Weekend an Important Tradition?
About a month after settling in on campus—whether that’s in one of the many dorms or a sweet Ohio University off-campus rental—students start to miss home and their families. Surely the university realizes this, because one of their most popular weekends is only about a month after classes start.
Family Weekend returns this year from September 19th-21st and brings with it an itinerary of fun. And with its fairly loose naming, students play host to nearly anyone within their immediate family or people who are close to them. It’s a great event especially for those college freshmen who are away from home for the first time and missing their loved ones.
What Goes on at Family Weekend?
Family weekend offers students, parents, and other loved ones a chance to see one another during the middle of the semester. The university puts on engaging events from outdoor recreation, sports, performing arts, and even music shows. They give a good-natured Bobcat welcome to attending students’ families while providing ample activities to take part in. For a list of events to attend on Family Weekend, keep an eye on Ohio University’s Family Weekends page for an up to date list.
Why is Family Weekend an Important Tradition?
Family weekends are important for a number of reasons, but the biggest—and perhaps most obvious—is that it keeps students and their families close even through the physical distance. First-time students are especially susceptible to homesickness while being away at school, and a chance to see their families after a month on their own is a huge boon for their wellbeing.
Parents and families are naturally curious about what their student is up to while they’re off at college. It gives them an opportunity to learn more about their students’ lives away from home, and it gives students the opportunity to show off Athens, their student rental apartment, and even the friends they’ve made on campus.
While technically parents and families are welcome to visit on any weekend, Family Weekend and its other associated weekends offer a structured time for families to descend upon Athens and see how their students’ academic and social lives are going. Paired with all the events the university puts on, it’s a great time all around and not one to miss out on.