<p>Hi All! Thanks for all the valuable info my S and I have gotten from this site. He visited here regularly while trying to decide which university to attend. Your posts definitely helped him get a feel for Bama and now is he Bama Bound! </p>
<p>I am wondering if any of you have an idea of the percentage of parents who visit the campus during Parents Weekend… My son will be a freshman and will be FAR from home, so I definitely want to be there for him if everyone else has parents there. But I am wondering if going THAT weekend is so important. Do most parents visit THAT weekend? Are there special events planned for that weekend? I would rather visit a little later in the semester when things are not so crowded…and expensive! Thanks for any insight you can give me!</p>
<p>If you’re coming to Tuscaloosa to help your son move in, I’d suggest visiting later in the year (unless attending the football game during Parents Weekend is a strong draw for you). We live a zillion miles away and have found it more satisfying to spread out the visits. Plus, if you can come when it’s cooler and the fall colors are blazing, you’ll get a different take on UA.</p>
<p>Hi and Welcome. Some parents visit but we found that the distance and the expense was not necessary since Parents’s Weekend is so soon after the start of the semester. We found it better to save the money for our son’s airline ticket home at Christmas. My son is also not the clingy type and felt quite comfortable at Bama, and didn’t mind that we stayed at home.
But if money and time off from work are not an issue, go for it, if you want.
I believe that the OP is from Hershey PA.</p>
<p>I don’t know the percentages, but those who can, do come. However, some families live too far away and can’t afford the expense, so those families don’t come. </p>
<p>Sometimes FW is so soon after Move in, that it doesn’t make sense to incur the expense. Sometimes it’s later Sept or early Oct.</p>
<p>Only you know your child and your situation. If your child expects you to be there and you can afford the expense, then you’ll want to come.</p>
<p>What are the Family Weekend and Homecoming Weekends this year?</p>
<p>Son will be in his 3rd year at Bama and it will be our first time at Family Weekend. 1st year was @ 3 weeks after move-in, tack on visit, orientation and move-in there was NO way this was going to happen – mom :(. Son no problem having great time and he wasn’t only lone kid, yours will also have friends to hang out with. </p>
<p>This last year timing was better, hubby killed it with other commitment. Again mom but son relieved no interruption to “his” plans, great kid otherwise so still love him. </p>
<p>This upcoming year sisters are dying to go so we’re finally making it. Mom :):):), son loves that his sisters are coming. Since he’s also doing REU in NC for 10 weeks this summer I think he’ll even be happy to see mom and dad. I just hope he won’t get in the way of my plans to “experience” it all. </p>
<p>In other words make a trip when it will count most and be best for you.</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your experience, socal2bama. My S is on the quiet side and has never really been away from home, but I am hoping he will be like your S and be so happy at UA that he won’t really be uspet if we don’t attend that weekend. If his comment about Thanksgiving break is any indication, I think things will go just fine. When asked if he wants us to buy him a plane ticket home for Thanksgiving break, he said he was NOT going to go home over Thanksgiving - He said there is now way he is going to miss the Iron Bowl!</p>
<p>We visited our D last year exactly one month after we dropped her off for AA. By then she had already made several friends and didn’t “need” us to visit her. We avoided Family Weekend as I didn’t want to deal with the logistics of the crowds and hotel room, etc. Some people love the crowds and the football game, etc. I preferred a quiet weekend with my D. It’s your choice of course.</p>
<p>If you want to go to FW then you should book a hotel now. Don’t prepay, so you can change your mind.</p>
<p>Agree with M2CK. It depends on the child. Mine is pretty independent. I went down about 5-6 weeks after he had started on an ‘Away’ game weekend. It was my first trip to Tuscaloosa. DS’s sister and girlfriend came along. It was a pleasant weekend without the worry of the crowds associated with an ‘event’ weekend. Much more my style. He’s off to his REU at Duke at the moment. </p>
<p>My son is already talking about NOT coming home for Thanksgiving. Creepy kid…don’t think he will miss us if we don’t show for parents weekend. I think he will be more like socal2’s S and be :)</p>
<p>BTW- we made it clear he WOULD be coming home for thanksgiving! ;)</p>
<p>Proudmama - please do not take my indication about his being okay to mean he’s Mr. Social. The girls took all that, he’s always been shy, quiet and reserved; sisters now say he was just waiting for college. He’s still on the quiet side, but there just seems to be a place they find to be theirs. </p>
<p>Never comes home for Thanksgiving and first year he asked if it was mean to turn down his grandparents invitation to fly him to them (NY) since he did NOT want to miss the Iron Bowl. Grandpa found out his dilemma and said he wasn’t thinking, of course he had to stay for the game. Sounds like our boys are of similar minds. </p>
<p>Loring --S is at NCSU arrived today @ 1 am. This is a fabulous opportunity.</p>
<p>socal2bama - Hope he enjoys it. NCSU is a good school and I’m sure the research will be fascinating. The Raleigh area is also a fine place to explore. If your son gets a hankering to check out Durham just let me know and I’ll put him in touch with DS.</p>
<p>I love that there is a place for everyone at UA. I just hope my son finds his place soon after arriving! He is attending Alabama Action with one (maybe 2?) of his roommates, so that is a start…</p>
<p>Socal2bama, the story about turning down the grandparents’ offer put a smile on my face. I actually told my son that although I would miss him dearly, nothing would make me happier than for him to be so content at UA that he refuses to come home until Christmas Break. Whatever makes him happy… </p>
<p>The iron bowl is a BIG deal for my football-loving son and he has a problem regarding buying the ticket package: They go on sale June 4th at 8am EST and he is supposed to be in the middle of one of his final exams!!! I offered to take care of this for him, but it is too important to him to allow anyone to be involved. Silly me is seriously considering letting him stay home on the 4th and then making up his exam the next day. Geez…the things we do for our kids! :-)</p>
<p>Vlines, I understand the sentiment of having him there for Thanksgiving. But the end of the semester is just 2 weeks away so for some it’s a major expense that isn’t really worth it. </p>
<p>That said I know some family’s (mine included) take Thanksgiving seriously and we want everyone there if we can get them there. Two years ago when we played auburn on the Friday after Thanksgiving he flew home and he and I flew back down there Thanksgiving night so we’d be there in time for the game the next afternoon. No way he or I will ever miss a home game against the barners.</p>
no problem having great time and he wasn’t only lone kid, yours will also have friends to hang out with. </p>
but son relieved no interruption to “his” plans, great kid otherwise so still love him. </p>