<p>^^It’s more than a suggestion. At Harvard it’s a rule. On Move-in Day we arrived first, so we patiently waited several hours with the stuff piled in the middle of the room until the other girl arrived and they could choose sides and closets, etc. But the mother and daughter across the hall did not wait and began putting stuff away and making up the bed. When the other girl arrived for that room there was a huge fight, not between the girls but between the mothers. The second mother was offended that the first mother/daughter had flouted the rules and moved in too soon. Shouting ensued.</p>
<p>The girls themselves harbored no grudges and soon became good friends once their mothers went home. And my daughter and her roommate were very well matched. They roomed together all four years, and a year and half after graduation they are still best friends.</p>
<p>It seems like that was a very poor decision by the mothers - the kids must have been very embarrassed and what a hard way to start a year long relationship.</p>
<p>D and her roommates managed to handle things differently last year. We had managed to determine the full layout of the suite and using e-mail/facebook/whatever they decided on the layout of the room before anyone moved in. The worked well because the girls made decisions that required some significant furniture moving that was easier before the room was filled with stuff. We lived closest and got there first. We got all the furniture moving done before others arrived and then as each arrived they were able to begin setting up and were helped by those who arrived earlier. This was fortunate because FUP was very late last year (I think they knew this in advance) and if the girls all had to wait until the last of them arrived the unpacking would have actually been much more difficult.</p>
<p>Early to mid-August the housing assignments are mailed. You are given the addresses and email addresses of roommates in order to initiate contact.</p>
<p>I want to thank EAO1227 again publicly for helping my daughter move in last year. </p>
<p>PLEASE, PLEASE parents, offer (insist) on helping those kids w/o family. I dropped my daughter off for FIP, but had to return to Germany before she moved into the dorm. Luckily EAO1227 volunteered to help or my daughter would have been more or less alone. Her roommate’s familiies apparently did not offer to help, nor offer to take her to dinner with them. (Or maybe my daughter declined because she was embarrassed.) So please make sure these freshmen are looked after. </p>
<p>We promise to do the same when we see yours lost here in airports and train stations!</p>
<p>cltdad - I had hoped to get up to campus to see my D in a performance this weekend too, but the timing and distance didn’t work out for us either. (ILM here - at least you had the options of direct flights) </p>
<p>Ronsard-m’aimait - Isn’t CC a wonderful community?! Thanks for the excellent reminder to the parents here. It’s often hard to tell, in the chaos of move-in, who’s without family assistance, but surely the roommates were aware of your daughter’s situation, so it’s a shame they didn’t offer to help.</p>
<p>I helped one of my D’s friends move his stuff into storage at the end of freshman year, because he didn’t have any family around to help. It’s kind of a long haul from the Yard to some of the houses, so it really helps to have a car.</p>
<p>DocT and smoda61 - D had a good time at the Q-ball last night. She is a frosh and went with her blocking group. They are very excited about being in Quincy next year. D said the views from the Harvard club were fantastic.</p>
<p>nceph - which group does your D perform with? Mine is with H Ballet Company. She said that her performance went well, but the space she was in was a little tight. HBC has had a lot of good news recently with members being hired into some very reputable companies (one just got an offer from Boston Ballet). It’s an amazing group especially when you consider it is just an EC and not an academic program.</p>
<p>cltdad - Did you daughter make it there ok? D said that the e-mail w/ the Harvard Club address gave the wrong info. The group took the T, ended up at some other location and ended up having to take a cab to get to the ball. Once there though, they had a nice time.</p>
<p>Tonight is the Lowell house formal - D is Quincy and boyfriend is Lowell.</p>
<p>D is also a frosh. I’m sure they will be getting to know each other next year in Old Quincy. :)</p>
<p>Hoping that D’s paper that is due tomorrow gets done OK.</p>
<p>smoda61 - my D didn’t mention any problem with the directions although she said something about there being two Harvard Club locations in Boston?? </p>
<p>Wow - formals two nights in a row. Where is Lowell holding theirs? Its a good thing they have reading period before she gets hit with final exams. </p>
<p>Good luck to everyone’s kids on their finals and last papers.</p>
<p>^ I think it was the “other” Harvard Club whose address was distributed. I fault my daughter some as well since she and I had been talking earlier and I mentioned to her how I remembered the club to be near Fenway Park. Now I might not even be right about that but it should have at least caused her to question where they were going. I know there had been a champagne toast at Quincy prior to the Ball. They did not make it to Quincy for the toast. If they had they would have traveled in a group that all knew what they were doing.</p>
<p>The Lowell House formal is being held outside is their courtyard (I think they have a courtyard). Hoping the rain continues to hold off. It is very warm and very humid at the moment (at 25 minutes north).</p>
<p>Likewise, good luck to all with the end of semester work.</p>
<p>The shuttle was only home. You had to get there on your own. That was actually my daughter’s first misunderstanding. She thought is was going to be both ways.</p>
<p>Does anyone know of a dog friendly inn or hotel within walking distance of Harvard? We have a guide-dog-in-training we might bring on some occasions. Or just the names of hotels or B and B’s within walking distance would be great and I could check into them. Thanks!</p>