We did not make it to the Junior Parents Weekend. Our daughter is a student staffer with Harvard Model Congress and they had there Boston conference this past weekend. She was fully occupied with the conference all throughout the weekend and the conference took place off campus. We are fortunate in that we are only a bit over three hours away and visit about every 5 or 6 weeks. We would have liked to have been there though. I bet it was interesting and fun.
Please share what you enjoyed most or thought were the high lights?
JPW Highlights last year: the reception in the house JCR and the opportunity to meet sonâs roommatesâ parents, the tour of tree and plant species in the Yard, and the lectures offered by Harvard faculty. And the meet-up with the parents of 2017 FB group folks. Love to hear what you thought, @BldrDad.
Hello ALL! xoxoxoâŠ
My son E-Jayy was ACCEPTED EA to HARVARD,2021!! Im so excited for his future! This is an entirely new road for our family, whose transitioning from COMPTON, California to Cambridge! OMG⊠The transition will be quite different as we soar from SUNNY Cali to CHILLY Cambridge!
Any suggestions on what, when, and where do we begin to purchase items for his dorm or items needed to make our transition smooth? In addition, which school parents function to attend?? Should we attend Visitas in April?
Please Help⊠Any suggestions are taken into consideration.
Thanks!
HarvardMom, 2021 #FromCOMPTON2HARVARD!
Congratulations to you @Savi428 and your family! Welcome to the Crimson crowd! For Aprilâs Visitas, the prospective students are kept quite busy, however there are activities for parents,and so much to see and do on campus , in Cambridge, and Boston. If you have not explored the areas yet, I would recommend you see it all. Or, you can wait until move-in, or Freshman Parentsâ Weekend which is usually very late October or early November.
Many families from the West Coast opt to order dorm items from Bed,Bath Beyond, and then pick them up in September at move-in weekend. We shipped some boxes of linens ahead (Harvard will give you an address in mid-August to ship boxes to), then each dragged 2 huge suitcases, then bought a printer and school supplies in Cambridge.
There is usually a formal freshmen dance in December (though it has been done in January) so your son will need a dark suit if he is the sociable type. The weather can be hot and humid in September, getting cold by end of October. So a down jacket is very useful before Thanksgiving. I remember one year a hard freeze hit in mid-October (rare), before heat was on in the dorms.
He will receive the names of roommates and dorm in late July/early August, then he can coordinate the need for a mini-fridge (can rent one on campus) and other stuff.
Again, congrats!
Congratulations Savi428 to your son and to your family! I love your statement about being so excited for your sons future! Thatâs what is all about, loving your kids and wanting the best opportunities for them.
We live relatively close so we were not shipping things and we are fortunate in that we visit every four or five weeks so we can bring seasonal wardrobes back and forth,( daughter with way to many clothes!!) Iâm a minimalist so she didnât acquire that from me.
Harvard/Cambridge is a very special place! I am excited for your son and for your family and for what is to come for all of you!
There are many weekends where interesting and exciting things are going on.
Being there for move in day as a Freshman is a canât miss day in my opinion, to share in the excitement, to celebrate your sons accomplishment and to be there for that transition.
The Harvard versus Yale football game is great fun and is always on the third Saturday in November. Of course alternating between Cambridge and New Haven.
The Festival of the Arts in late April is an exciting and very full weekend.
The Head of the Charles crew competition is very well attended and fun.
Class Days and Graduation where you get to see and feel the excitement and tradition.
These are some examples that come immediately to mind. I understand that because of distance you will need to be selective about what you are able to do.
Your son will be a Freshman at the time our daughter will be a Senior. To say that she has loved her time there would be a tremendous understatement.
Harvard is a very special place. Sincere congratulations to your son and to your family!!
If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to ask!
Thank you for all the SUPPORT and ADVISE! This website is quite informative and Iâm enjoying obtaining information in advance! Iâve already booked several hotels in advance and have been offered room and board from HARVARD alumni⊠I was infomed that he would move in his dorm in AUGUST??? is that not the case? Iâve read thru the HARVARD package and detailed information and its states the move in date is August, therefore, my family and I reserved rooms at a near by hotel for Aug. Iâm sure I will get tons of additional questions answered in the upcoming weeks as we head to HARVARD Visitas!
Thank you HARVARD PARENTS! This is AWESOME!
Tearing up as I read these messages⊠I just cant believe and wouldnt have imagined that my son E-Jayy would be attending HARVARD! By the way, after recieving his ED, HARVARD football coach took action and opened up options to have my son play for the HARVARD football team. Surprisingly, I heard so much about the HARVARD vs. YALE football game, and hopefully we will have the opportunity to attend. Iâm sure my son stated this years game is going to be held at YALE. I better look into reserving our room! My husband and I are going to ENJOY this freshman year like were FRESHMENs! We wont be able to attend everything, but were sure to attend at least one of his stage plays and musicals, as wellâŠ
Wow, GOD is awesome!
Thank youâŠ
P.S. I have to confirm the move in dates, therefore making it a smooth transition.
Harvard will certainly communicate with your son in regard to all the pertinent things he and you need to be aware of.
Harvards website is also an excellent resource for the vast majority of questions that may arise.
It will be likely that a Harvard parents page for the class of 2021 will be created and that will be a great interactive resource as well.
The Harvard Crimson and Harvard Magazine (online versions) are excellent in regard to staying current with what is taking place on campus.
How great that he can play football for the Crimson! The players arrive on campus early for practice, and have a great support system with the older players and athletic department. You will be able to get the address for shipping early I bet since the team arrives in August. All the beds are Twin Extra Long for sheet size. The players usually live in a dorm nearer to the stadium for the practice weeks, then move to their permanent freshman dorms in September when the rest of the kids arrive. (Check with the coach to see if this has changed.)
Youâre smart to book your hotels early for those special weekends. Enjoy the big game!
Savi428, congratulations to your son and your family! We are also from California. Your son will adjust very nicely to Cambridge. There will be so many kids from all over the country (and many internationals as well). We also ordered bedding, towels, etc. from Bed Bath & Beyond and had them sent directly to Harvard. We also ordered my sonâs school supplies from Staples and Target and had them delivered as well. It made our move from California so much easier. The school will provide you with an address to use for delivery and you can pick them up on move in day. Usually the boxes are picked up at the Science Center. The school even has dollies (sp?) for you to use to help take the boxes to the dorm. My son lived in Matthews and he really liked it. Please ask any and all questions we are all happy to provide our suggestions and advice. That was the reason I started this thread so many years ago 
Again, CONGRATULATIONS!!! such an exciting time for your family
The Harvard class of 2021 parents page will be created on Facebook. That wasnât clear on my prior post.
@Savi428 Your excitement made ME tear up!! Raising hand as a fellow Angeleno who sent her son to chilly Cambridge. He is a student athlete who is thriving. My husband and I visit often and itâs always a wonderful time. Enjoy this feeling, it doesnât really go away!! Bravo to your son and your entire family!! Bravo!!
Very helpful! Thank youâŠ
@GreatKid how do we join the Facebook page for parents of the Harvard class of 2021?
@WhatSally, it may not be set up yet. In my Dâs year (2019), a couple of parents started it on their own. You can search for it on facebook and if itâs not there, you can set it up and invite others in!
It is very likely it has not been created yet. It will be set up by a parent or parents and it will gain traction.
My wife and I participate on the 2018 parents page and it has been a useful resource and some nice friendships have been established.
Might be set up after May 1, decision day.
I forgot to mention this earlier. CC is a great place to meet fellow parents of Harvard students. During my sonâs Junior Parents Weekend several of us on CC arranged to meet for coffee. It was such a fun time. I hope some of you are able to meet up.
So very excited for all of our prefrosh at Visitas! The schedule looks chalk full of experiences!
There is now a parents group for the class of 2021 on Facebook. Search for Harvard Parents of the Class of 2021 and request to join.