<p>That’s what worked well for us, only we’re closer, so D took Amtrak up to New Haven, and we then drove up with all her stuff. (Good thing, too, since there wasn’t room for her in the car!) We drove up the night before, moved her in the next morning, had some lunch, and then went home in the late afternoon after the reception at the Master’s House. Since you’re coming from much farther away, you may well want to spend the next night in New Haven also. There are various activities for parents, but after that second day they kick you out. :)</p>
<p>The students can’t move into their actual rooms until move-in day - they spend the first night of FOOT on campus, but not in their rooms. If you wait to come until the official day you’ll get to meet her suitemates, help her set up her room, and join in the general giddiness of the day. Make sure to wear comfy shoes, and be prepared to climb stairs!</p>
<p>Oh, and if you’re planning to go back for Parents’ Weekend in October, make hotel reservations now.</p>
<p>Booklady, Thanks for the great tips and the site!</p>
<p>My mother called today and wants to get my daughter her “sheets and stuff” for graduation. She wants my daughter to pick them out with her (I do think they would have fun doing this together). I notice that in the handbook for 2012 that they sell sheets and other items that “fit” the beds (which I beleive are twin XL). Should we plan to buy these items from Yale and I point my mom in a different direction for a gift? Anyone have experience purchasing them?</p>
<p>I think Yale’s prices are probably high, and I don’t know how much of a selection they have. Places like Bed Bath & Beyond start getting in loads of TwinXL sheets at the beginning of the summer, and since you’ll have a car, you can even order them online and pick them up at the BB&B in Hamden (a suburb of New Haven) if you don’t feel like schlepping them with you.</p>
<p>We bought D a full-size quilt rather than a Twin XL, so she’ll be able to use it on a regular bed after college. Make sure also to get some sort of cushy mattress pad, as it really makes the beds more comfortable. If you do a search, you’ll find lots of threads here about what to take to college, where to shop for stuff, etc.</p>
<p>We bought the Yale sheets, a mattress pad, a hamper and the under-bed storage fold-up things for the first kid. I think the prices were reasonable, but the sheets and mattress pad weren’t very good quality, the hamper broke, and we didn’t end up needing the storage. Oh well. The second time, I bought sheets on sale at Bed Bath & Beyond, and sent him with a sturdy laundry basket which works well for carting laundry up and down the stairs and for holding folded laundry. I think we bought the down comforter at the Company Store. One thing that we found really made a difference in comfort is buying a foam pad that goes on the mattress under the mattress cover.</p>
<p>I’m a h.s. senior and I got the new MacBook earlier this year. I come from a PC family, and I had to do a lot of research before I could convince myself into buying it. I love it, but I would wait for a few months after graduation if possible. Three reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li>Apple offers 10% educational discounts to students if (and only if) they have a valid college ID (K-12 doesn’t cut it). </li>
<li>An update to the Mac OS will probably be released in July</li>
<li>Mac typically does a MacBook back-to-school deal with a free iPod bundled with your purchase in July or August.</li>
</ol>
<p>I got a free printer with my MacBook and I’m finding it very useful. I’ve heard that it’s not a necessity to have one, but it saves you from trips to the library or mooching off your roommate. </p>
<p>Also, Apple’s warranty and support travels with you (and has a great reputation), and since most Macs come directly from Apple stores or online, I don’t think it’s any advantage to buy in New Haven.</p>
<p>nicknack, I had no idea about the Apple issues. I WILL take your advice! Thanks.</p>
<p>Yalemom2, will have buy the bedding before arrival. Thanks for the info. Very helpful. I was not aware that Twin XL were readily avaialble elsewhere…sounds like they are. Thanks again.</p>
<p>The largest “approved projects” yet to begin construction are construction of the two additional residential colleges and probably the renovations/preparations of the new Science West Campus. One cannot but infer that these will be put on hold until further notice. The capital market these days is completely nuts.</p>
<p>Levin states that FA considerations won’t be affected.</p>
<p>For the Class of 2013 this delay may mean that they will not have to “deal” with MAJOR construction all 4 years they are at Yale. The thought of cranes, trucks, pounding, torn up roads the entire time these students were attending did cross my mind… (I think the new residential colleges were originally planned to open in 2013). Maybe a silver lining for these students? However, I realize this is a selfish position. I think that these additional residential colleges are needed and the master plan seems well thought out. Science West Campus is “the future” for science students at Yale. Yes, the capital markets are nuts…</p>
<p>LOL: there have been cranes, blocked off sidewalks, pounding on campus ever since Yale was founded in its first four walls! (or at least that’s what it seemed like to me). I can’t recall ever (during my undergrad days or subsequent visits) that some portion of the campus wasn’t being restored or rebuilt. Surely there is a matter of degree but one can’t escape it. I recall roofworkers purposefully singing and banging away outside our bedroom windows in McClellan Hall to annoy us at 7AM on a Saturday morning… ahh those good ol’ days. LOL</p>
<p>When we visited last spring they were filming the Indiana Jones movie and I thought…I bet the everyone will be glad when all the big production equipment is gone…it must have overshadowed the construction that was likely omnipresent! Althought, I must admit that it was pretty fun to be there for part of the filming as we had no idea this was happening until we arrived for our visit. (No Indy sightings however).</p>
<p>I was surprised by this article in the Yale Daily News which says 20-30 percent of upperclassmen live off campus. I guess I was under the impression that 90+ percent of students live on campus all 4 years. As a parent, I thought this was a big plus for Yale.</p>
<p>(although I did live off campus myself (not New Haven) in the good old days…)</p>
<p>My older son, a rising senior, only has one friend who has lived off-campus. My son considered living off-campus next year, but only because he took a year’s leave of absence and most of his friends will be gone when he gets back. He decided it would be more expensive and way less convenient and has gone ahead and put his name in the housing lottery for next year.</p>
<p>What a great idea for a thread!! As a parent of a current freshman, I had many of the same questions this time last year as some of you. So here’s what we did:
BULLDOG DAYS: I went with D mostly because I was not sure I wanted her so far from home unless it felt right. I did not see my daughter at all during our 2 days there but I am really glad I went. There are some parent activities and lectures but I think they are mostly designed to keep parents busy and distract them from their kids. I sat in on classes, visited the museums and chatted with other parents.
ORIENTATION ACTIVITIES: D chose to do the 4-day FOOT program and loved every minute of it. We live on the west coast so she flew out first and we followed a few days later with her stuff. I highly recommend FOOT. D’s group still does reunions once a semester or so and she says it is great to see how everyone has adjusted so well.
DORM STUFF: We went with the pack and hold service with Bed Bath and Beyond. It was a lot of fun. D got to go to our local store and choose everything (and more) that she thought she needed for her room. The stuff is all held at a store near Yale (Milford was the closest one) and you only pay for what you end up buying. What’s great about this is we could check out D’s room first to see what was already there in terms of storage. In case you hadn’t already heard, the rooms at Yale vary considerably in terms of size and furnishings.</p>
<p>Thanks Dandemom!
My daughter is so excited! With the RD decisions today it feels so much more real to her. She officially accepted, is wearing a Yale sweatshirt, is actually giddy. I think she may do the longer FOOT (6 days?) as it sounds so great.</p>
<p>Welcome, everybody! My S is currently a junior at Yale, so I’d be glad to answer any questions as well. BlueHouseMom, regarding XL sheets and comforters, we found them in Wisconsin at both Kohls and Target, as well as Bed Bath & Beyond. Ordering larger things like fold-up bookcases etc. at your local BB&B and then picking them up in the New Haven-area BB&B works great. We also bought furniture etc. at the IKEA in New Haven. Regarding Bulldog Days, we both went (also have gone to every Parents Weekend) and had a great time. Fortunately, S enjoys having us there I would highly recommend both events. Congratulations to all of you! You’re in for a great experience having an S or D at Yale–it’s a wonderful place to be!</p>
<p>Parents: when you visit, I’m sure you’ll be taking your kids to a nice/fun restaurant. Ask if any of his/her roomies don’t have parents visiting much. Invite them (or all of them) out with you. Due to finances and work schedule, my parents only came out once, for my graduation. Boy, did I appreciate my friends’ parents when they took us out to eat off campus!</p>
<p>Wonderful thread. I am so glad there is a forum to ask questions to crrent Yale students & parents…I do not see any link for class of 2013 on Yale website. S is leaning towards Yale but also wants to check one other schools student days too. How is the bioengineering program at Yale. Can any current student in the program comment? I saw some article in Yalenews that wasn’t very comforting about lack of classes for Bioengineering students. Is that true?</p>
I would highly recommend both events. Congratulations to all of you! You’re in for a great experience having an S or D at Yale–it’s a wonderful place to be!</p>