<p>I live nearby but I definitely see parents, lots of them after freshman year. It’s not like freshman year,having all the activities but it’s not unheard of to have help if you are close enough or can. Some parents make it part of other visits, some never see the campus until graduation.
I never thought it was a big deal unless the student cared. I know my daughter’s suitemates were grateful for a ride and help with moving.</p>
<p>fogfog: I think Ct Limo has some rule about how much you can bring with you. But I can not remember what the rule is. Better check with CT Limo in advance. You would not want an unpleasant surprise that the CT Limo driver refuses to take your S/D at the last minute.</p>
<p>Also, should this happen (i.e., your S could not get on the CT Limo when he has too much stuff), hiring a taxi on the spot may not help either – more likely than not, a taxi is small and can not take too many pieces of luggage.</p>
<p>I did not help DD sophomore or junior year. Senior year we were traveling and came back via the east coast and she was moving off campus. So I did help then. Rented a car because there were things to buy, etc.</p>
<p>We helped DS move in only in the freshman year. Do not laugh at this: As I remember, both parents stayed at the Omni Hotel on the Temple street for more than one week (likely 9 or 10 days), partly because of DS’s pre-orientation activities, partly because we decided to shop most stuff DS might need at New Haven. But we still checked in six pieces of baggage when 3 of us flied there. (Back then, each passenger could check in two pieces of baggage free of charge.)</p>
<p>One parent’s another mission was to scout every inch of all the streets near campus so that she could tell DS where he could go and where to avoid. (Now reflect on what we did at that time, we think we were “pretty sick” back then.) We have never had such a “long vacation.”</p>
<p>However, we helped him move out all 4 years.</p>
<p>When DS rented a Zip car, he got a Nissan Sentra.</p>
<p>Thanks
I figured that most soph/jr/sr handle it all on their own.
We didn’t go to NH for move-out, as K1 handled all of the packing and storage alone.
K1 is resourceful and independent and is happy to “figure it out”
Don’t know if we are needed for move-in to the RC and since the boxes atc are in storage at the RC…other than a Walmart trip—and a “tour” of the RC and new suite etc, there is little reason for the trip
A wise parent once told me “there is NO ROOM for mommy in college…let them be”
She was right–allowing our K1 to handle preparations/moving/travel etc…storage/move out etc… means we have an independent kiddo and have no need for a helicopter pad in NH
I am surprised at parents who do alot with move outs etc at the U since with storage etc and the possibility to ship stuff…the kids have it pretty easy.
Certainly we will leave it to K1 to decide…and won’t be hurt if K1 feels it can be handled with shipping boxes etc</p>
<p>Years ago my travel between home and college was a 14 hr ride…My folks helped me move in and out Freshman yr and soph yr–although soph move out my mom came with my grandmother. it became more of a “girls” weekend and we had fun on the drive home.
By Jr yr I moved into an off campus condo without help–and stayed there both jr and sr yr so the move in/out was basically clothes…</p>
<p>The dorms open pretty far in advance of the shopping period.</p>
<p>I’m thinking about thanksgiving flights. Any advice? I was thinking about home on Sunday and back on Saturday. Does that sound about right?</p>
<p>DS always flied back to campus one day earlier. If the class starts on Monday, he would go back to campus on Saturday. If there is a major winter storm, having one day as a “just-in-case” buffer could be not enough. But it is usually OK unless you are really in a bad luck.</p>
<p>FYI - The Yale Harvard Game is the first Saturday of the Thanksgiving break. (11/17 in Cambridge this year)</p>
<p>Agree about Sunday to Saturday. The big question is whether to fly out of Boston after the game. I don’t think we did that in the past, but I don’t remember why. Maybe no place to store a suitcase during the game? I wonder when the bus returns to NH. Might be worth flying a red-eye out of Logan, especially since getting to airports from Yale is not that convenient.</p>
<p>So there are a few buses that go from Yale to Harvard for the game? If so, I wonder if they are charter greyhound-types of buses, which would have room for a carryon suitcase. What is the approximate time that the game would end? Trying to figure out if she can stay with a Harvard friend overnight and fly out of Logan on Sun.</p>
<p>D is thinking about marching band. Is it worthwhile to fly out of Logan with a musical instrument? We do have a relative in Boston, so if she won’t need the instrument between Thanksgiving and second semester, she could potentially leave it there. </p>
<p>Any band parents willing to advise? Is the bus Back to new haven just too much fun to miss?</p>
<p>She might be able to get somebody else in the band to take the instrument back and stash it in the band room over break.</p>
<p>Band parent here- my son is adamant about riding the bus back to NH then flying out of Hartford on Sunday, even if it means a brutally early wake-up (more like they just won’t go to sleep). Camaraderie amongst this group is wonderful, your daughter will be welcomed with open arms.</p>
<p>Thanks! That’s what I need to know!</p>
<p>We are from California and S has never owned a pair of rain boots, but it seems like a necessity for New Haven winters. Is there a brand or style that is more widely worn by the men at Yale? Ankle height? Calf height? or does fashion just win out over function and the boots stay in the closet and they all just get wet feet?</p>
<p>I can’t say I’ve seen actual rain boots on guys too much. More of a girl thing.</p>
<p>My husband owns old-fashioned rubbers, which you put on over your shoes, but I don’t even know where he would go to replace them (if he ever wanted to). Just thinking about those things makes me LOL. </p>
<p>If you’re a guy, and you are wearing closed shoes, your feet don’t get wet unless you step in a puddle, or stand in a downpour without an umbrella, or hike miles through the tall grass. </p>
<p>Students wear sneakers, trail hikers, real hiking boots, etc. Some wear sandals all year round (which is definitely crazy).</p>
<p>^^ Totally agree. We live on the East Coast and my son would not be caught dead in a pair of rain boots – he wouldn’t wear them when he was 5, and surely won’t at 19. He has several pairs of boots for winter: Clark’s, Timberland and an industrial strength pair of Ugg snowboots with lots of tread for deep snow, which never materialized last year.</p>
<p>Thanks Gibby, that’s what I thought. My son said “absolutely not” when we were looking at the rain boots online the other day, and I guess he was right! $60 bucks back in the pocket…</p>
<p>I bought a pair pf Timberland insulated boots to trudge up Science Hill which were wonderful then and now. They are the oldest piece of clothing I still own.</p>
<p>L.L. Bean duck boots are wonderful on a rainy day and seem appropriately Ivy league preppy. If kids won’t wear sensible shoes and want to wear sandals all year long, that is their loss. :).</p>
<p>Kids these days must have water and snow-resistant feet. This must explain why they seem to wear flip flops or sandals year round.</p>