neuron39

We're coming up to MIT for Parents' Weekend (Thursday-Sunday). My freshman son thinks he has classes on Thursday and Friday; is this school policy, or a class by class issue? Obviously, parents coming in from out of town would like a reasonable amount of time with their student!

mootmom

My son always had classes during the Thurs/Fri of Family Weekends when I went, I don't believe there's any policy about cancelling classes for this event. (By that I mean to say I've never heard of classes being cancelled for Family Weekend.) There were plenty of activities to keep me busy while he was in class, and there was sufficient time in the evenings and over the weekend to hang with him. I tagged along to one lecture with him (which was in a room 1/4 full of parents that day).

(And PS, I traveled there from California, so, yeah, I came a long way for the weekend. And eventually decided I wouldn't bother anymore. )

LauraN

Yeah, they definitely don't cancel class or anything, but in freshman classes especially, the lectures are quite easy to miss. This is because they officially invite parents to attend lectures with their children, to get an idea of what they're learning. But the professors never then give a "real" lecture, they give something entertaining for the parents. So you can either attend classes with your kid, or even if you miss them, you're not really missing anything important...um, not that I condone skipping class or anything.....

molliebatmit

But don't you want to go to his classes with him?

I will never forget my mom's reaction after sitting in on an 18.02 lecture with me freshman year -- she kept repeating "z = z", because it was the only thing she had picked out of the entire lecture. By the time she came senior year, she had realized that the smart thing for her to do was to bring a newspaper to 5.60 lecture.

TBOL3

If I get it into MIT, I don't think I'll see my parents in person for a few years. Just because they don't want to pay for traveling.

rxhu123

I really want to go, but I don't think my son wants me to go. Also the travel really costs a lot. Sit in a class will be fond. I like to see they teach anything different when I was in undergraduate.

jessiehl

Yeah, classes don't cancel for Parents' Weekend. It's a chance for parents to see the school, not a vacation. Keep in mind, though, that his classes probably only last a few hours a day most days (most non-lab classes meet either 3 or 4 hours/week, and students are expected to spend 8 or 9 hours/week on each outside the classroom).

Lots of parents do attend the classes. And you will probably have some time to spend with your son - if he's a first-term frosh, I doubt he's so hosed that he will have no free time in four days. Remember that the freshman schedule is 48-54 units, which is intended to be 48-54 hours of work/week. Spread over seven days a week, that's roughly a 7-8 hour workday (classes + homework/studying) each day, which leaves plenty of hours for you to interact with him.