travel during college holidays

[Bootsie]

I am curious how long your children get out for Thanksgiving break and whether they travel home.  Our family has three different college schedules--one has no classes the week of Thanksgiving.  One ends class at 9:15pm on that Tuesday.  The third ends class at 12:00pm on Wednesday.  

 

If your child does have classes that week, as a parent would you prefer:

 

1) Professors cancel classes so that you can save money on flights and your child can spend more time at home

 

or 

 

2) Classes meet (after all you have paid a good deal for your child to be there), even if it means spending more for a flight home, a shorter visit, or no visit at all.

 

(These questions are not necessarily limited to Thanksgiving, but it seems to be the most problematic given that it is the busiest travel week for airlines and the upcoming final exam/Christmas break).

[regentrude]

Our college has the entire Thanksgiving week off. I remember years ago when we used to have classes on Mondays and Tuesdays; attendance was pitiful and holding class not effective since so many students missed.. 

DS' college has regular classes Monday +Tuesday, they are off starting Wednesday. That's OK for us since he only has  a short two hour drive.

DD's college has regular classes through Wednesday. That is a pain because it makes it difficult for students to leave town in time to get home. I hate it. Is that really necessary?

 

As a parent and as a professor, I would prefer colleges gave students the entire week off. Not only does it give students more time at home and flexibility for travel, it also does not force them to make the difficult choice between attending class and traveling home for Thanksgiving.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2017 by regentrude

[Mom22ns]

Both of my kids have class on Monday/Tuesday. I don't like it when teachers cancel, because inevitably one teacher won't, it will be the last class, and the kids are stuck waiting for it and wasting time lol. 

 

Mine do come home for Thanksgiving. It is the one time each year that all my family (I don't have much) gets together and they all come to my house. I never cared much about Thanksgiving growing up, but my dd says its her favorite holiday. She loves the family thing. This year, she will probably be with her boyfriend on Thanksgiving, but we actually celebrate on Saturday because not everyone has Friday off.

[Pawz4me]

Both of our boys' universities have classes on Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. It's not a problem for us one way or another since both of them are within a two hour drive of home. It is nice they don't have to deal with traffic on Wednesday, which can be horrific. I feel for families who have to figure out the logistics of airline travel for the holidays.

 

I don't care one way or another whether professors cancel classes on the day before a holiday break, but there have been times when DS21 had to hang around on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving when his earlier classes were cancelled but the last one of the day wasn't and he didn't want to miss it. That IS irritating.

[GoodGrief]

Wednesday to Sunday for both of ours, and they do not come home. I prefer a shorter break. It is so close to the winter holidays, and they can take off then.

[TammyS]

My son's school has classes through Wed.  Most students do attend, because they have strict attendance policies (6 absences, excused or not, and you are withdrawn) and an integrated program (which means you can't fail any classes unless you want to make up an entire year, there are no ala carte classes).  He does not come home, because it's just too far (opposite coasts) and not worth it.  Last year he came home for Easter for a week (I had the airline miles to spare) and he said that wasn't really worth it, either, because you spend 2 full  days traveling. So he will only come home for Christmas break.

[MerryAtHope]

Mine can commute, so it's not a big deal, but if they were away at school, I'd much prefer they have the whole week off. Wednesday to Sunday is pretty short when you add in traveling!

[gingersmom]

My daughter has the whole week off. She flies home for Thanksgiving the Saturday before and flies back the following Saturday.

[Kassia]

Mine have always had classes M/T or M/T/W.  They've always been close enough to home to either come home or we'd go get them (three hours each way).  They had no time off for Easter, which was a pain since they'd have to leave on Easter day to get back.  

[katilac]

My dd has 2 days for fall break in October and then 2 days for Thanksgiving in November, which I hate so much. 

 

She is a 7-hour drive away. She's flying home for break, because homesick, and will probably come home again for Thanksgiving because we are traditionally at our camp and Christmas break isn't a very good time to go. 

[Guest]

I would prefer no classes on Wednesday, making that the travel day.  Both dc had class M-W, understandable as the Us draw lots of students who only live 0-2 hours away.  What I don't like is the scenario of the dorm being closed Thursday, as going to class Wednesday afternoon combined with weather can make Thursday morning the better drive choice. Ds2's profs all say skip class, go home Wednesday if they aren't within 3 hrs of where they are going to spend Thanksgiving -- just email and get the notes from a friend, make safe travel and family the priority.  I am happy for classes to meet Monday and Tuesday as that means a longer winter break. 

 

When I was a freshman, it was difficult being farther than 2 hours away as all the dorms closed and we could not stay.  I had to find a ride leaving after classes Wednesday, and busses were out of the question as there weren't any in the evening. There was no airport shuttle at beginning or end of semester.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Heigh Ho

[Hoggirl]

Although ds has the entire week of Thanskgiving off, we only flew him home freshman year. The Big Game is always the Saturday before, and since he always wants to attend that, Sunday is the earliest day for him to travel home anyway. We flew him back on Saturday since Sunday-after-Thanksgiving flights are so expensive. That year, he then flew back home again one day shy of three weeks later for Christmas Break. Maybe we're bad/cheap parents, but we found it too expensive for how close together the two breaks were. We are far away, and a connecting flight is needed. Though we do now have *one* direct flight per day, that hasn't always been the case.

 

I do think it's nice ds has the whole week off, but he usually has assignments to do. We flew to him sophomore year (ON Thanksgiving Day - there's an inexpensive flight!), and he had made sure he had gotten his work done that M-W before we arrived. He had a Model UN conference junior year in Hawaii the weekend before. He just stayed in Hawaii. :) For senior year, we are flying out and staying in the area for ten days for a combined holiday visit and vacation for dh and me. That will allow us to avoid the true holiday travel. And also see The Big Game!

 

In my day, only Thursday and Friday classes were canceled - period. However, I was only a three-hour drive from home.

 

The frustrating situations I have seen for parents (n/a for us) are those where kiddos are farther away and are told there will be classes earlier in the week only to have the professor cancel them at the last minute to be "nice." For drivers, it's fine, but for those who need to fly, the late notice does no good.

[Bootsie]

 

The frustrating situations I have seen for parents (n/a for us) are those where kiddos are farther away and are told there will be classes earlier in the week only to have the professor cancel them at the last minute to be "nice." For drivers, it's fine, but for those who need to fly, the late notice does no good.

 

I worked at a state university where the governor would "close" the university at the last minute to be nice.  That also meant that any of the office staff who had taken vacation time still had that day counted as vacation time but those who had not asked for vacation time got the day off. 

 

As a professor, I find it a no-win situation.  As more and more professors cancel classes, fewer students stay.  Then I am left teaching to 1/3 of the class, which isn't productive but I don't want to waste the time of the students who did stay.  And then things keep backing up--well I don't have but one class on Friday--so why not leave the Thursday before Thanksgiving--and travel is so bad the weekend after Thanksgiving, my parents can save $200 if I wait until Monday night to come back....  I just find a lot of momentum of the semester is lost by Thanksgiving break.  I wish the US would do as the Canadians and celebrate Thanksgiving in October.

[Kareni]

My daughter attended college cross country so came home only at Christmas and for the occasional summer.  That said, my sister lived about an hour and a half away, so my daughter had a place to go for Thanksgivings.  I believe she had classes through Tuesday of Thanksgiving week.  Junior year, she was in New Zealand doing a semester abroad and had no Thanksgiving at all.

 

My daughter's sophomore year my husband and I traveled to her.  Instead of my sister coming to pick her up, we did.  I have NEVER seen her so surprised.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[creekland]

Oldest had a week off and caught a car ride home and back. 

 

Middle only had sometime Wed - Sun off and caught a car ride from my Aunt Thursday morning to get to our whole family get together (that we also travel to).  We met him there and later took him back to school returning the Monday after Thanksgiving to our house as that's always a school holiday (aka no work for me). 

 

I'm not really sure how much time youngest had off, but he never came home.  He always spent Thanksgiving near his school with friends who invited him.  If he didn't go with friends, his school throws a Thanksgiving feast so those who can't go home can all get together.  This year he's in Jordan, so I doubt he'll get any time off for the American holiday.  ;)

 

As a parent, I can't say I had a preference.  All three scenarios worked for us - and them.  It was ok for us that youngest didn't come home.  We knew he was enjoying himself where he was.  We had a lad from middle son's school join us for Spring Break one year when he couldn't afford to go home.  It was a blast getting to know him and he loved being on our farm + seeing Gettysburg, etc.

[regentrude]

I I just find a lot of momentum of the semester is lost by Thanksgiving break.  I wish the US would do as the Canadians and celebrate Thanksgiving in October.

 

I agree completely. Most years, we have two weeks of classes after Thanksgiving. It never really picks up, because the students have mentally checked  out.

Also, having the only break of the semester after week 13 is too late; it would be more beneficial for everybody to have a fall break at teh end of October and the come back for another six weeks of classes.

[katilac]

When your college student travels home for break and is greeted by an approaching hurricane . . .  :huh:

[catz]

I don't have a kid in college yet, but I think Thanksgiving is way too close to the holiday break to do a full week.  I'd rather have a longer holiday break.  Having it in October would be much better. 

[JeanM]

I agree that Thanksgiving is awkwardly placed. My ds's school has classes through Tuesday, so three days off. He's flying home Tuesday evening and flying back Sunday evening. It's expensive and not-optimal by a long shot, but he's *really* looking forward to coming home, even if it isn't for long. I don't know if he'll fly home for Thanksgiving every year or not. He does have a couple of days off in October for "fall break", but he'll stay on campus for that.

[Starr]

When dd was going to college locally she used to rake in a few extra points for showing up on those days before a scheduled holiday. Thanksgiving is a pain schedule wise.

[elegantlion]

I prefer having the whole week off, but generally it's never really a break, at least in my major. It's the time to finish papers which generally have due dates the week after break. 

 

I also dislike that it's our only real break this semester. We had labor day off and that's it until Thanksgiving week. It's only week 6 and people are already getting edgy and stressed. 

[FaithManor]

My guys only get a half day before Thanksgiving day and then the day of plus Friday and weekend after. One is currently commuting because of health problems, the other one I pick up in Kalamazoo at 1 pm on Wednesday which puts me home at 5pm or even a little later depending on traffic. I would put him in the train, but because the dorm closes at 1 he has a six hour wait for the train. So we make the run.

 

If youngest ds attends NMU or MTU next year he will get an entire week so potentially with the weekend before could be home eight days. But the lower peninsula schools tend not to give much of a break. To be honest, given that there is Christmas Break so soon after, I kind of wish schools kept a schedule, made Thanksgiving dinner for all the students on Thursday, and just only had that one day off but on campus. It is an awkward scheduling mess. If they did that, Christmas Break could be a couple of days longer.

 

Ds at U of Michigan Flint right now only gets Dec 23 - Jan. 2nd off. They run exams through the 21st and then pick right back up after the new year. There is no mid term break either, and since he tutors and heads up some clubs, he is commuting to campus the week before everyone else for meetings. It makes the semester very long, and with such a short Christmas Break, he is pretty burned out by final exams of the winter semester.