My son worked at the Saybrook Buttery, and the food is fast, greasy and cheap: Although menu prices are not listed, all items are under $5. The cost is NOT included in Yale’s dining plan: http://saybrookcollege.wikispaces.com/Squiche.
FWIW: All freshman are automatically put on Yale’s Full Meal Plan (3 meals-a-day X 7-days a week). However, for an additional $75, parents can purchase the ANYTIME MEAL PLAN, which allows students to double-swipe at lunch (lunch at 11:30am and again at 2:45pm – that kind of thing), and also gives students 5 bonus meals per semester (for friends visiting) and $70 of credit to be used at places like Durfee’s. Given how my son eats, this was a great option for us. See: http://www.yale.edu/dining/options/mealplan.html
Even my eats-like-a-bird daughter asked for the “anytime” meal plan. She liked the Durfee’s option in particular. She also heavily used “out-of-dining-hall” options like the cafe at the Klein Bio Building and Marigolds (at the Med School, I believe)
The cafeteria at KBT has always been a hidden gem for undergrads wanting something different. The old SOM cafeteria too. Dunno how their current one works.
Gibby- I am a longtime “lurker” on this site and I have found your insights very helpful. Was your son in Saybrook? and if so did he enjoy it? My son, a freshman next year, was assigned there.
Yes I understand the random nature of the colleges and would have been happy about any (well almost any) that he would have been assigned to. I was just wondering about Gibbys sons experience, they have a new Master and I realize that each student has a different experience, I was just curious. I certainly dont think that Saybrook is the best college, although I hear it is:)
Mine is too. Can I ask you a question has he contacted or been contacted by his suitemates? There has been no action by my son and its driving my wife crazy. Also, I had read (I think) somewhere that each student would be sent an inventory of the suite in Vanderbilt so that they can collectively decide what they need. To my knowledge my son has received no such inventory.
@Wchatar2: Yes, my son was in Saybrook. As a freshman, he lived in Vanderbilt and bonded with his entryway mates so much so that they all stayed together in some configuration of suites for all four years. It was an amazing time for him. Hopefully your son will have the same kind of experience!
To @IxnayBob’s point: What makes the experience of any residential college wonderful are the kids. And Yale seems to do a wonderful job at picking students who reach out to one another. My son has many friends in other residential colleges, and they all have had similar experiences.
@wchatar2 My son will be a sophomore next year. In answer to your questions, we weren’t sent an inventory, and the suitemates didn’t bother to contact each other before move-in. So when we got there, all of us (boys and parents) decided what extras they needed and we just bought them there in New Haven. One family picked up a mini-fridge, someone else bought a cheap couch, my husband and I bought a couple of inexpensive floor lamps at Target, and that was about all the boys wanted or needed! They had a great year and became great friends–easy! So I would suggest just waiting until you get there to see how much space there is and what the kids really need… it won’t be much.
In DS’s freshman year, we contributed a mini-frig because we lived over one thousand miles away and other suitemates thought this would be easiest for us. (This still did not prevent us from a shopping-spree at Target - I think we went to the one in North Haven. And we flied to campus with 6 checked-in luggages – back in those years, 2 luggages could be checked in free of additional charge – DO NOT do this!)
It seems they still provide this service (from some Yale’s site):
Refrigerators
Students can rent refrigerators through the Associated Student Refrigerator Agency. During the summer you will receive an informational leaflet and ordering instructions. All preordered refrigerators will be delivered to the student’s room prior to move-in day. When ordering, please make sure you enter your freshman room location, not your residential college. If you bring a refrigerator from home or buy one elsewhere, please note that you will not be permitted to store it in the residential colleges during the summer. For more information visit the Associated Student Agencies Web site.
Associated Student Agencies
Associated Student Agencies operates a number of additional agencies, including Care Cubes, Apparel, Necessities, ASA Transit, Cap and Gown, Cake, Class Rings, and Distribution. For further information contact Associated Student Agencies at asa@yale.edu or 203 432-1888, or visit the Associated Student Agencies Web site. You can pay for all products and services by check or credit card (MasterCard or Visa), or bill them to your Yale Charge Account. Students who would like to undertake or organize commercial enterprises on campus should contact Heather Abati at 203 432-2710.
@wchatar2 Haha! It was really low-stress and very EASY to do it that way. My son and his suitemates (and really, all their friends) needed very little extra stuff. And buying in New Haven was so much easier than trying to guess what they need before even seeing the room! It took us just a couple of hours to walk in, hang up his clothes, see what was there, talk to the other parents, and get the kids set up. Tell your wife it’s not worth stressing over!
Late to the party, as usual. My son is an incoming freshman assigned to Davenport. (Welch, for now.) What shall I I do when bed-ridden with a thrown-out back but read the Yale parent thread from beginning to end? You all seem lovely and likely to have reared terrific classmates for my son. Here’s to a great four years!
@Community2605, congratulations to your son. In keeping with the spirit here, it’s just unfortunate that he’s in the second-best residential college, but I guess it’s the best that could be done because Pierson was already full.
I spend probably too much time on CC, but tbh have not tackled the 4200+ post parent thread. Feel better.
Is there a place where you can find room sizes and configurations? My daughter will be a single in one of the princess suites this fall. One of her room mates was able to get photos of the room for her but it looks like there is a captains bed and zero room for a desk. There is also some kind of wood panel that may or may not be something under the window. We did not see a dresser and assume the bed has drawers under it for a dresser. How do we find these things out so we can plan what she will need for storage?
^^ Some residential colleges have floor plans (not drawn to scale) on-line, but none I’m aware of have detailed photos of each room. Have your student look on their residential college’s website under housing or housing lottery. To access that part of the website, they will have to log-in with their Yale ID and password. I just checked Saybrook and it’s under housing ==> floorplans.
Dorms open for upperclassmen nearly a week before registration. Do all students typically return early, or just those with pre-term activities/responsibilities? My kid’s been abroad all summer, and the extra week of earning money at home would be a good idea (in MY mind anyway…)
