<p>@Acquarium - I wish this thread was more active, as it seems like it served as a good venue for parents to connect and share their experiences and concerns. For Harvard 2017, there was an active group on Facebook, however recently it has grown silent. The Harvard 2018 group has gone nowhere - perhaps with enough interest it could find a new life!</p>
<p>Ditto! As the mom of a senior (OMG), I have loved this thread. Letās see if we can breathe some life into it! I will help if I can!</p>
<p>We couldnāt be more pleased with our daughters experience there as a Freshman. What a relief to see her so happy!
She is thrilled with her academics and how interesting and committed her professors are. She is creating great friendships with kids from all over the country and all over the world.
It couldnāt be better!</p>
<p>Did anybody watch the webinar from Dean Khurana and Dean Dingman adressed to the freshmen parents?
<a href=āhttp://links.mkt3495.com/ctt?kn=4&ms=MTEzNzkzMzQS1&r=ODYxMTc2NTYyNjYS1&b=0&j=MzY0Njc3Mjk3S0&mt=1&rt=0ā>http://links.mkt3495.com/ctt?kn=4&ms=MTEzNzkzMzQS1&r=ODYxMTc2NTYyNjYS1&b=0&j=MzY0Njc3Mjk3S0&mt=1&rt=0</a>
It was nice of them to reach out to the parents. They acknowledge that we need to stay part of the studentsā life, and they gave some information about what is going on. For parents like me who hear little from their student, I can use as much information I can get. Sometimes colleges seem to send this message to the parents that their job is only to just let go of their children so that they can grow and be on their own, the sooner, the better. How refreshing to hear the Deans saying that they want us to be part of the college community. That makes sense and show that they care deeply, like they say, for our children. I am super excited to go to the parents weekend, because I have a very good feeling that it is going to be great. Dean Khurana wants some feedback, I am going to give a positive one, if he wants to communicate with us, thatās great.
Talking about communication, my son calls a little more nowadays, which makes me happy.
He is loving Harvard too like greatkidā daughter, and studying hard. He took the midterms tests, he found math 23 difficult. I donāt know if it is due to the advanced complexity of thecurriculum or to his tendency to procrastinate. I hope he will learn to manage his time as not to leave things to the last moment. This is not HS anymore.
I guess this is an adjustment many kids need to make in collegeā¦</p>
<p>Thank you Ihenkin, I am sure everybody will love to hear from a parent of a senior about the Harvard experience and what we can do to help our children along, and ourselves too</p>
<p>Hi All, but I may be a day late and many dollars short, but does anyone have suggestions for staying during junior weekend? </p>
<p>We stay at the Sheraton in Harvard Square. It is very convenient.</p>
<p>I listened to the Deans webcast and also saw them simulcast at Parents weekend. They are exceptional and we are fortunate to have them as Deans for our children.
The Sheraton Commander is incredibly convenient. We stayed there when we brought our daughter to Harrvard. We have visited a couple of times afterward and we stay about 20 to 25 minutes outside of Cambridge. We will look at Priceline or Kayak to research options. Our home is 31/2 hours away so we have our car. By staying that type of distance outside of Cambridge we cut our Hotel expense in half. This enables us to more comfortably bring a friend or two of our daughters out to dinner.
It is no doubt less of a hassle to stay right in Cambridge. We are still trying to find reasonable parking solutions in Cambridge. Seemingly not many options and all expensive.</p>
<p>Thanks Ruby, but itās still going to be over $300 per nightā¦yikes. Gotta think about that one.</p>
<p>Thanks for the affirmation GreatKid, but Iām coming from CA and donāt want to rent a car. May be looking at places near a T station. Can get the airport as well. Let me know if you find the perfect place.</p>
<p>Harvard Square hotels raise their rates for move-in days, freshman parentās weekend, junior parentās weekend, move-out days and graduation. If youāre looking for less expensive options, try hotels at the end of the Red-Line: <a href=āBoston Hotels Near the T Red Line | USA Todayā>http://traveltips.usatoday.com/boston-hotels-near-t-red-line-63961.html</a></p>
<p>Holiday Inn Express Cambridge - Free parking, breakfast included - close to bus. Join Priority Club, get the credit card - save your points!!! I used points for ALL visits, move in/out & graduation al 4 years!!!- never spent $$! Plan ahead! </p>
<p>
As my daughter is graduating in December, I guess itās safe to pass along this parking tip. Visitors to Harvard, Harvard students and parentās of Harvard students can purchase a one-day parking pass through the university. You need to register, set up an account, and provide your license plate number (the code for visitors is 7700). Parking is $15 per day during the week and $7.00 per day on the weekend. Weāve used the Broadway indoor lot (Felton Street) and the Divinity Schoolās outside lot (Francis Street) with great success. One-day permits can be purchased a week in advance (non-refundable); you print out your parking pass at home and place it on your dashboard when parking: <a href=āhttps://www2.uos.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/permit/purchase.plā>https://www2.uos.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/permit/purchase.pl</a></p>
<p>Thank you for the suggestions and tips, I will definitely pursue them.</p>
<p>When we went to Visitas last April, we stayed at the Best Western Plus Hotel Tria in Cambridge. The hotel is located near the Alewife train station. You can walk to the hotel from the station or make a request to have the free hotel shuttle pick you up. We also took this free shuttle to Harvard(approx. 5 min ride) and back - very convenient. You can walk(or take shuttle) to Whole Foods, Trader Joeās, shopping, etc. This is a very nice hotel(breakfast included), and we met many families who were there for the same purpose as us(Visitas). If you reserve the hotel well in advance, the rates are reasonable for the area. We stayed at the Sheraton for parentās weekend and since we reserved quite a bit in advance, we were able to get rates well under $300(including breakfast). We took the train(free) from the airport to Harvard Square and walked to the Sheraton. </p>
<p>DD did not come home for Thanksgiving because we live so far away. Fortunately, one of her professors issued a blanket invitation to join his family for the afternoon. DD was the only student who took him up on it. She had a really good time, and Iām sure it helped keep the holiday blues at bay.</p>
<p>I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the professorās generosity.</p>
<p>That is so nice WW! How incredibly decent of the professor and a nice opportunity for your daughter to get to know the professor and his family.</p>
<p>Hello to parents and students who participate on this thread. I started it almost 7 years ago to give parents a chance to ask questions and get real feedback from current students and from parents of students at Harvard. Iām thrilled that it has served itās purpose. I have learned so much from those who have offered their advise and suggestions. @Acquarium wanted to know where my son is now and if Harvard has fulfilled the expectations of helping a student once they have graduated. Well, my son graduated from the college in 2012 with honors (Summa Cum Laude) and is currently at Harvard Law School. He will be graduating in May and has a clerkship in Boston for a year. After that he will be moving back to California and has a wonderful job offer in Southern California. Heās also getting married in March 2015. He met his wonderful fiancee at Harvard on the first day of school (crazy right!) Anyway, Harvard has been a HUGE blessing to our family and to him. Yes, they will help you be successful in any way possible. The administration is always available to help and they want to make sure the students are successful. The job opportunity, the clerkship, all the other internships and experiences would not have been possible without the dedication of the Harvard staff. The fiancee is a wonderful bonus too 
</p>
<p>Iām excited and Iām sad that our time at Harvard will end in May upon his graduation. We will cherish all the memories and the thousands of pics my husband and I have takenā¦ yea, I know crazy mom stuff. Anyway, best of luck to those and please cherish and enjoy every moment because it flies by. </p>
<p>Please keep this thread alive! all questions, concerns and suggestions are welcomed</p>
<p>So glad to see this thread is still alive! I followed the forum so carefully 3 1/2 years ago when my son was entering Harvard (under a different user name that Iāve lost track of. ) It was super comforting and led to friendships with other moms that still endure. Yesterday we found out that our daughter was accepted EA, and are thrilled and humbled that she will experience Harvardās wonderful environment. Iām looking forward to meeting other parents of the Class of 2019! Thanks to those of you who have so generously shared of your knowledge over the years.</p>