Life Advice: Family Weekend
After spending two months at Exeter for the new school year, Exonians are welcomed by Parents Weekend. It falls at a time when seniors are beginning to finalize their Early Decision college applications, the uppers and lowers take their PSATs, and preps are learning the ins and outs of their new home. Some of you have reached out to us to ask about this special weekend.Here are our reponses...Q1: My parents live too far away so they’ve told me that they can’t make it to Parents weekend. To make matters worse, all of my friends’ parents are coming so I will be left on campus all alone. What can I do?YOOSK: As someone whose parents have never been able to make it to family weekend, I can assure you that there are things you can do to not feel lonely. I’ve noticed that parents of Exonians are often very friendly, so if you’re lucky they might invite you to dinner or something. Even if that's not an option for you, make sure to get in contact with your parents so they don’t feel too guilty about not visiting you.Q2: I’ve barely talked to my parents this whole term. It’s my senior year, and it’s not that I don’t want to, I’m just so busy recently. The few times that we do talk, we usually talk about college. I’m so stressed that on Sundays I’m usually rushing to get my homework done instead of calling them like I usually did when I was a lower or prep. Now that they’re coming up, I’m not sure how to deal with everything. It’s all a little overwhelming. YOOSK: There are indeed a few things to be worried about. Starting with the classic: what if my parents aren’t happy with my midterms or how far along I am in the college process? Make sure that you assure your parents that things are okay. Your parents should be there if you have anything that you’re nervous about or something that you need to discuss. This being said, if you feel that you have everything under control, and your parents are constantly pressing you to tell them about colleges, maybe give them a reminder that you haven’t seen them in a while. There are more important things to talk about than college, and try to enjoy your time with family for the weekend. Parents weekend is supposed to be a break from stress.Q3: With family weekend approaching, my family, my girlfriend’s family and I are planning to have dinner together. It’s a party of nine, so it’s bound to be a little chaotic. I’m nervous that our families won’t get along. Also, we both have little siblings, what if they fall in love as well? Will her parents like me? There’s a lot to worry about, what’s the best way to present myself?SIMPY: First and foremost, make sure to disrupt any romance between each of your little siblings. You dont want two love affairs between your familes. Second of all, make sure to dress in dresscode at dinner. Even if you eat at dhall or laso, if you really want to leave a lasting impression you need to appear to be the model exonian. You know what that means: full suit, pocket square and all.Q4: So I have a girlfriend… whom I haven’t told my parents about. I don’t want them inquiring about my love life but they’re bound to see me hanging out with her at some point. What can I do?SIMPY: Sometimes you just gotta go to great lengths to keep a secret. To avoid that awkward conversation and hours of pestering from your parents, I suggest you act like a complete stranger in front of her. If she tries to go for a hug, push her away and leave immediately. You might have a lot of explaining to do to your girlfriend after parents weekend is over, but it will be worth it. Do you have any questions or concerns about Life at Exeter?Submit your questions to exonianaf@gmail.com and await aresponse in The Exonian from our very own Life Advisors!