<p>As D wraps up her first semester at Yale, I am thinking of all of the parents who post in this forum. You have been so helpful to me (and to D), both as D made her decision to attend Yale and subsequently as we made our way through move-in, course selection, flu, etc. A big thanks to everyone.</p>
<p>So now I am wondering how your students feel about their first semester? Was it everything they had hoped? Did they find their people? Were the classes harder/easier than they expected? Did they make it through finals ok? </p>
<p>Here's wishing you the happiest of holidays. Enjoy the nice, long break. (We learned from Thanksgiving; the day after Christmas we're whisking D off to the mountains so that we can have her to ourselves for at least a few days!)</p>
<p>It has been everything we had hoped for our daughter and so much more, and I’m pretty sure she feels the same way. She found so many great friends and great activities.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what she expected in terms of her classes, but she has worked pretty hard for the first time in her academic life, and seems to be enjoying the challenge. The most dreaded final is tomorrow, and then she flies home on Saturday. </p>
<p>On one hand it feels like Thanksgiving was yesterday, but on the other hand, I am SO looking forward to seeing her again. </p>
<p>I’m worried spring semester will seem much longer (to me, anyway) with no Parents Weekend and one break instead of two. We got spoiled seeing her three times!</p>
<p>Academically, it has been verrrry challenging. 5 credits, including the famous killer Freshman Organic. </p>
<p>Socially, I think it has surpassed my daughter’s expectations, although not in a way that’s really so typical at Yale. She has been academically too busy to do much partying, but she has found her people, nonetheless. </p>
<p>Musically, there have been far more ups than downs. She resigned from two competitive music opportunities but kept 4 others. Gotta sleep sometime too.</p>
<p>No flu (ptoo ptoo ptoo). I think she’s learned to do more course shopping in the future (although it’s hard when you’re trying to keep up with Freshman Organic. They had 3 regular classes with mucho new material during ‘reading’ week.) </p>
<p>In general, between the academics and the music, she hasn’t had time to do much else at Yale yet. This is not necessarily the way every other freshman reacts - but it’s her way. I hear there are plans for some IM sports involvement next semester!</p>
<p>Exceeded her and our expectations. She just oozes happiness. Her social group is wonderfully supportive and diverse in all ways.</p>
<p>Academically it was rigorous. Science major who bit the bullet and took some rigorous writing classes first semester. This seems to be a hallmark of the students…they (for the most part) care about learning and challenging themselves and are not just looking for easy path. She found her fellow students to be very collaborative, supportive and helpful. </p>
<p>Her professors were very accessible. She met with her writing professor (FULL) nearly each week to work through drafts. Her class size was 14. </p>
<p>They did a great job with housing. Her roommate is a perfect fit.</p>
<p>Thanks for starting this thread, lonestarmom. DD extremely happy, esp. with one class, the most academically challenging she has ever had in her life, mostly grad students. She is taking a class with the same prof (full prof, in her major) next semester. He sounds like a trip (in the good sense). She claims he is 85 years old, which probably means he is 64.</p>
<p>The roommate situation is excellent. </p>
<p>She does not drink or party and has managed to find people who share her interests. This includes being involved – up to her eyeballs – in political campaigns, pursuits. </p>
<p>With all this, her habits of learning to get by with little sleep, from her later years in high school, are paying off. I am happy that she is happy to have (finally) found a place where it is perfectly, one-hundred-percent-OK to be precisely the person that she is.</p>
<p>Summer plans unsure but she tells us the chances are low that she will be with us here. The distance part (7-9 hours away from home) is the only thing that’s harder than I had thought.</p>
<p>This is one of the things that makes Yale the terrific place it is. The only other place D has felt like this was during her summers at CTY.</p>
<p>She went back to New Haven today to start her last semester. I can’t believe how quickly the four years have gone by. It’s wonderful to hear that your kids are having such positive (if exhausting!) experiences and I wish all good things for them in their coming years at Yale.</p>
<p>Thanks, booklady, for starting this thread. Son deliriously happy at Yale despite rough landing due to flu at end of the first semester. Loved having him home for the holidays, but enjoyed seeing him light up today at the prospect of getting back to campus.</p>
<p>Well, I’m ready to stop moping around after sending D back to New Haven. The best way to get past my sadness is to reflect on how very, very happy she is at Yale!</p>
<p>Her first semester was even better than she expected in every way. She loves the campus and is quite content in New Haven (even though she thought she wanted to be in a big city). She has a great group of kids to hang out with and spends a lot of time with a couple of girls who will probably be those special, lifelong best friends. The academics were challenging but not overwhelming, and we were all very happy with her grades. She has made a wonderful connection with a professor who is already giving her great academic advice. She is applying for some very interesting summer programs/fellowships. And the activities/extracurricular stuff – well, she has just had a fun, fun time.</p>
<p>It’s a lot of $$$, but we honestly feel that we are getting our money’s worth for sure!</p>
<p>It’s so good to hear that your kids are also having a terrific experience! I would love to meet you and your kids someday.</p>
<p>Son is also extremely happy. Loved his first semester classes and activities. Has great room mates. (Boy, Yale seems to do a good job of matching kids up. It’s really quite impressive.) He’s looking at a wonderful summer opportunity on Yale’s dime. </p>
<p>And now, as was the case first semester, he’s agonizing over too many enticing class choices and trying to decide what to keep and what to let go. Still undecided about a major. Shop till you drop.</p>
<p>WJB - wait until he is junior and is lamenting that there aren’t enough semesters to take all the courses he wants before he graduates. Are we lucky or what to have kids who are this excited about learning.</p>
<p>^^We are, worknprogress. I have to chuckle at the wistful tone in his voice when he talks about the courses he has to forego and the almost reverential way he talks about some of his profs. And this from a kid who is given to neither wistfulness nor reverence. Part of the problem solved: His Dean signed off on 5.5 credit hours for this semester. Presumably son knows what he’s doing.</p>
<p>Son is absolutely loving all of Yale - classes, people, atmosphere. He and his roommates are a great match (great job Yale!) and they all want to room together next yr. What a wonderful experience they are all having!</p>
<p>Wow, I’m surprised everyone here thinks they did such a good job with rooming. They absolutely failed in our entryway. I don’t think a single suite will remain intact for the following year, at least not at this point in negotiations.</p>
<p>…you have to distinguish between ‘everyone’ and ‘everyone who responded’! My daughter’s suite is also splitting 4 ways for next year. They were all polite to each other and got along just fine, but did not become close.</p>
<p>Our son is totally tight with his L-Dub gang, apparently, so Yale did a good job there this year. He says they are all musicians. Think they are already making plans for next year.</p>
<p>DS considers that Yale did a wonderful job in putting together his suite but they do have a problem. There are only 5 of them and suites must enter the lottery for sophomore rooms as a group of 6. They’ve had a very hard time tracking anyone down to come in with the suite; is anyone at loose out there? (I was about to say “guy” but with the new gender-neutral housing rules coming into effect, maybe that doesn’t matter anymore, lol)</p>
<p>In the “how’s it going?” department, our freshson did not come home for break (still snowing here, no surprise), but instead headed for warmer climes with the posse where they saved money by bunking and feeding with parents, relatives and kids at other schools while roadtripping. Yale networking is apparently useful already!</p>