@dancelance It could have been just chance—the people you happened to see and interact with during this visit simply may not have been your cup of tea. Or your feelings could be revealing a real preference for something different than what Yale offers. I do tend to agree with @gibby about the spectacle aspect of these admitted students events—that’s why I had my son rank his choices before attending them. (He ultimately made his decision without visiting the schools again, but he’d already visited all of them, three extensively, and had a huge amount of information from many different sources on which to base his decision.) I think it’s important to keep in mind what the schools are really doing at these events: Yes, they’re welcoming the admitted students (and parents), but more important, they’re marketing to them. At the moment, we’re attending the admitted students weekend of the school my son chose. We’re enjoying it—especially him, since he’s excited about attending—but as a parent, I’m a bit worn out by all of this and feeling acutely aware of the sell job, even though it’s entertaining, interesting, and even helpful at times. So maybe you experienced some of that during Bulldog Days. I don’t think there’s any real difference between the students who are accepted to the top schools—when we went to local admitted students receptions for Yale, Harvard, and Stanford, all the students and alumni we spoke with were interesting, and a surprising number of the students were actually the same (having been admitted to two or all three schools)! I’d encourage you to focus less on your impressions of the students and faculty you happened to see during Bulldog Days and more on the specific things each school you’re considering offers—things like courses in potential majors you’re contemplating, degree of focus on undergraduate education, research/internship/job possibilities, geographical location (in terms of potential jobs and also in and of itself—do you like it?), etc. Look closely at the catalogs, course offerings, and requirements, and see how your four years might play out given different scenarios. I’m not saying that gut reactions aren’t important—I think they are; I’m just saying that in certain circumstances, taking them with a grain of salt is a good idea. See if you feel differently at one of the other schools you’re considering—and, if so, see if that difference is based on more than the small sample of people you happened to see while you were there (and the admitted students program the school happened to put on).