<p>so, what's the general consensus? My son tries to be a "cool dude" and may think, or at least acts, as if it's just a bother to have us around. After all, he adamantly went on a few campus visits on his own, and went to the admit event in U Chicago in April by himself. </p>
<p>Options are:</p>
<p>(A) let him fly by himself with two big suitcases. Then we sent the rest of the stuff via UPS.
(B) we drive there from NJ in our family mini van and haul everything, and make it into a mini vacation for my husband and me since we have several friends from graduate school days in UIUC that I would love to see (but that is not a main issue here).</p>
<p>I am not a worry bag, and certainly not really emotional about "sending him by himself", and the decision will be more practical. Will we be needed?</p>
<p>If he goes by himself, is there a nearby Target or stores like that he can easily get items that he needs just in case. If he arrives just with two suitcases, can he comfortably settle in without critical items missing until his stuff arrives via UPS???</p>
<p>I would love to hear both from students AND parents. Thanks for your input in advance.</p>
<p>Go. The less important, but practical, reason is that it will help to have a minivan to make last minute purchases. The more important reason is that the event is quite memorial. There is an talk at the chapel, after which the new students walk across campus as group, and then walk through one of the arched walkways on campus. It is a amazing ceremony to watch, and one that I would not have wanted to miss. Whatever your son thinks, you owe it to yourself to attend.</p>
<p>Having now done this twice at Chicago I would echo those that advice , “go if you can.”. Convocation and the march through the gates are not to be missed. Let me tell you though, get the the Convocation early. We arrived the second time, I think, at 2:40 for 3:00pm and ended up having to watch on closed circuit tv at Ida Noyes. It’s worth being there 45 minutes early to be able to sit in the chapel. </p>
<p>Also, though one of the O-Week activities for the students is a Target run, the closest one is really too far away to negotiate without a car, especially before your child is comfortable with the public transportation in Chicago. I’d suggest heading out the day before move-in day, go pick up last minute items at Target or B, B & B and be at the dorm early the next day. If recollection serves me you can move-in around 8am on that day. Also, Chicago allows students to ship boxes ahead that will be waiting for them when they arrive. That way your child will have the things you send ahead right then on move-in day. Have fun. It’s a wonderful, emotional day!</p>
<p>Honestly, I would say go with him. For you, this is something that you shouldn’t miss. In my mind, one of the days that many parents look forward to is the day that they send their kids off to college for the first time. You shouldn’t let this day go by, it’s a once in a life time chance to see your son go off to college for the first time. It really is like a moment where you realize as a parent that your son has really grown up and exited the life of childhood. Like what others have said: it’s a memorable and it will make you feel proud.</p>
<p>Piling on: The Chicago convocation ceremony is really unique and memorable. Also, the way it is structured fosters the perfect compromise among “cool” kids, nervous kids, and blubbering parents. Almost everyone has family somewhere in the vicinity through the morning and early afternoon, but then there is a sharp divide and family is (supposed to be) banished, leaving the kids on their own. (Some people cheat and go back; I would avoid that.) And during the family part of the day, there are a few things that the kids have to do on their own, while family is shunted to other activities (involving free food). The balance is pretty good. Parents’ hovering is limited, but family members feel involved in what’s going on, and there’s a clean, if emotional good-by for everyone at the same time.</p>
<p>(By the way, Kid #2 fell head-over-heels in love with Chicago at Kid #1’s convocation. He had tried as hard as he could to ignore his sister’s college search completely, but spending seven hours on the Chicago campus with a lot of students around completely whetted his appetite for college.)</p>
<p>Ditto, ditto, ditto. S1’s move-in was the week Lehman Bros. crashed, and DH was intimately involved with some of the proceedings. Drove to Chicago, dropped off S, left the loaded van, flew back to NYC, was in court til 1:30 am and got back on a plane to be there for move-in. I flew in Friday am and S met me when I stepped off the 55 bus from Midway. He showed me around campus and I knew immediately why he had chosen it. It gave me a tremendous feeling of joy and contentment to know he had made such a wise decision and it carried me through missing him.</p>
<p>I took him out to Target Friday evening, picked a couple of things we had forgotten (scored a $2 fan!) and went to the Med for dinner. Was able to park the van next to his dorm and walked back to the hotel (we stayed at Wooded Isles). The next morning, the O-week staff was there at 8 am to help everyone unload.</p>
<p>The first-years also have to pick up O-week materials and such, but there was a place for parents to hang out. Note to O-Week planners: please have more water/soda this year! Some houses sell their t-shirts on move-in day – have cash. There is a free open-air picnic/campus activities fair after students get their O-week gear, open to students and families. </p>
<p>Get to Convocation early. Afterwards, it’s abundantly clear that the students are expected to move on without parents; nice O-Week volunteers offer tissues for this transition. Take your pics at this time. Parents and family are then treated to a reception afterwards. DH and I then went back to our hotel, took a nap, and then went out for a nice dinner. We went to Salonica for breaksfast Sunday am and headed home.</p>
<p>JHS, we may be in the same boat! Chicago is also high on S2’s list.</p>
<p>You all twisted my arm I am going. The hell with my son’s cool dude facade. I am doing it for myself. If I am paying $55K/year, I have the right to embarrass him!</p>
<p>thanks everyone for your advice.</p>
<p>By the way, how do I use emoticon on this site? I want to be a cool parent also :-)</p>
<p>Right on! I agree, you should go. I’m a student, not a parent, and if my parents didn’t accompany me, I would be so scared. I’m going to be scared regardless, but my parents will lessen the fear.</p>
<p>PS to get the emoticons, don’t use the nose (-). So instead of :-), use : ) (without the space, I just added that so you could see how to type it).</p>
<p>I am glad you decided to go. I went a couple of years ago, it was wonderful and a very memorable day. I loved the groups singing to the first years and the dorm houses cheering them on. More weeping moms than at a mass wedding.</p>
<p>Unless the student will be overwhelmingly upset by having his/her parents around, it’s definitely a good idea to have the move-in help. Getting everything up to the dorm, registering, etc. is a big process, and it’s good to have your family around (A) for support (B) as a set of extra hands.</p>
<p>That being said, move-in day is divided up between the activities of parents and those of the students. A few posters have mentioned the emotional parade through the campus gates, after which students are separated from them and move into their respective houses. A huge number of students have their parents there with them, so it’s not embarrassing at all. Actually the ceremony is designed so that the families can participate, and then leave the students at the appropriate time.</p>
<p>In fact, I have the full frontal nude picture of my son on the deserted Oregon beach when he was about 14 months old. Do you think I should make flyers out of it and distribute them during the O week. I was saving it for his wedding… ;)</p>
<p>My parents used to terrorize me by saying that when I got married they would show my spouse some Super-8 film they had of me taking a bath at 7 mos. old. When I was 8 or 9, that was a bone-chilling thought. By the time I got married, I would have loved it if they could have found the film, but of course they couldn’t.</p>
<p>My wife was a fourth child. She was lucky if anyone remembered she was there at all. No one ever bothered to take naked pictures of her.</p>
<p>There are so many parents at the end of the convocation parade that there are nice young people holding tissue boxes for those who need to…get the pollen out of their eyes. Have a charming picture of one such person. </p>
<p>My S went through the gate and never looked back.</p>
<p>The parents’ reception afterwards served beer and wine. Lots of it.</p>
I am going. The hell with my son’s cool dude facade. I am doing it for myself. If I am paying $55K/year, I have the right to embarrass him!</p>