<p>Dang it, I’m going! The football game alone is worth it. (Football is pretty big at this school and they have block seating for Parents Weekend attendees.) If restaurants are crowded, we can cook in the condo. (They’d probably like that.) Pizza works too. No worries.</p>
<p>Graduation…crap!. I hadn’t thought about that yet. I guess I’d better get on it.</p>
<p>If any of my kids ever expressed an interest in parents weekend, we’d consider going, but of the two (boys) who are now in college, neither one has ever said a word about it. I’m pretty sure they aren’t even aware when it is. Both are really involved in ECs on campus, but parents weekend? Meh.</p>
<p>May be a different story altogether when the third (girl) is in college, though.</p>
<p>My S’s b-day is the saturday of parents weekend so I am going. Also, I don’t want him to feel “left out” if roomies and such have their parents there. I am only going that day though-we live 1/2 hour away so it’s not a bg deal to go there whenever. (Have to only do it for certain occasions).</p>
<p>land64shark, Definitely get the hotel for graduation. I got mine one year to the day for my kids schools and at the last graduation, I couldn’t even get my first two choices.</p>
<p>oh kathiep, I’m filing that piece of info away!! A year in advance!! Wow!</p>
<p>We are going for the second year in a row. At our D’s LAC it is family weekend and little sister goes too. We enjoy meeting the other parents of D’s friends. Last year five families had a few meals together. It was really nice. Expect more of the same this year andm ore, because she is heaviliy involved on campus. We live far so this it the only visit we make. Last spring she moved her things out and to a storage unit with friends.</p>
<p>The cost is a challenge but I see these years flying by and want to see a slice of her college life.</p>
<p>Our Daughter goes to an LAC that recently started combining Parent’s Weekend and Homecoming. Talk about crowds! She is going to be a junior in the fall and we have gone to every Parent’s Weekend. She sings in the college choir and they always have a concert on Sunday. We went for the entire weekend her freshman year, but quickly realized that it wasn’t necessary…she was busy with her friends and activities and choir rehearsal on Saturday, so now we just stay one night, see her for a bit on Saturday and after the concert on Sunday. We only live 2 1/2 hours away so it’s not a big trip, and I’m a real college junkie so I love any chance to be on campus!</p>
<p>And yes, reserve those graduation hotel rooms the second you can! I plan to stay overnight at our favorite hotel the night before their computer opens for 2014 graduation weekend reservations! I will hang out at the front desk with a nice glass of Port, and at midnight I will pounce! Hmmm…I suppose I just might be one of the reasons those rooms book up so early!</p>
<p>We’re going for parents/homecoming weekend! I want to see my son. Since he is a football player we will go for the game which I don’t think is a huge deal at his school. By that time he will want a good dinner!</p>
<p>I guess I will take whatever opportunity I can get to see him. I miss him already and he’s still in FL.</p>
<p>Yes, my D is an only child and I am a single parent - we are very close and she’s more than ready to go, but I know her roomie’s parents will be there and likely most freshman parents will attend. I couldn’t bear the thought of her going through that weekend sans Mom.</p>
<p>The previously stated factor of seeing her play in the off season at alumni game is also a huge wouldn’t-miss-it-for-the-world factor.</p>
<p>wow, graduation hotel booking begins now! I wouldn’t have thought the exact dates would be set already - lemme get on that!</p>
<p>My son is 90 minutes away and my freshman daughter will be 45 minutes away, which has the advantage that we can visit and sleep in our own bed, and even show up the next day. But this makes our kids nervous that we could show up unannounced. My daughter told me her rule–any surprise visits, and she transfers far away.</p>
<p>On the other hand, she realized that by being so close, she can bring fewer clothes and treat the family home as a clothes closet as the seasons change. Plus that whole can I bring over some laundry thing.</p>
<p>
Do keep in mind that many, many students will not have parents around for parents’ weekends. Lots of parents who live far away don’t have the time or financial resources for the trip or have other kids who have local needs on the weekends, and of course international students will not have visitors. Other parents prefer to visit at quieter times. It’s not as if all the students will be with their parents and only your kid will be bereft. In fact, I’d venture to say that even just looking at the freshman class, less than half the parents participate in these events. I did attend my D’s first parents weekend, but wished I had visited another time instead. In the two subsequent years I did not attend, and I doubt she was even aware that it was parents weekend, too busy with her own life.</p>
<p>^ I suppose it <em>could</em> be that she wouldn’t care a bit, but I place the odds at 80% that she not only would, but be upset for me not to come - PLUS - I have the other factor of the sport I will be going through hardcore withdrawals from that I get to see her play that weekend… I will not attend subsequent years of parent’s weekend.</p>
<p>I feel like I will want to report back on the freshman parent turn out at D’s school for this weekend - I just might be very surprised!!!</p>
<p>I have a sophomore who goes to school 1600 miles away, and we did not go to parents weekend last year b/c it was just before T-giving when we were going to see him and I felt much of the program had been covered at orientation. We are going this year, however; part of the program covers junior year abroad which our kiddo wants to do, and we will not be seeing him at T-giving so it gives us a great excuse between goodbye in Aug and return home in Dec.
Our son said he did not want us to come; we told him not his choice - we got the invitation! We did promise not to shadow any of his classes and to take him out to his favorite dinner. That perked him right back up :)</p>
<p>Okay, I booked my flights. D1 thinks I’m nuts to come that particular weekend and thinks I’d be better off coming a different weekend. She says parent weekend is lame and I’m buying into the school’s hype. She also whined “You never came to any of mine”! Uh, this IS still yours unless you are no longer a GT student! Yup, she’ll get it in 25 or 30 years.</p>
<p>As for graduation, D1’s school is in a major city (Atlanta). I understand the need to make reservations way in advance at the more small-town schools, but do you really think it necessary to make them this far out when there is no shortage of hotels in the area? I mean this area hosted the summer Olympics. I don’t want to make them yet because I don’t know the logistics of when to arrive and check out since my graduating kid will be moving out of her condo (when???) and D2 will be moving out of her dorm. I don’t know how all that works. I’ve never had to deal with move outs. D1 just moved her stuff out of her freshman dorm piecemeal into her off campus condo and has left her stuff there ever since. (D2 won’t get that sweet deal.)</p>
<p>land64shark, you might just call a few preferred hotels and ask them how booked they are for graduation weekend; also check to see if they appear to charge a premium for those nights.</p>
<p>land64shark, My daughter’s graduation was in Nashville and what happened was that all of the hotels near the college filled up immediately. I decided to go into the downtown area instead, which turned out to be just fine, but to be within walking distance would have been very nice as they had a few different events over the graduation weekend and walking to them would have been much better then driving to them. </p>
<p>Most hotels will let you out of a reservation if you give them enough advance notice.</p>