Another thing to consider is that they will be there for a full school year. It doesn’t have to be in place for move in day. They can always have it delivered later when they know what is really missing.
Anyone attemp to purchase before and pick up “in person” at store in Milford at Target?
Tried calling the store. Was put on hold, never to be picked up again :-/
Thanks to all of the parents who have have posted such extraordinarily thoughtful and helpful comments on this site! Your advice has been invaluable! My son will be a first year student this fall and is interested in getting a bike. Is there a student-run bike rental shop on campus? I see that there is a daily rental outfit, “BikeShare,” which can work as a “stop gap,” but am wondering what your kids do about bikes? He will be living in Benjamin Franklin so the bike might come in handy!
@worriestoomuch from what my son has said bikes aren’t really necessary and most classroom/facilities are in easy walking distance. Unlike say Stanford which is very bike friendly/necessary, Yale is pretty foot accessible unless there is some specific reason he needs or wants one…
@worriestoomuch, DS has a bike on campus, but I think he mostly uses it for weekend bike rides. He did have one bike stolen when he lived on campus; I would not recommend a very expensive bike. I will ask him when I see him again, but I thought that most classes were an easy-ish walk.
@IxnayBob - Thank you for your helpful response!
@tonymom - both you and @IxnayBob agree that a bike on campus isn’t necessary, so I won’t pursue it. Thanks so much for the prompt and helpful responses!
From what I understand, upperclassmen help move freshman in. If that’s the case, do they have a hand truck to get the futon up the the 4th floor of Vandy, or should I be throwing one of those in to the car too?
@kbgb — ummm…what time will you and your hand truck be escorting futons into Vandy? I don’t own a hand truck but need to move a futon to the third floor of Vandy. (It is in two pieces of three feet each so it won’t be terrible to move.)
What would happen to the hand truck at each flight of stairs?
@tonymom the Target on Montowese Ave in North Haven may be closer. You might want to try them.
@CT1417 They will help you move in. The upperclassmen swarm the car and take over. Getting things out of the dorm at the end of the semester on the other hand…
@CT1417 LOL, didn’t know I was escorting futons 
hoping they have some there. If not I’ll have to borrow one
We brought a futon freshman year. The move in kids got it up to the third floor. I have no idea if they used a hand truck but they did it. Move out is hard part.
And remember to factor in 100% humidity!
YIPPIE! Family bonding at its best
^ we get to exit stage left in our AC equipped cars. And, however sweaty we are, we are equally sweaty, so DW and I don’t turn up our noses too much.
I can’t believe this weekend, when we are moving DS’s stuff from one apartment to another, will be our last move-in in New Haven. Tbh, I’d rather donate the bedframe and buy another one; IKEA furniture is not made to take apart.
Good God, if I’m getting sentimental about moving furniture, I’m going to be a mess at graduation! Maybe there’s some equivalent to “soiling the nest” that DS can commit as we approach graduation.
DD had a bike senior year which she enjoyed getting around East Rock recreationally and down towards the Med school. Bought it off Craigslist in New Haven for $125 including two U-locks and a handlebar bag to carry them. Bike theft is real in town so agree with the idea not to bring a very expensive bike and invest in better quality locks since a cable/chain won’t last long.
Yeah, I lent my nice bike to my daughter who lived in East Rock for the summer. She U-locked it to the back porch. Thieves sawed off the wooden rail to steal the bike 
@aleGradandDad and @donnaleighg - thanks for your help and advice! We will purchase an inexpensive used bike an an expensive new lock!
Any thoughts on the foreign language offerings at Yale other than the usual suspects of french, spanish, german, italian etc? Anybody have a kid who studied a more unusual offering as their foreign language ie Greek, egyptian? My son doesnt wish to take anymore spanish.
We have heard that studying Indonesian is a favorite for students who don’t much care for FL. No personal experience.
Latin! My kid did t want any more French and surprisingly loves it!