<p>I have been considering Yale, but there are a few social things that would completely turn me off of applying the school. The last thing I want is to relive the High School nightmare =(</p>
<p>It would be greatly appreciated if anybody could answer these questions, as the answers alone could provide a wealth of knowlege about Yale.</p>
<p>1.) As far as demographics go, what is the student body like? Are there hordes of Indians, Asians, etc. Is it a traditional WASPy place?</p>
<p>2.) Is it difficult to make friends? How cliquey are the students?</p>
<p>3.) Do professors interact with students outside the classroom? For example, is it likely that I would be able to take my professor out to dinner to talk about the class?</p>
<p>4.) How competetive is the student body? Do people help each other out, or is there cold, cutthroat competition?</p>
<ol>
<li>Hordes...LOL... well you can look it up, but the student body is *very *diverse. </li>
</ol>
<p>It hasn't been too WASPy for a few decades now. BUT I do think that the *wealthy *are a tad overrepresented, as at most or all of the top schools. How else could it be otherwise...</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I found it very easy to make friends, and I don't think there are cliques at all, unless you consider a residential college or intramural team to be a clique ;) </p></li>
<li><p>Depends on the professor. Some of the world-famous types tend to have full schedules and many ancillary "enterprises"... Still, I never really had trouble getting 'face time'. </p></li>
<li><p>I was impressed at the maturity and generosity of nearly all of my fellow students. YMMV of course..</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Really? A lot of schools advertise the accessibility of professors so much that professors will invite students over to their homes for dinners. While I'm sure some similar things may happen at Yale, I doubt it will be to the level of intimacy a small liberal arts college would comfortably permit.</p>
<p>I know this is slightly irrelevant but my Princeton interviewer said her professors there were very interested in their students--despite the fact that they were highly accomplished in their fields and would seem to be uncaring, they cared about these 18-and 19-year-olds to the extent that some of them formed lifelong mentoring relationships. So my point in bringing this up is that you don't need a "small liberal arts college" to have that connection to professors. From what I've heard Yale does allow that sort of interaction.</p>
<p>You've heard correctly. The received wisdom about HYP was always that Princeton was the most-focused on undergrads and Harvard the least, with Yale being something of a happy medium when the advantages of a major research university are taken into account. I realize that this 'received wisdom' is now seen by many as out of date, however accurately or inaccurately. </p>
<p>I never had a problem approaching teachers at Yale. But I agree with Metric that the nature of the place isn't quite the same as a small LAC. Given the context, though, of a major research university, it comes remarkably close at times. </p>
<p>That, incidentally, is one reason I'm frankly opposed to expanding Yale; I believe the addition of two additional residential colleges is being considered..</p>
<p>At least while you’re at Harvard you’ll be a hotshot, though—the department is all about academia, meaning that **your professors will take you and any harebrained idea you have seriously. They’ll also throw their backs out to help you win money for research, recognize you for your accomplishments, **and pull you out of Widener’s gutter when you become overwhelmed (you will). But Hist and Lit giveth and it taketh: jettisoning schoolwork for extracurricular commitments or a hot date will fly about as well as a hardback copy of Swann’s Way. </p>
<p>History and Literature is a program that is truly unique to Harvard, and is arguably **the most personalized, student-oriented program here. There are no graduate students in Hist and Lit, which means the focus rests completely on the academic development of its undergraduates. **It’s certainly not the easiest track at Harvard, but it is widely considered one of the finest.</p>