Harvard Parent Thread - Page 2

gadad · 05-06-2008, 11:59 AM

And BTW, D2 is planning on participating in FOP. D1 participated in FAP two years ago and had an incredible experience.

munchkin3590 · 05-06-2008, 12:18 PM

There are a few things missing from the FDO to-do list, double check your admission packet, all the forms you need to be filling out are in there. Doctors forms, pictures sent in, etc... not all of these things are on that list, so be careful!

guitars101 · 05-06-2008, 01:58 PM

gadad thanks for the list! I'll be on the lookout for those things

coureur · 05-06-2008, 02:37 PM

>>D2 is planning on participating in FOP. D1 participated in FAP two years ago and had an incredible experience<<

Excellent! My daughter had been an FOP group leader for the past two years, and it has been a wonderful experience. She highly recommends FOP.

yannie · 05-06-2008, 04:10 PM

My son took FOP two years ago and he liked it a lot!
If my memory serves me well that FOP was several days ahead of the Freshman moving day. We took family vacation, dropped him in the Cambridge for the FOP, left some baggage in my friend's house, finished our vacation and returned to Cambridge on the moving day. We helped him moving, finding furniture (a table). We stayed there for a few more days, including eating at Annenberg with whole bunch of amazing kids, listening in the Sandra theatre, did sight-seeing at the Cambridge and Boston… what a wonderful time…
gadad, I am so happy for you – you’ve got to do that again!

gadad · 05-06-2008, 05:28 PM

Thanks Yannie - I'm an unabashed wannabe. I've been to Cambridge five times in the last two years and now I've got all kinds of new reasons to keep going!

If any of your kids do FOP, bear in mind that the FOPpers don't return until late afternoon on move-in day (one of the reasons parents might want to get together in the morning).

lousyanamom · 05-06-2008, 05:31 PM

D applied for FUP and FOP, although FUP is her first choice.

mammall · 05-06-2008, 05:36 PM

Wow - thanks everyone for all the good info. Everyone is sort of in a vegetative state in our house right now - graduation, AP exams, prom aftermath glow, good weather, etc. Time for me to get them cracking, I guess. My D is interested in the Freshman urban service orientation experience but it seems as if she missed that deadline. The wilderness one looks wonderful to me . . . She may also try to do dorm crew.

twinmom · 05-06-2008, 07:06 PM

Just a plug for FUP; it is a wonderful program.

guitars101 · 05-06-2008, 08:59 PM

QUESTION - At our local admit day for Harvard my son's interviewer was there
and he said that he suggests getting the laundry service for
students. He said he had it for his dtr and she loved it. He says
when he was a student at H it was very difficult on bad weather
days to get laundry done. What do you all think? I'm not really
sure I think it's necessary. It probably costs a lot anyway.

Thanks

just_forget_me · 05-06-2008, 10:13 PM

Laundry service is definitely not necessary! As someone who loathes doing the laundry, I admit it'd be nice, but all freshman dorms have washers and dryers within a 30 second walk.

guitars101 · 05-06-2008, 10:50 PM

great to know. I think you are right, it's not necessary. Do all freshmen dorms have laundry rooms in the buildings?

coureur · 05-07-2008, 12:48 AM

^^No, not all have them in the building. D's freshman dorm, Mass Hall, the oldest and smallest fo the dorms did not have its own laundry. She had to walk to another nearby dorm. I can't remember which one, Straus maybe.

That being said, I never heard of any of her friends or roomates having laundry service (other than taking a load home to Mom when you go home for the holidays).

mammall · 05-07-2008, 08:41 AM

My D loves to do laundry -she says it's soothing when she's stressed.

fauve · 05-07-2008, 12:12 PM

Be sure your child submits a photo and info for the Harvard Freshman Register- it is like a yearbook with photos, hometowns and high schools listed for all the freshmen who submit them in a timely manner. The first-years get a lot of use out of the nicely bound volume (and parents can enjoy looking up DDs new friends, classmates, and teammates in their own copy!) There is special pricing for the second copy sent to parents and the profits go to the student agency that prints it.. And please note, the deadline for ordering is about right now--look for the flyer in the packet.