<p>Hi - this is my first time posting here. My son got accepted ED. Since he's the first one in our family attending US college, I wonder what do we need to do now? - we have paid the deposit online to the school. Will the school contact parents? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>It’s more likely that communications will go to your son. Right now he could be invited to join a Facebook group to introduce himself. He will later get informatiin about classes, dorms, meal plans, roommate selection, orientation, and the bill. </p>
<p>There should be a way to get some of this information yourself, through a parent website and/or emails from staff.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son!</p>
<p>Most communication will likely be with your son. Here’s a link about FERPA.<br>
<a href=“Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)”>http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html</a></p>
<p>A student may fill out a FERPA waiver authorizing information such as tuition and fee status or academic records to be released to individuals specified on the form. If you do a Google search with the school’s name and FERPA waiver you may be able to see what the request form looks like online.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son. :)</p>
<p>The next thing would be the housing deposit and selection, likely, some are first come first serves. and Congrats!</p>
<p>Congratulations!!!</p>
<p>What now is you begin to hand your son’s life over to him to manage. You, of course, will receive the bills.</p>
<p>Have a nice holiday season.</p>
<p>Another thing you can do now is to relax and enjoy the next several months, a period during which a majority of college applicants and their families are still anxiously playing the admissions game. Congratulations to your son!</p>
<p>Tell us a little about your family situation. Are you an international family sending your son to the United States for college? Or an American family living abroad?</p>
<p>If you are totally unfamiliar with the U.S. and colleges, this can be a great site for learning more about the practical matters of how things work. There are lots of threads that you can go back and read that will help you.</p>
<p>If you are an American family living abroad, have you visited the college your son will be attending? Making a trip to familiarize everyone in the family with what is available near the college would be helpful. Find the transportation options, think through urgent care options so your son knows what to do (what health care does college offer and are they open on weekends), etc.</p>
<p>If you aren’t able to visit, check out the college specific forum and ask your questions there.</p>
<p>The more independent your son can become now, the easier his adjustment to college life on his own could be. Cooking food, washing his own clothes, etc.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you and your family. It is a huge thing to have college decision settled before the end of the year!</p>
<p>Re the bills- they could, and should, go to the student, not the parents. If you are supporting your adult child in college you will need to be sure he fills out any forms for housing and school bills (some schools have independent parts for these- letting one know will not get word to the other in most situations) so they can be sent directly to you. Better than relying on him to remember to send them to you. Son’s school allowed parents and others to deposit money into student food/housing and other accounts without permission, but to know how that money was spent the student needed to grant access. </p>
<p>Let him choose to let you see his final grades, course schedules et al as he wishes- each term. The school’s contract is with him, not you. An adjustment to having an adult child even if still financially dependent on you.</p>
<p>You may get parents’ newsletter/info if you are put on a list. Schools tend to consider parents when they are looking for donations as well (strange when most are cash strapped with paying the bills). Otherwise the school does not care about you- rightfully so. You may have raised your child, be the motivation for going to the school, and be footing the bills but it is not your school. Hopefully your child is willing to share.</p>