Here’s what you’ll see- mostly hovering parents asking dumb questions that can be found elsewhere. Occasionally there is a legit question but rarely.

this was very useful - and convinced me to stay off unless I have a very specific question like a PP

Anonymous wrote:OP -From my experience I think it is fair to say that the parent groups and student experiences don’t really reflect each other. Your kids experience visiting and attending a class if possible is a much better way to get a sense of the school.

Agreed. Not a good place to get a feel for student life. Sometimes some useful nuggets of informaton, but mostly just over-involved parents fretting about stuff that their kids should be able to figure out.

OP -From my experience I think it is fair to say that the parent groups and student experiences don’t really reflect each other. Your kids experience visiting and attending a class if possible is a much better way to get a sense of the school.

Anonymous wrote: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!

There was nothing useful to be gleaned from my kid's huge state school parent's page in the midwest. There were weirdos, including another parent from my kid's high school, who shared way too much personal info about their kid on a facebook page with 15k people. We also had people putting out fake looking-for-a-roomate posts for their kids that were fakes. I've been on several parent fb pages and most of them contain the same questions about dorms, food service, etc,

I joined - and dropped out of - those groups very quickly. Toxic drama-ladden blowhards mostly, coupled with a few ditzy parents of clearly equally ditzy kids ("Princess lost her backpack. Where should she look for it?")

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

Yeah I wouldn't want all these people without kids there lurking in the group. Said as a parent of a current college kid and with one applying now.

I found ours to be helpful, particularly with regard to graduation, such as when to book hotel rooms (when the booking opens), which is not on the school website and about which the student know nothing. It was also helpful regarding local auto repair shops and good restaurants for parents when we are in town. There was a big fire that destroyed one of the off-campus apartments (everyone was safe, thank goodness), and the Facebook page provided a lot of updates and where to get help for their kids (many of whom lost their devices, car keys, etc.).

Yes, there are some helicopter parents, but overall it has been helpful.

Join, follow but never comment. Realize the 1/2 the people are bat$hit crazy oversharers, but it is helpful for things like move-in day info and particular dorm stuff and local area peculiarities.

I’m just a chronic lurker.

Using FB for any reason except for FB marketplace is a red flag. You are lying with dogs. I deleted my account a few years back and am living my best life. I have two kids in high school and will gladly miss out on everything that goes on in these groups.

I agree with sorting through the crazy parent posts, but there are some helpful hints on things like move-in, local restaurants and transportation options, especially for out of state families.

Anonymous wrote:

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

They want prospective parents to get answers, that's a good thing. Also some are not run by the schools, but by parents, so it's their choice what to do.
I joined for most of the schools my kids were considering applying to, then dropped once kid decided where to attend.

I joined a couple of groups for my current college student's school. He is out of state and I do learn occasional helpful information that I pass along to my son.

I wouldn't advise joining school pages at this stage, unless your student has already narrowed choices to a couple. The topics that are most useful for feedback IMO are related to housing, study abroad, and healthcare, which are topics that you likely don't need to worry about yet. You'd get a better pulse on campus issues from the student newspapers.

I also have a high school senior and don't plan to bother with FB for that student until the spring, at the earliest. YMMV.