So we are headed to Bulldog Days in less than two weeks and I was wondering if some of you veteran Yale parents have some advice on what to pay special attention to, what to attend, what to skip, etc.
What do you recommend for parking? I know it’s all either metered parking (a pain, I know), or parking garages. Any specific places you found were better than others? We don’t mind walking and entertained the idea of just parking off campus and taking the shuttle, but it ends pretty early, and we’d have to do an Uber or taxi afterwards…
Also, where to eat lunch/dinner while we’re there. Something not too pricey as we just got back from vacation and discretionary funds are kind of low Hubby and I are staying with friends in Branford both nights
I’m kind of a planner and would love to have most if not all my ducks in a row before then
We’ve had multiple children attend. Have never been to a BD’s or a parents weekend. We do visit campus numerous times a year. More on that later.
IMHO, BDs is for the student. They’ve earned it, let them enjoy the transition without mom and dad around.
If you plan on attending, give your child complete control. If plans change, “Is it OK if I don’t meet you for (fill in the blank)?” Support them.
We missed out first child’s family weekend because of an unrelated event.
“You didn’t miss anything, it was a zoo.”
We visited as a family a couple times that first year, some for events, others just because it fit our schedule. We still do. We’vr never paid more than $120/nt for a room. Parking at the hotel and walking is great.
Things not to miss. Move in. We have driven and flown. For those on the fence, fly. Rent a large vehicle. Rooms walking distance to campus are about $250, a 15 minute drive will get youAnything you would bring from home you can get at IKEA/Costco/your store of choice when you get there. If you’re a planner, purchase online, and pick up there.
If your child is bringing a bunch of stuff, mail it to the hotel. It’s cheaper than paying for extra bags on the airline.
Any “parent” event you would see at BDs or parents weekend you will see at move in.
Do not miss the dean/master/whatever they call them now event. You will be shocked about what they already know about you and your child. This is the only event I would make parents weekend for, but our children’s D/M/W was proactive and we got to check in with them on other visits. Can’t say enough positive things about them.
Your child will become involved in something. Plan visits around their events. There is always something going on at campus. The plays, concerts, shows happen all the time. Our children rarely attend events with us. But we always have a great time.
I am able to drop in from time to time. I’m lucky to get them for dinner. If they are experiencing Yale, they will have multiple commitments. I always invite them to brings friends. Prime 16 and BAR seems to be their favorites. The stories told at these dinners have been priceless.
Graduation is obviously a must attend event. Again, don’t be surprised how little you will see of your child.
Last thing, FOOT, have them go. Out first had no interest, but really felt they missed out after the fact.
It reduces the time you will see you child during move in significantly, but really helps in their transition.
Hope this helps.
I’ll just give the opposite opinion on FOOT. My kiddo, not an outdoors type, went (because we encouraged it), and was the least fit person (she’s not a natural athlete) so was always lagging, it rained, her granola/trail mix snack got covered with pesto in the communal sack (yuk), and she really never saw her FOOT-mates again. I wouldn’t push it if your kid doesn’t seem interested.
I didn’t attend Bulldog days-- kiddo had a great time and I never felt like I missed anything. We also tended to miss parents’ weekend and go on some nearby weekend that was more convenient (different if your kid has performance stuff to go see).
Re: summer storage - My son purchased most of the large pieces of furniture in his suite. There was a limit on how many pieces a student could store. His suite mates, all New Englanders, were able to take more home, and allowed DS to “use” some of their allotted storage (furniture pieces and boxes) which helped.
Doing a better job labeling helped with the issue of things going missing. Last summer, they labeled, not only the big pieces of the futon, but also taped together the small bits of hardware and labeled that, too. Then taped it with packing tape to the frame.
Re: attending BD - we enjoyed attending for our own sakes and for our son’s. We’re from an underrepresented area and didn’t know a soul who had ever gone Ivy League for undergrad. We had no idea what our son was considering and enjoyed seeing it for ourselves. Also, our son is introverted and reserved and didn’t know anybody. He stayed in an RC room with Yale hosts, but was glad we were around to process with. You know your child best.
I am not sure for this year’s BD’s, but for other events, you can park at the Pierson Sage Garage and adjoining lots. It’s on Science Hill just past the Peabody Museum. Its a good walk from there to central campus, but it would be a walk that any STEM kid would need to make. There probably will be shuttles as well. There is convenient paid parking at the York Street Garage which is on York between Crown and Chapel. This puts you a block and a half from Old Campus.
In terms of reasonably priced food, you won’t have had the “Yale experience” without eating at one of the traditional pizza places, Pepe’s or Sally’s. They are a short drive from campus on Wooster Street. Yorkside Pizza is another Yale institution in the heart of campus. The owners working there now, worked there when I attended over 35 years ago. Close by is Mory’s if you want to have an adult beverage in an iconic old Yale hangout. Technically, you need to be a member, but I never saw them check for membership ID at the Temple Bar inside.
Congrats and I hope you and your kid enjoy your time there.
WOW! You guys are AWESOME! I just logged on to find some GREAT advice and answers! My son is REALLY outdoorsy and has done many of the 4000-footers in NH, including Mt. Washington. He’s also done Tuckerman’s Ravine a few times - hiked up with skis on his back, skied the bowl, and hiked back down. I would definitely consider him high up on the experience meter. He is SUPER psyched about going, though I’m curious if he’ll pick the familiar White Mts. or something new…
The main reason DH and I are accompanying him to Bulldog Days is because hubby hasn’t set foot on campus yet. We are driving both my son and his friend from rowing club who was recruited for the women’s team. We plan on dropping them off to do their thing and DH and I will go off and do our own thing We’ll probably do most of the parent sessions and definitely the tour, since for DH it’s his first time on campus. I only visited once as well, and this was back during the summer between sophomore and junior year. Loads of college visits since then have hampered my ability to recall the campus well enough not to warrant another visit We were originally just going to drop him off and come back to pick him up on the third day, but as it turned out, I have Spring break that week anyways so we decided to make it a little trip for the three of us. I assume we won’t see S18 much if at all those three days, and that’s perfectly fine We are just there to bask in the glory that is Yale and to shop a little bit for Yale gear!!!
@SBABDP The Deans/Masters/Whatever events, are those during Parent’s Weekend? I’m assuming, since they would have to know which college they’ve been assigned to for this. I’m really excited about that already, and he hasn’t even graduated yet! Haha!!! I was pretty involved at S18’s school as a volunteer, and prior to high school, he was homeschooled. So while I’m not a helicopter mom by ANY stretch, I think being disconnected from his scholastic experiences will be hard for me and I will gladly take any little opportunity I can get to be part of it, even if it’s just a small part
Thanks for the restaurant suggestions! We’ll definitely hit some pizza places and at least one of the nicer places. Though I can’t remember for the life of me if I actually like New Haven-style pizza. I did read there are a few PRican restaurants not too far from campus, so we’ll definitely have to hit one or two of those at some point. Not too much of that where we live, and not even a good Latino grocery store for me to be able to buy the ingredients to make the foods myself. SIGH!
@moosiechica88
As an aside you could take a 15 min drive out to the Gilder Boathouse to check out Yale’s amazing rowing facility. Maybe you’ll bump into my kid
@moosiechica88
Head of college (D/M/W) is the title that replaced master right around this time a couple years ago.
They have a reception in their home during move in, parents weekend, and graduation. We’ve always received an email invite.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they open their homes to the perspective students during BDs, but having never been, I’m not sure.
I asked one of my kids that is still there. “Probably, but I don’t remember.”
Have fun!
Re. New Haven restaurants - for a quick and economical (and even nutritious) meal – light or heavy – we eat at Mamoun’s on Howe. Our vegetarian kids get a felafel pita sandwich $4 and our meat eaters can get a whole chicken or lamb plate.
Continuing with restaurants: if you’re on Howe by Mamoun’s, you can also choose Tandoor, which has an Indian buffet for $10 that will satisfy both vegetarians & carnivores. There’s another nearby Indian place, House of Naan, but it’s pricier.
The heads of college do host events during Bulldog Days, and I’d definitely recommend attending if you can. The event we attended at Pierson College made a huge impression on my daughter–and her parents! The HOC and a panel of students provide a great overview of the residential college system, and during the session we attended, we got a sense of the true camaraderie that exists within a college.
Hello everyone! My daughter committed to Yale yesterday. It has been a really long slog, especially regarding financial aid. But Yale came through after our appeal. Really excited for Bulldog days next week. My husband and I are definitely going. My question is about bringing a printer to Yale. Is it better to have your own printer or to pay for printing documents?
Congrats!
My oldest had a printer, he rarely used it.
The network system they have on campus is very cheap and convenient. I asked my current student if he needed a printer.“What for?” Was the response.
Some professors still require hard copies, but just as many accept soft copies.
The only reason you may want one is if you like to edit by hand.
Have her ask the kids at BD’s.
Enjoy the campus.
My daughter is a humanities kid and lived in Old Campus her first year. We got her a cheap printer when we visited in October since it was a pain to go to printing facilities from Old Campus. This year, she is in her college and her printer broke early in the year. She finds it much easier to print in her college and has not fixed/replaced the printer (this was news to me!!!).
My D is a Literature major so writing papers is her life blood. She had a printer in her suite freshman year that we bought and took up since we lived the closest. I think when we brought it home after freshman year, it has been here gathering dust. Most of her papers she submits electronically and the few she doesn’t she prints in the college. She did have to print out her senior thesis and turn it in hard copy. She was aghast. Hope this helps.
My son has committed to Yale. So far my interactions with other Yale parents have been amazing. I’m nervous…not because I think my son won’t have an absolutely amazing time at Yale, I’m nervous because I fear I’ll never see him. Being from California, I feel like the distance is overwhelming. Honestly, I really didn’t give it much thought that he would get in. It was quite unexpected. Now I have a million questions floating in my head. How will we manage move in? How many days should we plan for move in? How will often will he want to come home? Should we attend parent’s weekend? I am thrilled for him and I’m excited for all the new things we all will experience in years ahead. Thank you to the veteran parents for your insight and great suggestions.
Hubby and I are staying with friends in Branford both nights