<p>So I'm pretty sure I want to major in neuroscience with a minor in foreign languages. I'm deciding on which colleges to apply to, and I'm slightly disoriented when it comes to Yale. Obviously, all of the university's academics are phenomenal, but I'm not sure how much of why I would like to go there is the name. I feel like even if I got into Yale (which I recognize is very unlikely) and didn't have to pay a dime (even more unlikely) I still wouldn't even really want to attend. Oh and I got a letter from the admissions office in the mail just giving me information about the university and asking me to consider applying there. Does that even mean anything, and if so, what? Any comments by current or former Yale students would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!</p>
<p>Oh and lastly, what do you feel makes Yale different from the other Ivy League schools?</p>
<p>Have you visited? If not, you should - it’s difficult to know how well you like a college based solely on what is online. And if you “still wouldn’t even want to attend” after that, I think the answer is easy - don’t apply. Applying anywhere just for the name/prestige is one of the worst reasons to select a school.</p>
Looking at neuroscience and foreign languages and how they compare at each college
Figuring out the size of the school and the setting (urban, suburban, rural) and the geographic location you might be interested in</p>
<p>D visited many schools in the northeast, including some ivies. Based on her visits, she liked Yale, Columbia, UPenn and disliked Harvard, Princeton, Brown. (Although Brown seemed like it would be a good fit for her on based on descriptions and websites alone). So she was not planning on applying to HPB at all. It’s all more than “just a name/brand.”</p>
<p>Yale is different due to the residential college system and it’s kind of more artsy/indie than some of the other Ivies (just my take on it).</p>
<p>I’m a high school senior waiting to hear back from Yale, but I also wasn’t that interested at first. When I visited around this time last year, though, the atmosphere of the university–which I think is created by the students and the beautiful campus–really drew me. Yale became my favorite college because of that atmosphere as well as other aspects that I uncovered through research. So I’d say visit and then see if Yale calls to you in a particular way!</p>
<p>Im choosing between Yale and Swarthmore. Im very serious about my academics and really like the academic intensity of Swarthmore but the Yale name is really big. When my uncle (who is a professor and who went to Yale) showed me this article I was a little freaked out. Hes encouraging me to go to Swarthmore because he believes it offers a better academic experience.</p>
<p>Is what this Yale student says about the culture at Yale true? Why would he write this?</p>
<p>There is nothing disingenuous about the article. I’m sure he wrote it because he thought it was true, probably not of everyone there, but of an important set. Personally, I wouldn’t go to the place because of the name, I would go because it is the right place for me.</p>
<p>I think the problem with the article is that the author uses the term “we” a bit too indiscriminately–perhaps he really means “I.” There are elements of truth to some of his observations, but it doesn’t really give a true image of the academic atmosphere at Yale. If you visit both Swarthmore and Yale, the decision between the two should be easy–and it will mainly have to do with the size of the institution.</p>