@tonymom imagine that? You are the older and wiser crew Mom now. Lol. Maybe more moms for us to watch racing with.
Yes @Memmsmom those 10 seconds when they wiz by…so exciting 
@tonymom but the boathouse was cool… lol. And the widescreen was cool too.
@Faulkner1897 There are also many music and theater performances throughout the weekend. My D was in two and then she attended one her friend was in. Some charged and tickets could be purchased ahead of time. Others were no charge. Our Baccalaureate was Saturday and D instructed us that afterwards was the time for pictures so we should be dressed nicely. The grads are in their cap and gown. Good time for formal pictures. Fun pictures occur on Class Day when they each wear unique hats.
Welcome to all the new Yale mom and dads. Though you have probably been on it during the admission process, not it is real!! You’ll find some good advice here. I know I did, even as a alumni parent. Welcome!!
@NewHavenCTmom - having lived through it for my graduation 36 years ago, I am not looking forward to the crowds and walking that graduation entails - especially with my 58 year old arthritic body. I can remember my parents skipping a lot of it and hanging in their rooms. My dad and the dads of my three besties had a great time meeting for the first time. The moms too. My only hope is that the weather is better than the cold wet soggy weekend we had. But I am over the moon proud and happy for my D, so I cannot wait. Crazy huh??
I’m going up on Thursday to help my D pack up her room before the craziness of the weekend begins. In addition to the usual three days of ceremonies, there is the 'Black" graduation sponsored by the Afro American Cultural Center on Saturday. This tradition started after I graduated and I am looking forward to it even though it is yet another activity that needs to be attended.
Son made it OFFICIAL tonight! He was hoping to do so Friday but his laptop died and then we were gone most of the weekend. I’m SO excited for him!!! Any tips on what we can do this spring to prepare for the fall? I’m a planner and I need something to keep me busy now that the college application season is over!
Congratulations, @moosiechica88 - your son has astonishing opportunities waiting for him, and I doubt he’d’ve got to this point without your support. Welcome, too, to this thread, where I’ve found some of the nicest, most helpful people on CC.
Firstly, if it’s possible, your son (and you, if you can) should attend Bulldog Days or Bulldog Saturday this month. It provides a nice introduction to the Yale experience, and your son should have received an e-mail inviting him and your family. There’s a lot on this thread regarding logistics of getting to and staying in New Haven, which you can consult depending on where you’re coming from.
Beyond that, you and your son should read through the guide for first-years here: http://catalog.yale.edu/first-year-student-handbook/. There are many dates and deadlines to bear in mind, and the guide will give you a lot to focus on.
@DeepBlue86 Thanks! Yes, we are planning on attending Bulldog Days - he’s already signed up and I’m pretty sure hubby, D20, and I are going. We are starting the college process with D20, and although she is not looking to go to any of the top schools, it’s a good experience to get her excited about the process (right now, it is mostly just kind of freaking her out…).
We’ve started looking at the first year student handbook and I’ve put in all the dates into our family calendar!!! 
Question for any parents of current STEM Yalies - someone just told me that students in STEM majors at Yale are super competitive and cutthroat, rather than the typical collaborative students Yale is known for. Could you shed some light on this? Not that this would ever deter S18, but he is extremely collaborative by nature and I would rather he be prepared for the potential to be in a more cutthroat environment than he’s used to.
@moosiechica88 My son is a freshman physics major taking physics, calc and comp sci. Loves it! Really enjoys the other Stem kids. Has found everyone to be nice and helpful. V supportive environment with help available from many different sources.
@Biotechgirl That is SO good to hear! Thank you for sharing! My son applied as a Molecular Biophysics and Biochem major and has spent his last four years at a private day school where collaboration is the standard. When we visited Yale, the thing my son fell in love with the most was that Yale felt like his school “on steroids.” Same vibe, same strong sense of community, same strong emphasis on extracurricular involvement, etc. Although at some point, mostly based on interest from other rowing coaches, Yale fell out of the top spot, it was never far behind and it was ONLY because other coaches seemed interested in him. Academically and culturally, though, I always felt Yale was the perfect fit! I’m so grateful the Adcom saw that too
@moosiechica88 , DS started out in Physics, and will be graduating with a combined MS/BS in CS in just a few short weeks. He has found nothing cut-throat about Yale STEM. He has TA‘ed various undergrad and grad courses, and collaboration is the expected behavior.
I don’t know why someone expressed the contrary opinion, but perhaps it is different in the biological sciences. In Physics, Math, and CS, our son’s experience was of an intense, high-achieving, but helpful, community.
@moosiechica88. My daughter is a first year double majoring in economics and statistics/data science. She’s had to take lots of math, CS, and stats/econometrics courses and reports that her classmates are unfailingly collaborative—not to mention crazy smart and kind. Congrats to your son, Yale is a truly remarkable place!
DD is a firstyear mechanical engineering major. She hasn’t had any negative experiences and actually loves going to study sessions and office hours. She has found everyone very collaborative and they all work well together to get through the p-sets
@IxnayBob @BulldogJumboMom @kbgb Thanks for the encouragement! It was actually someone that PMd me here on CC and told me that the STEM classes were super competitive, etc. It took me by surprise because I have heard EVERYTHING to the contrary. While my son would not shy away from a challenge, I think he would be happiest in a collaborative environment. I have always heard amazing things about the culture at Yale and this was the first time I’d ever heard anything so polar opposite to what I believe to be true. This is me, just a worrier with nothing else to worry about for the time being now that the college admissions craziness is over!
Chiming in to add that my freshman son has not found Math, CS or Linguistics courses to be cutthroat.
Graduation weekend is going to b crazy for us. We have a niece graduating in NY on Friday and then we head for Milford, CT for my son’s weekend ceremony. Thank goodness his is Sunday and Monday. Congrats to all!!
@moosiechica88 My daughter is not a classic STEM student but is HSHM with pre-med focus so she takes a lot of STEM courses by default. She says that the collaborative nature of her classes is why she has stuck it out. The classes are difficult but they all work together, study together, share notes and even the smaller break out groups all seem to not just study but eat together as well. I am not sure what the intention of the PM was but perhaps it was just a personality difference? My daughter said that there are some people that are cut throat and keep to themselves but that they are not the norm. She also said that they tend to be the same kids who ask for make up classes when they have to be cancelled for snow. LOL. Not her favorite classmates. ha ha ha.
@moosiechica88 My son is a junior math major. He has made some of the very best friends of his life in the math department. From the very beginning they formed study groups, helped each other out with p-sets and collaborated to make sure everyone got through the material and understood it. These study groups were the basis of his friend groups and they continue to be very tight knit, eating dinners together, studying together, even going on spring breaks together! Yale is very collaborative, low key and friendly. The university really encourages this kind of behavior. I think the competitive kids are the outliers.