<p>D has received FA for the past 3 years (one to go!) and we signed up for the Yale payment plan (monthly installments for an extra $100 fee.) Paid directly from checking account but any decrease in aid came from change in personal finances. I don’t think the fact that I paid “cash” made one whit of difference in the award amount.</p>
<p>H and S are on their way home from NH. He stored 5 boxes in his RC for next year (and also sofa, bookcase, rug) and pretty much filled a medium sized SUV. H called me laughing/in horror at seeing a girl moving out with 3 vehicles - 2 sedans and a Honda Odyssey - all stuffed to the gills. Suddenly all son’s stuff didn’t seem like quite so much!</p>
<p>D is on her way home too - can’t wait :))). She stored 6 boxes, rug, lamp poster frame and bookshelf in her RC. She shipped a box home via UPS and is traveling with 2 suitcases. She was stressed about fitting everything but managd to do so. She did have to get rid of her Ikea drawers though…</p>
<p>I found my son had much less than my daughters, although I didn’t think they brought that much more.
Unfortunately it seems my daughter’s roommates left a lot of stuff to be thrown out, didn’t want to store it or sell it.</p>
<p>Our club has reciprocity with the Graduate Club on Elm. </p>
<p>Has anyone ever dined there, or stayed in the accomodations there?</p>
<p>Congratulations to entomom’s D1 and all others graduating this weekend!</p>
<p>Thank you vp! </p>
<p>I’m really looking forward to all of the events, is your D performing at any of them? PM me if she is. Some great news today, D1 accepted an Americorps position. So after summer at home, she’ll be coming back to the east coast a little south of NH. She’s very excited about the position and happy that she’ll have a succinct answer to the inevitable 'What are you going to do now?" question when she meets all the parents this weekend.</p>
<p>Entomom: congrats on your D’s graduation and her acceptance at Americorps! </p>
<p>How many days do the graduation festivities last? How long do most families go for? Seems like all the hotels in the vicinity only do a 3-night minimum stay. That seems like a long time for grandparents and other relatives attending graduation.</p>
<p>Congrats to Entomom’s DD!! What a great time to have accepted such fine offer!!! Have a great time at Graduation!</p>
<p>Thanks all!</p>
<p>@Dandemom, 3 days, although Sun and Mon are the big ceremonies for the individual RCs and the entire college. There’s a commencement page on the Y website that details the events.</p>
<p>Congratulations to all Class of 2011 Parents on Commencement Day! The video is already up:<br>
[Yale</a> 2011 Commencement on Yale University - live streaming video powered by Livestream](<a href=“http://www.livestream.com/yale/video?clipId=pla_a500216c-6f5e-44b9-939c-652da15425c9]Yale”>http://www.livestream.com/yale/video?clipId=pla_a500216c-6f5e-44b9-939c-652da15425c9)</p>
<p>entomom,</p>
<p>It is better late than never: Congratulations to your D for her graduation and her next job.</p>
<p>^Thanks mcat2! And right back at you for your S and his most recent Med school acceptance!</p>
<p>After 3 days, 4 ceremonies, and 24 hrs of packing, she’s officially graduated and back home for the summer. I have to say, the Baccalaureate was the most moving of all the ceremonies for me, but I’m a sucker for the Ode to Joy and Pomp and Circumstance. Class day was fun with everyone in crazy hats and some engaging speeches. And it all couldn’t have ended better than with wonderful strawberry shortcake after the handing out of diplomas at the RCs.</p>
<p>Thanks Entomom for letting us know what to expect next year. I simply cannot believe that the next class to graduate will be D1’s! Where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday that we were at Woolsey as the freshmen were welcomed to the Yale community. What a wonderful three years it has been for D!</p>
<p>My son will be attending Yale as in incoming freshman in August. My wife and I were discussing the best way to make sure he has spending money (if needed) for essentials, emergencies, etc. Our thought was a debit card at a local bank in New Haven, rather than in Texas where we live.</p>
<p>Any thoughts, lessons learned , etc. would be appreciated</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>TD Bank has a nice branch on the corner of Chapel and College Street, diagonally across from Old Campus. They are open 7 days a week and they seemed to have plenty of staff on hand during the freshmen orientation days. Very convenient. They provide Visa Debit cards that can be used like a credit card at stores, restaurants, and of course ATMs. I kept myself as a second account holder so I could monitor and transfer funds periodically to replenish her account. The goal of course is that some day she will not need those incoming transfers, but it is not going to happen any time soon :).</p>
<p>^ we have wondered about this as well.</p>
<p>when I put Yale into google maps and then search nearby for banks–The branches are predominantly on Church Street…
Bank of America has ATMs on Broadway, and at College/Elm for example…</p>
<p>I guess I should check our bank policies/fees for ATM use etc</p>
<p>We opened an account for S last year (his freshman year) at TD Bank. Convenient and there is also a branch in our home town; they had great customer service, too. The best thing was that he could use his ATM card at ANY bank and get reimbursed for the other bank’s ATM fee (which can add up - I think they ranged anywhere from $2.50 - 3.50 per transaction). BUT in March we got a notification that TD is no longer offering this service - bummer! It turns out that was a great convenience, as he’s not always near TD bank when he needs cash. It seems that Bank of America is the most convenient ATM on campus (at Durfees, I think). We are now looking to switch to a small community bank in our hometown that also offers the same ATM deal that TD used to offer. He really has never needed to go into the bank; he just uses ATMs. Of course if there’s a problem with his card or he loses it, it might become a bit more difficult. Also going to check on B of A and if they have any student deals (thanks for the reminder!) :)</p>
<p>Our Son has kept his Debit Card from home. I believe his bank converted his account to a College Account, which waived fees from what they would have charged him using his ATM at a bank other than thiers. Similarly to MYsunz.</p>
<p>He mostly uses his Debit card for purchases and gets the max cash back for the small things he needs. Another way to prevent being assessed ATM fees.</p>
<p>BTW IBP: Congrats to your son!</p>
<p>
Duh (addressed to me, btw, not you)! That method never occurred to me. I’ll pass on the suggestions to my son.</p>