@donnaleighg - This is a good topic. We took grandparents along for family weekend this past weekend and their age and physical limitations were a very real factor. They had a hard time contending with all the stairs and all the walking and the lack of accessibility.
When we went to my son’s graduation, we got a handicapped parking pass in advance (for my MIL), and our son was able to check out a wheelchair for her to use. There was also an accessible seating area at the commencement. There will be info about all this in the commencement materials.
Yes something to keep in mind is that MANY restaurants in NH are not ADA compliant (I guess they are grandfathered). We were always able to request first floor, but that still often included quite a few steps. We borrowed a wheelchair from the university which was helpful, but you couldn’t go everywhere using the wheelchair. Sidewalks are lumpy, Old Campus was muddy and rutted, etc. etc. It was not an easy breezy weekend.
We stayed in the dorms for both of my sons’ graduations. It was great–so convenient to everything and so fun to be right on campus. We were also assigned to the same dorm our sons were in. For us, it was just perfect and so much less expensive than the way over-priced area hotels.
@Hunt the handicapped parking area on the Yale maps provided in the graduation materials (my dad has a handicap hang-card) was closed for construction. Let’s just say that communication was less than perfect at graduation this year. We had some “issues”.
@sarafina: With regards to graduation weekend. Last year, many families who had 4-10 people coming for graduation opted for airBnB: https://www.airbnb.com
Hi all from what I’m reading is that
1.a family wanting to go to graduation weekend for that year should check the academic calendar again for that year as soon as its out
2. Book immediately a place to stay especially if there are mobility issues (for me check)
3.be prepared to pay a lot
my only question is that the academic calendar just says blandly ''commencement" as soon as it comes out. but then ! there’s the problem of booking!! how much ahead how much after ?
And thanks a lot I realize you are other parents not Yale. I am just worried a bit by the issues!
I stayed in the dorms at JE, my son’s college, this past graduation. It was great to have the room as a base of operations and I thought it was comfortable enough. My room was off the courtyard, so it was not quiet at night. Definitely did make me feel a part of things, though.
http://commencement.yale.edu/events-calendar/yale-college
This link shows the 2015 events. It is consistent from year to year that there are events from Friday evening through Monday afternoon. I think the hotels require three night stays.
There are provisional calendars a couple years into the future here: http://yalecollege.yale.edu/academics/academic-calendars
My daughter was sending pictures to me last night of Malia Obama at Yale yesterday. I knew she had been there once before but was there again yesterday. I am curious how other parents feel about the idea of someone requiring so much security being at the same school as your child. I am not talking about individual politics (because I could care less about that part) but about what kinds of disruptions this could cause in our children’s experiences. My daughter was excited that she was visiting and was humbled by the fact that she is attending a school the presidents daughter seems to like. There is a part of me though that wonders what that much national security will do the the overall experience for the rest of the students. I know it has been done before but wonder how other parents feel.
Here is another thread about her. I don’t think it would change the experience very much at all for other students. I wonder if they hand pick the roommates/suitemates.
It’s fine with me if Malia Obama ends up at Yale and in my view anyway the positives outweigh the negatives that you mention Memmsmom.
Anyway Princeton may be more likely with her mother and uncle being alums and her cousin currently there . . . but of course some students want to blaze their own trail and prefer somewhere without all the family ties.
I just think of the different things like large group events, classes where secret service are present, overall increase in security, tensions and little things like that. I read in an article that she has been looking at schools without her parents in order to avoid all of the media and attention to her trips but there will be solid coverage once she decides. I also read that she wants to do something in either film or television study. That could affect her choice more than where her mother went. I just found it odd that she would visit Yale twice in that short amount of time. Especially for someone people assume will pick somewhere else.
I don’t see it so much of a negative, more like something to wonder about. I believe that kids are where they are meant to be for bigger reasons. So if this is where she attends, whatever part in my kid’s life that plays is part of a bigger picture. I just wasn’t as excited as she was overall.
DS was at Woads and saw her there. He did not see any Secret Service, but they must have been somewhere nearby. He posed the interesting question: you’re the bartender, you know the ID is fake, do you serve her? People were snapping photos; do you serve her?
DS would like Malia to choose Yale.
Hi can I just put in a gentle request that people stop taking pictures of her? or any other celebrities? Yale has decades of experience with princes celebrities etc. and it will not be a problem as others way more experienced with campus including alum on here have said. I’m certain part of the attraction is that no one treats them that way. They are allowed to fit in as what they are - kids -not phenomena. Where I live we get celebrities all the time. Our city pretends to be every place on earth and we have (not all the time there are some creepy paparazzi) become the city that leaves celebrities alone. Personally I have seen A listers Governors Kennedys etc.We just let them be. I hope she chooses it simply because I think it’s the best ivy.
DD said the same thing. She said that it was rather awesome to be a person that Malia wishes to be- a student at Yale. She thinks it would be a neat experience.
Yes- many of the photos she was sent were from Woads. She wasn’t there but her suite mates were. She was so tempted to go and fangirl but her pending exams won on that one. Ha ha ha… By they time she would have gotten there she would have been gone anyhow.
Good point on the alcohol. There was already talk over how she doesn’t attend Yale but was granted access to Woads which is supposed to require a Yale ID to get in. Imagine the whole ID thing for drinking? LOL - granted she wouldn’t get away with much having 24/7 security detail.
Whatever she decides is fine with me.
Ok, forgive the newbie parent question please, but what is Woad’s? I know of Toad’s but Woad’s is a new one for me. 
Edit - Is it Wednesday night at Toads . . . ?
When Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes ('09) was touring colleges, fresh from her Salt Lake City victory, her guide at Yale was Barbara Bush ('04). Sarah saw how “normal” Barbara was treated and it made a difference. She enrolled in Sept '03.
People would be lying if they say they’re not piqued by “celebs” on campus. But that fascination wears off quickly and they just become a minor trivia point: “Hey, XX is in my Spanish section this year” “Oh yeah, cool. What’s for lunch?”