If the college or university your student has selected offers a Parent/Family Orientation program, we encourage you to attend. You may have been on campus several times during the admissions process; you may have another child at the same institution; you may even work at the school or you went to the college yourself. The college experience is different for every student, and orientation helps you understand how this transition is likely to affect your student and any members of your family. Attend orientation with this student and this timeframe in mind.
Parent/Family Orientation can help you support your student’s academic, social, health, and personal development through the transition to the first year and continuing for the rest of their time in college. Research shows that parents are important to student success. When family members understand and support the academic, social, health-related, and personal development that occurs during a first-year student’s transition to college, their student is more likely to succeed and thrive. If you are unable to attend a Family Orientation session in person, find out if there is an online orientation for parents.
Parent/Family Orientation provides valuable information about the resources and opportunities available to you and your student. It helps you understand what to expect during your student’s first year at college. Current students and staff members from a range of campus offices will be available to answer your questions. Parent/Family Orientation often runs concurrently with your student’s orientation, which means you may be separate from your student throughout much of the orientation program.
For more information about Student or Parent/Family Orientation at your student’s school, contact the Orientation office or the Office for Student Affairs. The Admissions office will also be able to guide you to the right office.
Since enrolling as a freshman is an overwhelming experience for both the student and parents, the parent orientation was very helpful and reassuring. It touched on safety, housing, food service, tours of the campus and dorms, resources for both students and parents. We live 3 hours away from the campus, so it was very reassuring to have the sessions handled so well and by so many caring individuals working to make the parents feel comfortable.
-Parent of a first-year student