Prefrosh weekend

<p>Do any parents go to pre-frosh weekend? If so, is it just a handful or more than that? And are there any activities planned for them?</p>

<p>There are activities for parents. And I do believe its more than a handful that go. I actually got sick last year so I didn't go with my son though I had planned to. But my understanding is that the parent activities are separate from the student activities though parents can attend some of the student ones. But I don't think most parents hang out with their kids, in fact my experience at that other school that has technology in its name was that I didn't even see my kid for most of the campus preview weekend.</p>

<p>Thanks for the info.
We know we wouldn't be hanging out with our son if we went, the question is whether there'd be anything else for us to do. That other tech school has an extensive program of parent events, and since we live nearby my wife and I both plan to go. Caltech is over on the Left Coast, so at most one of us would make the trip, and since I went out there with son this fall, my wife would be the one on the plane- but she doesn't want to go and sit in a hotel room by herself. Now that we know there are indeed some parent actitivies, I guess we should call admissions to see when they will have a schedule available.</p>

<p>Here's some info - hope it helps.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/uploads/File/prefrosh/TentativeSchedule.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/uploads/File/prefrosh/TentativeSchedule.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>and from:
<a href="http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/prefrosh/weekend#parents%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/prefrosh/weekend#parents&lt;/a>
"Information for Parents
Prefrosh Weekend is a chance for your son or daughter to get a feel for life at Caltech. It is also a chance for you to learn more about academics, resources and opportunities, and meet Caltech faculty, staff and current students. We encourage you to ask questions and interact with members of the Caltech community. We invite parents to all scheduled events with a few exceptions: We do ask that you refrain from attending classes with your student, as this may interfere with the professor's ability to teach. Evening activities planned by the Prefrosh Committee are also meant only for students - this is a time for your son or daughter to experience the independence of college and the peer environment at Caltech. Throughout the weekend we will also have receptions and sessions especially for parents."</p>

<p>Caltech keeps the parents very busy during prefrosh weekend. Most prefrosh bring either one or both parents.</p>

<p>Thanks, MomofChris! I looked on the web for this schedule, but my Googlefu wasn't up to the task.</p>

<p>Here's a more detailed schedule that was emailed to my son:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/uploads/File/prefrosh/AtaGlance.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/uploads/File/prefrosh/AtaGlance.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The new schedule is definitely more filled out than the preliminary one, it looks good,
I wish Caltech's prefrosh weekend wasn't the same week as Harvard's; now son has to which one to attend, and whichever school he skips will become pretty unlikely- we did tell him he could visit one of these two some other time, for example during the week, but w/o all of the activities and other pre-frosh the experience will be very different.</p>

<p>Although perhaps in some sense better. Prefrosh weekends always have a slightly or severely unrealistic atmosphere. MIT comes alive in a way it NEVER ever does during the rest of the year (so that you would think the place is a perpetual party), and Caltech changes too -- in some ways for the better, in some ways for the worse. I'm not sure about how Harvard's works, since I skipped Harvard's to go to Caltech's.</p>

<p>In any case, whichever one you end up visiting on an "off-day" (though probably best to make it a weekday) will be a little less festive but a little more "real".</p>

<p>The thing that really makes admitted student weekends valuable in my mind is the planned interaction with students. I didn't have the opportunity to visit Caltech's Prefrosh Weekend. When I did visit, the first part of my visit (the tour /admissions office talk and then just wandering around campus) was fun and nice, but I really fell in love with Caltech when (thanks to a certain member of this board) I got to eat dinner with a student house and hang out with the students in their own environment.</p>

<p>oOo I'm going to do the same as lizzardfire next weekend. =)</p>

<p>It would probably be better to visit during at least one weekday (maybe come early on Friday?) Then you can go to some classes and go to a House dinner.</p>

<p>I'm dropping in Thurs night, staying over Friday night and leaving around sat afternoon/morning.</p>

<p>I already have 3 classes planned out and the house dinner as well. But thanks for the suggestion.</p>

<p>Okay, good! House dinners are an important part of Caltech life and lots of fun.</p>

<p>House dinners do sound like a lot of fun! except I won't know all the rules :-( all the water!
I'm trying to figure out how to burn the 3 hours between the classes and dinner though...any suggestions?</p>

<p>Oh, if there any way to get a tunnel tour as well?
Thanks!</p>

<p>The rules are all in fun, and in most houses the upperclassmen sitting next to you are responsible if you break any rules.
There will be tunnel tours (heck, I may lead some...) but since we're officially not supposed to be in the tunnels they won't be showing up on any schedule.</p>