<p>Although I know my arrival date because of an FPOP, when should my parents arrive at MIT? and when do parents usually leave? They are looking to buy tickets soon.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean. What would parents arrive for? To move you in? Then they could just arrive when you arrive, and bring your stuff. There are more than enough resources available when REX is over to move you into your new room/dorm; your parents don’t need to be there. I can’t seem to find the dates of REX this year, but they could also arrive at the end of REX…</p>
<p>[Parent</a> Orientation](<a href=“http://web.mit.edu/orientation/parent/schedule.html]Parent”>http://web.mit.edu/orientation/parent/schedule.html) runs from August 28 to August 31 (Thursday through Monday), but your parents don’t have to attend the whole weekend. </p>
<p>They could, of course, come early or stay late if they want to sightsee in Boston.</p>
<p>Thanks mollie. That’s what I was talking about.
La Montage, you made me think that parents weren’t suppose to come with their students and wish them good luck :)</p>
<p>Parents; After you dump the kid spend a few days sightseeing in Boston, its worth your time and money.</p>
<p>If I am arriving early for sports am I better off just having my parents help me bring my stuff at that time or have them wait until the weekend that they have activities for parents?</p>
<p>Do people wait to get bulky things like memory foam mattress pads, down comforters and the like after REX or just bring it all when you first get there?</p>
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Whatever works for you. You won’t be moving between those two times – final room assignments come out after the Parent Orientation activities – so either way, you’ll be moving your stuff into your temporary room.</p>
<p>People who can help it sometimes wait until after they get their final assignments to buy big, heavy stuff, but 1) it’s tough to drag big, heavy stuff back to MIT on the T if your parents aren’t local, and 2) there are plenty of big, strong people who will help you move from your temp room to your permanent room, so don’t envision yourself struggling down a hallway by yourself with all of your stuff. People will help you.</p>
<p>Personally, I am a ridiculous overpacker and brought fourteen boxes of stuff plus some suitcases, and I didn’t have a problem moving it from my temp room to my permanent room. It helped that my permanent room was only three doors down the hall, but I didn’t require much help. :)</p>
<p>=] Well my parents just dropped me off at MIT, made sure I was settled into my temp room, and went home. I don’t think that’s particularly uncommon. It’s not that they can’t or don’t come up, but they are most certainly not REQUIRED to be there at any particular time.</p>
<p>Yeah, and my parents didn’t come at all. My mom tearfully wished me good luck at the airport. 
Parents can come, but they are definitely not required (and should let you do as much for yourself as possible - one of the best ways to make a terrible impression on upperclassmen is to have a parent speaking for you to deskworkers, making demands on your behalf to students, or seeming to be leading you in general).</p>
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<p>Also, if you are moving between dorms, the Interfraternity Council runs a fraternity-brother-staffed moving service all day on move-in day. You have to get your stuff out of the dorm (which people in the dorm you are leaving are generally happy to help with), but the fraternity volunteers will help you load it into the vans, drive it to your new dorm for you, and unload it for you, where you can enlist the help of residents of your new dorm to get it to your new room if needed.</p>
<p>I <em>strongly</em> recommend that you not unpack more than is absolutely necessary until you are in your permanent room. And if you are, say, buying a computer once you get to campus, or some other large heavy item, wait until you are in your permanent room to buy it (or, if it’s being delivered, to have it delivered).</p>