Harvard Parent Thread

[fauve]

Correction- the Freshmen Dean Office has Freshman Parent's Weekend listed now as November 7-8, 2008.

[Dod]

Thanks Fauve and Guitars101

[coureur]

There are some pretty good slide shows here:

Harvard University Multimedia Stories

Scroll down a bit and click on "First Day Jitters" to get a look at Move-In Day.

[guitars101]

Thanks coureur. This is so cool.

[mom2319]

here comes another question.

If the Thanksgiving Holiday starts on 11/26, what time can students leave campus on 11/25? In other words, what time does the last class of the day usually end?

[guitars101]

great question. we live in california so it would be nice to have my son fly home after school on the wednesday before

[marite]

Most classes are scheduled between 10 and 2. Many profs will cancel classes if they are scheduled on Wednesday afternoons. And students often skip classes altogether on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. If possible, students leave on Tuesday. Many students, however, do not go home for Thanksgiving.

[guitars101]

marite,

What do the students do on Thanksgiving if they don't go home? Is there someplace where they go? Is the dining halls open during Thanksgiving? We wondered this because we live in CA and it seems like such a long flight for a short visit.

Thanks

[marite]

I believe that dornms and Houses remain open as is one of the House dining halls. Some students go visit friends who live closer; international students are often invited to stay with their host families.
Among S's friends who come from far away, one from TX went to visit friends in NYC. One from the West Coast decided to stay in town and had dinner with us. One went home to CA, leaving early. The rest live close enough that they could go home without spending two whole days flying.

[gadad]

From the Freshman Dean's Office:

"During Thanksgiving the dorms are open, as is a dining hall in an upperclass house. Most freshmen living reasonably close tend to go home, often taking a roommate or two from distant parts along for a change from Annenberg food. Others go off to explore New York City or to visit relatives in the New England area."

I'm sorry to see that the FDO's tone is reined in this year. Two years ago it read ". . . or decide to visit a long-forgotten great-aunt in New Hampshire. She will be remembered again at Intersession, when it is time to ski." :-)

[coureur]

We are from CA, and my daughter never came home for Thanksgiving. She always spent it with roommates or other friends who were from New England or NYC.

[mammall]

Is it for real? Do the students - especially freshmen - really have very cramped quarters? And if so, why does the school admit more students than it has the physical capacity to handle appropriately? Just trying to understand.

[guitars101]

I agree mammell. 200+ students are being taken off the waitlist this year. I am reading more and more about the cramped rooms. Stressfull

[Bay]

We are from CA, and my D did not come home for Thanksgiving. She went to a friend's house in NY. We felt the trip was too long and prone to travel disasters at that time of year, combined with jet lag and the fact that she would be home for winter break 2 1/2 weeks later; 3 days at home didn't seem worth it.

[Bay]

Re crowding: I can only speak of my freshman D's experience, but there were 5 girls in a 3-bedroom suite w/one bathroom. A single and 2 doubles with a common room. The doubles are small and the beds need to be bunked in order to fit. I'm guessing they were originally all singles. But the girls did not seem to have a problem with it. The suite she is hoping to get next year houses 3 students, but it is 2 single bedrooms and a common room that has been screened for use as a third bedroom. I assume it was originally meant for only 2, but again, the girls are very excited about the prospect of getting that suite, so they do not seem bothered by it in the least.