<p>Thank you all for sharing your thoughts…there is something to be said about the enthusiasm! We still remember our tour guide from our visit last year. She was not only amazing in her own accomplishments but conveyed such enthusiasm about her life at Yale that it was quite contagious in our group. When she was done, we were all hooked! We did visit H & P during the same trip prior to visiting Yale and Y was definitely the winner in terms of atmosphere and presentation (even though it was a very cloudy, cold day). As for as education, I agree with you all that you can’t go wrong. Being supported by a “community” while getting a great education might tip the balance. I will now take your advice, and enjoy the moment…</p>
<p>“makes us Yalies look like . . . I dunno, emotionally distant relativists?”</p>
<p>LOL. We can definitely tell the parents from the kids on this board. Emotionally distant relativism is so totally 70s deconstruction, JHS! Nowadays it’s about drama and (self-aware, finely-tuned) passion. That plus talent = Yale.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>My middle name is 70s Deconstruction. Seriously.</p></li>
<li><p>But I didn’t mean to imply that Yalies were generally emotionally distant relativists. What I meant – and I stand by it – that as much as Yale alumni adore Yale (which they generally do), it’s nothing compared to the energy and commitment the Princeton alumni I know put into their relationship with Princeton.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Welcome to this thread Parents of Yale 2014. Today is the last day to decide right? I found the parents who answered my questions last year so helpful. So Ask Away!</p>
<p>BlueHouseMom: Thanks for the welcome. My D is in the class of 2014. I have no questions yet, but I’m sure there will be plenty down the road. Well actually, there is one question- how busy are your kids with academics and extracurriculars? I suspect there are different answers for different kids, but I’m just curious- these last four years in high school have been so full of activities that I’m actually hoping that D will slow down a little in college. Is that too optimistic an expectation?</p>
<p>Hi vp! If D’s experience at Yale is anything to go by, your D might slow down, but it won’t be at first. D joined a lot of organizations off the bat, and gradually scaled back as she found the right balance of academic and EC life. There is just so much to do and see at Yale that it’s hard not to get sucked in to doing a million things, but eventually they find the most important one or two to focus on.</p>
<p>Teary-eyed to realize that S#1 will graduate and leave Yale (where did the time go?) but so very pleased to report that as of yesterday S#2 is officially going to Yale. So, another four years! Hooray!</p>
<p>Any advice on how to best manage the cross country Move into a Yale Freshman Dorm?
Did anyone use Bed Bath and Beyond for pick up service in Connecticut? Any other store that is convenient in the area? Which Bank do kids mostly use?<br>
So many questions! Thanks for your time.</p>
<p>Hi vicky1–I think you’ll find other advice if you peruse this thread, but for us we did use Bed Bath & Beyond for a few things (pickup in CT) and also relied on IKEA for lots of bigger items. We did fill up the van quite extensively to drive across country at start of freshman year (and will probably do so again this September!) My older S used the Bank of America; seemed to work out just fine–he liked that they had an ATM in Durfee’s. But there are others in proximity.</p>
<p>We used BBB (pick up in Hamden, although there are other locations) and it worked like a charm. We were grateful not to have to take the bulky comforter and other things with us during the two day drive. They will probably have a sale about in late July/early August with dorm rooms in mind.</p>
<p>I seem to recall the same kind of service is available from Best Buy if there is interest in buying a dorm refrigerator (for instance).</p>
<p>Sometime in the summer you’ll get information about dorm packages (mostly bedding) you can order through the Yale Bookstore (I think–some Yale store, anyway). You can decide if they are right for you.</p>
<p>S uses Schwab checking account–more paperwork (need to open a brokerage account but no need to buy anything) but picks up all ATM charges.</p>
<p>BTW, you might find you are making the trip without your child if s/he goes early to participate in one of the pre-orientation programs. About half the new admits do.</p>
<p>I was too clutched to use BB&B’s pick-up service. I was sure that our order wouldn’t make it. So we bought stuff from BB&B on this end and shipped it via UPS (cheap) to the Marriott in New Haven, which was willing to store it (and lots of other stuff) for us. </p>
<p>Son uses Chase. It’s fine, and there are conveniently located ATMs.</p>
<p>We did the BBB thing in summer 2008. It worked very well. Everything we had ordered was in boxes ready to go into the rental car. Definitely worth it if your kid is buying bulky things like a comforter, back rest for reading in bed, clothes rack for drying wet stuff, pillows and so on. We ended up buying the bed linens and towels at home, washing them and bringing them out to save that step during the first week. Laundry is convenient at Yale, so it would have been OK to do that step during move in. </p>
<p>We did send D ahead and then I flew out at the end of FOOT. I flew in the night before she got off FOOT and picked up the BBB order which worked well. If you don’t plan to drive, or rent a car, BBB is not close to Yale, so this would be a problem. IKEA is relatively close to Yale (but not walking distance.) If you plan to buy a couch and need to rent a truck, I have a treatise on this subject earlier in this thread.</p>
<p>If you stay in the La Quinta Inn, it is right next door to the IKEA, where we did most of the shopping. There is also a Wal-Mart nearby, though we found it almost completely bought out by move in weekend. The Yale Bookstore also carries quite a lot of dorm essentials.</p>
<p>Thank you to all, I feel more confidant about using BBB. Will we be given a list of things to pick up? I would have never thought of a backrest or drying rack?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Hmm…about half? That is more than I would have guessed. </p>
<p>My D isn’t exactly Annie Oakley so I wasn’t sure the hiking and farming programs would suit her. That would leave cultural connections as the only other option. But that sounds like only URMs are eligible to participate. Is that true?</p>
<p>vp, my D is not an outdoorsy person at all. She did the shortest FOOT trip, had a blast, and met two of her closest friends that way. It’s a fantastic bonding experience. I think anyone can participate in Cultural Connections, but it is geared to minority students: [Cultural</a> Connections](<a href=“Yale College”>Yale College)</p>
<p>They did drop one program this year, so perhaps pre-orientation attendance will not be quite so strong, but I do remember noting some figures last year which suggested 50% attendance.</p>
<p>This is what they dropped:</p>
<p><a href=“Yale College”>Yale College;
<a href=“Chaplain's Office |”>Chaplain's Office |;
<p>Edit:
Here is a YDN article that gives attendance numbers. They cite three programs with 630 total attendance. That leaves two with attendance unknown, but over 700 total seems a conservative estimate (out of 1320 admits).</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2009/04/20/pre-orientation-programs-brace-for-downturn/[/url]”>http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2009/04/20/pre-orientation-programs-brace-for-downturn/</a></p>
<p>D did one of the pre-orientation programs, FOOT, on the most strenuous hike, although previously when we took her to roam through nature preserves she complained most of the way. She had a great time.</p>
<p>As for BBB, we purchased stuff online (nothing fancy) and shipped through them, to her Residential College. </p>
<p>When it was time to leave, we drove her to the airport and slowed down enough so that she could jump out. We went to Parents’ Weekend and had a good time and I am sure I’ll visit again in the next year, too - esp. if this next year is less stressful at work than this one has been. </p>
<p>DD pretty much intimated that she wanted to fly to school and move in by herself. It’s been a good experience for her! Yale has been fantastic, overall. I can barely imagine what it must be like to be an undergrad there, so much stuff to do. Many challenges and many comfortable niches, too, for those who want them.</p>
<p>vicky1, there are many lists on CC (and there will be more as summer college buying season approaches.) DON’T buy everything that makes it on to someone’s list. Especially items that can be shared like the microwave, vacuum cleaner, and so on. Some of this stuff can wait until your child has moved in and has a better idea of what they really might use. I like the idea of shipping late purchases after school starts.</p>
<p>I highly recommend FOOT, even for those who think they don’t like the outdoors. It’s not physically overly demanding, but is a tremendous opportunity for everyone to let their guard down, wear the same shirt for several days, and start off with a group of friends who’ve seen you unwashed and vulnerable. Some of the FOOT friends will be life-long, I’m sure.</p>
<p>I can’t offer much advice about the move-in; like EngProfMom (plane ticket in hand) D said, “I can do this myself. I’ll see you at parent’s weekend!” (She did and we did.) She was lucky to have friends there who helped her in every way possible.</p>
<p>Despite never having grown anything beyond a sunflower in Brownie Scouts, D did “Harvest” and had an absolutely wonderful time! She is still very close to several members of that group.</p>