<p>@etondad: Thank you so much for all of the information! I am feeling more at ease with the housing survey. I am not looking for a “best friend” roommate, but someone I can mesh with. I am so excited to meet so many people with different things to bring to the table. Dorm crew does sound like a bonding experience–with the perks of a paycheck! I mainly looked to FUP because it would introduce me to the volunteering venues in Boston–volunteering more is definitely something I would like to do in college. The gap year does sound like a great growing experience, but my parents and I discussed it and I want to start college next fall. I will have to use my summer wisely and have a mini “Eat, Pray, Love.”</p>
<p>@HarvardParent: What other tips do you have to make the most of Visitas? I know I won’t be interacting with the family much, but what activities will there be for parents? Also, from your child’s experience, was the program jam-packed or was it more relaxed with students able to pick which activities they wanted to participate in with a few mandatory sessions? I would like to be able to have time to visit with my friends that are current students at Harvard.</p>
<p>My son received his acceptance EA letter for the 2016 class. Harvard invited him to attend Visitas weekend in April. I asked a local Harvard alumni and he told me the Visitas is more oriented to students.</p>
<p>What activities are planned from Saturday April 21 to Monday April 23 so we can plan the arrival and departure time? I have already bought his round trip ticket to Boston leaving very early on Saturday April 21 and departing in the evening on Monday April 23. </p>
<p>If you have to choose between Visitas and the parent weekend in October, I would go with the parent weekend. It offers more activities for families.</p>
<p>Quilabee-- FUP has a very definite political agenda which is fine so long as you recognize that it will be very much part of the program. FAP is a terrific experience --so my S’s roommate says.</p>
<p>D enjoyed dorm crew, met many people, worked hard, learned her way around campus and parts of Cambridge, and had lots of fun. She’s applied to be a FOP leader next year having heard fantastic things about that program. Unfortunately, her rooming experience is only tolerable - sleep pattern differences primarily contributing to difficulties. I’m guessing that because sleep patterns change so much for so many upon entering college, these preferences on housing applications understandably must be given minimal consideration.</p>
<p>D could not attend Visitas last spring but visited a week later. She loved her visit and never regretted missing Visitas. She has used HUHS for several minor things and found it very satisfactory.</p>
<p>The biggest surprise for us is that D has taken up a sport that prior to Harvard, she didn’t know existed. Repeatedly, she mentions how much she loves her school and the amazing opportunities available. This time a year ago she was adamantly opposed to applying to Harvard. Her dad talked her into it the day before applications were due. She now cannot imagine being anywhere else.</p>
<p>Quillabee - Welcome to Harvard!! My daughter was a Fuppie this past year and loved it!!! In fact, she is applying to be a FUP leader for next year. Regarding Visitas, my daughter enjoyed it very much - but it is geared for the accepted students and not their families. Parent’s weekend in October is great for the whole family and there are many activities for everyone.</p>
<p>Meelos: thank you for the warm welcome! What else can you tell me about FUP and life as a Fuppie-- the different places they went, bonding & activities, and getting to know Boston/Cambridge?</p>
<p>Based on your daughter’s experience, was Visitas a more rigid program with a stricter schedule or more relaxed where students can build their own schedules? </p>
<p>Thank you so much! Hope your daughter has a good spring semester!</p>
<p>For pre-frosh, my suggestion is to sign up to stay with a Harvard student in the dorm during the visitas. For parents who want to go, they need to book the hotel room early. There are scheduled session on the first day (Satuday) and last day (Monday), with a “fun day” in between. There are a lot of options about what events one may go to and prefrosh can also audit classes on Monday.</p>
<p>Speaking of booking hotels early, I just registered my wife and me for the Junior Parents’ Weekend. Any other '13 parents here planning to attend?</p>
<p>If you log in to your admitted student page, there is a link to Visitas. There should be a link to a form that asks for you name, contact information, and your preferred accommodations:staying with a random student, staying with a student you know, or off campus.</p>
<p>I’d like to congratulate every new admitted student and their families to Harvard parent thread! I started this thread out of a real need to get information and learn more about the place my son would be living for 4 years. Well, he’s a senior now and recently accepted to HLS (Harvard Law School). It’s been fabulous!! the parents are great and the students have been wonderful. I pray this thread will continue to grow with current information and provide comfort to those seeking to learn more about Harvard.</p>
<p>Thanks to everybody who contributed to this thread- it was extremely informative!</p>
<p>I have a concern that I was hoping parents/students could address:</p>
<p>I’m heading up to Cambridge for Prefrosh weekend alone (my parents opted not to go because of money issues), and I’m a petite girl with absolutely no self-defense skills. The only traveling I plan to do (other than on campus) is between Logan International and Harvard. Are there any safety issues here if I take the T? My parents want me to carry cash to give to muggers (their friends heard of a girl at MIT who recently got mugged); good idea? Or should I just carry pepper spray? </p>
<p>As the parent of a petite girl (okay she has mad self-defense skillz, but that’s beside the point) you can assure your parents that getting from Logan to Harvard is pretty straightforward and not very scary. Options are taking the silver line from Logan or just taking a cab. Cab fare is pretty steep, but my guess is there will be a lot of kids heading from Logan to Harvard that weekend and you may be able to find a future classsmate (or 2 or 3) to split the cab.</p>
<p>I’ll tell my parents to put their minds at ease! They’ve been bombarding me with horror stories all night… I was planning to just take the silver line, but I’ll see if there’s somebody from our Facebook group who’s also flying in Friday to split a cab with. Thanks!</p>
Crime on the T is practically non-existent, other than things like bike theft at some of the outlying stations. And Boston and Cambridge in general are very safe for large cities – it is exceedingly unlikely that you will have any reason to take precautions like carrying pepper spray or cash if you live in Cambridge, let alone if you are visiting for a single weekend.</p>
<p>Quillabee, my son did FUP last year and really enjoyed it… you can go to the FUP website and see a sample schedule and access all the readings from last year and I think past years as well. [url=<a href=“http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~fup/]FUP!![/url”>http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~fup/]FUP!![/url</a>]<br>
Beware because the application process is competitive – more applicants than room – so you may not get into your first choice pre-o program. (My son got in off the waitlist.) My son, too, is applying to be a FUP leader this summer, so that tells you a lot about how much he enjoyed it. As for the “political agenda,” it’s probably fair to say the leadership focuses a lot on educating around issues of privilege and diversity, but in my opinion that background and perspective is critically important, especially for those who may not have been exposed to it in high school. FUPPIES also get to go out into different Boston communities and really get to know their Harvard neighbors – and give back to them. Good luck!</p>
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