Parents who have already attended Orientation

Colleges and Universities A-Z Ohio State University
1

<p>Would love to hear of anyone’s experience this year at orientation. We are going on the 17th and don’t know what to expect.</p>

2

<p>We haven’t attended orientation yet this year, but we went 2 years ago - and also 4 years before that. Assuming not much has changed, you will find it enjoyable and very well run. Be prepared to be separated from your son/daughter - it’s a good first step to take.</p>

<p>The first session is fun and informative and everyone attends; then the students leave and parents have someone talk about what to expect the first year. Parents have lunch together and then there are some finiancial aid sessions and maybe a few others. There are some evening activities, but I felt it was important for my son to not have his mom around, so I went back to my hotel and read in total peace and quiet!</p>

<p>The second morning you meet back up with kids and have a session together and students take foreign language placement tests. We were finished mid-afternoon. Here are some of my details from a previous thread:</p>

<p>I am also an OOS parent - 1 son graduated in March and 1 is a freshman. I really enjoyed orientation and agree that only 1 parent needs to attend. Just a warning - you are separated from your child a LOT since they really put the responsibilities on the student. It’s all good and you’ll have a nice lunch with all of the other parents. I highly recommend that you strike up conversations and meet people.</p>

<p>The strange time is at night when the students have their own activities and stay in the dorm. It’s the perfect time to give them their space and let them meet other students. So you may find yourself on your own for dinner and for the evening, so bring a good book!</p>

<p>A few pieces of advice:

  1. Make sure your child returns the key to the dorm in the AM on the second day…I speak from experience!
  2. It’s a great time to open a bank account, so allow some time for that (maybe the second day).
  3. Bring a backpack or drawstring-type bag…you’ll have papers/notebooks to carry too. Businesses do give some out before the first AM session, but I’ve seen them run out too.
  4. Always have a water bottle with you. It gets HOT!</p>

<p>Have a great time! Son #3 is also going to OSU and orientation is early July and we are really looking forward to it!</p>