<p>Once you get everything moved in to the dorm, you’ll always figure out stuff you are missing/need and have to run to Walmart/Target and run other errands. If you live far away I might stay Saturday night as well so you aren’t stressed about getting everything done that day. (Also don’t know if your child wakes up the next morning realizing they had forgotten something as well!)</p>
<p>We stayed until Sunday…but our trip home was a 2 hour drive to CLT and a flight to Boston. I would recommend it anyway. Goodbyes after a long day of moving in are tough. A night to get acclimated and then breakfast with the family seemed to suit our freshman well. </p>
<p>Thanks again everyone … I booked Friday and Saturday nights. I guess I really am going to have to say goodbye at some point. :(( All of this is starting to make that feel a bit more real. </p>
<p>InsightFran, maybe we could find an apartment nearby and stay for a month or two?? I bet our sons would love that. :)) </p>
<p>charlestonmom- Sounds like a plan!! No doubt we will find others who will happily chip in and join us. 
As hard as it will be , so glad they will be at such a wonderful place. My son already told me he is never coming home. :(( </p>
<p>My daughter came home twice 1st semester. The short fall break and Thanksgiving. We have her home now for spring break and won’t see her again until May 3. I really thought there would be more requests to fly her home for the weekend but there is just something about Clemson…not that she doesn’t want to come home, but staying there isn’t such a bad deal either. Having heard some pretty rough stories about kids coming home every weekend from other schools, I can honestly tell you that Clemson is a special place… 
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<p>@JMD1964- Appreciate that note- My son applied to 11 schools- and was accepted to 10 of them so far. Clemson was not on his radar at first - and we didn’t go visit until Oct- well past the others. But the moment and I mean within 5 seconds of stepping on campus he said. “This is the place”. Of course then we had to sweat it out through all the other acceptances until Feb 18th. I have no doubt how special it is and posts like yours validate it!</p>
<p>Similar situation…our daughter was all but packed for Loyola but had an opportunity to visit a family friend in early April of her senior year. She had already been accepted. Called me Saturday afternoon and said the exact same thing…“this is the place”. Believe me, I was very skeptical at first as I was concerned that she got overwhelmed with the social scene or just had a really good “insiders” tour. But her intuition was spot on. </p>
<p>It really means a LOT when the students are so happy to be there! Our son only came home at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break. His roommate came home about every other weekend, so he could have ridden with him, but he truly loves it there that much. (BTW, roommate has a girlfriend here at home). There really is “something in those hills!” </p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman this year and the move in at the shoeboxes was great. With all the volunteers everything was brought up to the 4th floor before my husband could even park the car. The disappointing part was there were really no dorm/floor or freshman activities in the afternoon/night. The school has a high percentage of in state students and it seemed that those parents were staying late and their kids were with them, leaving out of state kids like my daughter sitting there doing nothing. Before we left I sought out her R.A. to ask what was planned for them that afternoon/evening. After she told me she was “off duty”(this was at 2 pm) she said everyone was on their own. I couldn’t believe a freshman R.A. was off duty right in the middle of move in day for freshmen. I know schools that on that first freshmen evening have a lot of things planned-from dorm/floor bonding activities like a scavenger hunt or pizza party to mixers. Having said that my daughter loves Clemson and is glad she went there. </p>
<p>There is a mixer that is held the night of move-in day (surprised the RA didn’t know). There’s usually a schedule online of all the events that are happening before classes start. It’s not up yet but I’ll try and post it as soon as I see it.</p>
<p>Move in day 4 years ago, there was a mixer, so our S “dismissed” us early. And the mixer was posted on walls of his Shoebox dorm, as well as in all the info that he received before hand, and as pierre said, all events were listed online… S met some of his best pals that night!</p>
<p>When is move in day? Are parents required to stay in hotels, for how long do they usually stay? When does sorority rush begin? </p>
<p>Move in day is usually the Saturday before classes start (August 16th this year). Parents aren’t required to come at all or stay a certain length so you can do whatever you want with them 
Rush for sororities starts August 19th, you have to register online sometime in May/June/July on their website (it’s not open yet but keep checking: <a href=“Clemson University Panhellenic Council - Clemson University Panhellenic Council - Group Website by ChapterSpot.com”>Clemson University Panhellenic Council - Clemson University Panhellenic Council - Group Website by ChapterSpot.com)</p>
<p>@madisonberry…if you go back to beginning of this thread you will see answers to both the hotel situation and the parent situation…good luck! (and welcome to Clemson)</p>