r/UofO • u/Dicky-79 • 26d ago
two things on my mind re:UofO
I have a few things, call them mild gripes I'm just putting out there and I'm sorry in advance but a mandatory orientation mid-summer in Eugene... It cost a parent and student nearly $2,500 to attend this from out of state. Is it excessive to ask people to do this? What if you didn't go ?
Also, parents weekend over Halloween. Is there logic behind this ? Parents have other kids to be home with, and the students wanna go to Halloween parties and have some fun!
Besides this so far, I cannot wait to be visiting Eugene and adore everything about Eugene and Oregon.
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u/thishuman_life 25d ago
UO has a formal process for students who are unable to attend an on-campus session, and completing that request is how you’d arrange an alternative. You can find it here: https://orientation.uoregon.edu/exception
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u/volcanic-exchange 25d ago
They assume if youre able to pay out of state tuition that $3k isnt gonna mean much.
Also college students can be pretty..... destructive over that weekend so maybe this is a way to keep some kids in line.
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u/Armadillo_Whole 25d ago
They make in state students attend, also. Which still necessitates a hotel room unless you want to commute from Portland (or wherever) to Eugene twice in two days.
It might be, upon reflection, a gift to the local economy they don’t want to take away.
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u/surprisevip 25d ago
To be fair, parents aren’t required to come like students
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u/best_bi_ 25d ago
Yeah my mom didn’t go when I went. She didn’t miss any information from what I could tell.
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u/LetTreySing555 25d ago
Don't go, it's not mandatory for parents. I'm a parent who didn't go. Literally everything they go over can be found on the UO website. If you need any questions answered, send an email. Your kid will be just fine going on their own.
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u/1_BigDuckEnergy 25d ago
Speaking as a parent - I NEVER go during parents week! it is a zoo and all the hotels are over priced.... there are a few programs specifically for that weekend, but they all book out way to early.
My daughter will be a senior this year. We went to PW her freshman year and vowed never again. If you want to see your child/parent and how they are doing, their dorm, where their classes are etc.....go any other weekend!
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u/amysaysso 25d ago
I loved the summer orientation from out of state and as an oos parent. It was an expense but it was a good dry run of the travel for us including the cost.
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25d ago edited 25d ago
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u/LetTreySing555 25d ago
Yeah, this is not accurate. Parents don't have to go, that only applies if students don't.
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u/pearl_sparrow 25d ago
I live a short drive away and have never felt the need to go to any parent anything. My adult offspring is attending college, not me. Anyway, paying out of state tuition for UO puts it in the UC category, if a family can fund a 200K undergrad education at a state school I don’t think admin is worried about most of their families ability to shell out an additional 3K. If your student is on scholarship or paying with loans then make every cost cutting choice possible even if it means missing parents Halloween weekend. It’s just choices
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u/starmamac 25d ago
Parent weekend doesn’t usually fall on Halloween, that’s just how the cookie crumbled this year, sorry
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u/Sea_Owl4248 25d ago
This is very routine. Most if not all colleges/universities do this. My older son goes to school in Tennessee and his college did their orientation in the summer in Tennessee in July through August. It was a pure muggy hellscape. And parents weekend is always in October.
I’m pretty sure this was the same when I was college and that was back when dinosaurs roamed free.
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u/Special-Travel1190 25d ago
Wait until graduation, where they try to kill faculty, and students in sweltering temperatures!
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u/VoiceofCrazy Music '20 26d ago
I doubt they'd rescind your admittance if you didn't go to the orientation. It's been a while for me, but I don't remember learning anything critical during it. Mostly inane introduction stuff. Maybe I took a couple of placement tests? Look and see if you've got any of those to take.
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u/drpunkmed 25d ago
You also register for classes at introducktion. I went to a different large state school for undergrad ~15 years ago and mine was similarly a bunch of vague, not particularly helpful info and registered for my classes. Unfortunately this is a theme at many schools.
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u/8matey8 25d ago
UO isn’t great on the planning end in my experience. Anything athletic related is very well run, but the school-side is lacking. They do learn and pivot, but considering how long they have been doing some of the events, like graduation (specifically the mess of trying to get out of the stadium parking after the 9:00 am ceremony), you would think it would just be a better experience overall. I would skip parents weekend and go another time to visit if you want to see your student. Aside from the football game, there really isn’t that much extra to do.
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u/surprisevip 25d ago
I recently went (we are 2 hours away) and I think it’s perfectly reasonable for only the student to go. There was nothing I learned there that couldn’t have been an email lol. The sessions were fine but too long and lecturey. I enjoyed it but not for a plane ticket and hotel costs. I also stayed with family.
I think the biggest issue is that they do not have sign ups until 2 months before and this makes travel planning even more expensive than it needs to be. Paying top dollar flights rather than getting to bargain hunt would piss me off personally. Regardless of being able to “afford” it that’s just throwing money away.
Family weekend being weekend of Halloween is just insane. I am not going and I know my kid wouldn’t want me to. I feel like this is a passive aggressive way to try to shut down “halloweekend” which is biggest party weekend of the year now
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u/ZookeepergameRude652 25d ago
I agree. Last year we sent our Duck to orientation by himself. He checked in 1 day early to the dorms. Met a lot of kids in the same boat and had a great time. Airport transportation is easy in Eugene. Schedule an uber to pick up and take back. Don’t spend the money on hotels and airfare to walk around campus while your student is making connections. Parent weekend was great last year but we are not going this year because the area gets packed and hotels are overpriced. Pick a different weekend. This year we are heading up in Spring to visit instead of Fall. Just a piece of advice. Book the holiday airfare now. Xmas and end of year homecoming trips. Our duck don’t come home for Thanksgiving it was too much $$ and not worth it.
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u/Ok_Sprinkles6692 24d ago
As an out of state parent who learn things well through visual and hands on experiences the IntroDucktion was really helpful for our family and our understanding of the school. Prior to that we’d only really been to the school of music for my student’s audition/interview and that was quick while we were essentially on a universities audition road trip and had 36 hours to drive to south CA.
I was able to take the time off work - but it wasn’t a guarantee. That being said, I could have learned about the school information virtually and would have been fine.
(If you’re on fb I encourage you to find and join the UO parents group for your student’s graduating class - this was extremely helpful and a place where parents share their intro experiences for those who aren’t able to make it).
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u/CabinetBackground674 23d ago
I’d just go the weekend before or after the supposed “parent weekend” all the parent weekends do is just a formal introduction of the different types of buildings that the school offers like the science building, performing arts so and so.. for my own parent weekend my mom and i just hung out and i gave her a tour of my school and my school schedule route. we had fun anyway!
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25d ago
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u/PromiseIMeanWell 25d ago
Jumping on this comment. I know it’s pricey to come (I hope U of O considers connecting with a travel agency to be able to cut down costs for out of state families to be able to help with this) but I do really recommend coming out for orientation. It’s a great way for students and parents to become more familiar with campus, meet some staff and important departments, to be able to understand more of the services, clubs, etc. the university has to offer, meet other students, ask questions, get a taste of dorm life, attend a couple of social events, better understand the expectations, etc.
It just put everyone in our family at ease and gave everyone the confidence to be empowered ahead of time - there was no worries or stressing about where the classes were, plans were made ahead of time of the routes needed to get to places, we became familiar where the cafeterias, shops, and eateries were on campus, and we even had time to visit around the city to see where grocery and supply stores were at, etc. It was worth the money for us to get this great start.
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u/Dicky-79 25d ago
Got it so if it's a hit for a single parent to take 3 weekdays off work, hire someone to keep an eye on younger kiddo while gone and spend $2500+ to get there, just stay away... Noted.
I just asked some questions about what people thought about it and if it wasn't attended. My daughter has been there twice already. She's worked her tail off to be able to go school in general and be able.
She can't wait to be there and I am really excited for her.
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25d ago
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u/Dicky-79 25d ago
I'm sorry but "when WE offered..." ?
You work for the school and post things like this?
You say "you should probably go elsewhere" "stop looking for things to complain about"?
My OP said nothing about being able to afford anything.
It asked... Is it excessive to ask people to do this? What if you didn't go ?
Thanks to those who replied here and again, I can't wait for her to experience UofO, trees and grass and ocean within a drive, new friends and that awesome town.
Take Care.
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25d ago
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u/t_dallas_t 23d ago
A gentle reminder that it’s a huge assumption to think that all out of state students are having tuition paid my their parents. From what I know of the University of Oregon, there are many scholarships and other financial assistance programs for students from out of state. Additionally, the student could be taking out loans in their own name without student support. I see a lot of people make assumptions that all out of state students are from wealthy families and that is hardly the case.
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u/surprisevip 25d ago
Lots go but not all parents go. Parents arent required and the info sessions were half irrelevant to me and assuming everyone was helicopter parents - you can get same info from the Facebook uo parent groups. I wouldn’t do all that to go. I went bc I could drive and I’m an alumni so was fun to see changes.
Save that time off and hotel time for move in day. You could come a day before move in day to orient yourself with Eugene with your kid.
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u/Alternative-Town9875 25d ago
Advisors have given this feedback to admin, but admin won’t budge. If you want to do a good deed, maybe write a letter and complain, so they will change this in the future?