Congratulations, @Ninjafroggy10! I know that you want to get out of the Midwest, but with your Catholic faith and your interest in the Great Books, you might want to consider the Program of Liberal Studies (PLS) at Notre Dame. It’s an entire major, not just three courses. Notre Dame is one of the most beautiful universities in the U.S. Please try to visit and learn more about the PLS.
Really nice! Wish you all the best.
That’s incredible. I’m looking forward to exploring all the amazing opportunities Yale has.
Great advice. I certainly won’t discount Notre Dame, especially because I could be given a generous scholarship. Faith will be a factor in where I decide to go. Most of all, I’m looking for an institution that will allow me to explore my faith through asking the important questions.
Yale has an incredible Catholic Church and community center at St Thomas More,
Including a soup kitchen. New Haven is also the world headquarters of the Knights of Columbus and their lead church at St Mary’s, which is right in the middle of the Yale campus. I believe St Thomas More is also now the head of the New Haven diocese overall. While the school definitely has a secular bend, there is a plethora of resources for those who choose to be fervent Catholics.
2 Likes
The OP’s stats are posted earlier in the thread.
Congratulations on your acceptances. You sound like a great applicant. The directed studies program does sound like a good fit for you. Good luck as you await your other results.
What is your family’s financial situation? Are you able to comfortably afford all the colleges? It’s hard to say no to generous scholarships from U Chicago and Notre Dame if those scholarships make those schools much more affordable. Have you discussed these offers yet with your family?
Please be careful of revealing too much personal information here. You don’t want to share too many specifics on a site called College Confidential. Good luck!
If you might like to explore at this time through (for you) topical reading, consider God and Man at Yale (Buckley).
You sound like a very promising young man. I wish you all of the best! I know many Catholics who have greatly enjoyed their time at UChicago as well, especially in the areas that you picked as your desired majors. You are fortunate to have so many options to choose from! I hope that all of your schools give you generous financial aid packages, in addition to your merit scholarships. Don’t be afraid to ask these elite private colleges to help you out with airfare to visit. They have the funds. Wait to compare all financial offers. If you have a clear favorite, you can always try to negotiate IF you have a better financial offer from a competitor of similar elite status.
PS - You might really enjoy this one-week summer program sponsored by the James Madison program at Princeton. Summer Programs | James Madison Program
Ask for help with airfare if you need it!
1 Like
There are also these summer programs sponsored by the Witherspoon Institute at Princeton. Summer Seminars - The Witherspoon Institute
There appears to be a participation fee involved, but again, have someone at your school call on your behalf and you should be able to get the fee waived.
1 Like
Thanks for the information. I would love to check out St. Thomas More once I visit Yale. Additionally, I’m glad there are options to do service, as I believe that’ll help me get out of the self-centered bubble that many college students can tend towards.
2 Likes
Great advice. I am fortunate enough to have parents that have been saving up for my college education since before I was born. For that reason, they have made it clear to me that cost should not be a factor in my decision. And they are unbudging—no matter how much I bring up what my merit aid amounts to over four years. To your last point, thank you for your concern, and I’ll take it into account. I admit that I can get a bit carried away especially when receiving good news like this.
Thank you for the reading suggestion. I’ve actually heard a little bit about William F. Buckley, but had no idea that he attended Yale, much less that he wrote a book detailing his experiences with religious freedom at Yale. I will certainly check it out.
Those look like interesting programs. I’ll look more into them.
1 Like
Congratulations!! The Directed Studies program sounds amazing. Best wishes!
As an introduction to Buckley, you should find his historic debate with James Baldwin riveting: James Baldwin vs William F Buckley: A legendary debate from 1965 - YouTube. I recommend you save the video for a time when you can devote your complete attention to it — it’s that good (on both sides of the debate).
This NY Times article also may be of interest: https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/19/nyregion/2-old-foes-buckley-and-yale-signal-truce.html.
1 Like
Since this thread is supposed to be about Yale admissions (and their likely letters), can those who wish to suggest summer programs and other related programs spin off a separate thread? Or maybe PM the OP directly?
Thanks.
Sorry - how do I do a PM?
Click on the user’s name, then select “Message” from the pop-up window
Thank you. I appreciate it.