New Haven, CT

[virmundi]

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?

My recommendation is A: to speak to people in your field at Yale who might be able to provide some guidance; and B: Google the trip distance. According to Google, a train commute from New Haven to New York can take up to 2 hours (at least for the trip that I was looking into) and I doubt (based on having driven from New Haven to Providence last fall) that you'd be able to make it to/from Boston much more quickly. Now -- granted that I may be wrong about this, you'll want to be really certain about what you are getting into commute-wise. It's entirely possible (particularly if you are used to this kind of commute as many Californians are) that this might not be a deal breaker for you... but in my field and where I attend now for my master's degree, my 45 minute (each way) commute is not something that I want to repeat again. I'll be sticking to housing *very* close the university if at all possible.

[whatnext]

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?

I am a current student at Yale and a lot of graduate students commute into New York, or from New York. It's not very bad, 14 dollars one way and an hour and 45 minutes on Metro-North.

[straightshooting]

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!

Better than taking the shuttle services, which I think are too expensive, do this:

From LGA you can get on the M60 bus into Manhattan (you'll need $2.25 in quarters or a Metrocard). Get off after the bus gets off of the freeway onto 125th, just after the Lexington Ave intersection. You'll see the large train bridge above and in front of you. Walk up to it and go into the train station. You can take the Metro-North to New Haven at off-peak hours for $14. It's very convenient.

[Max Power]

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?

a better option, if she is working in new york, might be to live in the middle in stamford, CT or thereabouts. a friend of mine did that for a year while he had a clerkship in new haven and his girlfriend had a job in new york and it didn't seem too bad

[The Pierre Menard]

I have accepted an offer to do doctoral work at Yale and my family (wife + two kids) will be moving to New Haven at the end of this summer. There is a dearth of information on this discussion board about life with a family in New Haven. Most seems to be about single living.

I would love to acquire any information from the collected wisdom of others about life in New Haven with kids: where to live, pre-schools, elementary schools, parks, etc.

[theconstantc]

Ishmael! I've also accepted an offer to do doctoral work and Yale, and will be moving with my family (husband + two kids). I'd also be interested in this forum's family-related feedback, but I suppose at worst we can bounce ideas off each other. Will you be visiting at the end of this month?

How old are your kids? Mine will be 3.5 and 2. We've only started checking out preschools—some of which have already closed enrollment. I had a recommendation for Creating Kids, which is run out of the Children's Museum. It looks AMAZING, but my husband and I would each have to sell a kidney to afford it, so there goes that. We're actually considering whether a nanny is cheaper, since we'd be paying tuition for 2.

I've heard there's a nice community elementary school—I think it might be the one around East Rock, though we haven't worried about it yet, since ours aren't quite that old. As for neighborhoods, I consistently hear East Rock, Westville, Wooster Square. Based on rent prices and the square footage necessary for a family of 4 without asking for divorce, though, we're pondering Edgewood, possibly Dwight (north western areas) too. NO consensus on the internets as to whether these neighborhoods are safe, though. Anyone?

[Elysia]

So I heard that New Haven only has one grocery store. If I move here, I will probably have a car. What would my grocery options be then, especially in terms of Asian supermarkets?

[straightshooting]

There are at least two Asian supermarkets within walking distance of campus, in or very close to the East Rock area. No car needed. There are also now two/three general grocery stores in the area. A Stop and Shop a bit west of campus for general needs, an organic/Whole Foods-esque place just a bit farther west of that, and a co-op market right downtown (rather like the organic place out west, though with some more standard options as well). There's also Peapod, which will deliver quite cheaply.

[AbrasaxEos]

For Ishmael/constant,

New Haven is a decent place for families. I would go for East Rock, it is both the nicest area, as well as the one with a pretty good number of families. Also, it is served by the Yale Shutte system, which some of the other areas are not. Plus, you have East Rock park right in your backyard, so hikes, play areas, etc. are all easily accessible. East Rock is going to be one of the most expensive areas (for all these reasons), but Wooster Square and Westville are actually more or less similar in price.

The best advice I can give though is also to be sure you go see the place you are thinking of throughout the day & night. Some places are seem fine during the day, but degrade a bit at night. New Haven is a super-compressed city and you can very literally go from million-dollars homes near the Divinity School to some downright dangerous areas in two blocks. I think East Rock is the best bet to start out with. After you get a feel for the different areas for a year or so you can branch out. As for Dwight/Edgewood area, that is kind of on the border of a nice and not-so-nice area - so I would steer clear unless you went and visited and were fairly sure about the safety of the area. Westville is out to the west of the Yale campus and you'd need a car to live there. Public transit is absolutely awful in New Haven, and the Yale Shuttle doesn't run out there.

The school that constant is talking about is the Worthington Hooker School which is, true to reputation, excellent. However, for this reason, people go to very literally ridiculous lengths to get their children in there. It is very small, and so lots of parents who live within walking distance of the place end up being really disappointed when their kids end up having to go halfway across town to another school. However, they are renovating another school which is also in East Rock (called the East Rock Global Magnet School), and there has been a lot of push by parents in the area who have been unable to get their kids into the Hooker school (yes, they call it that and you'll see bumper stickers that read "Proud Hooker Mom" on cars all over) to make that one the "next" Worthington Hooker.

You can go here: http://www.newhavencrimelog.org/ to check out crime statistics in various areas. The truth of the matter is that in New Haven, because it is so small, and because income disparity swings to wildly from area to area, crimes do happen, even in nice areas. I am a tall, fairly imposing male, but I had one instance of a attempted mugging in which I could tell the person was faking a gun under their shirt (mesh jerseys don't work so well for that). Other than that, which was fairly late at night, my wife and I didn't have too much trouble (one car break-in). Overall, people make NH out to be worse than it is, and a lot of the crime is centered around a few areas and is related to squabbles that wouldn't really ever include you.

So, having lived in NH for 4 years, in a couple of different areas with a family, I have a decent bit of experience. Please PM me if you have any specific questions, I'd be glad to try my best to answer them for you.

[DrEgg]

Hi Everyone -

I will be moving to New Haven this summer with my wife, as I will be starting a PhD program at Yale in the Fall. As multiple people have suggested already on this thread, we plan to look for housing in East Rock, and maybe Wooster Square. We have also been wondering though, do many grad students live in the surrounding towns and commute in? It seems like you can get some nice places (maybe even near the beach!) in West Haven, Hamden, etc. and only have a 15-20 minute drive. Do many students live in such places?

I also realize that living further out would likely add the need to pay for parking on campus. This appears to be fairly expensive, I believe about $600 per year. Aside from the cost, is the parking pretty good? I.e. do you get a spot in a nicely located garage or lot?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

[markmt]

@AbrasaxEos: Thanks for the detailed and thoughtful information!

[Neila]

Hi All,

I was just wondering where is the best place to live near/within Yale?

Thanks.

[hope4fall2012]

Sorry to digress a bit. Was just starting to plan out my finances and stuff, and I wanted to know how much the taxes are in CT.

I'm an international applicant and I don't know if this information is easily available some place online. If so, sorry for the post.

[hope4fall2012]

Hey everyone,

I'm visiting Yale for a period of one week from Jul 9-16 and have to arrange my own accommodation during that period. Do you have any ideas on what I could do for accommodation for just one week? I've been looking at listings on Craigslist, but haven't been able to find anything much for just one week. Obviously, hotels are ruled out since they would just end up being too expensive.

Do you have any ideas as to where I can possibly look?

[Guest mckee002]

I am a current student at Yale and a lot of graduate students commute into New York, or from New York. It's not very bad, 14 dollars one way and an hour and 45 minutes on Metro-North.

I am really interested in some more follow up on this. I am considering applying to Yale and the biggest deterrent is New Haven itself. I am pretty used to a 1 1/2 hour commute now and it's not horrendous, but I'm interested in the logistics. I'm not from the east coast. How reliable is Metro-North? If I remember from my last trip those trains are more "commuter friendly" with tables and the like. Do they have outlets for laptop chargers?

Are there any Yale folks on the forum that can speak to the commute?

[virmundi]

I am really interested in some more follow up on this. I am considering applying to Yale and the biggest deterrent is New Haven itself. I am pretty used to a 1 1/2 hour commute now and it's not horrendous, but I'm interested in the logistics. I'm not from the east coast. How reliable is Metro-North? If I remember from my last trip those trains are more "commuter friendly" with tables and the like. Do they have outlets for laptop chargers?

Are there any Yale folks on the forum that can speak to the commute?

I can't speak to the commute -- although I know people who drive in a few times a week from White Plains, one who comes onto campus from Stamford, and another who commutes from Brooklyn. The students who come from Stamford and Brooklyn are finished with their coursework, but they enjoy the train time -- and get a lot done. No one I know has any issues with Metro North, but I can't speak as to the amenities of the train.

I wonder -- what is it about New Haven that is such a deterrent?

[BlackAlbino]

I have a question regarding on-campus housing and meal options.

 

I figure it would be best to live on campus for the first year.  HGS is appealing, so I think I'd like to look into living there.

However, there is a mandatory meal plan: http://www.yale.edu/dining/options/Gradmealplan.html

Apparently, 150 meals cost $2 214 per semester.

This works out to $14.76 per meal.

 

Am I missing something?  Is the price in a currency other than USD?  Do the meals consist of foie gras and caviar?

If I am not mistaken and that is the actual price, is there some way to get the unlimited meal plan like the undergrads have for around $3 000 per semester?

 

I've looked all over the place, but the link above seems to be the only place with information on the graduate meal plan.

[virmundi]

I have a question regarding on-campus housing and meal options.

 

I figure it would be best to live on campus for the first year.  HGS is appealing, so I think I'd like to look into living there.

However, there is a mandatory meal plan: http://www.yale.edu/dining/options/Gradmealplan.html

Apparently, 150 meals cost $2 214 per semester.

This works out to $14.76 per meal.

 

Am I missing something?  Is the price in a currency other than USD?  Do the meals consist of foie gras and caviar?

If I am not mistaken and that is the actual price, is there some way to get the unlimited meal plan like the undergrads have for around $3 000 per semester?

 

I've looked all over the place, but the link above seems to be the only place with information on the graduate meal plan.

 

I  can't speak to the specifics of the dining plan, but a few of my friends lived in HGS for their first year and didn't care for it. The building hasn't been renovated since the 1930s if that serves as any sort of indicator. I'd at least consider looking around Wooster Square and East Rock as well. I live on the very far north end of East Rock and it is a 30 minute walk or 10 minute bus ride (free Yale shuttle that comes every 15 minutes or so during the semester). On the end of East Rock where most of my colleagues live, it is more like ten minutes. That's not to suggest that HGS won't be exactly what your looking for, but I haven't met anyone who thought that was a very great place to live -- and the meal plan is definitely pretty spendy!

[BlackAlbino]

Your suggestion about looking into East Rock is much more appealing now!

 

 

http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/12/12/in-focus-hgs-in-disrepair/

 

 

Why does the university spend so much on the undergraduate colleges and let something like this happen?

You'd think that after all the money they spend on graduate students' tuition waivers and stipends, they might like to ensure they have somewhat nice dormitories!

[virmundi]

Your suggestion about looking into East Rock is much more appealing now!

 

 

http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/12/12/in-focus-hgs-in-disrepair/

 

 

Why does the university spend so much on the undergraduate colleges and let something like this happen?

You'd think that after all the money they spend on graduate students' tuition waivers and stipends, they might like to ensure they have somewhat nice dormitories!

 

Yes -- this article definitely puts the shabby into HGS's "chic"! Dean Pollard has suggested that plans to renovate HGS (including the installation of air conditioning) are in the works, but also indicated that this wouldn't happen for years to come yet! In any case, I have a number of theories about why this building is in disrepair relative to the residential colleges, but they essentially boil down to the notion that we graduate students are, imaginatively speaking, often seen as living semi-monastic lives and don't bring in the same sort of cash that undergraduate tuition (and generous alumni who remember their "Bright College Years" so very fondly!) do... To offset this, I did finally meet a graduate student who loves living in HGS because she sees her friends all of the time... but that hasn't been the norm in my experience!

 

In any case, East Rock is a lovely place to live and it is quite close to campus with some decent delis in the neighborhood and a good grocery store (an organic co-op) within walking distance. I am very very happy living there and I don't know any students who regret living in East Rock. Take my recommendations with a grain of salt though -- if you can, it'd be worth your while to cruise around and check out HGS, East Rock, and Wooster Square to see what suits your lifestyle best! 

 

Cheers!

[PhD4metoo]

Hi 

 

On 1/13/2013 at 7:37 PM, BlackAlbino said:

I have a question regarding on-campus housing and meal options.

 

I figure it would be best to live on campus for the first year.  HGS is appealing, so I think I'd like to look into living there.

However, there is a mandatory meal plan: http://www.yale.edu/dining/options/Gradmealplan.html

Apparently, 150 meals cost $2 214 per semester.

This works out to $14.76 per meal.

 

Am I missing something?  Is the price in a currency other than USD?  Do the meals consist of foie gras and caviar?

If I am not mistaken and that is the actual price, is there some way to get the unlimited meal plan like the undergrads have for around $3 000 per semester?

 

I've looked all over the place, but the link above seems to be the only place with information on the graduate meal plan.

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.

[Swagato]

There have to be more people moving to New Haven this year...where are you all?!

[kabelo]

I might go to Yale as well, but haven't decided yet.

 

Either way, I would strongly advise against the HGS meal plan, as all of my friends who stayed in HGS during their first year felt they paid substantially more than they eventually used.

[freefloating]

Hi. Anyone lived in the private apartments owned by Yale? 

[virmundi]

On 3/17/2013 at 10:45 PM, yalie said:

Hi. Anyone lived in the private apartments owned by Yale? 

 

I had friends who did last year. They loved their apartment (it was one of the places on Mansfield St. which borders a sketchy area -- but was a marvelous place).