How do YOU like Yale???

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
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<p>It's Winter Break, and I have been looking on CC for a bit. I keep seeing the Yale Vs whatever university, and I noticed that no one talks about their EXPERIENCES at Yale. the people on CC always bring up stats, and rumors about other colleges that they have heard to make one look better than the other. I want to know more about Yale from ACTUAL YALE STUDENTS, and their experiences. </p>

<p>Tell me about the Dorms, Academics, Your Major, Classes, Professors, Food, Crowd, Atmosphere, The Truth about New Haven, athletics, extracurriculars etc. I just want what makes Yale...Yale</p>

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<p>Re Truth about New Haven… its not that bad. Like actually. Its actually safer than Cambridge (in terms of murders and rapes per capita)…</p>

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<p>^ Of all you could have said about Yale, you chose to say that New Haven has less rapes and murders per capita than Cambridge…</p>

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<p>ok, ignore that about rapes and murders, it probably came up bc for most parents, safety is the primary concern w/ Yale, seeing as it’s, only, you know, like, the BEST university anywhere…there’s not much else to complain about… ;D
Let me out it this way, when “Yale” came up on the Word Association thread, I put down “love,” that’s how pretty much all of us at Yale feel about it. No one’s crying over other colleges, everyone’s thrilled to be at YALE. Whatever college you name, there’s someone who rejected it for Yale. Obviously, they all had separate reasons, but what I’m trying to convey over an anonymous forum is that Yale is WONDERFUL. I wouldn’t trade my experience here for anything. I don’t want this post to turn into me raving about Yale and taking up all the space so pm me for any specifics you want to know. Or just to read me babble about why everyone who gets into Yale should absolutely matriculate without a moment’s hesitation… ;P</p>

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<p>I’m not a student, but my son is. Here’s his observation on Yale’s Residential College system: You can’t really understand its immense value until you are part of it. It creates a high-functioning artificial community that’s a place to make friends who aren’t exactly like you, and to do it with almost no effort. He has several other circles of friends based on his interests, but my son’s anchors are his roommates – a disparate bunch united only by their having been assigned as freshmen to the same room in the same Residential College.</p>

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<p>Seconding wjb’s post. My son says the longer he’s at Yale, the more he values the Residential College system. He is a small town guy, and that sense of community is important to him.</p>

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<p>Wow…this turned out a lot longer than I anticipated…I just have way too many positive things to say about Yale I guess :)</p>

<p>Academics
Looking back at my first semester, I’d say I’m satisfied with my academic experience thus far. Class work was manageable and professors reasonable; large lectures generally assigned reading and a problem set or two per week; my seminar style courses had a decent amount of reading and generally some form of written response that corresponded.</p>

<p>The quality of a course was heavily dependent on the quality of the professor. My best professors were actually in my large lecture courses. They were not only knowledgeable about the information, but were also obviously passionate about it, and that passion just made the course more engaging. I also liked how they kept lectures interesting by integrating real-world application into the material. Additionally, even in a lecture class of over 100, these professors still felt accessible; I felt comfortable talking to or emailing them, and my questions were always responded to in a timely manner. I chose Yale over some of the other schools because of their reputation of really caring about the undergraduate learner, and I got that impression from my large lecture professors.</p>

<p>Of my smaller, seminar-style courses, I liked some more than others and this again came down to the professor. What’s really nice about the seminar style class is it fosters discussion; however, that also means that students have to be actively engaged and the professor actively engaging; I had some seminar courses where there was lively discussion and some where things were frankly quite dead. That said, whether a class is very well taught or if the professor is not the best communicator, all of the professors are incredibly knowledgeable and the curriculums are very rigorous. Even if it’s not the best taught course, you can get an incredible amount of information out of any course if you are willing to go to office hours, talk to TAs, do some outside research on your own, etc. I really do not believe there is such a thing as a “bad” course here.</p>

<p>Another amazing thing about Yale is just the wealth of academic resources. As far as help for classes, there are a number of free tutoring resources available; TAs are (generally) very helpful and accommodating; your residential college dean can help you if you’re struggle. Basically, you really get the feeling that Yale wants you to succeed academically, and there are definitely the resources to make sure that happens. </p>

<p>Research is pretty accessible as well; many professors are very eager to have undergrads working in their labs, and all it really takes to initiate something with a professor is to send a quick email stating your interest. A freshman friend of mine emailed five professors stating interest in working in their chemistry labs and got positive responses from all five; he ended up getting to choose the one he was most interested in.</p>

<p>Dorms
One thing that is very hard to describe is just how important the residential colleges are to the Yale experience. From the minute you step foot on campus, you really feel a sense of warmth and solidarity from the fellow members of your college, and that just makes the social atmosphere so much happier and inviting. The suite-style dorms and common rooms are very conducive to getting to know the people in your building and make the transition into college so much easier. Your dean, master and freshman counselors really do everything in their power to help facilitate a homey feeling. </p>

<p>As far as facilities, Yale housing as a whole is very nice; suites are generally spacious although, admittedly, there is some variance in quality, and some Old Campus suites are definitely cramped, particularly those in Lanman-Wright. Suites within the residential colleges themselves are very nice.</p>

<p>Students
As far as the students at Yale, there are a wide variety of people. Yet despite the diversity of backgrounds and interests, I really have found that the vast majority of Yale people I’ve met are just genuinely nice, humble, sincere people. Have there been the occasional bad apples? Sure, but ever school has those. By-and-large though, the people at Yale are truly incredible. Never have I felt so at home; in four months, I’ve made some truly unbelievable friendships. My suite, for example, is made up of musicians; we blast Tchaikovsky on Friday nights, we argue about whether Mahler or Beethoven symphonies are better; we stay up until early hours of the morning just talking, sometimes having silly conversations, sometimes having really intense, inspiring conversations. I can honestly say the people I’ve met and the amazing atmosphere of my residential college have been a huge part of making my Yale experience phenomenal so far. </p>

<p>Food
Food is terrific. Like…it’s really really good. Especially the curry. Honestly, I can think of very few meals where I wasn’t completely satisfied with the quality of the food. I have heard that vegan options are somewhat limited though. And, if, for some reason, dining hall food just really doesn’t agree with you, surrounding restaurants are reasonably priced.</p>

<p>**Extracurriculars **
Extracurriculars definitely vary in intensity and commitment, but the sheer number of groups available should help allow you to find something you’re interested in and a time commitment level that works for you. For example, I’m into music and play in one of the more demanding orchestras on campus. For musicians who want something slightly less intense, there are sooo many music groups of campus, all varying in genre, style and playing ability requirements. This is basically the same for any interest you may have; if there’s something you want to try, it’s out there and out there in an accessible form. And, if by chance it’s not, starting a club is not hard.</p>

<p>As far as student jobs, apply early, and apply for a number of them. They exist, but, especially lately, they are competitive. I got very lucky with my employment but I know some people have had more challenging times.</p>

<p>The Truth About New Haven
You really can be as involved or uninvolved with New Haven as you like. The Yale campus itself is incredibly safe; everything is gated, everything is pristine. There is notable police presence; there are emergency phones all throughout campus; there is an on-call bus and a walking service if you ever end up somewhere where you don’t feel safe. Basically, you should never feel uncomfortable in New Haven, and, in the off-chance that you do, Yale has measures in place to help you if ever you are in trouble. </p>

<p>I really think your opinion of New Haven depends on where you came from. For me, New Haven is a very similar city to the one where I came from, so there was very little adjusting. But New Haven definitely is an urban environment; it has it’s good parts and its bad parts, and if you come from a place where you’re not used to that, I can see how it can be a little jarring; that said, the bad is not prevalent enough that it should ever really affect your Yale experience. The 2-3 blocks in any direction of campus definitely comprise a “Yale bubble” of sorts, with many nice little shops and inexpensive restaurants catered toward college students. The bubble is very safe and accessible and I know a lot of people who choose to stay within the bubble, and that’s fine. But even if you choose to venture out, as long as you’re using common city sense (walk in groups, don’t go out too late) there’s absolutely no reason why New Haven cannot be a wonderful place to live and explore.</p>

<p>Miscellaneous Musings
What’s great about Yale’s academic requirements is they really encourage you to explore; even if you come to Yale set on engineering, you still have to take humanities credits for your distributional requirements. While I have heard some people grumble about this, it’s really one of the best things about Yale; in one semester, I’ve discovered topics that I didn’t even know I was interested in; I very easily set up meeting with professors in those departments and they eagerly answered all of my questions and pointed me in the right direction for further exploration. I really think that’s what makes Yale so special: you have a bunch of really brilliant faculty, eager students and limitless opportunities. I still don’t know what exactly my major is or where my Yale experience is going, but I know that it is going to be fantastic.</p>

<p>Hope that was helpful. To all who are accepted to Yale, come. Please. You will not regret it.</p>

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<p>^ really well said. i’m an upcoming second semester junior and really over two years, my sentiments have not really changed. if anything, i’ve grown to love Yale even more.</p>

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<p>Is Sam Tsui like a campus celebrity, or do you guys play down his celebrity-ness? Sorry for the totally inane question; my friends were wondering.</p>

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<p>^Haha…A Sam Tsui question
Sam Tsui’s pretty popular and a show/concert that he’s in often will draw a noticeably larger crowd.</p>

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<p>we play down his celebrity lol. he’s always been pretty well known because he’s just so talented but most people aren’t even aware of how well-known he is outside of yale. at least i don’t.</p>

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<p>Khachaturian- Thanks a lot for your input. I have always heard that Yale was “great” or “really nice”, but you talked about it from the actual standpoint of a student and explain every detail. Thank you</p>

<p>P.S I’m a musician too (viola), and I think that some of Mahler’s symphonies (especially Symphony No.1 in D) are better than Beethoven’s… :)</p>

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<p>I’m writing as a senior, about to (<em>sob</em>) graduate in May. </p>

<p>Dorms: The residential colleges are fabulous, and much much better than the housing you’ll get at just about any other school. I’ve had friends visit from other Ivies, top schools, and public schools over the years, and all are envious of our setups. There are never more than 2 people to a bedroom, which is great, and virtually all rooms have a “common room” for socializing, which is great for social life. </p>

<p>Academics/Professors: Excellent in just about everything; Yale’s only weakness is probably its engineering program, though enviro engineering is great. I have now completed 32 classes at Yale (holy crap), and have loved just about every one. Professors are in general accessible and open to helping undergraduates. I personally have developed a couple really close relationships with professors that have proved immensely beneficial and fulfilling. The only “classes” taught by TAs are sections for big lectures, or the occasional seminar taught by a grad student in his/her final year. I would estimate, though, that 95% or more of classes on campus are taught by actual professors. </p>

<p>My major: I study history, which I believe is the most popular major on campus, followed by poli sci, psych, English and biology. The history program is fantastic, the best in the country (and the world) for American history. In short: it’s awesome and everyone should major in it. </p>

<p>Food: Dining halls are actually pretty good. My friends from other schools have been impressed by the fact that the food is always edible and sometimes delicious. It’s also surprisingly healthy (ie, not consisting primarily of hot dogs, fries and pizza like at most other schools), which helps stave off the freshman 15. It’s also great for vegans/vegetarians/anyone with food allergies.</p>

<p>Crowd: Great. Yalies are awesome people. Occasionally pretentious but always lovable, and consistently passionate. I miss my friends like crazy whenever I’m gone, and I spend a lot of breaks hanging out with those who are also from my hometown. </p>

<p>Atmosphere: Yale has a reverence for tradition that I, as a history major, find awesome. You’ll still see bowties, sweater vests and cocktail dresses on any weekend night, and students are always happy to toast at Mory’s or watch a cappella tap as a way of connecting with Yalies past. Yale is also shockingly noncompetitive for a top school. I have had a study group for pretty much every exam I’ve ever taken, because other students are so willing to share and cooperate. It really is wonderful. And it’s a stark contrast to high school, where I remember my classmates asking “whadya get on the Chem test?” I have lived with my roommate for 2+ years now, and I cannot tell you a single grade she has gotten in any class ever. All I can tell you is that she loved her Shakespeare seminar but struggled with microeconomics. And we’re pretty typical for Yalies! It’s about what you learn, not what grades you get.</p>

<p>The Truth about New Haven: It’s a city. Therefore, it has poor people and crime. But, most poor people are not criminals, and most criminals will not attack anyone during daylight on campus, or in groups ever. New Haven’s bad rep is a leftover from the 1980s, when every city in America was crime-ridden. Hell, even Times Square was full of perverts and muggers. It’s much better now. Basically, be smart, don’t go walking down Dixwell Ave. at 3AM on a Tuesday morning and you’ll be fine. Yale offers shuttle and police escort services to avoid walking in sketchy areas at night. Otherwise, the city is fine. </p>

<p>Athletics: Don’t know a whole lot about it. I lived with some varsity athletes who often had to work pretty hard to juggle schoolwork and workouts; varsity sports are pretty time-consuming. I’ve done some IMs, which are really casual and fun.</p>

<p>ECs: Great! There is a club for anything you could possibly want to do. And a running joke at Yale is the complaint that “my schoolwork is taking away from my extracurriculars!” Nearly everyone is super-involved in something, be it the Dramat, the Lit Mag or the YPU, and this is what makes Yale interesting. Even professors respect ECs; I’ve gotten more than one extension because I was super-busy a couple semesters running one of Yale’s biggest organizations. </p>

<p>After 3.5 years, I am still 100% sure I made the right decision coming here, and I sometimes cry when I think about graduating and having to leave. It’s a wonderful place full of wonderful people, and I’m so glad I chose to spend my undergrad years in New Haven.</p>

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<p>Hey,</p>

<p>It’s a very personal experience what makes Yale special for everybody. Hopefully this gives you at least one more perspective. I realize some of this may have already been said, but at least you’re hearing it from another mouth. I’ll try to include personal experiences when possible.</p>

<p>In your order:</p>

<p>Dorms:
Yale’s dorms are fantastic. I actually live in the dreaded “Lanman-Wright” (AKA L-Dub) mentioned above by Khachaturian. While it probably IS the ‘worst’ housing on campus, I’m incredibly happy with it. I have a large common room, where my suite-mates and I have all four of our desks. We’ve grown really close to each other just from spending so much time together. The bedrooms ARE small, but that is 1) only true when compared to other Yale housing, and 2)irrelevant if all you do is sleep and get dressed in your bedroom. My biggest complaint about L-Dub is that I have to dust every 2 weeks.
For the last three weeks before Christmas break, I’ve spent a good deal of time in my residential college’s actual dorms with my boyfriend, and I can say housing only gets better. His room is gorgeous, the 3 suite-mates each have singles larger than my L-Dub bedroom, and you have access to a gym, laundry, buttery, game room, dining hall, library, TV room, kitchen, and more without going out into the cold.
Finally, the unity you feel with other members of your RC is consistently a great support. You get to know this group of ~100 people really well over 4 years. I’ve only been here for a few months, and I’d already say I feel as if I have a family in Saybrook.
Relevant memories:
Sitting in my common room window sill, and hearing a folk band begin to practice in the L-Dub courtyard one Sunday afternoon - absurdly serene.
Staying up till 3 am in the morning talking to my roommate about our lives back home, politics, human rights, and the consequences of staying up until 3 AM! </p>

<p>Academics.
I really like how Yale encourages you to take classes outside of what you’re used to. I never expected to take Music classes, but now I am planning on it becoming half of my major. I’ve liked my humanities classes more than my science classes. With that said, I still loved the science classes, and learned more than I ever would have imagined. The course catalog is huge. I feel this is also closely tied with…</p>

<p>Professors.
Well… I had 3 really awesome professors my first semester, and 1 ‘other’. It seems like the professor can really make the class. I have never enjoyed Spanish before, but my professor was lively, always made sure we understood the material, and even brought donuts to class one day when she knew it was someone’s birthday. After 1 semester, I learned enough that I was able to have a 30 minute conversation with somebody from Chile a few days ago.
As far as my not-so-awesome experience, the man was certainly quite knowledgeable in his field, just a bad teacher. I made up for it by doing extra work before lecture, and was fine.</p>

<p>Your Major
I’m in computer science. The professors in the department are excellent, and the resources are unbelievable. My brother studied CS at the University of Florida, and when I showed him around the inside of Yale’s CS building, he was a bit dumbstruck. They have great machines and a fantastic space to boot.
Relevant memory: One night I took my roommate to the CS building because he wanted a change of pace from studying in our bedroom. He read a textbook on one of the couches in “The Zoo” (the CS department’s computer cluster) while I worked on a Problem Set for a few hours. When I came back, he was napping - he claims the couch was far TOO comfortable for him.</p>

<p>Classes
Well, I’ve already talked about academics and professors… so maybe the classrooms? Most (if not all) classrooms have computer stations with projectors, DVD players, VCR, overheads, etc. You can’t ask for anything else.
Relevant memory: One of the clubs I lead had a movie night. We needed a space, so we walked into a classroom, put in the movie, and enjoyed. That simple.</p>

<p>Food
Dining hall food is good. Not all RC’s have equal kitchens, but very rarely will you ever have bland or bad food. After hours, butteries are open, and they usually serve food that is “all fried and all delicious.” Don’t expect many healthy choices from the buttery, but you can rest assured you’ll get something that tastes great.
Relevant memories: Eating 3 slices of red velvet cake one night. My friends refused to look at me afterwards…
Taking a picture of my dinner during opening days, and sending it to my brother to make him jealous.
Eating tofu for the first time in my life. It was good.</p>

<p>Crowd:
The. Best. Ever. I have such a strong and reliable network of friends. It’s been about 3 days into break, and my suite-mates and we have already started a Facebook thread with each other about how we are doing back at home.</p>

<p>The Truth About New Haven:
New Haven is a city of ~100,000 people. This means you get a variety of restaurants, from places that cater to students to those that are only visited by business people. There are grocery stores, churches, anything you’d expect in a city of its size. Even the bad things though. Regarding crime: yes, it occurs. Have I ever felt unsafe on campus? No. The campus PD provides both escorts and a minibus service that you can call 24/7 to come pick you up or walk you to any place on campus.
Relevant memory: Halloween weekend, I ended up needing to go from one point on campus to another that would have taken about 30 minutes to walk. I called the minibus, and they picked me up within 10 minutes. Same response on the way back. The car was warm, and the driver was friendly.</p>

<p>Athletics
I haven’t actually participated in athletics yet, but that’s my fault. In fact, I almost felt bad for not participating in IMs and supporting my RC.</p>

<p>ECs:
I’m sure you are aware that Yale has any EC you could possibly want. I don’t know what you’re interested in, but I’ve mainly been involved with the Glee Club and A capella. If you have questions about either of these, let me know, and I’d be glad to tell you about them
Relevant memory:
Sitting on a Long Island sound beach learning music with my a capella group in the sand. :)</p>

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<p>Just to keep the readers of this thread in perspective: most of the things that Yalies here mention as something unique to Yale are found in many top colleges.</p>

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<p>Thanks to all that have posted long and delicious sounding posts :slight_smile: Good point though Polyglot.</p>

<p>Is there perchance someone who has been to MIT P H S and Y? I think you can never get a real comparison because no-one (almost) has really been to more than 1 top college as an undergrad. Not sure what can be done about that, I am just happy that the people talking about Yale are happy about it, though maybe that is a self selecting group?</p>

<p>Sounds great though.</p>

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<p>

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<p>From certain aspects I would agree, like academics, dorms, etc.</p>

<p>But the campus atmosphere at Yale is something special. It’s so vibrant, passionate, and spirited, and that is something I truly did not find at other schools I stayed at like Stanford and Harvard. I mean, it might sound like a fairly generic thing to say about a top school, but I think it can only really be understood once you’ve experienced it. I’m sure many people have dissenting opinions, but I also know a lot of people share my views. It also might be the case that if I stayed at other schools longer, I might feel similarly, but Yale got it to me right away. That’s how … overpowering it is!</p>

<p>Also, if you have any artistic interest (I can only speak for music specifically, but I have heard it is similar for others) whatsoever, serious or for fun, there is pretty much no comparison. Artistic talent truly GATHERS at Yale, and I would say the only school that’s not a conservatory that has comparable talent is Harvard. However, Harvard does not have a top graduate school of music on campus like Yale does. Even as a graduate school of music it provides incredible, incredible opportunities for undergraduates in terms of lessons, concerts, etc.</p>

<p>Sorry, I’m pretty one-sided with my descriptions since I’m primarily a musician extracurricularly, but that’s what I have to say. I’m sure others have had similar experiences in other areas.</p>

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<p>when i visited Yale for a Model UN conference this past October with my team, I got the impression that Yale doesn’t do a lot within the New Haven community. I’m most likely wrong, but I got the vibe from a lot of students that many Yalies just didn’t want to engage themselves with the problems of New Haven and they take pride in bashing the city on how “unsafe” it is. </p>

<p>Although I didn’t apply for undergrad, I wish I did instead of Princeton (what a waste of an application … i hated it during the admit weekend) … although I would’ve chosen Stanford regardless. I loved Yale when I visited and I’m heavily considering it for law school!</p>

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<p>^
I’m not sure that’s quite accurate actually. There definitely are differing degrees of involvement with New Haven among the student body, but there are a lot of opportunities to get involved in the city and I know a lot of students who do. Specifically, I have a number of friends that do reading and math tutoring in the public schools and they find it very fun and rewarding. There are also Yale-sponsored arts-related community outreach programs specifically geared toward the New Haven community. Yes, there are definitely some students who bash New Haven, but I think the majority of students take New Haven for what it is and look for ways to become involved, to both better themselves and the community.</p>

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<p>I knew I shouldn’t have read this thread. Rejection’s going to suck.</p>