<p>In both our home state flagship and my son’s school (UW Madison), with around 6000 entering freshman, orientation and class registration takes place over 2 days all summer long. Students have to take placement tests before their session (at least at UW – I think at IU, students take the placement tests as part of the summer orientation and registration.</p>
<p>There are separate meetings for parents and students – info sessions for parents about health services, campus safety etc. and for students, group and individual advising sessions before registration. </p>
<p>Useful for students, who typically stay overnight in the dorm and meet their new peers. At both schools, I believe parents can stay in another dorm though I am too old and cranky for that. </p>
<p>Very different experience for my husband and myself who both went to small schools, or our friends’ kids who go to smaller schools, where the freshman orientation takes place over a period of days right before school begins, before the upper class students arrive.</p>