Joining Parent Facebook Pages to Get a Feel of the School

[Anonymous]

Do any of you do this? I did it this for my first born, and it helped me understand some of the “good, the bad and the ugly” of my kid’s top choices.

Some groups only let you join once you show acceptance letter (looking at you UVA group). I get it sounds like too much hovering, but if we are paying for their schooling, then we should have a good understanding of what our kids are getting into, and what is expected of us.

Ok, go ahead, and say I need to cut the umbilical cord!

[Anonymous]

cut. the. cord.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I would not do this. It's mostly the most intense parents fretting about minutia they shouldn't even think about, and not a realistic picture at all of what the schools are like. I'm not even in my kids' college facebook pages anymore.

[Anonymous]

I mean I wouldn't do it - I find those accounts kind of crazy anyway and not really reflective of my kids' experience (at least at one school) so it wouldn't be helpful to me.

Plus this is about what your kid wants not you. So who cares if you like the vibe of the parents?

[Anonymous]

This is insane but you'll fit right in because the Facebook group parents who post their anxious stream-of-consciousness are all outlier nuts too.

[Anonymous]

I did, and told my child what kinds of things people were worried about (it was different at different schools). It was an additional data point, although small.

[Anonymous]

I’m surprised some schools allow people who aren’t parent of admitted or current students to join.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised some schools allow people who aren’t parent of admitted or current students to join.

Yeah. Any group where you would actually learn anything of substance is going to be behind a proof-of-current-student gate of some sort. Groups that are open enough that anyone can join are going to be low-volume, purely logistics groups that won't tell you anything. I don't think this will give you many insights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised some schools allow people who aren’t parent of admitted or current students to join.

Many, maybe most or even all, of these groups aren't administered by the colleges themselves. That said, there are some that have an affiliation with the school where administrators sometimes chime in on a topic. The legitimate ones can be a good resource for information.

[Anonymous]

Those pages are wastelands

[Anonymous]

I joined so I knew when graduation was and the best place to park .

[Anonymous]

I belong to the parent’s FB group at my youngest’s school. It’s mostly just a complaint fest with very little useful information. And the complaint are really outlier issues, such as a leaky shower, and social adjustment issues with kids who are struggling to make friends or find their place. Any useful information is a copy and paste from what the school already sent in an email. Just my experience at one school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I would not do this. It's mostly the most intense parents fretting about minutia they shouldn't even think about, and not a realistic picture at all of what the schools are like. I'm not even in my kids' college facebook pages anymore.

this!!

[Anonymous]

I don't know that they are a "wasteland" that's a little intense.

I know we got advice on ... where do you trust to get your car fixed.

My son was in a car accident and is in the hospital, we are driving to the hospital but it's 5 hours away and I can't get anybody on the phone has anybody experienced this. Mom #2 enters the chat, here is my phone number I am 5 minutes away from the hospital give me a call and I can drive there.

My daughter tore her ACL can you recommend an orthopedic?

There were a few parents that never went to college that asked questions about how to navigate college, and I don't think if you went to college, you don't know how much knowledge transfer you give to your kids without even thinking about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did, and told my child what kinds of things people were worried about (it was different at different schools). It was an additional data point, although small.

The same. One parent group I’m in is discussing how frantically difficult it is to find housing after freshman year. This is information that is useful to know.

I assume that the parents reflect the extremes, but if one group spends all their time saying how hard it is to get into pre-requisite classes and another group for a different school is largely focused on ride sharing to the airport for environmental reasons, it gives a flavor of the student body and concerns that should be considered.

This is a huge investment and it’s hard to know everything about a school in advance. These groups start to give you a sense of the actual student experience beyond what the school wants you to see.