<p>so i'm trying to decide where to go and i'm asking this about all of my choices because it's really important to me--</p>
<p>how is the competition at yale? i go to a really cutthroat high school and i'm trying to get away from that for college. people have talked about the ivies having a professional, competitive edge but is this really true for yale? or is it more collaborative? and how doable are the classes, anyway?</p>
<p>thanks for any input</p>
<p>Yale students are generally very supportive of each other. Whenever I need help with something there are usually multiple people who will offer me assistance. This includes students, professors and teaching assistants. Classes range from easy to very difficult, and they're all meant to be doable. Take classes that you like and you will not be disappointed with them nor will you be overwhelmed by their difficulty. If you get into Yale, you can probably do most of the humanities-based courses. If you work at it you will succeed.</p>
<p>As far as I am concerned, the hardest courses are the hard sciences--advanced math and physics--with which most students don't bother. Yet, if you express interest in the hard sciences on your application and they admit you, I've no doubt that you are capable of doing well in those classes. It's really a matter of how hard you're willing to try and apply yourself.</p>
<p>In summary: Yale students are a collaborative bunch. Classes are challenging but rewarding. The environment is not in the least cutthroat.</p>
<p>
[quote=<a href="http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/20543%5DWe">http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/20543]
We</a> are bred at Yale to crave excellence. Yalies feed off competitiveness and selection, which is why they were attracted to Yale in the first place and, more importantly, why they are here. Secret societies inherently make sense to Yalies in a way they do not to non-Yalies. Societies represent Yale in a nutshell: exclusive, full of tradition, and weird.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>10chararacter</p>
<p>lanzabelle's post is correct. the above quote is somewhat out of context.</p>
<p>Yeah, definitely. I've spoken to a LOT of current Yale students, and they say one of the things they like about Yale is how willing to corroborate everyone is. Just look at the admitted students site (unless you haven't gotten in yet, in which case you can't, but trust me, it's freaking awesome)! EVERYTHING is designed to foster a sense of community- there's a huge forum with subsections for every sort of question, where admitted students interact with current students to get their questions answered, and just to make friends! Everyone on the site is so incredibly nice and helpful- even my really stupid questions were answered quickly and politely. I'm so in love with Yale, and I can't wait to meet all my new Yalie friends in person at Bulldog Days in a few weeks. I just love the whole vibe I get from it. </p>
<p>As a side note- out of all the Ivies, Yale seemed the least snobby. Cornell was the snobbiest, which really turned me off, and led me not to apply. But yeah! The peeps at Yale seem really down to earth. I've talked to a ton of other admitted students and no one's been comparing stats or anything- we're just trying to get to know eachother, and it's awesome, and Yale is awesome, and you should definitely apply, because it's freakin' incredible.</p>
<p>From what I've learned from talking to people and reading stuff, tutoring is available very easily, and you take placement tests/send in your AP scores(etc) before you get there, so you won't be placed in classes beyond your abilities. If you get in, you should be able to handle the work (or so they tell me!).</p>
<p>sweet! thanks for all the help guys</p>