Any Hardcore Science Lovers Interested in Yale?

<p>Hi I would like to know if there are any math/science people interested in Yale, or who will attend Yale in the fall. Could you please say why you chose Yale over other schools with stronger science programs, such as MIT, Caltech, Harvard, and Stanford? Thanks.</p>

<p>I was accepted to MIT and to Yale, but chose to attend Yale. It was a very difficult choice for me. I will be majoring in science, although I'm not sure if I'm a "hardcore" science-lover. Also intersted in humanities - languages, international relations, business, philosophy - which MIT could not offer on such a level. If I knew for sure that I would major in physics/engineering, I would probably have chosen MIT, but I will most likely major in biological sciences. It helps that Yale just invested a lot of money in the sciences and that Yale's student-faculty ratio in the sciences is better than MIT's. In the end, it came down to the other aspects of the school - like the overall "feel", a certain fit, a sense of community, the well-roundedness, proximity to home, etc.</p>

<p>conwoman said exactly what I was going to say :-P</p>

<p>I just finished my freshman year at Yale... I was accepted to Yale and MIT (among other schools, but those were the only two I was seriously considering by the end), and I chose Yale because as much as I may be a hardcore science geek (chem and physics all the way!), I also love history and languages and felt that MIT/etc. couldn't offer those to me on nearly the same level as Yale can. Yale just felt like a better fit, personality-wise, I suppose.</p>

<p>I basically feel that at the undergraduate level, the reputation of the science departments doesn't make any difference, and that schools should be chosen based on overall "fit." We can all worry about department rankings and all that rot when it comes to grad school, eh? But for now, I'd rather have an all-around wonderful undergraduate experience, thank you very much. :)</p>

<p>Exactly. It's the experience.</p>

<p>I think that even though MIT has a superior undergraduate focus on math/science, Yale trumps MIT, Caltech, and maybe even Stanford in graduate and med school.</p>

<p>Yale totally blows in science.</p>

<p>Actually, Yale ranked 10th in Biological Sciences in the nation according to US News, tied with Princeton...</p>

<p>that's not true at all collegeperson. And at the undergraduate level, its really doesn't matter anyway where the department is ranked on usnews.</p>

<p>lol, Yale's WORST department is still stronger than the strongest department at a state school. :p</p>

<p>Berkeley has a few strong departments, I'd say.</p>

<p>So in the end, how does Yale compare scientifically to HPS?</p>

<p>not as strong, but yale's science reputation is slowly growing.</p>

<p>thanks to a one billion dollar investment three years ago</p>

<p>Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, and MIT easily beats Yale in any science majors. Their faculty members in science are clearly better than Yale's.
Yale trails far behind.</p>

<p>Stanford and MIT are better than Yale in science. Harvard, depends on which science - Harvard has a better bio and chem dept and Yale has a better math and physics dept (as i understand it). Berkeley, despite what a couple people are saying, isn't really considered as highly unless you're intending living in Asia, where it is considered to be better than princeton, Yale, MIT and every other school except Harvard and maybe Stanford.</p>

<p>rocksolid4,
You may want to check US NEWS graduate school rankings in math, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and computer science. Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, and MIT are ranked higher than Yale in each of these fields. The rankings by Science Week and the rankings by the National reasearch council also show similar result.</p>

<p>But what the those rankings also show is that Yale's reputation of having "weak" science is undeserved. In fact Yale competes nationally in math, bio, and chem. This can be also seen in Yale's number of National Academy Members, which is fifth after Berkley, Harvard, Stanford and MIT (unadjusted for science faculty size). Hopefully, with the large investment, Yale will also be able to shore up its physics department as well.</p>