<p>So, when do they normally post the exam schedule? The term ends so close to the holidays that tickets are at a premium.</p>
<p>The last day of exams is December 20 (a Tuesday). You can use that as an absolute date and give up on getting to see them earlier, or there is a pretty fair chance that your childās last day of exams will be Saturday, December 17. Not all classes have final exams. My son has generally known his exam schedule by shortly before Thanksgiving. Spring classes donāt start until January 23, so unless they are involved in a project or activity that will bring them back earlier, I think you can plan on that as a specific date. Harvard has not yet had J-term classes (which would be optional in any event).</p>
<p>Even if you use December 20 and January 22 as your flight dates, your kiddo will still be around for over a month. Before they changed the schedule, (parents of seniors will remember this) the kids got out on about December 17 and were due back for reading period and exams on January 2. Then you really resented missing any days.</p>
<p>getalifemom: call the Registrarās office to find out the exact date the exam schedule will be published; but recognize there could be some changes made at a later date.</p>
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<p>Can you have sleep depravation if you sleep alone?</p>
<p>Sorry gibby, couldnāt resist.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice and feedback about travel planning, friends. Anyone have any impressions to share about the āOptional Winter Activities Weekā scheduled for January 13 - 21? I gather itās relatively new and student led. All I can find about it is the Undergraduate Council webpage describing how students can propose activities and get funded. Anyone do this last year?</p>
<p>Last year my son had to be back early for rehearsals for the Dunster House Opera and for a CD the UChoir was recording. The organizations got special dispensation for their members to allow the students to stay in their houses during that time. I would suspect that this year will be more of the same.</p>
<p>Hello parents, any advice for freshman parents weekend which starts on Friday? hoping the weather will be ok!</p>
<p>Thanks for asking. I am looking forward to the weekendā¦and any tips folks might have!</p>
<p>What sort of questions do you have ? You get a cool button so everybody knows who you are .</p>
<p>Well, I went to a faculty lecture and sat in with my S in one of his classes, then visited Widener Library ā which is really impressive and not open to the public usually. Also watched part of the football game (not a big fan, though) and dined with his roommates and their families. Time passed quickly before I realized itā¦</p>
<p>For DH and I the best part of FPW may have been meeting his suite-matesā families. The group was together all four years and the parents kept in touch all the way through, until our last dinner together after commencement.</p>
<p>The cool button also gets you in free to a lot of things that would normally cost $ - museums and such.</p>
<p>Be sure to attend the a capella singing show in Sanders Theater.</p>
<p>Stuff I liked:</p>
<p>Annenberg and the Veritas shield-embossed waffles
Sanders Theatre, especially with a cappella
The football stadium, the first concrete stadium in America, c. 1903. At the very top, under the faux-Greek colonnade, the font of the stenciled numbers on the bleachers is clearly vintage Teens or '20s.
Any Institute of Politics speakers at the JFK School
The view of Cambridge and Boston from the top of the hill in Mt. Auburn Cemetery
Unique frozen yogurt at Berryline
People-watching at sidewalk cafes
Riding the shuttle buses (the best way I know of getting a sense of Harvard student social norms)
The scene inside Lamont Library
The rare books collection in Pusey Library
The lobby of the Barker Center
Wandering the Square</p>
<p>The most important thing about our visit for FPW was getting to see our son and being able to verify that everything was working out for him. By that time he had made many friends and we did get to meet both families of his roommates (although I didnāt get to meet one father until JPW because he was alway parking the car).</p>
<p>I would also recommend a visit to the Coop. Itās a pretty impressive bookstore for a town the size of Cambridge (and, of course, there is all the Harvard/MIT memorabilia). Missed out on the football game (but went back junior year for the Harvard/Yale game). The stadium is classic.</p>
<p>We saw 2 of our kidās performances, had a dinner and a lunch together, and got to know his roommate and the parents. The sessions for parents were informative; but we decided to skip the classes since S did not have any of his classes that day. We liked checking out the libraries, H museums, building architecture, doing the campus tour, talking to other parents, and generally taking in the whole atmosphere. Like Hat said, probably the most important thing for us was just to see firsthand S in the H setting and environment and that things were going well for him.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great input. Flying to Boston tomorrow. Looking forward to it!!</p>
<p>enjoy this special time</p>
<p>Enjoy nyudad, we just enjoyed spending time with daughter, meeting her roommates and their families and taking advantage of all Harvard and the city has to offer! I know you will have a blast!</p>
<p>Sad that my S will not be there for parentās weekend as he is playing in a tennis tournament away, but he seems so happy at Harvard so that is a blessing!</p>
<p>The autumn colors are developing beautifully this week, Iāve heard. Should be gorgeous.</p>
<p>revbon-Hope you can make your own Harvard weekend soon. If not in the fall, spring is wonderful with the flowering trees.</p>