the other students were in sharing their ideas and thoughts. Son asked questions and volunteered his thoughts several times, I was so happy he was involved in the class discussions. If you have the opportunity to go to classes, I’d highly recommend it and in most cases, people don’t know which parents belong to which kids, so no reason for the kids to be embarrassed.</p>

<p>At lunchtime, my son met up with friends and I hesitated, thinking I would eat at another table so that he could have his space and I could observe from afar (and YES he insisted on treating me to my soup!)…he waved me over and invited me to eat with him and his friends, and when I offered to give him space, he said he already asked his friends and that it was okay. His friends were so warm and welcoming and involved me in their conversations, even pointing out how my son developed an accent overnight…which got me hysterically laughing as it was true and he couldn’t hear it, but I giggled every time it came out. A few friends also passed through that he called to the table, so it was heartwarming to see how at ease and happy he is socially. It was interesting to see the personalities that match up with the pictures we’ve seen so far, and funny to hear what other students were saying pending their parents’ arrival. There were a lot of other families all over campus, so the extra family members were expected every where I went…and anytime I had to ask for directions, the students were so happy to help. </p>

<p>His last class was a test at Fulton Hall, so I used the time to walk around campus. Found the classroom just before he came out of the test early, but he didn’t realize I was nearby. He chatted with some other friends before he headed out back to his dorm to rest and change for an interview for a leadership position. Fulton hall has such a beautiful central hall, I was in awe just taking it all in and I recognized it to be the backdrop of the Boston College Lipdub video from YouTube…unfortunately it’s now a private video we can no longer access. </p>

<p>I stopped by The Chocolate Bar before I headed to meet up with him at his dorm to pick up my boots for the marshy trek to the car…wanted to see what the fuss about The Chocolate Bar was, and he was happy to enjoy a Purple Cow Frappe brought right to his doorstep! By then we were both tired after the long day so after a quick chat, I headed back to the hotel to rest after grabbing a snack from the nearby Whole Foods - but he was willing to come back out later that night to pick up his father and brother from the Boston Bus Terminal with me. I was surprised at how much he knew about Boston as he went through several of the neighborhoods during a scavenger hunt with his dorm. After we picked up his father and brother, they had nice conversations catching up and we ended up going back to the dorm so that we could unload all the goodies we brought from home before the rain came. His father and brother were not able to come to Move In day, so it was nice that they were finally able to have that opportunity for closure…especially since his roommate left for the weekend with his parents so we weren’t intruding. Upon leaving, we spent a few minutes in the car enjoying the content moment and saw him through the glass join his friends in the lounge for a round of cards, while wearing the Halloween costume he requested from home. It was a nice feeling to see him back “home” with his BC “family.”</p>

<p>I had a great time at the football game…the amount of tents and tailgate events were such a sight! Hubby and younger son were watching the game, so they were in a bit of an angst with how the game was going…but there were moments of promise so the game was still interesting enough to watch. We were seated in section P, directly across from the Student Section where my son was - he makes a point out of being in the front row by the gate just above the Visiting Team Tunnel with a red bandana tied across his neck…so he was very easily visible and he spotted us as we were lucky enough to have been seated directly across from him. I wore a Superfan sweatshirt I found on sale for him, and he knew it was me from my camera strap across the yellow shirt. I watched him most of the game, and although we were not physically together, it seemed like we spent the afternoon together. Watching him participate in all the Superfan songs, hand gestures and interacting with his friends was a lot of fun for me…a little deja vu from his elementary school performances…and watching the squirrel on the field go through the touchdown zone on both ends of the field was probably a once in a lifetime moment! He did text an invite for his brother to come over and join him and fellow Superfans, but brother was a wee bit shy this time around, but it was nice he extended the offer. Baldwin’s Jersey #00 even matched my younger son’s Varsity Soccer jersey #00! One memorable moment during the game was when a student sitting behind me told his mother how much he loved BC as a transfer student from another Boston school…he said BC doesn’t just cultivate good students, BC also cultivates GOOD PEOPLE. Ever since Orientation, we have felt such a sense of warmth, community and caring at BC, and it was so nice to hear that the students feel and appreciate that as well. </p>

<p>Scottj: I thought of you several times throughout the game and took photos of the CC section…I was the one in the Superfan sweatshirt with my camera pointed up at your section! I’ll have to zoom up and figure out which is row 19! I take it I should look for someone in bright yellow or maroon? I also have to thank you for sharing the ESPN U channel with us from another thread as I did tape the first game and enjoyed watching the Superfans. It helped a lot that I checked out the seating chart and booked our tickets over the phone rather than having the seats assigned by the computer. </p>

<p>Bluebayou: Thank you for sharing the touching story about Welles R. Crowther in a previous post. My son wears the red bandana in his honor to all the games, and after watching the video from the link you posted, I watched as Crowther’s father read his name at the 9/11 Ceremony with such emotion, and I was so touched to be part of his BC Family. The Crowther family lives in a county near us, and we had not known of the story until you posted the link. </p>

<p>Dogwood: I had no problem with the restroom by our section…it was right by our gate and we got there early enough and 5 minutes before halftime so no wait. I had no idea that Bruce S.'s son attends BC, and his son shares the same name as mine…what a fun fact! You mentioned in a 2008 post that his son was seen at orientation, so I’m thinking he is expected to graduate this year?</p>

<p>Beach17: So happy to hear that you had a great time too and also noticed how family friendly the BC Community is. It reminds me of the emphasis on the student, school, family support aspect that is emphasized throughout the education of the youth today. It amazes me how well we are treated AFTER we have already committed to attending, and that it’s ongoing, not just a marketing lure to get a commitment to attend. A lot of parents are surprised to hear that BC welcomes parents to the classes…and frankly without that aspect, it would not be as much fun without getting a glimpse of our kids’ day to day lives!</p>

<p>After the game, son boarded the BC bus with us to head back to the Needham Industrial Park where we parked and we headed out to Chinatown for dinner…we ended up at Penang, a Malaysian restaurant that also has locations in NYC and NJ. He enjoyed the authenticity not available on campus and it was fast, fresh, hot and tasty…family style and reasonable. I took photos of the restaurants that had a lot of volume that Saturday night as we walked through the area, now we know which ones are the go to places for son’s next visit, with or without us. Son had to rush back after dinner as he had a homework assignment due online that night, he passed on bringing us to his new find from the scavenger hunt, Mike’s Pastry in Little Italy as he had the assignment on his mind and we were too full for White Mountain Creamery. When I asked him about White Mountain Creamery, his eyes glazed over and said it was sooooo good…and that was just the vanilla…his RA took the dorm there that first weekend at BC. Nothing quite like warming up to new friends over ice cream!</p>

<p>Sunday we all slept in and didn’t make it to the lithurgy. We were not able to reach son in the morning, found out later he didn’t sleep until 5:30AM, at least he was open and shared with us. We made a quick trip to Trader Joe’s and Stop & Shop in Brookline to bring him some frozen/refrigerated items and some mini pumpkins for his dorm, in addition to the dodgeball he requested we pick up as he wanted to practice with his team before that night’s dodgeball event. He and his friends take the grocery shuttle on Sundays down to Beacon St. and pick up their items at the CVS and they were talking about heading to Chipotle or Eagle’s Deli for dinner (from TV’s Man vs. Food), it was good to hear that he gets off campus, even if not too far. After a few throws of dodgeball with his brother (he came out with a baseball hat, tank, shorts and barefoot, the spitting image of a college kid =)) and a few quick pics, we hugged him goodbye with plans to see him (and the barber) during Thanksgiving break. It was a very pleasant weekend without any scowls or complains about suffocation or ill feelings of him dodging us after the long trip there.</p>

<p>I think it was important that we made a point of reaching out to him in advance to see if he wanted us to come up for Parents’ Weekend - and that we asked about his pockets of availability as we told him that everyone had busy schedules, but if we were to make the commitment out of our time to come up, that we would expect him to make the commitment to spend some time with us so that we wouldn’t feel like he spent the weekend ditching us. He didn’t get back to us with a schedule in advance, so when were there I think he felt it was his part to be a good host. It was a nice balance of spending time with us and spending time with his friends as well…so that he didn’t feel resentment from feeling chained to us the entire weekend. Having little reasons to meet up with us (family dinner, carrying up groceries, dropping off the Purple Cow Frappe, getting the dodgeball) were good excuses to meet up at different short spurts throughout the weekend. </p>

<p>We are already seeing him grow and develop into a young adult at BC…did not expect much change this early, although we’ve heard about the expected change during the first trip home. We are so happy to see him so involved, joining many student organizations, applying for leadership positions, remembering to apply for his work study, making it to his meetings, and being so comfortable with the many friends he’s making and being part of study groups to prepare for class…he even joined a breakdancing group! He didn’t put his personality out there as much socially in HS, despite being involved and succeeding academically, and it’s so refreshing that he has the happiness and confidence to put himself out there now on his new journey to discover himself. We are so grateful for all the elements that led him to BC, despite having to take on a lot of student loans, we couldn’t be more happy for the young adult that our first born is becoming. He was initially disappointed at being waitlisted at several Ivies and passed on a full scholarship at a safety, but I am so proud that he has embraced all the opportunities that BC has to offer and I can’t imagine him anywhere else, despite not knowing much about BC before his acceptance. Somehow the universe knew that BC “FIT” him and BC showed how they appreciated HIM by the opportunities and programs they offered him. We can’t imagine him (and us) being any happier (besides the student loans that is!) He is becoming a respectful and responsible young gentleman, and I can’t wait for the next BC family event! We are learning more and more how “super hard” it is to get into BC and how “everyone” wants to go there…we are so blessed that our son has this opportunity and that he seems to be making the most of it. </p>

<p>I also want to make note that BC was the most personal in their correspondance…they were the ONLY college to mail him correspondence via snail mail…BEFORE the anticipated announcement date…and following up with phone calls of congratulations and also personal phone calls reminding him of various deadlines. Other colleges notified him via email first before being followed up with letters in the mail. It just felt more old school and personal via snail mail. </p>

<p>Are there other family events throughout the year or is it just Parents’ Weekend and the First Year Orientation? He is looking forward to the 48 Hours weekend coming up in the next few weeks. </p>

<p>Funny occurrences this weekend…I was handed a condom by an organization while trekking about campus on my own…son disapproved as the science geek in him said it was latex and he said people can develop allergies to latex through consistent exposure…and carded for the wine I purchased for cooking from Trader Joe’s (they have a very reasonable department at this location that isn’t available by my area, it’s worth a stop). Funny what happens when I meander about without two kids and a hubby by my side!</p>

<p>Disappointed that Roxy’s Grilled Cheese Food Truck from Food Network’s Food Truck Race just happened to break down on Friday Night and was in for repairs until Monday - thank goodness I found out following them via Twitter…nothing another visit won’t remedy!</p>

<p>We did stop at Mike’s Pastry for cannolis before our trek home…mistook Modern Pastry for Mike’s at first, as Modern Pastry also had a line out the door…can anyone share their experiences between the two bakeries? I hear they are both known for their cannolis but was curious how they differed.</p>

<p>The lack of diversity we read about had also been a previous concern …son has made friends of many cultures and various regions around the US, as well as from areas near his home region. We are vey blessed that he has been able to immerse himself into different social and cultural groups, and he is learning more about various cultures from signing up for different organizations different from his own background. I’m glad that he took my advice that you don’t have to be a specific background to join a particular group, but that it was a great avenue to meet a variety of people and learn more about different cultures. </p>

<p>If you’ve made it this far, thank you for your patience and for all the support and guidance. We had a fantastic weekend and look forward to all the BC adventures ahead! As you can see, I can’t say enough about Boston College!</p>

<p>I hope you don’t mind me reviving this thread-I’d love some input from some of the veteran BC folks above. We will be attending orientation with D at the end of June. Husband and I are staying at the HI Waltham. Wanted to confirm that there haven’t been any problems with on campus parking during those 3 days since we will be driving in daily. </p>

<p>I also thought I’d look forward to Parent’s Weekend 9/27-9/29. It looks like the parking then is a different story, and may require a different approach hotel-wise. As we are on a budget, I’d like to stay under $200/night (which is why we were looking outside of the city). I’m flipping back and forth between the MBTA map and Hotels.com to try to find something that would work, and getting more confused. </p>

<p>Do shuttles run Fri after the Pops concert, and after Sunday liturgy, or only after the game on Sat? Where are shuttle stops? </p>

<p>Hotel Indigo looked like a great spot to get on the T at Riverside but it is $259/night. But found a couple of places under $200 in Back Bay: Buckminster (my husband stayed there and it was just ok but do-able) and Hotel 140. Charlesmark was $219. Any other neighborhoods to look at that would work logistically with Parent’s Weekend? </p>

<p>Or if you all could just confirm that parking/shuttling isn’t the nightmare I’m imagining for those staying outside of Boston (like Waltham) that would be a huge help! </p>

<p>Would you recommend planning on dinner after the game w/D to avoid the exodus after the game? What time would be good to make reservations for? If we do dinner in the area, where do you recommend and will there still be shuttles still running later on to get us back to our car?</p>

<p>Any logistical/budget help would be so appreciated as I don’t know the area well enough to imagine what might work from just looking at the internet. </p>

<p>Very much looking forward to becoming part of the BC family!!</p>

<p>Edit: Just found Hotel Indigo’s BC rate (Newton-Riverside) and made reservations for well under $200 for Parent’s Weekend. Yea! I’m taking Dogwood’s advice and getting the T at Riverside-thanks for that! Logistics handled. My other question still stands about orientation parking-any issues coming in from Waltham daily including traffic? Again, any general tidbits of advice appreciated.</p>

<p>We had no problem at all parking during orientation. In fact we parked in a lot that very few used and it was pretty empty.</p>

<p>Great to hear, thanks!</p>

<p>the Marriott Newton has BC rates which are generally pretty good. But its not near the T. Just a straight - meandering drive – up Commonwealth Avenue, about 6 miles from campus.</p>

<p>For Parents Weekend, BC turns the “Brighton campus” fields into a free parking lot, and runs shuttle vans over to the lower campus and registration. (But it is only a few blocks to walk.) You can park on Brighton until after the concert.</p>

<p>I stayed in Waltham one parent’s weekend, and traffic was not an issue – the only backup was to pay the tolls, bcos I took the Mass Pike to Centre St. </p>

<p>Note, however, that parking on game day is non-existant. Most streets around campus are blocked off.</p>

<p>(Of course, I live in SoCal, so “traffic” is in the eye of the beholder…lol)</p>

<p>Hi pineview. It has been sometime since I have posted. S graduated from law school this spring and d graduated before that, so my info is probably dated. I did stay at the Hotel Indigo last summer for a conference and really liked it. The Riverside is next door, so you are able to walk over to catch the T. H is in the process of renewing our season tickets for football, so I’ll be catching the T there as well for games. I do have a recommendation for dinner in Newton Centre - B Street Bistro. It is a very small place and you will need reservations, but the food is wonderful. What we sometimes do is we go to Union Street for drinks (right next door - a local bar and grill), then head over to B Street Bistro for dinner. There is a city parking lot in front of B Street, so you could head back to your hotel after the game on the T and then drive to the restaurant later. Parking is available. Union Street is a fun place to go for pub type food and lots of televisions for watching sports. Welcome to the BC family. Can’t wait for football season to start!</p>