Family Weekend seems so simple. The college schedules the date, you show up, see your kid, maybe take in a football game, a dinner with the roommates, and then repeat the far less teary goodbye than the one you said just a month ago.
Wrong.
Family Weekend is now an EVENT, complete with two or three days of crammed schedules, packed college towns, and expensive game tickets. So let’s rewind the tape and look at some planning to help you make the most of this weekend and save time and money.
While Family weekend is different at every school, Dr. Patricia A. Perillo, Vice President for Student Affairs at University of Maryland, suggests that parents and students can reduce potential stress or conflict by chatting about their expectations for the visit before arriving on campus. The conversation can focus on shared expectations of how the weekend will proceed, including how much time your student might have available given the other demands in their schedule.
Dr. Perillo also suggests that parents consider including other family members if it is practical, including at least siblings and grandparents, as they will also be missing your student and welcome the time together.
Parents should expect their teens to have changed, over even this short period, as they gain greater independence and establish their lives on campus. Having a student move to college is a major transition for every family and these weekends are a chance to help families deal with this change.
Tips for planning family weekend
Where to stay:
It’s no exaggeration to say that parents hoping to attend Family Weekend should consider booking hotel reservations as soon as their child commits to college. This is one of the year’s busiest weekends, and hotel rooms are reserved six months in advance or more.
College towns with a limited supply of available rooms can result in long drives to campus from more remote lodging. While most colleges list the major hotels in the area right on their website, many overlook the B&Bs and Airbnbs that can be well located, charming, and much cheaper.
While renting a car was once a knee-jerk response after landing at an airport away from home, parents might want to think twice on this visit. Almost all Family Weekend activities are centered on campus and walkable. Parking near campus can be challenging and expensive. Depending on where you stay, using ride-sharing services may be a cheaper option, and as you linger over the morning coffee in the lobby, you are almost certain to find other parents to split the cost of riding to campus.
Where to eat:
Make dinner reservations early, especially if you need a table for your family and your teen’s friends with or without their visiting parents. Including your teens’ new friends or roommates in dinner, plans may be especially welcome for students whose parents are unable to attend Family Weekend.
Eating out three times a day is expensive. If you are driving to campus, don’t forget to pack a cooler of your family’s favorite foods for a tailgate or picnic. Local eateries can be costly and crowded, and campuses in the fall lend themselves to these al fresco meals.
Other Family Weekend Tips:
Parents are not usually a welcome addition to the dorm room, so it is important to look into local and campus activities before arriving at your teen’s college. Your student will likely have some of their plans over the weekend, so parents need to find things to explore independently.
Start with the campus website detailing the programming and logistics, such as tickets or parking. Many parents’ weekends require registration and, for some colleges, there is a fee to sign-up, and there may be additional costs for athletic events, cultural events, parking, tailgating, on-campus meals, and more.
Use the weekend as a chance to bring any heavy winter items your student may have left at home on that hot August move-in day. Many parts of the country will need these items before Thanksgiving, and here is a chance to save on shipping costs.
This is also an opportunity to restock your student with some needed items you can buy more cheaply than at the campus bookstore. We usually take a run to our local big box store, which can be far less expensive and will have everything they may need in one location. If you have driven to campus or rented a car, this is a chance to replenish any food items in bulk.
If campus activities are fully booked or prohibitively expensive, consider searching online in the local paper for free or inexpensive events in the area. Go beyond the parent section of the college website to discover smaller campus offerings that might not be getting as much attention as the headline events.
High school siblings who have been missing their older brothers or sisters can use this visit to sample college life by staying in a dorm (and saving on hotel costs!), taking a campus tour, sitting in on a class, or attending a party. For those who are about to start the college process, this may help them begin to visualize themselves as college students.
Be aware that as much as colleges love having parents on campus, they also love collecting donations from parents. The Family Weekend is a cultivation event designed to put you in a giving frame of mind.
Should you visit your student on family weekend?
While the jam-packed schedule of offerings on Family Weekend is certainly an inducement to attend, not all parents find this the ideal time to visit campus. Here are a few things to consider.
1. Sometimes, these weekends are scheduled not long after students have left home. A weekend later in the semester or in the spring might be a better time for a visit.
2. Family Weekends can be mobbed, and certain local or campus tours or events sold out. Visiting campus at another time may be a chance to see more.
3. Many Family Weekend schedules allow parents to visit places like the study abroad office or career services. Still, these resources will often be available on a typical Friday by just calling ahead.
4. One of the highlights of visiting campus is taking your kid and their roommates or new friends out for a meal. On Family weekend these wonderful additions to your student’s life are often with their parents.
5. Many colleges charge just for attending Family Weekend before the additional cost of any event tickets. With crowds, free parking is less readily available than on a quiet weekend. Visiting campus on your own may be less expensive.
Family weekend can be a wonderful reunion and a chance to get an up-close look at your student’s campus life. Careful planning will help families make the most of this special time.
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