Many Universities Are Offering Parent Orientations

Parents, are you sending your kid off to college this fall? Congratulations! It’ll be a big change for both of you; that’s why some colleges now hold Parent Orientations.  According to the Today Show, they’re mega-orientations for the parents of incoming freshmen, two and three-day events that go beyond the typical ‘Meet the Dean’ receptions. They’re packed with workshops, tours, and speeches on subjects ranging from letting go to campus safety, all designed to let the parents know what goes on at school. For example, at Reed College in Portland, parents are even given a taste of what the college classes will be like. They’re required to read The Odyssey and attend a lecture and discussion to imitate a Freshman Humanities class.

So is it worth it? Yes, say some parents. For them, it’s the best thing since the book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. One man mentioned in the article was skeptical about attending a ‘letting go’ lecture at Stonehill College in Massachusetts, but he ended up loving it. He said Baby Boomers have a tendency to want to over-control and manage their kids’ lives. The seminars prepare the parents for their kids to live independently.

Northern Michigan University in Marquette makes it really real for parents by warning them that kids may call home in the first few weeks saying they're unhappy. Then they play actual tapes of college kids calling home. One girl tells mom and dad she'll be spending Thanksgiving with her new boyfriend instead of her family. In another call, a boy confesses that he's in trouble for alcohol violations. A third call is from a student who's homesick and lonely. The tapes make parents cry every time, and they only hear the kid's side of the call. Then they're then asked to imagine their own reactions before being told what really happened: The parents of the girl with the boyfriend let her go to his house for Thanksgiving, and she ended up marrying him. The boy in trouble became a police officer. The lonely girl became a resident adviser and later a teacher; she's now married with three kids.

So when your kid goes off the school in the fall, let go and try not to worry. It usually all turns out okay.