Parents weekend question

MOMofknowitall · 04-20-2009, 01:33 AM

Hi there,

Do any current students or parents know whether it's appropriate to bring siblings (14 y/o 9th grader) to parents weekend? We can make arrangements for her if necessary but it would be nice for her to see her brother too

Any thoughts would be appreciated because I'd like to get a head start on travel plans. Thanks

frazzled1 · 04-20-2009, 06:42 AM

I think you'd all be perfectly happy at Parents Weekend - in fact, I think they've started calling it Family Weekend. We've seen many younger sibs there. Even if you decide to do some of the activities that might be of little interest to a typical 14 y/o (lectures, tours, the Chancellor's speech), maybe she could spend that time hanging out with her brother. Or she might want to do everything!

Visiting Vandy as a hs freshman could be motivational, too - if she falls in love with it and wants to attend, she'll be inspired to keep her grades right up there.

Vandy is big on families - my d knows several sets of sibs there.

Have you reserved your hotel yet? I recommend doing that right away. If you'll have three people attending, the Embassy Suites on Broadway or Hampton Inn and Suites on Elliston offer some nice extra room.

dwhite · 04-20-2009, 06:43 AM

Good question - we are in the same boat with our 15 y/o 9th grade son. We also wondered if we should bring him along for move-in as some of the activities are dubbed as parent and family.

2VU0609 · 04-20-2009, 07:23 AM

D always came along for all activities for S before she matriculated to Vanderbilt. In fact, when she applied, Why Vandy? was still a requirement and she included her experience in climbing the stairs to the 7th floor of Lupton on move-in day, the hottest day of the year, as part of the essay.

MOMofknowitall · 04-20-2009, 08:20 AM

Thanks to all of you for the responses. That's sort of what I suspected but wanted to make sure.

Yes, as soon as my son decided on Vandy we booked hotels for move-in weekend and "family" weekend. Got the Embassy for move-in and the Hampton Inn & Suites for the other. Now I'll just book her flight and we'll be set!

As a side note, any one have any thoughts on whether departing Vandy on move-in weekend on Sunday evening will work based on the programming Vandy has in place. We'd need to leave campus by about 3:30 pm that Sunday. Once again, thanks in advance for your responses.

hope4freeride · 04-20-2009, 10:05 AM

Vandy has a parent/student farewell breakfast on Sunday morning and then the students are busy all day with tons of activities. If you go on the Commons site, look at CommonVU and I think that is where they provide a detailed list of all activities for the move in weekend and the entire week after.
They definitely "kick" the parents out after that breakfast

Faline2 · 04-20-2009, 10:21 AM

Momofknowitall: so glad your son is coming to Vandy! Was just wondering about your decision. Our son sent in his deposit to Vandy this week as well. Black and gold Tshirts washed and ready to wear.
Our Vandy son went to all of our Parent Days at Duke with us..perfectly normal to have siblings. I will add that we didn't go to all four parent days at Duke as we started choosing alternate weekends for annual visits related to son's performances/activities..and son went abroad etc..so by all means take your daughter. The Parents weekends are fleeting...Nashville is also a great slice of America to enjoy on return visits. On Accepted Students Day..we drove about three miles south--maybe a bit more.. to nearby peaceful Radnor Lake to park the car and allow son some serene time to think about his final decision. Great easy walk in beauty very close to Nashville.
Frazzled, I meant to congratulate your new Vandy Phi Beta Kappa. What an accomplishment!

frazzled1 · 04-20-2009, 11:54 AM

Oooh, thanks for noticing!

She was thrilled to get the good news.

Reading this thread is making me so nostalgic for Vanderbilt already. I disgraced myself when d1 graduated from W & M by absolutely blubbering through the whole ceremony - I'm afraid I feel an encore coming on.

Faline2 · 04-20-2009, 12:00 PM

William and Mary...is another magically authentic place full of dedicated teachers, and I bet it was a wonderful four years of growing and living...your children are blessed.

frazzled1 · 04-20-2009, 03:08 PM

You're so right, Faline. They've been so fortunate to attend these wonderful schools. Reason#17 why I love CC - We wouldn't have known that Vanderbilt might be such a great fit for my daughter without it. (I've got to give that other board credit for W & M.)

DizziMom · 04-20-2009, 03:55 PM

Any parents from far away want to fill me in on how many parents weekends they made over the 4 years? I'm struggling whether or not to schedule a visit in October. I would feel awful if I was the only one not attending but I will have been down there for move-in and just don't know if I can get away from work &/or afford the flight down. Will my S be close enough to a few friends to be "adopted" for the weekend? Or do the kids not really have issues with it?

I'm hoping that maybe I can get down there to see my S in a concert during the year....

Faline2 · 04-20-2009, 04:03 PM

I would venture to say that this one year, I would return for Parent's Weekend since it is the time you have a shot at meeting some of the other kids and their parents en masse. Our son at Duke was a bit embarrassed when we returned for the second one, the third one he was abroad..the fourth one, we "knew better" than to show up, since he had "duties" on that day as a senior leader in various events...but he was happy to see us for concert trips in later years..and treats to quiet dinners out with a classmate or three. If possible, go this time. The Duke Orchestra always performed briefly on Parent's weekend as well...obviously...Vandy parents may think differently and chime in with direct experience. this coming year is our first as Vandy parents.

minoafrau · 04-20-2009, 04:06 PM

Your son will be fine if you do not attend and will certainly be able to keep himself busy with other friends whose parents also did not attend or with someone else's family.

We did not attend parents' weekend last year. Vanderbilt has a long fall break weekend in later October that we had not been aware of. We felt that traveling to Nashville and then flying our daughter home two weeks later was excessive and not the smartest thing for someone still working through homesickness issues. We solved the issue by traveling to Nashville over the fall break weekend, which was a more convenient weekend for us. The hotels were cheaper, we had our pick of restaurants, etc.

This year we are opting to go homecoming weekend instead, as it is my husband's 30th reunion year.

2VU0609 · 04-20-2009, 05:02 PM

DizziMom,
If it's not possible for you to go to Family Weekend, I would suggest that you tell your son to adopt a friend whose parents are also unable to attend and to fund them for a dinner out on you. I think what the kids like most is the opportunity to break out of routine, to shop away from campus (many freshman don't have access to shopping without a car on campus) and to eat a meal of better quality than what they get ordinarily. I may be assessing things incorrectly for freshmen though since I hear they dine on a much higher standard than the upperclassmen who eat at Rand. If you give your son a little treat like that, he'll still feel spoiled from a distance!

silversparkles18 · 04-20-2009, 06:04 PM

My parents only came for freshman year. We found it was just too crowded on campus that weekend, and my parents weren't really interested in attending a lecture on ancient Mayan culture or any of the other "activities." I would also recommend picking a different weekend to visit if possible.