Students, Welcome to College; Parents, Go Home

[groovedaddy]

GRINNELL, Iowa — In order to separate doting parents from their freshman sons, Morehouse College in Atlanta has instituted a formal “Parting Ceremony.”

It began on a recent evening, with speeches in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Then the incoming freshmen marched through the gates of the campus — which swung shut, literally leaving the parents outside.

When University of Minnesota freshmen move in at the end of this month, parental separation will be a little sneakier: mothers and fathers will be invited to a reception elsewhere so students can meet their roommates and negotiate dorm room space — without adult meddling.

As the latest wave of superinvolved parents delivers its children to college, institutions are building into the day, normally one of high emotion, activities meant to punctuate and speed the separation. It is part of an increasingly complex process, in the age of Skype and twice-daily texts home, in which colleges are urging “Velcro parents” to back off so students can develop independence.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/education/23college.html?th&emc=th

[Brickbat]

1. How embarrassing that this is even necessary.

[melm00se]

2. Same thing happened with

a friend's daughter @ Campbell University. once the car was unloaded (by sophomores) and the student was unpacked, the parents were politely (but firmly) asked to leave.

[rocktivity]

3. I think that's awful! Yes, it's an emotional moment on both ends

because you're both also saying goodbye to your childhood. But that's all the more reason it SHOULD be experienced, valued, and shared with other parents.

:mad:
rocktivity

[woodsprite]

4. If I'm footing the bill, they better not be pushin' me out the door.

Most schools are REAL quick to knock on that same door the minute they want some donation money.

Our school makes the parents part of the kids experience but there is also a 'weaning' process. There is visitation, orientation (where parents and kids do things together and separately), move-in day (I think most parents book hotel rooms to help the whole weekend with the process), then we have Parents Day where there are a lot of townie and school activities to do together. During orientation, there is even a family 'school spirit' contest and members of the community get to vote on the winner. All incoming freshmen have to take part in a 'first year experience' class with a small group of their peers. Really, if you're an active alumnus who is bringing their child or just want to experience the campus as it comes to life in the fall, you're going to be around for the first 3 weekends of school or so (parents weekend, alumni weekend along with community days, etc.

We're going through this now. Our daughter has begun the application process and is considering not living on campus during her freshman year (didn't like the freshman dorm setup), but now she's concerned that she may not get enough out of the FYE class since she's not 'living' with classmates. She's got a year to make up her mind, and we have a year to figure out how to tack that extra 10k onto her expense if she goes for a dorm. I suggested if she still wants to live at home, that she could do an FYE semester abroad (which should only be 2-3K).