Harvard Crimson

In a perfect world, Family Weekend would have been the perfect opportunity for my parents to appreciate my newfound maturity as they witnessed me navigate campus and college life with ease. Instead, they would arrive on campus to find me in a state of madness induced by three midterms who had magically decided to schedule the first two days of Family Weekend (an incredibly convenient timing, universe). Although I would love to spend time with them this family weekend (and I will during this time). weekend part), I will desperately need privacy to study (and cry), so I started brainstorming where to put them before I have to face my academic struggles. Not to be a gatekeeper, these are the places at the top of my list.

Your room

Meaning your room, so you make the rules. No one can tell you not to leave your parents unsupervised in your dorm room for long periods of time… except for your housing contract. Or maybe conscience. This family weekend, your parents will be able to walk a mile in your shoes (read: walk back and forth in the prison cell you call home) and see first-hand what your life is like. If Family Weekend is about parents “learn everything Harvard has to offer” I can’t think of a better place to start than lodging. However, you will need to set aside some time before your parents arrive decontamination organizing your room so your parents don’t find contraband spend the rest of the weekend questioning your ability to function.

The courtyard of your house

If you prefer not to leave your family unattended in your room, consider placing them in the courtyard of your home. Since many home yards require swipe access to exit (why), they are extremely secure, which means your parents he won’t be able to escape will remain safe. We may be filmmakers, but if my mother is to be believed, our parents’ childhood was iPad-free and very outdoorsy. Sitting on the manicured lawn in the middle of the house will allow them to reconnect with nature and reminisce about their younger days. If it’s warm, they’ll have the perfect opportunity to enjoy the end result of the gazillion chemical treatments Harvard sprays on the grass. If it’s cold, they may be less inclined to romanticize campus, but you can use this to your advantage; once they feel the chill, they’ll be much more receptive to your arguments about their need for caffeine if you insist on using your drinks as a hand warmer.

One of the libraries

Many campus libraries allow parents to visit the library – even unaccompanied! — as long as they come with “Familijny Weekend” buttons pinned to their chests. (The same goes for museums and gyms on campus.) So drop your parents off and then leave. On the run. (If I’m forced to give a comprehensive tour of the bunker where I spent my reading period, I may spontaneously combust. It’s never good when I’m surrounded by flammable materials.) Libraries are intended to keep visitors occupied for several hours in a row while also providing entertainment (i.e. books and computers) and basic amenities (i.e. restrooms and vending machines), but it doesn’t really matter; my parents really need a temperature controlled room to find more motivational messages to spam me on WhatsApp.

Off campus

OK, You are I won’t be leaving campus any time soon, but you can live vicariously through your parents. Boston and the rest of Massachusetts offer many attractions suitable for a day trip, especially if this is your family’s first visit and they haven’t visited the typical tourist spots yet. From the beaches of Cape Cod and the monuments at the Charlestown Navy Yard, to food tours in the North End and an incredible number of museums, your parents will have plenty of opportunities to have fun (without you) as they leave the black hole of joy that is campus. (I actually love the campus. I really do. Totally.) However, if your parents are like mine, they will rely solely on your recommendations and then start ignoring 80 percent of them, so you might be better off spending that time studying mid-semester.

Indefinite

Your parents are adults. So maybe, just maybe, it’s not up to you to manage the hours you’ll have to spend away from them this family weekend. Let them discover! If the number of tourists is any indication, the Yard and Science Center Plaza are enjoyable regardless of your familiarity with the campus. Additionally, your parents can try their hand at a new version of Russian roulette: check whether the random people they greet at the Yard are other student families or just another group of tourists.

Your parents may be initially annoyed at being unceremoniously dumped in a corner of campus, but I’m sure they’ll eventually come back… most likely after you’ve spent too much time with them this weekend and thus doomed yourself to the worst Sunday scares possible. . No one said combining parents and school activities was easy.