<p>A few of the things I have learned in 2 1/2 years as a Y parent (that did not attend Y himself)…</p>
<li><p>1st semester bill must be paid by July 31st. 2nd semester bill must be paid by November 30th. By Christmas you are paid for the school year. You can have the bills emailed to you.</p></li>
<li><p>You mail to a PO box. You ship to your S/D’s college office.</p></li>
<li><p>The Omni and Courtyard are both very nice. Tr to book now for next year’s parent’s weekend, although they are probably fully booked by now. Still haven’t stayed in The Colony or the New Haven Hotel. Note - the on-campus hotels all increase their rates for Y event weekends. I generally stay off-campus for Parent’s weekend and use the money saved to splurge on a dinner for D.</p></li>
<li><p>Parent’s weekend is fun. Attend a lecture if you can. Don’t feel like you have to do everything on the schedule.</p></li>
<li><p>Driving from campus to the Yale Bowl is an adventure. There are back roads to the athletic fields that make the trip much quicker.</p></li>
<li><p>There are not-so-good neighborhoods to the west of campus. Your S/D will rarely go there.</p></li>
<li><p>If you need some quiet time and the weather is nice, check out the sculpture garden at the Y Art Museum.</p></li>
<li><p>Your child will rapidly become a “Yalie.” Your S/D’s roomates will most likely be amazing people.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Great idea for a thread. Only 1 1/2 years for me, so I will just add:</p>
<p>3a. The Marriott Courtyard will put your name on a waiting list for Parents' Weekend and call you if there's a cancellation. It's also an extremely convenient hotel if your child winds up in Stiles or Morse. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Make sure to visit the Beinecke Library and see the Gutenberg Bible, which is always on display.</p></li>
<li><p>Yale is an incredibly vibrant and exciting place - your S/D can take advantage of the many plays, lectures, Master's Teas, etc. that are offered every week. They'll get an education on top of their education.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Both the Yale Art Museum and British Art Museum (across the street from each other) are great. Yale Art Museum was just remodeled.</p>
<p>I like to try to catch some theater while I'm there--there is always something playing.</p>
<p>Lots of great restaurants in the area too.</p>
<p>i also like to walk around to the different colleges--if your student comes along you can go in their courtyards, but often people coming in and out will open the door for you if you look like a parent.</p>
<p>Some great suggestions - I also suggest:
The Whiffenpoofs usually have a concert Parent's Weekend along with an female group (who's name eludes me at the moment). See them at least one time. There are other a cappella groups performing that weekend as well and they are poorly publicized - you may be able to get some details from other parents.
If you haven't taken a tour, see the campus with a student guide. This is some of the most beautiful architecture in the country.</p>
<p>Grandparents definitely attend! Riverrunner, you might want to consider a weekend other than parents' weekend. My parents visited every year but never on an official weekend, although always on a home football weekend. The campus was less hectic and my roommates were free to be taken out to dinner because they weren't dealing with their parents. Just something to consider.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It's not too early to put your name on the list for graduation reservations for the Omni. Yes. That's graduation.</p></li>
<li><p>It is possible to get reasonable room costs only a few miles down I-95. Courtyard Orange is about half the cost of Courtyard New Haven.</p></li>
<li><p>Encourage your S/D to do the orientation. FOOT (hiking trip) formed close relationships before getting to campus.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Kate (others?), does anyone know if varsity athletes in fall sports can do FOOT, or will they be showing up early for team practice/early check-in? I know I could ask the coach, but thought someone might know the answer for benefit of all.</p>
<p>Another question: Commencement for 2012 is Monday May 21st. When does one arrive for this event? Is there anything official on the following day, or just pack and leave? Can't believe I'm going to book this now, but the receptionist at the Omni was unfazed by my request. Thanks Kate. Like other things to do with the college admissions process, this is a bit surreal.</p>
<p>My son is graduating this May.....all I can say is the time has FLOWN by... and we haven't heard the Whiffenpoofs....and the grandparents did not visit once, and their 2 sons are Yale graduates also (1 is my H)...... sooo, try to go to a basketball game.....or a theater production......the British Art Museum is incredible ... as is the Beinecke..... our favorite restaurant is Central Steak. Plan to shop at Ikea each year as they return.... cheap, cheap pillows and sheets.... </p>
<p>If you have other kids still in HS sports, the best "souvenir" you can buy are the Yale stadium seats.... we use ours all the time....and they are really comfortable.... and I always think of our oldest when I pull them out. </p>
<p>We have opted to stay at the Courtyard for graduation.....big $$$ but our son's residential college is nearby and frankly, I wanted the convenience and ease and did not want to have to hassle with parking. That being said, recently we got a mailing mentioning you can reserve a college suite/room for graduation too.....which I had not heard of from any other source prior to the mailing. The rates are very attractive...and we may consider it if the grandparents were to come down for graduation?? </p>
<p>I love visiting the campus....our son did take us thru many of the different residential college courtyards. I encourage you all to do it during the fall or spring when the colors or blossoms are at peak. The grounds/gardens are just magnificent with a lot of really mature plantings. The trees are often beautiful species....a real treat to walk around and see the different settings, each one uniquely beautiful.</p>
<p>Maineparent - I just got teary-eyed reading your post. DD is a freshman and I already have a sense of how quickly this time is going by. Thanks for the reminder to do those visits now, before it is over. </p>
<p>To new parents - try to figure out when you will be going with your child to move-in. If you are not close by for Parents Weekend, it is not a big deal, but for move-in it really helps.</p>
<p>Most kids do some kind of pre-orientation activity that can last anywhere from 2-5 days so it can be a little tricky to figure out when your student is arriving and when they will move into their college. BTW - move-in day is awesome. I could not believe all the help - even though I had heard about it in advance. The upperclassmen are really amazing.</p>
<p>We are going to bulldog day in April. My D's grandparents came from China and will really appreciate this opportunity to visit Yale. So I am going to take them to bulldog day. Any experience on how these days will be like for parents and grandparents? and any suggestions for the good stuff besides the great things posted early? Thank you so much!</p>
<p>My son's only a freshman, but I'd add that the weather is wicked. Ridiculously hot when we went back for Parent's weekend, then bitterly cold since November. Also, UPS seems not to have ever heard of Yale, and certainly cannot find the zip code Yale wants us to use! Bring everyone to Bulldog Days and Parent's weekend, there's plenty for everyone to do. As you probably know. order everything from your local Bed Bath and pick it up there -- so convenient! And Ikea is 5 minutes away, so they'll be all decked out in no time.</p>
<p>If you bring an entourage to visit, check out the New Haven Premiere Suites (New</a> Haven Premiere Hotel and Suites - New Haven Suites) just past Ikea off 95 (5-10 minutes from campus depending on the time.) They have 2 Bdrm plus sofa bed (sleeps 6,) full kitchen, FREE BIG breakfast, free shuttle to campus for $169/night. I have stayed at the Omni. but will never again.</p>
<p>Definitely go to Bulldog Days.....I had a big business meeting in Chicago that presented a "conflict" for my boss perhaps but NOT for ME!! It was a lot of fun to scope it all out....and they have example classes available for any and all to sit in on.....we did the Psychology one....at the time, Professor Salovey did a presentation on Emotional Intelligence (he did a lot of the groundbreaking work and gave it over to someone else who wrote the popular book on the subject) and it was very interesting. He then became the Dean of the College.......coincidence??? I think not.....LOL.....</p>
<p>they had a session on Black Holes for the scientifically oriented..... a full range of things.... it is just a very affirming visit....even if your child ends up accepting elsewhere..... Yale is an American educational treasure... do the Sterling Library tour..... it was all good.</p>