Family & Friend Visits
We know you’re looking forward to immersing yourself in new academic challenges and making new friends. Chances are, you may want to invite your family and friends to Boston for a visit so you can share the experience with them. If so, please view our policies for residential students regarding family and friend visits.
Daytime Visits
If a parent or guardian is in town and would like to spend time with you or if you would like to visit relatives or family friends within city limits, that visit must be scheduled during your free time when there are no activities planned. You must return to the dorm by curfew.
Students are allowed to leave campus during their free time. However, students are not permitted to leave campus by themselves—they must be accompanied by at least one other student in the program or by a program assistant. Students may not leave the boundaries set by the program within the city of Boston without the permission of their parents/guardians and our program. These boundaries will be reviewed with students once they arrive on campus. Our program reserves the right to restrict students’ access to any part of Boston for security or other concerns. When students do leave campus, they need to inform their program assistant of their destination and time of return. Students must return before any scheduled activity and before curfew. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in disciplinary action and possible removal from the program.
If a special family event or emergency arises that may overlap with the program, the student’s parent/guardian must email the Program Manager at summersh@bu.edu as soon as possible (and at least one week prior to the program start date). These requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and approval will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Do not use the Leave Request Form for these situations as approval must come directly from the Pre-College Programs staff via email. Examples of events that are generally not approved include college tours, athletic recruitment events, standardized tests, birthday parties, academic conferences, weddings, or family vacations/gatherings.
Overnight absence from campus
Pre-College Program participants may occasionally need to leave campus overnight. If a student needs to be away from campus overnight, this student’s parent or guardian must submit a Leave Request Form. This request must be received at least 72 hours before the student plans to leave campus, and for weekend requests by 3 pm EST on Friday. Requests are not reviewed on nights and weekends. The parent or guardian will need to provide a description of the visit, such as the date and time the student will be picked up and dropped off on campus, the cell phone number of the relative or family friend (at least 18 years of age) the student will be leaving campus with. We ask that overnight absences be kept to a minimum, as this program should take precedence over other activities, and participants are expected to take part in weekend activities. A student is authorized to leave only after the Summer Term Pre-College Programs office sends the student’s parent or guardian approval by email. Students are not permitted to miss any classes, labs, workshops, or mandatory activities as a result of an overnight absence.
