<p>We decided to give it a miss. Didn’t seem much point in spending the money to spend a couple of nights in a dorm, see my kid only at meals, and learn nothing that isn’t on the web pages. The only thing that doesn’t seem to be on their web pages is the “how not to be a helicopter parent” session. I’m not worried about that, since I’m already perfectly willing to back off and let my daughter have her own adventure without me trying to live vicariously through her.</p>
<p>A caveat is that I’ve been on a campus tour, to Davis preview, and Decision Day with my daughter, and so I’m somewhat familiar with the campus. We’ve also poked around a lot on the web pages, and have gotten comfortable with how to find info there (or as comfortable as you can on any of the abysmally laid-out UC campus web sites). If you, on the other hand, haven’t had a chance to see the campus yet, then the parent orientation might well be of use to help you get a feel for where your kid will be going.</p>
<p>Some other people argue in favor of going in order to make contacts with other parents. Maybe that’s important for you? For me, that wouldn’t be of much value. I’m not much for networking, and I can’t imagine making long-term contacts with complete strangers over the course of two days, or even what value such contacts would provide.</p>