USMA Family Weekend

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SJVA96

USMA 2025 Mom
Joined
Oct 26, 2020
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Does anyone know what happens during Family Weekend (in the fall)? I'm trying to figure out why we should visit that weekend over any other fall weekend as we have a conflict on Family Weekend and would rather visit another weekend. I can't find any information elsewhere about specific Family Weekend activities. Thank you.
 
It's no different than any other football weekend, there are just some extra festivities (and not much by that). If you come to another football game it won't really be any different. We don't get any more or less time off for family weekend. If you want to visit, I recommend coming on a weekend where there isn't a game (unless seeing Army football is a must) as you will get an extra five hours or so with your son/daughter.
 
prospective2019 said:
It's no different than any other football weekend, there are just some extra festivities (and not much by that). If you come to another football game it won't really be any different. We don't get any more or less time off for family weekend. If you want to visit, I recommend coming on a weekend where there isn't a game (unless seeing Army football is a must) as you will get an extra five hours or so with your son/daughter.
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Perhaps for an upper classman. For a Plebe I would not count on that.
 
SJVA96 said:
Does anyone know what happens during Family Weekend (in the fall)? I'm trying to figure out why we should visit that weekend over any other fall weekend as we have a conflict on Family Weekend and would rather visit another weekend. I can't find any information elsewhere about specific Family Weekend activities. Thank you.
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We understand a lot of this will depend on the academic year of your son/daughter. Plebes usually are limited to free time in their first semester (hence Plebe Parent Weekend) whereas Cows and Firsties generally have more OPP's and other privileges on weekends. If you just want to visit for a short time it shouldn't matter, but if you want to be able to leave Post with them, then it will likely be "hit and miss", especially for Plebes and Yuks.

There is no advance announcement on SAMI's, or Football Weekend privileges to be able to plan very far out. A lot also depends on your son/daughter's Company policies and standing. The TAC's can issue time off, and cadets can also request exceptions to policy to be able to leave or visit.

I would be careful if visiting a Plebe or Yuk on any given weekend as training and other duties (watches) occur all the time and the schedule is usually not given out real early. Better to try and make plans as early as possible based on your cadet's schedule and duties.
 
prospective2019 said:
Only Parent's Weekend I've experienced was as a Plebe.
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I am a c/o 2025 parent, so I admittedly know very little to nothing about West Point activities - but I think what the OP is referring to is what we were told is called Football Weekend and then the Parent Weekend for Plebe families is sometime in March-ish.
 
HopefulArmyMom2025 said:
I am a c/o 2025 parent, so I admittedly know very little to nothing about West Point activities - but I think what the OP is referring to is what we were told is called Football Weekend and then the Parent Weekend for Plebe families is sometime in March-ish.
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That was my assumption, that the OP was talking about Plebe year.
I would assume once you drop them off that you won’t see them Plebe year except invited weekends, Army/Navy, and holidays.
 
HopefulArmyMom2025 said:
I am a c/o 2025 parent, so I admittedly know very little to nothing about West Point activities - but I think what the OP is referring to is what we were told is called Football Weekend and then the Parent Weekend for Plebe families is sometime in March-ish.
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I am following; the one we are discussing is always centered around a football weekend. Plebe Parent Weekend is a banquet & other festivities that happens early spring. The one in the fall that OP is talking about is for all families of all classes and doesn't have too much going on besides the football game, which is why I recommend coming to another.

You can visit any weekend you want--we never have commitments following occasional training on Saturdays that go to noon and football games. Plebes can take walking privileges within 5 miles every weekend, and at least one pass, though I went on pass at least four or five times Plebe year from non-chargeable passes and performance passes.
 
Thanks to all for your feedback - it is very helpful! As suspected, I was not referring to Plebe-Parent Weekend but to the weekend in the fall in which the entire family is invited. It's called "Family Weekend" in the parent handbook.
 
SJVA96 said:
Thanks to all for your feedback - it is very helpful! As suspected, I was not referring to Plebe-Parent Weekend but to the weekend in the fall in which the entire family is invited. It's called "Family Weekend" in the parent handbook.
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🙂 makes sense!! I’ve been trying to piece together random FB posts on the class page, the mom page, the website, stuff on here and I think I got the whole football/family weekend (seems like they must call it both?) from the zoom (?) that was a few weeks ago but they never really described what it was - just when it tentatively would be. I didn’t have a clue what it was all about. Really glad you asked about it so we could hear more!
prospective2019 said:
I am following; the one we are discussing is always centered around a football weekend. Plebe Parent Weekend is a banquet & other festivities that happens early spring. The one in the fall that OP is talking about is for all families of all classes and doesn't have too much going on besides the football game, which is why I recommend coming to another.

You can visit any weekend you want--we never have commitments following occasional training on Saturdays that go to noon and football games. Plebes can take walking privileges within 5 miles every weekend, and at least one pass, though I went on pass at least four or five times Plebe year from non-chargeable passes and performance passes.
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Very helpful information. Thanks! I am looking forward to an eventual opportunity to see campus as long as it worked out with her training, any athletic events and academics. With everything the last year, neither of us have been able to visit.
 
HopefulArmyMom2025 said:
🙂 makes sense!! I’ve been trying to piece together random FB posts on the class page, the mom page, the website, stuff on here and I think I got the whole football/family weekend (seems like they must call it both?) from the zoom (?) that was a few weeks ago but they never really described what it was - just when it tentatively would be. I didn’t have a clue what it was all about. Really glad you asked about it so we could hear more!

Very helpful information. Thanks! I am looking forward to an eventual opportunity to see campus as long as it worked out with her training, any athletic events and academics. With everything the last year, neither of us have been able to visit.
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It's a beautiful place. Definitely take some time to walk around post, I'm sure your daughter will proudly show you around. It is easy for us to get lost in everything and forget how pretty it is, but it is a nice reminder for us to see it through our parents' eyes.

I recommend staying at the Thayer Hotel (only if non-football weekend--very expensive otherwise) or the Bear Mountain Inn. Within walking priv radius there isn't too much to do but you can go and hike the Trail of the Fallen or get food around Highland Falls.
 
prospective2019 said:
It's a beautiful place. Definitely take some time to walk around post, I'm sure your daughter will proudly show you around. It is easy for us to get lost in everything and forget how pretty it is, but it is a nice reminder for us to see it through our parents' eyes.

I recommend staying at the Thayer Hotel (only if non-football weekend--very expensive otherwise) or the Bear Mountain Inn. Within walking priv radius there isn't too much to do but you can go and hike the Trail of the Fallen or get food around Highland Falls.
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thank you!! 🙂
 
I was googling "plebe-parent weekend" tonight and this post came up, so I thought I thought that I'd comment now that I've been through a Family Weekend.

The bottom line is that @prospective2019 was spot on with everything they said in this post. In order to really visit with our DS, we would have been better off visiting on a non-football weekend. We were able to have dinner with our DS on Friday evening and again on Saturday evening, but he had to be back on post both nights. We also had lunch with him on Sunday before we left, but we live about 8 hours away and had to get back on the road fairly early (not that he was offended since he had hours and hours of homework to do). There were a few parent informational meetings on Friday morning, but I didn't learn anything that would have me recommend that every parent attend this weekend. It was also just generally difficult to navigate that weekend because of the congestion on post and in Highland Falls caused by all the visiting parents and families.

We have decided that we will visit on non-event weekends as much as possible in the future. The only exception to this being the upcoming plebe-parent weekend.

Thank you, @prospective2019 - your feedback on this forum is so very helpful, and I know you probably don't have much free time so your willingness to answer questions is very kind. I hope my DS has had the good fortune to run into you at WP!!!
 
I believe that before Covid, there were more special activities planned for the parents, which they would not have if they visited a different weekend. For example, parents used to be able to visit their cadet’s room, and I think they used to be allowed to eat a meal in the mess hall (if I am not mistaken on those points). However, due to Covid restrictions, those things were canceled, and parents weekend this year wasn’t much different than visiting any other weekend. Perhaps in the future, the situation will return normal, but that is anyone’s guess.
 
It is a very busy and crowded football weekend. More crowded even because parents are there too. If you are the parent of a plebe I would do R Day, A Day, maybe the Army Navy Game (not because you will spend a lot of time w your kid but because it is awesome), and Plebe Parent Weekend in March. That is 3-4 visits in a year. It is a lot. Otherwise. You can throw in a non-football three day weekend, and spend time w your cadet. Parents Weekend only started within the last ten years so it is not a storied tradition or anything like that. Also during the academic semester, your cadet is usually swamped w homework & other responsibilities. It is sometimes hard for them to make themselves available to us for more than a meal here and there.
 
Check with your cadet before making plans for family weekend. We saw ours for just a few minutes during the football game. He had a game the night before, the big game which was nice but he had other obligations and school work to do. He did offer to go to breakfast with us at 6 am on Sunday. They had other activities for family members to do, but he wasn’t able to join us for that.
 
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