<p>Hi Tututaxi, ditto on supporting the stores you mentioned--it doesn't stop with freshmen year as sophomore year we were back at IKEA buying a slip cover for the couch and some storage bins as his new room did not have a closet or dresser. And, this year, I shipped him a box from Bed Bath & Beyond. </p>
<p>We haven't gotten to see his new room this year--can't wait for Parents Weekend. A schedule of events is posted online; lots of interesting events--I hope some of the seminars you missed are repeated.</p>
<p>A couple of you mentioned wanting to find copies of the Dean's address at the Frosh Assembly. The link below is from the Office of Public Affairs web site and not only has the Dean but the President's address and some fun photos.</p>
<p>Yes, great pictures! I'm sure all of you know about the Yale</a> Daily News website, and there's also a weekly paper called The</a> Yale Herald which I enjoy reading to keep up with what's going on on campus.</p>
<p>My S graduated this May.......and since a few of you were inquiring about where to stay for graduation.....I thought I would let you all know that Yale will open up dorms for family stays during graduation weekend. Not glamorous but definitely more cost effective for larger families. The information on reserving residential college rooms for graduation is included in the parent packet mailed home in Jan/Feb the year they graduate. We had ALREADY committed to the Courtyard Marriott, not knowing about the Yale room availability..... my recollection is that the Marriott cost $1400 for 3 nites minimum .....but it included hot buffet breakfast for anyone in your family (which was a simple task of asking for more breakfast tickets at the front desk and a great spread) and it included parking, for both cars. That had real value for us since my S's roomies were all flights away....so we had all the big items for transport home. The included breakfast was also great as there are many morning or 11 am start times, so a nice big buffet was a helpful way to start the busy, full days. </p>
<p>Watch the Ikea trips....it can be hard to resist, but you do have to dispose of what you don't want. All students can store 5 or 6 boxes in the basement each year..... each are all the same size....about 12" high and 2' square..... and a chair.... you can put your couch in your next year suite.... everything is to be labeled....and you will probably automatically get billed for cleaning the rooms. Having done a lot of cleaning every year....I am unhappy with the cleaning charge......but in the big scheme of things not an issue. </p>
<p>The four years will ZIP by and you will wonder how it is all possibly over... but I have a high school senior now....and with a little luck, we could be doing New Haven all over again.... that would make us happy parents!!</p>
<p>Thanks, maineparent, for the grad info. How much in advance did you reserve your Courtyard Marriott room?</p>
<p>Storage might vary in the residence colleges, I guess. S's only allows 4 boxes total, and allows bookcases, tv cart, rug, lamp, etc to also be stored in the next year suite. And, there has never been a cleaning charge. So, maybe depends on the residential college?</p>
<p>I agree about the time zipping along! Way too quickly!</p>
<p>I am seeking recommendations from other Yale parents for hotels for Parent's Weekend. Our son is a junior and we already have a reservation at the Omni which we like but the price is high. We have tried other places over the past 2 years with poor results. Now that I have found this forum maybe someone can offer a suggestion for an alternative hotel that is clean and safe--doesn't need to be fancy. We will have a car so it could be a few miles away. Any help would be most appreciated.</p>
<p>We have reservations at the Hilton Garden Inn in Shelton (203-447-1000) for a rate of $107/night and at the Hampton Inn and Suites in West Haven (203-932-0404) for $225/night. The Hampton is still under construction, but is scheduled to open later this month. Once it is officially opened we will cancel the Hilton Garden Inn reservation. The Hamptons rate seems high but it is significantly less than the Omni.</p>
<p>You should also check the Hyatt in Milford. I tried making reservations at the Marriot near campus but it was totally booked with a long waitlist. :(</p>
<p>Clarimom,
I was on the list they were keeping prior to them opening it up officially. I believe their reservation system is limited to 365 days.....so you cannot officially reserve it until a year ahead. It is a binding reservation and you are billed when it becomes official. It has to be 3 nites...and you can choose Fri Sat and Sun nites or Sat Sun Mon nites...... kids have to be out of the residential colleges by 1PM on Monday....if I remember correctly.... so the Fri Sat Sun worked best for us.... </p>
<p>the other tip I will mention is around the whole seating setup for the Old Campus events.....specifically, the official graduation service where folks in the KNOW went into Old Campus the nite before and put name tags on seats with tape or whatever.....in effect reserving them .... and everyone honored this tradition..... those not in the know showed up early thinking they were early .... folks like us... only to find that all the front seats were committed the nite before. I was a bit sad about being so unaware of how things were done.... but we basically hovered at the rear of the graduate seats and managed to snare a chair or two when there were some leftover. It was especially challenging for some families with elderly grandparents etc...... </p>
<p>The 2008 graduation was tremendous....they get their diplomas from their Master in their residential college....so, the big Old Campus stuff was not imperative to have good seats....there was not a bad seat for any one in my S's residential college.... overall, it was just magical and the different flags for each residential college and the inclusion of the graduate programs made it all feel incredibly historic and almost regal. Having Tony Blair as the honored speaker and Paul McCartney, along with the Royal Astronomer and the President of Harvard, Drew Gilpin Faust and others all getting honorary degrees was a perfect exclamation point for a parent who still remembers the angst over applications and the joy over the admission bulldog!! I cannot describe my pride over having my child educated at Yale.... and I personally find the most beautiful place on the campus to be the carved walls in the Commons that honor all the students who have died in wars since the Revolutionary War. They list their name, their class, and where they died... so you can sense how vast the many fronts were for some of these wars. I tear up every time I see those names...and I go to see them every time I am on that campus. I even took my girlfriends to see them when we made a quick pit stop on the way home from NYC.</p>
<p>Lovely post, maineparent. And thanks for the tips about graduation, although I can't see us putting our names on chairs the night before. That just doesn't seem right.</p>
<p>maineparent, you must probably also know that the rotunda inscriptions you eloquently describe were part of the inspiration that Maya Lin drew from in her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.</p>
<p>NJdad...
no, I did not know that.... thank you for that information...and the word eloquent to describe my comments... a warm electronic fuzzy!! Thanks...</p>
<p>BRANFORD MOM, I'm PMing you as well about hotel room</p>
<p>maineparent, thanks so much for your post about graduation. I got all teary-eyed reading it--I'll have to be sure to have kleenix along when it is my S graduating. The whole Yale experience has been so special.</p>
<p>There's a thread over on the Parents forum about getting teary phone calls from students. That thread and reading this one made me think about something sad (and funny) at the same time when I was an entering Freshman at Yale. FYI: I'm completely comfortable in any and all social settings so I found little to no difficulty transitioning from my midwest, large urban school district to Yale. I made friends quickly and never felt out of place (even though I hadn't travelled much prior to going to New Haven). I frankly was having the time of my life when I first arrived. So much to do and to experience. I'd call home once a week to catch up. Let them know about new things, see how things were going on at home. Near Thanksgiving, at the end of one of these phone calls, my older brother got on the line. This was unheard of -- we just didn't chat on the phone -- EVER. He told me that while I was having a ball at college, my mom was practically crying every night at the dinner table (since I was the first child to leave home). Boy, did I feel like a heel! I really didn't miss home much at all!</p>
<p>I tried to be very sensitive (and extra loving) to my mom when I saw her at Thnxgiving.</p>
<p>For the parents of freshmen, know that when your kids return home over Thxgivng break, they may inadvertently say "Oops I left so-and-so at 'home'" and they're referring to their suite -- not your abode. Don't be offended. I did that several times w/o thinking....</p>
<p>During last weekend's move-in, it struck me how little my daughter and I thought or talked about home. Even when "home" called, we were just too busy and distracted to engage. I made a mental note of this, realizing not to take it personally if D didn't call much, especially at first. It's physically not possible sometimes, and D's full engagement at Yale is a good thing.</p>
<p>I do think about her many times a day. When she does call, it's because she has a few minutes to really have a conversation. It's worth waiting for those moments, rather than risking becoming a pest and texting every time she enters my head. Because the truth is, we're just not on her mind much right now.</p>
<p>D2 is very sad, however. I'm going to try and facilitate some IM time soon because she really misses their nightly talks. This one caught me a little off guard. She kept saying she couldn't wait to have the bathroom all to herself....</p>
<p>I remember reading posts during Bulldog Days saying there really is that much activity going on all the time. That sure seems to be the case. I think my son has four things he wants to go to tonight all happening at the same time.</p>
<p>Yep - it's D's constant lament: "I really wanted to go see the production of X, but I had a meeting for [insert extra-curricular activity here], plus there was a Master's Tea with [insert famous writer here] that I couldn't pass up and then [insert major political figure here] was speaking at the YPU." It's an amazing place!</p>
<p>Today I got a text message: "it was a great weekend. I saw starry night" </p>
<p>Now that brought a tear to my eye. This painting will NEVER come to our town. Last day for this exhibit at Yale. She had a free hour before dinner....</p>
<p>Hope some of your children got to see this exhibit.</p>