By Steven Friedenberg

Coming to Yale from the East Coast is a pretty easy transition, at least in terms of the weather. While Southerners will constantly complain about the cold, and Hawaiians will pull on the down parka when the temperature drops below 70 degrees, you will find yourself right at home in New Haven's varied climate. Be prepared to loan your roommate from Florida or Arizona a sweater in the winter, because there's a good chance that he or she won't know what to expect in January and February.

Life in New Haven is fast-paced, and you won't be able to forget that you are living in a city. For those of you who come from the many metropolises in the East, you will no doubt be used to the sirens and the sound of traffic whizzing past your room at 2 a.m.

Since you live pretty close to Yale, you'll find moving into your room easier than your roommate from Idaho or Oregon will. This might mean packing up all of your old furniture, since it's easier to drive up a couch or coffee table than to carry it on a plane. But also remember the fringe benefits of living nearby: you'll end up taking lots of your friends' furnishings home for the summer. This year, I got a fax machine, a cordless phone, and a new computer from my friends, not to mention the bags and bags of winter clothes which belong to them. So while you'll definitely need a big car to make it home in the summer, you'll also get some cool stuff for a while.

Many Yalies think all Easterners are rude and boorish. After they declare this, and then ask where you're from, politely remind them it's the East Coast.

Whatever you do, don't forget to bring an umbrella. You'll need it not just for yourself, but also for your roommate from the Midwest who's never seen rain like New Haven rain.

From the South

By Joanna S. Sledge

I've never been so surprised as when, during my first week at Yale, people interrupted me mid-sentence to proclaim with an obvious, hidden smile, "You must be from the South!" How did they know? I don't have an ac-cent...or so I thought. I soon learned that I not only have an accent, but I also have some odd notions, eat different foods, and behave differently than my classmates from the other side of the Mason-Dixon line. And you know what? I'm delighted.

Upon the revelation that I was born and bred in small-town Alabama, the conversation immediately turns to the War of Northern Aggression. Now really, I don't recall thinking about the Civil War except in AP History class! Since I came to Yale, however, I am constantly reminded that "we"--the South--lost the war.

Don't believe what your grandmother says--not all Northerners are as cold as the weather. My closest friends from the past two years are Yankees. The general attitude here, however, is shocking. Store personnel and random strangers on the street can be very unfriendly: some are almost as nasty as the weather. After my first chilly winter here, I swore that I was never coming back. That Christmas I acquired thick gloves, scarves, boots, sweaters, and coats. I am now the proud owner of a large collection of wool clothing, but I have yet to get used to the interminable itching.

Sometime around the end of February when Momma calls to tell me she's wearing short sleeves, I yearn for Sweet Home Alabama. But despite the cold weather and overabundance of concrete, Yale is a wonderful place and I love it. Sometimes the snow is beautiful, sometimes the dining hall serves grits, and there are always fellow Southerners eager to reminisce. Just enjoy the attention your accent garners, and silently laugh at all of the Yankees--but do it politely behind your dinner napkin, as all Southern belles know to do.

From the West

By Tom Treynor

Westerners are in store for more than a couple of pleasant surprises here in New Haven. For one, the seemingly wide distance is easily bridged by phone, e-mail, and newspaper. After the Northridge earthquake last year, networks (both social and computer) formed immediately to help those of us with family in Los Angeles.

Probably the hardest thing about coming to Yale from the West is transporting all your stuff--minus your surfboard or skis. During the first two months of school, your East Coast friends will find themselves visited every weekend by loving parents bearing forgotten items. If you Westerners want independence, you've got it! Just be sure to pack everything the first time, because the U.S. Postal Service sure ain't cheap.

Those of you from the Pacific Northwest might get a few surprised looks when you tell people where you're from, if you're not wearing flannel and listening to Nirvana at the time. Despite what you hear about East Rock, it can't compare to the Cascades.

Yeah, Yale is colder and wetter than you're probably used to, but nowhere near as bad as you've probably been told by those who fled the East Coast to our blessed havens. Truth is, between the first and last snowfalls of each year, the biggest complainers are those who know the snow all too well.

One more warning: you had better be prepared for some grave geographic ignorance on the part of those Easterners. If you say you live in Los Angeles, many people are going to ask, "Oh, that's near San Francisco, right?" Just smile, nod, and remember: Despite the stereotypes, we're not the stupid ones.

Fiona Havers and Shafali Jeste contributed to this article.

From the Midwest

By Marci McCoy

I've spent the last two years defending our part of the country to the rest of Yale. Smug East-erners ask whether I used to ride a tractor to school. Tan Californians ask, "So, what do you do there?" People from Florida smirk about the lack of oceans nearby.

Most of the people here are either from the East or the West Coast, and they have countless misconceptions about the Midwest. Be prepared to answer lots of silly questions.

Adapting to Yale (and to the Northeast) when you come from the wide-open, less-populated center of the country is a bit challenging. I had never been in a taxi before coming to New Haven. I had never before been on a bus. These facts astound people here.

But don't worry. You'll get used to the rude store clerks and the smoggy mornings, afternoons, and evenings. You'll get used to the hum of traffic and the wail of sirens. You'll adapt to grey, rainy days, and learn to love plane rides.

What many consider a hindrance can be used to your advantage. Play it up! Tease people about cow tipping, tornadoes, and horse-and-buggy rides. Pretty soon they'll catch on to the fact that you're kidding, and they'll realize how clueless they must sound.

Hey, you and I know that the Midwest is home to the nation's largest shopping monstrosity (Mall of America in the Twin Cities), the nation's crossroads (Chicago), the nation's beer capital (Milwaukee), and the nation's friendliest folks. So grab a can of pop and relax. You may feel as if you've stepped onto a different planet when you step off that plane in New Haven, but you really haven't. You'll come to love Yale. Whatever it is you like to do, it's possible here. Just click your heels three times and remember, there's no place like Yale!

Erik Lien contributed to this article.

From Abroad

By Andrea Zana

Yale is an island as wide and as diverse as a continent of its own. It is not Europe, nor is it Asia, Africa, or home, though you will soon feel like it is. Be prepared to accept and bear any situation, especially American students uttering "wow, that's so cool" when they realize: 1) that English is not your native language, but you speak it fluently; 2) that you do not hold a U.S. passport; 3) that one of their friends flashed through your hometown many years ago, and, of course, loved it.

Don't get upset if Americans retain simplistic stereotypes about your own country. (Italy is not just a place for Mafia and pizza, which is really different from the pizza you'll get here). Nonetheless, a few of these exchanges are often all it takes to establish a friendship.

One common question is whether foreign students think in their native language or in English. Answering that the two languages are perfect substitutes is usually an effective reply: some can't get over bilingualism. Also, a person's poking fun at your accent is usually a hint that that person likes you--so don't be too offended (I have a number of experiences to back up this theory.)

You can be assured, however, that most Americans will remember you for a long time: non-American undergraduate students are rare on campus. Foreign student associations do exist, but the best way to get in tune with Yale is to regard yourself foremost as an individual. Foreigners are not guests with special privileges.

You may feel something subtle missing in your life: the unique atmosphere of your native land that can't be replicated here. Don't let homesickness overwhelm you; your experiences at Yale will reveal your attachment to your native culture.

Graphics by Dave Rubin

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