New Haven, CT

[kabutar]

I'm heading to Yale in August and am trying to figure out where to live. I don't particularly want an apartment - I'm still in my early 20s and kind of want to be around a younger crowd rather than families, older couples, etc. Would I be best off in HGS, Helen Hadley, etc or the 254 and 276 Prospect St dorms? Are there any apartments that are a younger crowd? Anyone had any experience with any of these dorms?

I'm in the School of Forestry, so anything close to that (Kroon Hall, on Prospect St) would be ideal. thanks!

I must say I'm not big on this segregation of grad students thing... my undergrad was in Toronto and us undergrads lived in the same dorms as the grad students, all mixed together and had a good time...

Edited March 30, 2010 by kabutar

[cogneuroforfun]

For East Rock, Craigslist will be your best friend. Anything between Prospect St. and State St., south of Huntington or East Rock Rd. will be convenient as far as the shuttles go, and will also be in a decent neighborhood. The individual houses and buildings in these areas do differ in quality quite a bit, though. For Forestry, anything west of Orange St. and south of Edwards St. or so won't be a very far walk, and there's a lot more to choose from around Whitney/Orange than around Prospect.

I would not recommend living in the graduate dorms of your only reason is having more social opportunities. Anywhere in the East Rock area or downtown will be close and convenient to campus and downtown bars and restaurants. I'm not sure how it is with Helen Hadley Hall, but if you live in HGS, you have to get a meal plan, which increases the cost by quite a bit. It still might be a little cheaper to live in HGS than an apartment, but just know that it isn't the most modern or spacious place. Maybe if you plan on going out almost every night, the added convenience will be worth it, but you'll have to make that judgment. If convenience is your biggest concern, some of the downtown apartment buildings might work too, depending where exactly on campus you'll be, but you'll be paying a premium to be there as well.

[kabutar]

For East Rock, Craigslist will be your best friend. Anything between Prospect St. and State St., south of Huntington or East Rock Rd. will be convenient as far as the shuttles go, and will also be in a decent neighborhood. The individual houses and buildings in these areas do differ in quality quite a bit, though. For Forestry, anything west of Orange St. and south of Edwards St. or so won't be a very far walk, and there's a lot more to choose from around Whitney/Orange than around Prospect.

I would not recommend living in the graduate dorms of your only reason is having more social opportunities. Anywhere in the East Rock area or downtown will be close and convenient to campus and downtown bars and restaurants. I'm not sure how it is with Helen Hadley Hall, but if you live in HGS, you have to get a meal plan, which increases the cost by quite a bit. It still might be a little cheaper to live in HGS than an apartment, but just know that it isn't the most modern or spacious place. Maybe if you plan on going out almost every night, the added convenience will be worth it, but you'll have to make that judgment. If convenience is your biggest concern, some of the downtown apartment buildings might work too, depending where exactly on campus you'll be, but you'll be paying a premium to be there as well.

thanks for the info!

I looked at the pricing, and it seems HGS is around 5500 for the year and the meal plan is 2800... let's say 9k total for the year. That doesn't seem bad to me, especially compared to the Yale apartments which run AT LEAST 800/month... x 10 months that's 8k anyway, PLUS food. So Yale-operated apartments aren't really an option lol. Which leaves me with either grad dorms, or an off-campus apartment... which I would really rather not do - don't feel like bothering with the hassle of furnishing, cooking, etc (I know you have to do both for Yale-owned apartments too) - I'm pretty inept in the kitchen, and it's just easier to have it dealt with lol. Maybe after first year it'll be easy - I also don't want to just jump into a place without having been there long enough to scope out someplace for myself.

I'm not sure if you'd change your recommendation based on my reasoning, but just thought I might as well explain myself

[1985]

I'm heading to Yale in August and am trying to figure out where to live. I don't particularly want an apartment - I'm still in my early 20s and kind of want to be around a younger crowd rather than families, older couples, etc. Would I be best off in HGS, Helen Hadley, etc or the 254 and 276 Prospect St dorms? Are there any apartments that are a younger crowd? Anyone had any experience with any of these dorms?

I'm in the School of Forestry, so anything close to that (Kroon Hall, on Prospect St) would be ideal. thanks!

I must say I'm not big on this segregation of grad students thing... my undergrad was in Toronto and us undergrads lived in the same dorms as the grad students, all mixed together and had a good time...

i am in fes and facing exactly the same dilemma as you are now, I would rather be with young/fun crowd rather and have a life rather than stuck in middle of no where, but convenience can be such an issue, also in dorm might/might not be the best option in social life, considering a lot of grad in dorm just stuck with study, correct me if i am wrong, just what i heard.

[kabutar]

i am in fes and facing exactly the same dilemma as you are now, I would rather be with young/fun crowd rather and have a life rather than stuck in middle of no where, but convenience can be such an issue, also in dorm might/might not be the best option in social life, considering a lot of grad in dorm just stuck with study, correct me if i am wrong, just what i heard.

well it should be far more convenient to be downtown / on campus I think! also, I feel like if grad students are going to just study, that's going to happen whether or not you're in an apartment, and if you are in an apt you have far less options for interaction with other people through meals, the dining hall, seeing people around, house/floor events etc.

Would anyone also be able to comment on the town itself (safety aside)? As a college/etc town, how is it? The gold standard from what I'm hearing is Bloomington, Indiana... but New Haven still seems like a fairly good town to me, with a good variety of restaurants, theatre, clubs/bars, etc. Ignoring the safety issues, of course. But let me know what you all think...

Edited March 30, 2010 by kabutar

[erleb]

I've read the posts and the majority are by and for singles. I wonder if anyone could give more information about moving to New Haven (postdoc) with a family - wife and two boys in my case. what's housing like, kids activities, safety etc.

Also, how easy is it to live in a neighborhood like westville and work at the hospital?

thanks!

Edited May 4, 2010 by erleb

[kabutar]

What's the best way to get to New Haven? I'm flying from Vancouver and it seems the cheapest thing is to fly to Newark... and then er, train maybe? Is it easy to get to the Newark train station from the airport, and is it easy to get to Yale from the New Haven train station...?

thanks

Edited June 13, 2010 by kabutar

[Phedre]

On 6/13/2010 at 6:08 PM, kabutar said:

What's the best way to get to New Haven? I'm flying from Vancouver and it seems the cheapest thing is to fly to Newark... and then er, train maybe? Is it easy to get to the Newark train station from the airport, and is it easy to get to Yale from the New Haven train station...?

thanks

YES! It took me a while to figure this out but Newark is definitely your best bet. Check the times of the Amtrak train, however-- you may end up waiting a long time. The advantage to Newarks is that you can pick up the amtrak from within the Newark airport (amazing!) and then the train drops you off at Union station downtown in New Haven. Then it's a short cab ride (probably $7-10) to wherever you have to go!! Otherwise you'd have to take a bus from LGA or JFK to grand central and then the metro north-- extra hassle if you're traveling with bags.

[indianacat]

I have a question..not long to go now and in my pre-arrival organisation I was getting all my finances in order (ugh), checked my Yale admit letter for my exact stipend amount - and realised they are 'pleased to offer a minimum level of support of $26,000' per year. I haven't received any other correspondence with an exact figure as far as I can see - does anyone know if I should take this amount as very close to the mark or maybe I'm going to get a a very happy surprise (I know, I can dream though).

I feel like this is something I should have received confirmation of! Is everyone else's package as vague?

[BrandNewName]

I am resurrecting the New Haven thread in the hopes of connecting with another GC member who is attending Yale in Fall 2011.

Basically I'll be in New Haven this weekend for a recruitment weekend and plan to spend a couple of days checking out two or three bedroom apartments in East Rock and Westville (maybe a few in the Wooster Square area). I'd like to find a roommate, preferably another graduate student who would want to share a place with me beginning in July or August. I'm willing to put my name on the lease so even if someone wants to try it out on a six-month trial basis, I'm open to that. The thing is, this weekend will be my last visit to New Haven until late-July/mid-August and I'm worried I won't find a place or a roommate if I wait that long to look.

So, if you are planning to make the move to New Haven and are thinking of living off-campus, send me a message -- I don't care what field anyone is in, in fact, it might be nice to live with someone outside of my cultural studies/theory bubble. We can work out the details -- as for me, I think I'm pretty easy going and relatively serious about my studies (I'm not opposed to a night at the bar though). That said, come September my two-year old beagle will be joining us in the apartment from overseas. She doesn't bark, in fact, she's pretty friggin' adorable and friendly, but she's a dog -- so if you're not a dog person, it probably won't work.

Anyway, if anyone is out there in the GC world and thinks this could be a viable option, I'd love to hear from you.

Best, outofredink

Edited March 20, 2011 by outofredink

[theatrehippie]

I haven't been accepted yet, but if I am, I'll send you a PM! I'm applying for the Theatre Management MFA/MBA (so I am waiting to hear from the drama school and SOM), love dogs, and have a background in English lit. When are you heading to New Haven?

I am resurrecting the New Haven thread in the hopes of connecting with another GC member who is attending Yale in Fall 2011.

Basically I'll be in New Haven this weekend for a recruitment weekend and plan to spend a couple of days checking out two or three bedroom apartments in East Rock and Westville (maybe a few in the Wooster Square area). I'd like to find a roommate, preferably another graduate student who would want to share a place with me beginning in July or August. I'm willing to put my name on the lease so even if someone wants to try it out on a six-month trial basis, I'm open to that. The thing is, this weekend will be my last visit to New Haven until late-July/mid-August and I'm worried I won't find a place or a roommate if I wait that long to look.

So, if you are planning to make the move to New Haven and are thinking of living off-campus, send me a message -- I don't care what field anyone is in, in fact, it might be nice to live with someone outside of my cultural studies/theory bubble. We can work out the details -- as for me, I think I'm pretty easy going and relatively serious about my studies (I'm not opposed to a night at the bar though). That said, come September my two-year old beagle will be joining us in the apartment from overseas. She doesn't bark, in fact, she's pretty friggin' adorable and friendly, but she's a dog -- so if you're not a dog person, it probably won't work.

Anyway, if anyone is out there in the GC world and thinks this could be a viable option, I'd love to hear from you.

Best, outofredink

[phoskaialetheia]

I stumbled across this while trying to find out about safe neighborhoods: http://spotcrime.com/ct/new+haven

not sure how accurate it is, but it is a little disconcerting. Looks like East Rock is the place to be.

[poppyfield]

Hello everyone,

I will start my phd studies in 2011 fall. I am an international student so I am a little bit confused about the housing situation. Ok, I don't want a roommate and I want to live alone, this I know. But I am not sure about the safety issue and neighbourhoods.

I have been offered an apartment in the Esplanade building. It is on the Prospect Street, close to Marsh Botanic Gardens and Farnam Gardans. Anyone has any idea about Esplanade?

The other issue is that, while Esplanade is close to my department's building, I guess it's not that close to Downtown. Going to Downtown during the day shouldn't be a problem, I love walking. What I wonder is whether I will be able to go to downtown or walk back at night. I think Prospect St is in the campus, so I guess it shouldn't be a problem. But then again, I have heard such horrible stories about New Haven, I can't be sure.

I don't go quite often and I know that courses will take most of my time. But I come from a big city in which walking at, say 11 pm, is not considered late. So New Haven is a new game for me.

Any help appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[cogneuroforfun]

There is certainly crime in New Haven, but it really isn't as bad as the reputation, in my experience. That link that phoskaialetheia posted is fairly representative of the "good" and "bad" areas. I've lived in East Rock for two years and never had any problems, whether I'm walking home at 10pm or walking my dog at midnight. Wooster square and downtown are also perfectly fine. Once you start getting west of Prospect or Howe, south of the medical school, or east of the Wooster area, things get shadier, although plenty of grad students live on Mansfield (just west of Prospect) or Howe and seem generally ok. But those are kind of the borders where you start getting into worse areas. In general, if you want to live further out from downtown/campus area, you should go 10-15 minutes away; Hamden or Orange are fine little suburbs, but Fair Haven and parts of Westville are not great.

Edited May 13, 2011 by cogneuroforfun

[Pablo Peña]

There is certainly crime in New Haven, but it really isn't as bad as the reputation, in my experience. That link that phoskaialetheia posted is fairly representative of the "good" and "bad" areas. I've lived in East Rock for two years and never had any problems, whether I'm walking home at 10pm or walking my dog at midnight. Wooster square and downtown are also perfectly fine. Once you start getting west of Prospect or Howe, south of the medical school, or east of the Wooster area, things get shadier, although plenty of grad students live on Mansfield (just west of Prospect) or Howe and seem generally ok. But those are kind of the borders where you start getting into worse areas. In general, if you want to live further out from downtown/campus area, you should go 10-15 minutes away; Hamden or Orange are fine little suburbs, but Fair Haven and parts of Westville are not great.

Hello.

I'm a new international student coming to New Haven in August. I've been offered an apt in the Whitehall complex and I wanted any thoughts on the safety of the area... what do you guys think?... (the link that phoskaialethei shows some bad stuff going on at the surroundings...). Other people recommended the East Rock area but having a University Apt just seemed easier and cheaper. I really don't plan on going further north in my everyday life so my guess is that Whitehall is still a safe area... (then again, the term 'safe' kinda gets relative for me since I come from a big city in South America and even in a 'safe area' I wouldn't left my bike on the street or my car open...).

[cogneuroforfun]

Hello.

I'm a new international student coming to New Haven in August. I've been offered an apt in the Whitehall complex and I wanted any thoughts on the safety of the area... what do you guys think?... (the link that phoskaialethei shows some bad stuff going on at the surroundings...). Other people recommended the East Rock area but having a University Apt just seemed easier and cheaper. I really don't plan on going further north in my everyday life so my guess is that Whitehall is still a safe area... (then again, the term 'safe' kinda gets relative for me since I come from a big city in South America and even in a 'safe area' I wouldn't left my bike on the street or my car open...).

Prospect Street itself is fine, and north of Whitehall is fine too. Its west from Prospect that gets bad, but again, you won't really have any reason to go there.

[FluffMeister]

Does anyone have experience renting from Pike International? Their listings seem to dominate Craigslist and their places look nice and reasonably priced. A quick search on Yelp, however, will reveal that they have a horrible internet reputation. Does anyone have direct experience with them or know someone who does? Will they rip me off?

[AbrasaxEos]

The closest neighborhoods to SCSU are Newhallville and Westville. Don't live in Newhallville. Westville is better, but you won't exactly be right out your front door to get to SCSU, and the apartments are going to be more expensive. The area immediately surrounding SCSU isn't the greatest (the campus itself is pretty nice, but take a drive around and you'll see what I mean). Most students commute, so they have huge parking lots there. If you have a car, I would suggest trying either Westville if you want to be a bit closer or East Rock for a nice neighborhood which is further away. East Rock is heavily dominated by Yale graduates, but there are some SCSU students that live there. One other possibility might be Hamden which is the next town north of the campus (SCSU is actually like 100 feet from the Hamden line), but there are definetly fewer apartments there, and Hamden tends to be more geared towards families. If you want access to things like bars and a social scene, Hamden wouldn't fit that bill.

I myself was a Yale graduate student, but my wife went to SCSU for a Master's degree and we spent five years in New Haven, so if you have any other specific questions ask away.

[InquilineKea]

I just got invited for an open house weekend at Yale (Feb 10-11).

Does anyone know the easiest way of getting to Brown from Yale? I'm planning on visiting both schools in one trip.

And also - how dangerous is New Haven compared, to say, the neighborhoods around UChicago and Columbia?

[AbrasaxEos]

The easiest way to get from Yale to Brown would probably be Amtrak, it costs about 25 bucks and takes about 2 hours (I'm assuming you won't have a car - it would probably be quickest to get in a car and drive up route 95). The station in Providence is about a mile from Brown's campus, so it would be easiest if someone there could pick you up, though it is walkable (I've done it on a few occasions).

Relative "danger" is always a bit difficult to tease out, as all three places are very different cities. New Haven has wildly differing neighborhoods that are in extremely close proximity to one another. You can go two blocks from a million (+) dollar home and be in pretty abject poverty. Plus, with lots of Yale students running around at all hours of the night, muggings are somewhat frequent. However, there are some very nice neighborhoods in New Haven, I lived in East Rock for four years, which is where more graduate students live. I had two bikes stolen, one car break-in, and an attempted mugging (a finger under a shirt...seriously?). So, that would be the story from a nice neighborhood in New Haven.

Edited January 14, 2012 by AbrasaxEos

[AbrasaxEos]

Oh, I am sure such is the case. I think there is a taxi stand there, and I would imagine the cost wouldn't be too bad to go only a mile.

[gibreel]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone would be able to tell me the best way to get to New Haven. I have to be there for a Yale campus visit, and I have to be there before noon. I currently live in Montreal. The direct flights from Montreal to New Haven are exorbitant. Would it be better to book a flight to New York? And then what? Is there a train from LaGuardia to New Haven?

Any help is welcome!

[Safferz]

On 2/12/2012 at 6:38 PM, gibreel said:

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone would be able to tell me the best way to get to New Haven. I have to be there for a Yale campus visit, and I have to be there before noon. I currently live in Montreal. The direct flights from Montreal to New Haven are exorbitant. Would it be better to book a flight to New York? And then what? Is there a train from LaGuardia to New Haven?

Any help is welcome!

Fly to New York, and from there you can take a shuttle service or a train to New Haven:

http://admissions.yale.edu/travel-arrangements#air

[gibreel]

Thanks Safferz! And congrats on your success!

[hope4fall2012]

I'm thinking of Yale as a serious option for grad school..My girlfriend works as a software engineer in the tech industry and is right now in Sunnyvale.. Would anyone know where the tech inductries are located nearest to New Haven? Networking companies such as Cisco etc??

As a worst case scenario, the closest places would be Boston or New York right?? How feasible would it be to commute from Boston or New York to New Haven everyday, while doing my Ph.D. I know that its not ideal, but is it feasible?