<p>My D signed up for a June orientation session and was asked if her parents would participate. Have any of you current parents done that and do you recommend it? Does the program differ greatly from the parents portion of the Explore USC/Scholarship Interview program?</p>
<p>We (my wife and I) went with our son to the Summer Orientation. It was great. I would recommend it to anyone. There were numerous sessions specific for the parents. There was information on housing (with tours of the dorms), "the healthy student" (how parents can prepare the students for the next 4 years), "Paying for College", Financial Aid, Campus Services (including Trojan Housing, Dept of Public Safety, USCard, Trojan Hospitality (food services), and more. There was a Spirit Rally, where we heard the Trojan Marching Band (very impressive). Student Panel (question and answer session). FERPA session. Probably our favority session was the "Parenting Through the College Years" (described as "see what kinds of changes you and your student will face during the college years"). In reality, it was a 60-90 minute session of parents of older students sharing the joys and pains of the college experience. Probably half the parents (out of 200) were in tears at one point or another. Mom's would tell stories of the first Christmas or Thanksgiving without their son or daughter. Or stories about phone calls from their daughter crying and wanting to come home. Or, on the other side, stories from parents who did not hear from their child for weeks and weeks. To appreciate the emotions, you would have to be there. There (literally) were boxes of tissues being passed from row to row, as parents shared their stories. I think these were mainly parents who had older children (already graduated, or now upper classmen, and who now were bringing in the younger siblings. It was very informative, and very helpful. </p>
<p>Yes, it is vastly different from the Explore USC sessions. We also attended that (earlier in the year). Explore was good, but not nearly as good as the Orientation sessions.</p>
<p>Yes, you should go. (but if you attend the "Parenting through the years sessioon" be sure to bring a box of kleenex). </p>
<p>:-)</p>
<p>Thank you so much. Looks like I'll be signing up.</p>
<p>I second lovetocamp's post! I remember the "kleenex session" as well, and felt better prepared to have my firstborn leave the nest after that. I LOVED spending the night in the dorms--meeting other mom's in the bathroom, and chatting while we brushed our teeth. It brought back memories of my own college years. I felt more connected to the school after attending the orientation. I was also able to meet some administrators, and get e-mail addresses of people to contact later if there were questions. Have fun!</p>
<p>Unfortunately this year parents are being put in the Radisson rather than a dorm, so no more fun/nostalgia. We did orientation a few years ago, for Trojan #1, but are skipping it this year for Trojan #2. A lot of the info sessions are kind of basic, like "How to pay for USC" which by orientation you better have handled or else you are in deep you know what. The hand-holding sessions are pretty good, and if this is the first one out of the nest might mean a lot to you.</p>
<p>Orientation is more for the students, and after the first 30 minutes or so the students and parents are separated. The students have a lot of business to take care of, while the parents just need to be entertained and kept out of the way.</p>
<p>dt123 - There is some truth in what you say. Especially, if you have attended before, the information would have been repetitive. </p>
<p>Even for first timers, I would advise parents to select/choose those sessions that are most pertinent to their interests and their family situation. If i had to list the sessions that were tops for us, it would include:</p>
<p>Parenting Through the College Years</p>
<p>Campus Services (includes Public Safety, i.e. the campus police, includes Housing, and Food Services, and includes USCard - which is the swipe card, debit card, that your son/daughter will use quite a bit</p>
<p>Dorm Tour (helpful to see an actual room).</p>
<p>The Healty Student (hosted by the USC Health Services org)</p>
<p>Lastly, the session where parents met parents was good (we exchaged 3x5 cards with other parents. In some cases, it was parents who live near you. In other cases, it was parents who share the same "major" for their son/daughter.</p>
<p>When the 2 days are over, you will probably say to yourselves "that sesssion-A was a waste", or "I am so glad that i attended session-B". Not every session will have you on the edge of your seats. But, for those few sessions that were really helpful, you will be glad that you went, and heard what they had to say.</p>
<p>I felt more secure when i heard the campus police present their information. All the phones placed around campus that immediatley brings an officer. The size of their staff, and the fact that many are former LAPD officers, is reassuring. The statistics that showed that the campus is generally a very safe place. The comparision to other schools around the country, to give you an idea that all schools have their share of problems. And the general recommedations (don't leave your bike unlocked, don't leave your laptop unlocked on a table in the library when you go to get a book, walk with a friend/group at night. It was all very helpful.</p>
<p>The Healthy Student was also valueable. To hear how available the Health Center is. (Our son has used it extensively... from antibiotics for a sinus infection, to x-rays after a spill, and other occasions. We wish he had never needed it, but unfortunately he did need it on more than one occasion, and it was there to help him. We are so glad. All the people who work there are top notch, and very helpful to the students.)</p>
<p>One last session that was good, was the student panel session. It was one of the last sessions, of the last day. A group of existing students sat up on stage. They first answered some structured questions from the moderator ("what is one thing that you did, that you are glad that you did, and would recommend to other new students" - answers about getting involved in some activity, some organization, were the most frequent answers. It was eventually opened up, for parents to ask questions. The questions varied across a number of areas. Some were of interest to us, some were not. But, overall, it was very helpful to hear from existing students (what they have been through, what they recommend, what they would do different, etc.).</p>
<p>Enjoy</p>
<p>p.s. Since i have a relative who lives in the area, my wife and I did not stay in the dorms. However, as you can see by my posts, we still enjoyed the sessions.</p>