PhD4metoo

According to the Council of Grad School April 15 resolution, it sets guidelines that all graduate level universities agree to " Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution." See http://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution They should not be pressuring you to decide early or saying this (aid) offer will go away in x days. ...know your rights. OK, good close reading. But do you really WANT to go to a school that plays such hardball tactics with you and with such an important decision? Just saying...And I think the CGS could take action against schools found not to be following the resolution. Unlikely, but shaming may work too.

Statistics are important, and some grad schools and programs do publish them - like Duke grad school, which uses the data to determine program sizes, and Yale, which puts its statistical profiles for each program online- for admissions, completion and career outcomes- http://gsas.yale.edu/academics/departments - for example, here's the data for Political science phd program: http://gsas.yale.edu/sites/default/files/department-files/political_science.pdf

There ARE some Phd programs that offer family health care (sometimes subsidized), grad family housing, paid parental/family leave, parent programs and activiities, and even child care subsidies in order to help Phd parents stay in their programs and on track. Look for those family-friendly grad programs and services - they are at some public and some private research universities. Even grad fellowship and training grant programs like the NSF and NIH now realize the importance of being family friendly and expect universities to offer parental leave. Such programs can help make the difference in you feeling accepted, valued and help you get through grad school, which can be a grind for everyone, more so for parents!

According to the Council of Grad School April 15 resolution, it sets guidelines that all graduate level universities agree to " Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution." See http://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution They should not be pressuring you to decide early or saying this (aid) offer will go away in x days. ...know your rights.

Check out the Facebook Group Yale 2013 New Grad School student Facebook - 150+ new grad students there already.

THese are the apts owned by Yale & leased/managed by a private company http://www.elmcampus.com Lots of grad students & postdocs live in them, and I've generally heard good things. They have converted houses and downtown elevator buildings. They are leasing units now for summer, so check out their info & application online.

Thanks Virimundi- The Offcampus listing service is run by Yale, and you can look for rentals, houseshares (choose type "share") and purchases. Local landlords pay a small fee to list to Yale people there, so it does NOT include every rental in NH. But many landlords like having grad students, (rather than undergrads), and know that many grads, esp. PHDs, are getting funding to go to Yale so they will be able to pay rent regularly. Also, there are Yale-affiliated apts you can rent. Owned by Yale but privately managed by http://www.elmcampus.com- so they only rent to yale students, faculty & staff. They are on the edges of campus- Science Hil/Prospect, Mansfield street in the Science Park area nearby, and downtown. Plus there are lots of rental resources & info for new students online at the Living in New Haven site http://www.yale.edu/livingnh If you won't have a car (not needed for many students) be sure your apt is within the service area of the daytime & nighttime FREE Yale shuttle http://to.yale.edu And like others, I find that there is lots to do at Yale & in New Haven for a city of its size, downtown AND in the neighborhoods. See http://www.infonewhaven.com

It also depends a lot upon the University. Some grad schools have gone very far to accomodating pregancy and even adoption, for female and male students, particularly PHD students. -A few leading "Ivy type" US private schools, and some schools in Canada & Europe or Australia, offer PHD students several weeks -months paid time off from teaching or research for childbearing or adoption; registation status, stipend and health care coverage are maintained, so it's not a true "personal leave" where you are technically separated from the University (which can be problematic for intl students & loan repayment). -some offer subsidized family health care coverage; -some provide students access to subsidized backup care or other "worklife" type service. -A very few have small child care assistance grants, usually need based -some bigger usually state schools offer child care for students on-campus at lower cost but still high quality. For example, see the many family-friendly resources for grad students at Yale here: http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/studentLife/family.html If your school does not offer certain programs or supports for grad students with children, why not lobby your administration or student government for improvements! At most schools, I think that these recent changes have come about because grad students & student govts advocated for them with forward-thinking administrators...Good luck!

Hi Hi, The HGS Meal plan is required for all residents, but like all residential Yale meal plans is an all you care to eat meal plan- one price for everything from soup, salad,bread, 3 entrees, veggies, desserts, fruits and soft drinks. The HGS plan price also includes 6 guest meals and $75 in spendable points per term, and you can transfer to other dining units & cafes on campus. It's not for everyone, but the food and service are rated as excellent and the menus vary week to week. email yale.dining@yale.edu with meal plan questions. There are other Yale grad dorms that don't require meal plans and are convenient on campus and like others have said, all are great for making friends and building community in grad school. The real question is whether you prefer on campus dorm living or apt living (on or off campus) to start, I think. see Yale Grad Housing info for options & the off-campus listing service database to start searching.

THere's a very active biking community in New Haven, and new bikeways being built or planned. Lots of local rides and riders Check out www.elmcitycycling.org and www.yale.edu/transportationoptions Do wear a helmet and watch for drivers; you can take the Yale shuttle bus when the weather is bad- and you can put your bike on the Yale shuttle bus and CT transit buses (and metro north trains). See you in August!

Check out the info on the website about employment in the NH area-http://www.yale.edu/livingnh/services/employment.html Yale HR also has an open house for G&P spouses in August -ask your school Finaid office for cost of living info- they calculate it each year for need-based aid, by size of the household.

Hey art & other New grad students- Yes there are several grad student hangouts on campus to meet people who are NOT in your dept- The McDougal Grad Center at HGS- coffee bar, events, happy hours, workshops, etc http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/mcdougal/index.html The GPSCY Bar & Pub- http://www.gpscy.net/ Lots of other bars, coffee places, pizza joints (mashed potato pizza @ Bar, white clam at sally's, mozzarella at modern) in town, some places on state street in the East rock neighborhood.

Hi Cavedan & new folks- Check out the varied rental listings and search engines at http://www.yale.edu/livingnh/community/rental.html It's basically everything in the NH area- way beyond craigs list. ALso, Yale has an offcampus listing service where you can search for apts AND for Yale roomies www.yale.edu/offcampuslisting Visit in May-June to inspect the places you're interested in before signing a lease, please!

I'm a current student- check out the info on neighborhoods at www.yale.edu/livingnh -under communities-then neighborhood profiles. If you don't have a car, then try to get a rental in an area served by the Yale shuttle (day/night for free)