I purchased a personal property policy for my S from NSSI. It cost $84, which is not too bad. The deductible is $25. The coverage limit is $2,000, which I think is sufficient for my S’s Macbook, iPhone, and books.
Can anybody tell me what to expect on move-in day? What would be the best time to come to avoid the rush? Do most people arrive promptly at nine? Are there huge traffic jams? I can’t imagine what it will be like to have a thousand plus cars trying to unload at the same time. Any advice about how to navigate move-in day and how it works would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
It’s been two years, but my recollection is:
You will get an e-mail with an attachment to print that you’ll put in the windshield of your car (e.g., a big “P” for Pierson).
Very capable Yale/NH police will guide you to the appropriate place for your car.
A swarm (and I’m not kidding about swarm) of upperclassmen will descend on your car and take everything that isn’t nailed down onto the sidewalk, and move it into the dorm.
You will take your car to the designated off-site parking and take a shuttle back to the dorm. I arranged to have DW there for most of the move-in while I took care of the car. I only look stupid.
The swarming upperclassmen is quite a memory.
Move in is very will done. It really depends on the college how smoothly it goes but in general, like most things at Yale, its well coordinated. Honestly, we live a couple of hours away and got there about 11 and it was great, the morning rush had subsided and there were a lot of kids standing around eager to help us.
Does anyone know if this parking permit is emailed to the student? I assume so…and if so, when about a does it show up? We Frosh families are 3 weeks out today…YIKES!
And @IxnayBob I would imagine my hubby will also gladly leave me with sonny boy and go park the car. I envision, however, a stop for a medicinal beer at a pub on the way back to the dorm 
http://yalecollege.yale.edu/residential-college-parking-signs
@tonymom All the permits are on this link. Print the one you need.
@musicmerit
Many thanks! It’s almost too easy
We drove up the morning of freshman move-in. We expected to hit terrible rush hour traffic, but we took the advice of others here and took the Merritt pkwy. No traffic at all until we got into New Haven. Took maybe 1/2 hour to get from the highway exit to old campus. Then we were waiting in a huge line of cars being directed by police or security, only to later find we were in the wrong line. So it helps to know where your college is ( which we did, but still just followed what they said, and we had the proper wind shield logo). When we got to the right spot, we were greeted by maybe 5-10 upper classmen. Not exactly the huge crowd that some other colleges had, so it definitely varies. It was totally fine, but we were a little deflated because we were expecting a bigger greeting. But they were very helpful in unloading the car and bringing everything to the suite. Make sure you label everything! They start grabbing stuff and need to know where it goes. And despite being really careful with clearly marking things, a few items got lost. For example, a brand new clip on fan in the box, with his name on it. We looked around the neighboring suites but it never did show up. One of our boxes ended up in the wrong suite. So try to keep track of what you bring so you will know if it all makes it to the room. It is very chaotic and crowded!
My son’s suitemates came at various times during the day. A few were already moved in because they had attended some special orientation programs. A few were on foot trips so the parents were unloading before the boys were there. The common room comes in handy for stuff you aren’t ready for yet in the rooms. The rooms aren’t huge so it’s a little tough for a few hours but very fun and exciting also.
Also from an older question, we did buy a safe with a combination lock. I wouldn’t have thought of it, it our pediatrician had recommended it - and my son doesn’t take any unusual meds. We thought it would be good for his computer, passport, etc. In reality, his laptop got left out in his room even when the room wasn’t locked. I wasn’t thrilled, but he no problems. The safe ended up being used for his passport and check book - we could have gotten something much smaller lol.
@romgid - go early- don’t worry about the rush because they are so efficient at unloading your vehicle and getting it upstairs that you wont worry about that as much as the things you may miss on old campus if you come later in the day. There are all sorts of events, music, freebies and snacks that my daughter missed because we left later in the day thinking we had plenty of time. But she had to get settled enough for her nerves to chill out and then was the reception at her residential college.She missed all the excitement of the afternoon because of it.
Also the sign is just a picture of the college arms. It was just a copy that we held up as we were pulling into the area that they unload. You do not park there - its just unload and then you move your vehicle. After that you can go park behind Peabody museum and take the shuttle back to old campus to finish unpacking.
Thank you!
Just got an email from Yale 
For those of you who are familiar with the area - I will be travelling from NYC to Yale on Friday morning. What is the best route to take ? Looking forward to meeting all of you ! Maybe we can have freshman parent meet up ?
@Kelowna, I always trust Waze for directions and optimal routes around traffic. When it conflicts with Google Maps (standard in my car), I follow Waze.
On average, how long does it take to get to Yale fro NYC?
NYC (Penn Station) to Yale on a Friday morning might be as quick as 1.5 hours, but probably 2 hours. On move-in day, you will probably get within a mile of your college and then crawl.
Reading the first time parents’ questions makes me smile. Congrats once again! Our ASC region got 18 out of 22 admits to matriculate this year – a fantastic yield percentage. I’ve chatted w/some of them and their parents this summer as they start their first move-in as well.
I always have to mention when the subject of move-in day comes up that we didn’t in any way get a swarm. We got one sweaty senior with a wheelbarrow. And that was after we waited on the sidewalk with our stuff for 15 minutes. It was disappointing, I suppose. It must be rare, based on what I read here, but if it happens to you, maybe you’ll be less crushed for having read of the possibility here.
^ Yes that was our experience on move in day also . . . I think there’s a strong desire to help the new students move in quickly, but it’s not an infinite number of helpers so it depends on when you pull up.
Here is the calendar of opening days:
http://catalog.yale.edu/freshman-handbook/calendar-opening-days-college/2016-calendar-of-opening-days.pdf
It even includes the time parents are supposed to leave on Saturday.
3–5 SUGGESTED DEPARTURE TIME FOR PARENTS.
Subsequent orientation programs are designed for students.
Thank you for posting this. My daughter sent me a link to this a few days ago, but I thought it was an academic calendar. In addition to the schedule information for move in days and beyond, it has lots of good info on academic advising, placement tests, and other things such as music lesson sign ups/auditions.
How is tap water at Yale? Do they have access to filtered water? My kid drinks lots of water, thinking about a Brita pitcher but on the other hand I do not want to overwhelm her with possessions…