The Top 20 Harvard-Yale Tips from the Class of 2020

Resident Flyby seniors and seasoned Harvard-Yale attendees Stuti and Lydia mom the heck out of you with these tips for The Game. tl;dr: Charge your phone, wear layers.

1. Share your location with your blockmates/best friends if you don’t have it shared already (which is a good safety measure for when you’re in Cambridge too!). Do it now before you forget! Service is often spotty at H-Y because of saturated cell towers and because The Game is played in the literal woods of Connecticut.

2. Sign in to eduroam WiFi NOW so you’ll have some form of service at The Game (see #1).

3. Another necessary technology hack: Bring a portable charger. You need phone power from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at least on that Saturday, and you don’t need it dying right when you need to contact your Yale residential college to let you in for all your belongings.

4. Dress for the cold! While you may feel like certain drinks you may be consuming will shield you from the cold, your body is still totally capable of getting hypothermia. That means gloves (bonus points if they’re touch-screen gloves), hats, scarves, and multiple layers.

5. Do wear your Harvard sweater if you invested in one. (Note: The H sweater should be one of many layers, and not your only layer). Seriously, we’ve rarely worn our Harvard sweaters. The H sweater I was so pressured into getting by Harvard Student Agencies’ adorable photoshoots is rounding out to a $20-per-wear purchase, which is still highly regrettable, but better than a $30-per-wear purchase?

6. While Yale does give us free breakfast, it is basically guaranteed to run out if you wake up too late. In our experience, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. is the sweet spot for breakfast but cutting it close could be very bad. The last thing you want is to have to wait in line for 40 minutes in a New Haven coffee shop. Actually, no, the last thing you want is to not get anything to eat and then go to The Game on an empty stomach — especially if you’re drinking!

7. Avoid spending this week and set aside some cash for H-Y shenanigans. Even just 24 hours in New Haven tends to add up in the form of Ubers and food.

8. The unfortunately named Yale Bowl is not like Harvard Stadium — as in, it’s genuinely far from campus. And not like Quad to River far. You can wait for the (free) buses to shuttle you over, though you might be on your feet in the cold for a while. Alternatively, if you choose to Uber or Lyft, you will hit a point on the trip when the traffic is backed up enough to force you to walk the rest of the way anyway.

9. There is a McDonald’s at Uber distance from the Bowl. That is all.

10. Have a couple condoms on you at all times. Can’t hurt, might help.

11. Definitely go have fun at Toad’s, but get to bed on the earlier end on Friday night to save your real party energy for Saturday. (Expect like a 7 a.m. wake-up!)

12. Hydrate or diedrate.

13. Attention, East Coast friends: consider skipping class Monday/Tuesday and go home from New Haven via Amtrak or bus on Saturday if you can. Tickets tend to be way cheaper that weekend than the day before Thanksgiving, and if your family home is closer to New Haven than Boston, it simply makes sense.

14. Pack a going out outfit for Friday night — your H sweater would make for sweaty club attire.

15. Bring non-WiFi entertainments for the bus ride down and back. Examples include PDFs of class readings, downloaded Netflix episodes, a sleep-mask and earbuds, or your beverage of choice. Trust us, that drive takes way longer than you’d think.

16. If the forecast calls for sun, bring shades. Remember, you’ll be outside all day! And you’ll want to shield your eyes from the reflective, pasty butts of Yalies in case they “Saybrook strip” again.

17. If the forecast calls for rain, don’t worry about an umbrella. It will just get in the way. Embrace the wet, muddy tailgate vibes … just not in white Vans.

18. Remember to get at least a pic or two with your friends! You’ll need to Instagram of course.

19. If you’re a freshman and want to use this occasion to remind people you were choosing between Harvard and Yale because you were admitted to both, don’t!

20. Harvard-Yale is not that deep. Just try to have fun!

Share your location with your blockmates/best friends if you don’t have it shared already (which is a good safety measure for when you’re in Cambridge too!). Do it now before you forget! Service is often spotty at H-Y because of saturated cell towers and because The Game is played in the literal woods of Connecticut.

Sign in to eduroam WiFi NOW so you’ll have some form of service at The Game (see #1).

Another necessary technology hack: Bring a portable charger. You need phone power from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at least on that Saturday, and you don’t need it dying right when you need to contact your Yale residential college to let you in for all your belongings.

Dress for the cold! While you may feel like certain drinks you may be consuming will shield you from the cold, your body is still totally capable of getting hypothermia. That means gloves (bonus points if they’re touch-screen gloves), hats, scarves, and multiple layers.

Do wear your Harvard sweater if you invested in one. (Note: The H sweater should be one of many layers, and not your only layer). Seriously, we’ve rarely worn our Harvard sweaters. The H sweater I was so pressured into getting by Harvard Student Agencies’ adorable photoshoots is rounding out to a $20-per-wear purchase, which is still highly regrettable, but better than a $30-per-wear purchase?

While Yale does give us free breakfast, it is basically guaranteed to run out if you wake up too late. In our experience, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. is the sweet spot for breakfast but cutting it close could be very bad. The last thing you want is to have to wait in line for 40 minutes in a New Haven coffee shop. Actually, no, the last thing you want is to not get anything to eat and then go to The Game on an empty stomach — especially if you’re drinking!

Avoid spending this week and set aside some cash for H-Y shenanigans. Even just 24 hours in New Haven tends to add up in the form of Ubers and food.

The unfortunately named Yale Bowl is not like Harvard Stadium — as in, it’s genuinely far from campus. And not like Quad to River far. You can wait for the (free) buses to shuttle you over, though you might be on your feet in the cold for a while. Alternatively, if you choose to Uber or Lyft, you will hit a point on the trip when the traffic is backed up enough to force you to walk the rest of the way anyway.

There is a McDonald’s at Uber distance from the Bowl. That is all.

Have a couple condoms on you at all times. Can’t hurt, might help.

Definitely go have fun at Toad’s, but get to bed on the earlier end on Friday night to save your real party energy for Saturday. (Expect like a 7 a.m. wake-up!)

Hydrate or diedrate.

Attention, East Coast friends: consider skipping class Monday/Tuesday and go home from New Haven via Amtrak or bus on Saturday if you can. Tickets tend to be way cheaper that weekend than the day before Thanksgiving, and if your family home is closer to New Haven than Boston, it simply makes sense.

Pack a going out outfit for Friday night — your H sweater would make for sweaty club attire.

Bring non-WiFi entertainments for the bus ride down and back. Examples include PDFs of class readings, downloaded Netflix episodes, a sleep-mask and earbuds, or your beverage of choice. Trust us, that drive takes way longer than you’d think.

If the forecast calls for sun, bring shades. Remember, you’ll be outside all day! And you’ll want to shield your eyes from the reflective, pasty butts of Yalies in case they “Saybrook strip” again.

If the forecast calls for rain, don’t worry about an umbrella. It will just get in the way. Embrace the wet, muddy tailgate vibes … just not in white Vans.

Remember to get at least a pic or two with your friends! You’ll need to Instagram of course.

If you’re a freshman and want to use this occasion to remind people you were choosing between Harvard and Yale because you were admitted to both, don’t!

Harvard-Yale is not that deep. Just try to have fun!