Beginning in its fourth season, Gilmore Girls includes Yale University as a primary setting. Rory chooses the Connecticut Ivy League school over Harvard in Massachusetts. By attending Yale, Rory follows in her grandfather's footsteps but also charts her own path in academia. She has many memories and experiences on campus throughout her college years.
From freshman move-in day to graduation, Rory changes a lot during her time at Yale. She develops new friendships and relationships, goes through feuds with family members, and ultimately makes it to the finish line with her loved ones by her side. What are the best scenes at Yale on Gilmore Girls?
Picture Day
There are a lot of classic scenes on Rory's first day at Yale in season four (like Lorelai and Luke dealing with an old university mattress), but one of the best is when Rory is getting ready to have her picture made for her student ID card. She's in a long line with other freshmen, listening to the upperclassmen warn everyone not to lose the IDs.
Rory walks up to the photographer and starts rambling on about her picture, but the photographer takes the shot with no warning, so Rory doesn't even get to smile for the camera. Later on, Rory and her friends talk about losing the sacred IDs on purpose to get to take new pictures.
Naked Guy
Marty is introduced in season four's "The Hobbit, the Sofa, and Digger Stiles." Rory finds the student lying face down on the floor of her residential hallway, naked. The scene is unexpected and special because it marks the first conversation between Rory and Marty before they become friends.
Rory takes pity on Marty and gives him her bathrobe so that he can return to his room clothed. Despite the kind gesture, Rory still refers to Marty as "The Naked Guy" sometimes.
Meeting Logan
Season five's "Written in the Stars" includes Logan's first appearance on Gilmore Girls. He and his friends' worst qualities are evident when they make fun of Marty, but Rory gives Logan a piece of her mind. Rory explains to Logan that the way he treats Marty, who worked at one of Logan's parties, is wrong.
Logan's privilege is on display as he persists in calling Marty a servant just to debate with Rory. His words are atrocious, but this scene from Logan's first episode with Rory is one of Rory's strongest and most important conversations with Logan.
Roommate Troubles
After getting acclimated at Yale in season four, it doesn't take Rory's suite mates long to spice things up. Paris is hilarious from the moment Rory finds her in the suite. The other suite mates, Tana and Janet, are equally quirky.
The best scene between these women is when Paris tells off Janet for waking up so early to exercise. Janet can't help it since she is on an athletic scholarship, but she still has to face the wrath of Paris. The athlete cleverly responds with criticism of Paris's craft corner.
A Friday Night Dinner At The Dining Hall
Rory attends plenty of Yale parties on and off campus, but some of her best memories are with her closest friends, including her mom. After Emily and Richard's vow renewal of season five and its ensuing debacle, Lorelai and Rory have Friday Night Dinner together at Yale.
They meet in Rory's dorm and walk over to the dining hall. The grandparents are not invited, which gives the Gilmore girls time to talk about Richard and Emily and about Lorelai's rift with Luke. Even though the conversation touches on tense topics, Rory and Lorelai enjoy the ambiance of the dining hall, complete with a warm fire glowing across the room. They finish the night with ice cream and a walk outside, reminding viewers of the special bond that lets a mother and daughter hang out at college.
Lorelai, The Party Lady
Rory's first night at Yale gets a lot livelier when her mother decides to help get the party going. Lorelai organizes a steady stream of local fast food, encouraging Rory and her roommates to save menus and remember which delivery guys are cutest.
The party starts when Lorelai orders a ton of pizzas and uses them to lull people into Rory's suite. Lorelai cares about her daughter making friends and having a social life at Yale, so it's sweet to watch her attempt to transform Rory's residential experience in one night.
The Study Tree
Rory needs the ultimate study spot in season four's "An Affair to Remember." She camps out at one of Yale's gorgeous trees and dubs it her "Study Tree." Of all the libraries, coffee shops, and student centers available on campus, Rory would rather sit in nature and read. She tells her mom that the tree fits her back, has plenty of grass, and is in a great location.
The problem is, some guy sits under Rory's tree one day. She insults him and tries to get him to leave, but it's not until she pays the guy later in the episode that he vacates the tree.
Yale Daily News & Newspaper Hats
Rory wants to be a journalist, so of course, she works to earn a spot writing for The Yale Daily News. In season four, as part of their initiation at the paper, Rory and Paris must create newspaper hats for themselves in the newsroom.
This ritual is led by Doyle, the editor of the paper at that time. He is careful to distinguish the seasoned writers working hard to finish the paper from the new writers, "the ones in the stupid hats." The scene is an iconic one when it comes to Rory's Yale experience.
Tailgating For The Big Game
The Yale vs. Harvard game is a central part of the Yale experience for many undergraduates, alternating between Yale's campus and Harvard's every year. Rory takes part in the occasion in her first year, but not without the help of a seasoned Yalie like her grandfather, Richard Gilmore.
He and Emily set up a tailgating experience in "Ted Koppel's Big Night Out" that looks more like it belongs at a country club than at Yale. Watching Emily and Richard in their Bulldogs attire as Emily whips up one Bloody Mary after the other is so memorable to fans. Rory and Lorelai aren't exactly football fanatics, which makes it even funnier.
Rory's Graduation
After years of ups and downs in her life, Rory finally graduates from Yale as season seven nears its end. It's great that Rory can celebrate earning her degree as she walks across the stage.
However, the best part of the scene is when Lorelai and Christopher stand up together and cheer Rory on. Even after a failed marriage and years of drama, the parents pull it together and make the day truly special for their daughter.