Yale University
- Transportation

University Shuttles Are GREAT

I love the shuttles on campus. You can get to classes, areas surrounding campus, and important off-campus areas (train station, Yale-New Haven hospital, grocery store, etc.) for free. City buses are pretty cheap, but few people take them. If you want to get out of New Haven with friends for fun sometime, trains are also not bad ($14.00 one way to New York City, I think about $21 total if you buy round trip.)

Everything is pretty centrally located except science hill, and it's very convenient to get to science classes with the Blue Shuttle (free.) Or you can suck it up and walk, because it's really not that far, and the hill is not steep.

Travel to and from Yale is not too difficult, in my experience (Yale gives you a pretty nice budget when calculating financial aid, so you have options.) A lot of people take take taxis, Go Shuttles, or CT Limo vans to get to the airport (usually Tweed in New Haven, Bradley in Hartford, or one of the New York ones.)

If you go through Tweed, a taxi is about $15.00. Flights can vary in price-- service is very limited, but if you buy well in advance and can get a flight to an airport near you (usually multi-stop), it can be pretty cheap. DO NOT buy tickets late, though. They get pretty pricey. I find booking two or three months ahead of time is a good window, and I can sometimes get cheaper flights through Tweed than through the New York airports.

If you go through the New York airports, I don't recommend taking a Go Shuttle or CT Limo van, especially if you travel light (it's often cheaper for me to mail stuff home than check baggage anyway, but I know people with more stuff who disagree.) Walking to Union Station is not difficult, especially if the weather cooperates, and a train plus subway and public shuttle ride is longer, but much cheaper (less than $20), than a ride directly from Phelps Gate to the airport ($50+).

Transport

New Haven is a city. Cars are problematic on campus as there is no parking. Yale has a good bus system, but most kids walk where they need to go and it's totally doable. The trains are a great way to head to NY or DC.

Pretty Easy to Get Around

It's pretty easy to get around-- everything is within walking distance, there are shuttles and minibuses if you get lost, are injured, feel threatened, or are just lazy (this last one is why most people use the shuttles up science hill, I think.) Public buses are pretty cheap as well.