<p>My son will be attending the pre-orientation starting Aug. 20 and we're trying to figure out if he should fly out by himself with the minimum he needs to move into the dorm. Then the rest of us would drive with his stuff for the "official" orientation on August 24. The other option is for us to drive him out on the 20th and spend 4 extra days in St. Louis. I'm just wondering what other kids attending the pre-orientation are doing.</p>
<p>my parents are going to drive everything down on the 24th and im just going to fly down for my earlier orientations</p>
<p>Lammom,</p>
<p>Your idea is a good one. Your S will be fine, and during preorientation the school keeps the kids really busy. He will not need for much during that time. Do you know which dorm he will be in yet? My S will be one of RAs in Beaumont...(traditional dorm/substance free dorm). Great school!</p>
<p>MissMolly: What sort of weather should we expect in late August? Super hot? Rainy? Also, how cold does it really get in St. Louis -- I assume it's not as frigid as Chicago or New York -- but what kind of coat is necessary? We're in So Cal so we have no winter clothes (well, a snowboarding shell, beanie, that's it.) Any info or advice for freshman parents is welcome.</p>
<p>Late August can be warm and humid, but not too bad. I live in Des Moines, Iowa and St Louis is always about 10 degrees warmer than here. Also, St Louis is in the heart of the country and the weather can be changeable and extreme. It really rains there--so an umbrella and a raincoat w/hood is a must. St Louis winters are much more bearable than Iowa winters, but still you will need winter gear because it can get cold and it snows there once in awhile. I LOVE Wash U! I'm so excited for your freshman S or D----after orientation you will understand what I mean (parent/student orientation is unbelievable)! It was so sad for me when it came time to leave S, but now after almost 2 years--no regrets. Best college ever for our S!</p>
<p>It's not necessary to move all your stuff in for pre-o, you won't need most of it then anyway, but (at least when I moved in) there were fewer kids moving in during pre-o than during the regular move-in days, which can be incredibly hectic. Mabye the difference isn't so great now, since more people participate in the pre-o activities, but I definitely appreciated the ease of my move-in, and being able to just watch the crazy crowds when everyone else moved in.</p>
<p>My S is attending an Art-Sci weekend in early July, but will not do the pre-o (plane fare is adding up!) and will be moving in on the 24th. What's the difference between the parent orientation and the parent weekend in October? Which one is more the "don't miss" event?</p>
<p>you don't want to miss student/parent orientation. we went to our sons first parents weekend and have not gone to any others. i think parents weekend isn't necessary.</p>
<p>Missmolly, thanks for your reply. Don't know which dorm yet; guess he finds out in August.</p>