<p>My D is working this summer and wants to skip welcome week for freshman. It starts a full week before classes. She would like to go a day or two before classes start. She already knows her way around campus and has her schedule. Any thoughts or advice? It's a fairly small school.</p>
<p>She’ll miss out on making friends with kids in her situation. The best opportunity to make friends in college is when no one else around you has any.</p>
<p>Welcome Week is a great way to meet people and get used to living on campus. I wouldn’t skip it if I were her.</p>
<p>I missed welcome week every year I was in college because I always got an awful flu the moment I got to campus. It was always a disappointment because the events always looked like tons of fun, but it’s not like it was the end of the world. It’s not like everyone is settled in the moment classes start, and personally I met my friends at orientation, in class, and at club meetings anyhow.</p>
<p>It won’t be the end of the world if she misses it and she’ll catch on eventually to making friends, but if she misses it, it make take a little longer compared to those going to welcome week to make friends just because college kids can be extremely cliquey. Once they found their group, that circle is locked.</p>
<p>Unless she’s going to earn several thousands of dollars for working this one additional week or publishing a first author paper in Nature, she should go to Orientation/Welcome week. Classicskid is 100% right; there’s no need for her to handicap herself by missing out on some of the only experiences the entire class will have together.</p>
<p>As others have said, I think it isn’t ridiculously crippling to miss it, but I would never want to miss it and I think that it’s an important way to meet people and everything. Why would you want to miss out on that?</p>
<p>…And I don’t think the “circle is locked” once kids have found their group. I’ve joined groups midway through the year and I think that it depends on the people (and your social skills I guess). Maybe some people/schools are more cliquey but I think it’s a lot better than high school.</p>
<p>bad idea
the orientation week or welcome week or whatever is very important</p>
<p>I’m going to be a freshman as well!</p>
<p>I really wouldn’t want to miss welcome week at a small school. I think your D will feel really left out if she does. I also think it could seriously weird out her roommate… I’d hate to be the girl whose roomie doesn’t show up for an entire week. :(</p>
<p>Not trying to offend you or your D, but is she generally not super social or involved? If so then I guess missing welcome week wouldn’t be a big deal. I really don’t mean offense by that. I just mean if it’s not “her thing” that’s okay, but for every college student I’ve spoken with they say it’s crazy important. Apparently it makes campus feel like home, gives you great tools and resources, helps you make friends, and is a huge part of the “college experience”. They also say they have quite a few activity fairs so student’s find clubs to join as well.</p>
<p>In my opinion the $300ish she makes in a week isn’t worse the possible memories she’d miss out on. </p>
<p>Hope you and your D decide whatever is best for her!</p>
<p>Thanks all, my D read your posts and has now decided to go. I think she thought it would be mostly boring speeches and such. She is also trying to earn what she can before school starts. She is going now, thanks!</p>