<p>I’m still confused as to the purpose of this thread. There are a lot of people who turn down Yale, and not just for the usual Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, etc. It’s nothing new. Every year there are kids who choose one of those schools just for the name, but who are ultimately unhappy because it was not a great fit. They would have done themselves and another student who possibly was denied a spot that would LOVED it a huge favor had they chosen a school that was perfect for them. So, congratulations on deciding that UChicago is for you, but you won’t be the first one to say you “turned down Yale.” (Although, I still don’t understand the allure behind being able to say you turned down ANY school, anyways.)</p>
<p>Haha… you people are seriously funny. Of course there would be.
People turn down Harvard too, or MIT, or Stanford.
There is no university with 100% yield.</p>
<p>Saying that, I’m leaning towards Yale - everything that Yale provides - it seemed like an infinitely better ‘package’ that embodies social life, academic excellence, and enjoyment compared to my other universities. But I haven’t decided yet though.</p>
<p>There’s still 2 weeks+ left, why be hasty? Research more on the schools you applied to. </p>
<p>I have a friend who is turning down both Harvard and MIT for Yale this year =).</p>
<p>Just keep your minds open at bdd guys!!</p>
<p>dartmouth :)</p>
<p>I’ll bet there are tons of wait listers reading this thread hoping for “more! more! more!”</p>
<p>And they are secretly praying for hurricane-like weather for Bulldog days to drive the admitees away! LOL</p>
<p>I’m a Yale alum, but I know Chicago is a great school – and it’s a particularly good fit for people who want an intellectually serious environment. It’s not high on anyone’s list of party schools and doesn’t have Yale’s intensity on the EC side, but it’s not where fun goes to die. A friend who’s a recent Chicago graduate had a wonderful time in the improv comedy scene there, and is now doing very well in the NY publishing scene – her first novel is doing well and her second will be out soon. </p>
<p>Check out Bulldog days, but if your intuition still says Chicago, trust your judgment.</p>
<p>lol @T26E4,</p>
<p>Who knows, maybe some of them are waitlisted people shouting how ‘cool’ other colleges are to drive people away. Seriously, some of them can be that naive.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Yale’s a great school - everyone knows that - dont need to be influenced by some random internet guy’s words.</p>
<p>I think it’s perfectly reasonable for lots of people to turn down Yale (or any other school). Perhaps you think fit is better at a smaller LAC. Or you’d like a different campus setting. Or there’s a particular program that you like at another school. Or the merit scholarship you’ve been offered somewhere is just too sweet to turn down. Or you like the weather in Palo Alto better. Lots of good reasons.</p>
<p>But there are also bad reasons to turn down Yale. Here (in my opinion) are some of them:
- People at Yale are snooty or haughty. This is not my experience, or the experience of my son, a current sophomore (both of us came from public schools). If you’re worried about this, go to Bulldog Days and talk to students.
- Worries about safety in New Haven. Unless you’re really clueless or self-destructive, this should not be a reason to avoid Yale. Yes, you’ll have to lock up your bike.
- Worries that you won’t be able to do the work. You wouldn’t have been accepted if you couldn’t do the work. In fact, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who were rejected who could do the work. So you can do it.</p>
<p>T26E4 - you can’t be telling both Harvard waitlistees and Yale waitlistees to pray for bad weather!<br>
Think of those poor cross admittees!</p>
<p>When my son went to Bulldog Days a few years ago, he came back and told us all about it, how great it was, how he met so many people, etc. We then asked him about the weather. “Oh yeah, it rained the whole time.”</p>
<p>Hmm, I wonder how much weather during admitted student days affects the choices of students who are on the fence. I also wonder whether Stanford’s yield is as high as it is because the weather during Admit Weekend is always perfect.</p>
<p>There is nothing that will change kids like Hunt’s son who went there fully knowing Yale is their choice (SCEA and all). However, Madrigal goes there in pouring rain and has already decided Yale has all these snooty people, it can add to the NAY factor.</p>
<p>Yea, texaspg, closed-mindedness usually does that to you.</p>
<p>I am definitely not calling it closed-mindedness! </p>
<p>There are 700 people rejecting Yale each year and the numbers are same for Stanford and MIT (harvard 500, Princeton 900). In most cases they are choosing between each other as cross admits but it does nt mean they are not choosing several other schools out of their choices too.</p>
<p>If Madrigal said I am going to U of C because it has the greatest xxxx department compared to Yale, we may be arguing the merits of that claim. To base a decision on students who go there is nt that great, especially since Madrigal has taken several classes at Yale and has nt said anything about the quality of teaching despite wanting serious academics. But if you don’t like the other students and you have to live with them in the residential college system… </p>
<p>I do know at least one kid who chose Stanford after spending time at Harvard Orientation because he said students at Harvard are always looking forward and have no fun in terms of enjoying the moment.</p>
<p>I’d choose UChicago over Yale too. UChicago is my absolute dream school; I think I’d find exactly what I’m looking for there, whereas at Yale I would feel out of place (not that Yale would accept me in the first place). So I completely understand where you’re coming from and support your decision. Not everything is about brand power and networking and prestige; sometimes fit and personality play a bigger role.</p>
<p>Also, Chicago >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> New Haven.</p>
<p>And to the people trying to convince the OP that Yale isn’t snooty or that not everyone there is snooty or whatever: stop. You’re probably right that there are many great kids at Yale, but when people make emotional, impulsive decisions, it matters not a jot whether the rational reasons they cite are actually valid.</p>
<p>Citing very reasonable and well thought-out arguments, my parents forced me to enroll in a selective private high school even though I wanted to go to a public high school for the arts. The decision was made for me and that left a bitter taste in my mouth that lasted throughout high school. Although the school I ended up at was objectively great and I had nothing to complain about, I hadn’t wanted to attend in the first place and felt miserable until the end of my time there. It just wasn’t a fit. And there were well-meaning people who tried to make me see ‘reason’ (“You can still draw in your free time”; “surely not everyone there is rich and snobby? You should try to make friends!”; etc.), but my pre-existing bias colored my experiences and prevented me from making the most of my time there.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that the OP would be miserable at Yale–in fact, my story bears very little similarity to theirs; what I’m saying is that if something doesn’t feel right for someone, trying to convince that person that they’re wrong to trust their own gut feeling is a mistake.</p>
<p>I’m sorry if there was any confusion, but I didn’t mean to make this a down-Yale thread - I was just interested if other people were planning on turning it down. I know there’s tons of great opportunities at Yale and I actually find it very difficult to turn my back on some of them, but in light of other factors I think UChicago’s a better choice. A lot of people tell me I’m crazy for making this decision and I just wanted to see if other people make similar decisions. </p>
<p>That being said - I did not intend to say all Yale people are snooty as a blanket statement, but from my experience I got the overall snooty vibe from the school. Accurate or not, that’s what I noticed. In addition, the vibe is not the only deciding factor - academics, as I said are also a large piece. I have taken two courses there and sat in on several others and was very disappointed in the level of the classes and the dedication of the students. Again, I may be biased and Bulldog Days may prove me wrong - but I just wanted to clear up a little bit what I meant when creating this thread. </p>
<p>Peace.</p>
<p>Well, my family is evenly divided, along generational lines, between Yale and the University of Chicago, and honestly we all think they are much more alike than different. My wife and I both did Directed Studies at Yale, and that bore a fair resemblance to the Chicago Core, so that doesn’t even seem like a big difference to us. Yale does have more parties (something my wife disliked and avoided as much as she could), more students who plan to run for President someday (definitely a mixed blessing), and a stronger residential college system. It also has in general a much greater sense of entitlement, of being plugged-in to the Establishment, whereas Chicago is somewhat more of an ivory tower. Either quality can be misread by outsiders as arrogance, although they are slightly different forms of arrogance.</p>
<p>But what they both have in common, and much more so than lots of other places, is an overall intellectual tone, a belief in the importance of intellectual inquiry and debate. This was brought home to me in a recent conversation with my daughter, who graduated from Chicago a few years ago and lives in New York with her UChicago housemate (back from a Fulbright in Paris). We were talking about her brother, a current Chicago 4th year, and his complaint that when he went to recruiting weekends for PhD programs he may attend no one seemed to have intellectual discussions.</p>
<p>D: “Hah! Welcome to the real world, [Brother]! That’s what life outside the University of Chicago is like. Get used to it. [Housemate] and I have decided that we can’t have a real conversation with anyone anymore unless they went to Chicago or Yale.”</p>
<p>High praise for Yale, that.</p>
<p>I’m turning down Yale for either UC Berkeley or Caltech (if admitted off the wait list).<br>
Both Cal and Caltech are offer many opportunities to me, as I plan to major in both math and earth science. And yes, people call me crazy for turning down Yale for Cal or Caltech.
Yale is a great school, but it’s not for me. I guess this gives hope to those of you who were waitlisted. “One down, xxx to go.”</p>
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<p>Nice haha, I remember when I visited the University of Chicago, I absolutely loved it. I was really sad when I turned it down :(</p>
<p>Best of luck there, and have a blast! :D</p>
<p>Have you sat in on classes at Chicago?</p>
<p>When I went last year, I was very disappointed in the two that I did sit in on. The first was an intermediate Chinese class, but none of the students seemed to be understanding what was going on and a number came in late. The teacher tried to explain to them the concept of “on time” in Chinese (按时) but only one student understood. The second class I attended was about settlements on the outskirts of the Roman Empire. The professor was enthusiastic and great, but the students seemed disengaged. Only one student was able and willing to answer the professor’s questions consistently. (One guy answered lots of questions, but it was clear even to the three or four of us sitting in on the class that his answers didn’t make any sense.)</p>
<p>Is this representative of Chicago? Probably not; otherwise it wouldn’t be known as such an intellectual school. I actually liked a lot of things about Chicago: the dining halls, the houses, the students I met (for the most part), the proximity to downtown Chicago, etc. But these classes turned me off, especially because I knew I’d be studying Chinese. The class really paled in comparison to what I saw when I visited Princeton and sat in on their Intermediate Chinese class, with students actively trying to jump into the discussion and speaking in Chinese in the halls even after class let out.</p>
<p>I ended up choosing Yale, even though I had only visited once for a brief tour over Winter Break. I loved the campus, and I heard great things from friends who went there (and people online). I’m now on a gap year – studying abroad in China – so I can’t say what the classes are actually like. But I think you should keep an open mind during Bulldog Days, because I’m pretty sure that the classes you sat in on at Yale could easily have happened at Chicago too.</p>