Yale Parents thread

Colleges & Universities Yale University
4221

@scoutsmom, nice to know someone else’s son was not packed! Texts to my son last week: How’s the packing going? Response: Great! Not so much!! Managed to get most of it done on Saturday, then packed the car after graduation/lunch.

I noticed the hesitancy to say goodbye as well, but I think my son really wanted to get home, as he was flat-out exhausted. Heck, even I had a hard time saying goodbye to his friends/roommates :frowning: He will be doing some traveling with them this summer, so I guess that made it a bit easier.

Son declined the Boola Bash; sounds like we didn’t miss much.

It was a great four years, for him and for us. And a nice weekend to end it all.

4222

From what I could gather, many of the freshmen were ambivalent about going away for the summer. I can only imagine what it will be like when they graduate.

4223

My son graduated yesterday, so a few thoughts for both new and returning parents:

My son’s freshman entryway stayed together for all four years, rooming in different configurations for sophomore, junior and senior years. The 24-pack, as they affectionally dubbed themselves, even went on vacations together, including trips during winter break, spring break and summer vacations to: Southhampton (LI), Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Myrtle Beach, Utah and Vermont (skiing), and East Asia (Bali, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines). He truly found at Yale what Marina Keegan so aptly called “The opposite of loneliness.” Consequently, there were many overlapping parties during the three days of graduation, so we missed many of Yale’s planned events like Boola Boola Bash etc.

Graduation was a never ending extravaganza. Unlike other college’s, Yale’s commencement speakers do not speak at graduation, but on CLASS DAY. So, Class Day is not to be missed.

The actual graduation ceremony itself in the old yard – with 8,000 other parents and alumni – was very boring. The president of Yale stands before the graduates saying “As President of Yale, I confer the degree Bachelor’s of Arts on 936 of you (or whatever the number was); I confer the degree Bachelor’s of Science on 302 of you (or whatever the number was). That cermoney could actually be missed, and as it was overcast and cold, we could have skipped that event.

The ceremony NOT to miss is the one in the residential colleges, proceeding the big graduation ceremony, where the Master and Dean bring the graduates up one-by-one to receive their diploma and to give out awards. That was very special.

Since the 1860’s, Yale gives graduating students a traditional clay pipe, which they, along with their classmates, are supposed to smoke together as a sign that the pleasures of college life have ended. (I’m sure tobacco was not the only thing smoked in those pipes, but I digress.) My son and all his friends did this last night (the evening before move-out). So, parents should plan to allow their students the time to say goodbye to the friends the night before move-out day and not plan events or dinners for that night.

Graduating seniors need to be out of their rooms by 12 noon following graduation, so plan on helping your son or daughter lug couches, garbage and suitcases out of their room to make the deadline.

All-in-all it was a wonderful long weekend not to be missed!

4224

Parent of an incoming freshman here. Just feel so blessed to have four years to look forward to visiting my son at Yale.

4225

I would disagree with Gibby about the actual big commencement event being boring and missable. Your DS or DD should not miss it, and I am glad I did not! The graduate school graduation and luncheon in the department was special and intimate, but it is not to be missed seeing all the grads together on the old campus as they are pronounced graduated!

4226

I also enjoyed the spectacle of the Old Campus ceremony. All the flags of the colleges and the graduate schools, and the cheers from each group of graduates. It was worth it for us. Just be aware that you will almost be certainly be watching it “live” on the Jumbotron!

Edited to add: IMHO you can skip Boola Bash. Total waste of (small amount of $) and the effort to get over there. If you go to the Whif etc. concert get there early. Even if you’ve paid for the best seats, they are not assigned, and people “reserve” seats well before so you may end up in a lower money location if you actually want to sit not-alone in your group.

4227

@gibby - Congrats to your son and to you! And thank you for all the valuable info and wisdom you have so generously shared on this thread and others. You have been a tremendous help. Hope you’ll be sticking around these parts for a while! : )

4228

@gibby Ditto what @bookmobile said! I’m saving your last post so I can remember it in three years. My son just finished his freshman year, and we are all sad that 25% of his time at Yale is already over. He is moving into his residential college’s big party suite next year with his entryway guys, and they are all such good friends–I can’t imagine how close they’ll be by 2018. It’s been a huge blessing to know that our son has created another “family” at school. What an incredibly special place Yale is.

4229

From the Yale song Bright College Years…these words kept coming to mind throughout graduation weekend.

“But time and change shall naught avail
To break the friendships formed at Yale.”

4230

I too cannot believe how the time has flown! Graduation was wonderful but exhausting for my son’s grandparents, they were troopers about all the events, but for folks in their 80’s it was a real challenge. Joe Biden’s late arrival at class day (almost an hour late) made for a long afternoon of sitting in folding chairs for them. So glad we opted for the Omni, even though the expense was significant, its proximity to campus and comfort for the old folks was absolutely essential. We booked it and paid for it in May 2014, so the sting of the cost was well past us. My son also stayed with all his buddies from Freshman year on, so many strong bonds, Yale is a special place.

4231

I enjoyed my Old Campus ceremony way back in 1982 though it was cold and damp. Looking forward to my D’s in 2018. Congratulations to the Class of 2015 and welcome to the wonderful world of Yale alumni!!!

Also, my D’s 6 person suite is staying intact when they move to JE as sophomores next year. My D’s stay at home is short lived. She is going back to Yale on May 31 for 4 weeks of German and then 4 weeks of German study in Berlin in July. She is over the moon happy. Me not so much.

4232

I enjoyed both Class Day and the Graduation ceremony. I have a great picture of my son shaking hands with Biden, who is, of course, staring at his hat. And I was surprised to see Elon Musk, Janet Yellen, and the other notable honorary degree recipients at Graduation - nice bonus!
The car is mostly unpacked and I’m hoping JE will be understanding about not vacating by noon…or 1…or 2. But we were definitely not the last to leave.

Scoutson will finally make it home tomorrow and will start the unpacking/repacking for his own apartment. This is a process…

4233

My son arrived in Prague today… doing a summer class. I’m proud of this kid for making all the travel connections.
He booked an AirBNB until the Yale apartments open on Sunday. (Now for some Zzzzzzzzsss)

4234

I’m trying to figure out (again) hotels for graduation. They all seem to be non-refundable. Grandparental illness is a real concern. I don’t want to reserve 2 rooms when we need only one.

So, if I’m spending a gazillion dollars on hotel, which do I want? (The Study, my personal favorite, is already booked solid.)

4235

You can book at the Hampton in New Milford and it’s refundable. I did that for our 2015 graduation. I ended up cancelling it, as we chose to use on-campus housing (somewhat cheaper, and certainly more convenient, but much less “glamorous”. No way was I spending $1500 per room for the weekend. On campus housing is offered in the fall (October?) so you can decide then.

4236

We live in New York City, so we commuted from home to graduation last month driving 90 minutes each way for several days. But friends of my son rented a house from AIRBNB (https://www.airbnb.com) that was cheaper than any New Haven area hotel and gave them flexibility in terms of the number of guests staying there. You might want to try that option, as some hotels also require a 4-night minimum stay during graduation.

4237

My D completed her L3 German class at Yale in June and is now in Berlin taking L4 and loving every minute of it. Cramming a whole semester in four weeks is brutal, exact same amount of work. The time in New Haven was a struggle cause there was not that much to do and she was lonely. The whole class transplanted to Berlin and being there is making all the schoolwork worthwhile. However, I am about to spend my first 4th without her so I am a little sad.

4238

Some questions related to residential college food and cost.

Just saw the recently uploaded Youtube clips from Yale Daily News and noticed that each College Master Aide enthusiastically introduces the cafe/hang-out area where students can have some late night snacks or drinks. I also noticed there are prices listed with the items. So, …, I wonder if we should prepare some extra money for this kind of ‘hidden’ dining cost? or it is covered under the meal plans? do you stock snacks or drinks for your children at their dorm rooms when you move them in? My boy is an eating machine…

Thanks!!!

4239

I don’t think my DD ever ate in her “Buttery” (I got the impression it was rather unhealthy food) but she did fairly often get take-out or go to G-Heav for food when the dining hall got “old”. Whether or not you budget for it, or expect your kid to cover that with his own money is of course up to you. We kept our monthly allowance from HS the same during college (and it was smaller than many kids from what I hear). She earned money from summer jobs and used that to cover her extras.

4240

My DS finished his 1st year in May and we never gave him extra money, although we paid for all his flights coming home on all his breaks. He did make money working at Yale and he used that for extra expenses plus he had good savings from the summer before starting college.