Is Yale a Fit?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
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<p>More than really a chances thread, I'm interested in hearing what people have to say...</p>

<p>I'm not a competitive person. The kids who want to go to Ivies in my school are very competitve (i.e., they try to cheat off me) and have just generally turned me off of anything Ivy-related. The prestige of my college is not important to me. I'm not looking to become a high-powered lawyer, doctor, business executive, etc., so the brand name on my degree doesn't really matter to me.</p>

<p>I'm a rising senior, and I've been focusing my college search on smaller LACs (my top choice is Smith), but lately I have been thinking about Yale. It was my starry-eyed 7th grade college dream, until I shifted my focus. But now that I look back, it has a lot of things I look for in a college: good English department, lots of study abroad options, general liberal-ness (+ queer presence), etc. In other words, a good fit. My only major hesitation in applying (besides not getting in, har har) is the attitude of the students at Yale.</p>

<p>Are most Yalies uber-competitve with each other? (Self-competition is refreshing, but cutthroat grade freaks make me vomit.) Are they uptight about all things academic? (And, do they overcompensate by partying too hard?) If you had to describe the typical Yale student in one word, what would it be?</p>

<p>Thanks for any input... just to give you an idea, my abbreviated stats:
Rank: 1/240 (Catholic school)
GPA: UW: 99/100 W: 102/100
SATs: 2290 (800 CR 770 W 710 M--not planning to retake)
90% sure I'll end up as a Finalist for National Merit (PSAT = 227)
SATIIs: Lit 780 World History 780 Bio 750 (took as a freshman XD)
APs: My school is weird about APs. We only have 7, and you're not allowed to take more than two a year. I'm taking a record-breaking four next year (Calc AB, Physics B, English Lit, Spanish Lit), giving me a total of 6.
some ECs:
founder/president of debate club
girls varsity fencing captain
editor-in-chief of literary magazine
co-organizer/performer for community V-Day
recycling manager for the environmental club + other assorted green volunteering
Girls Leadership Workshop Board: helping organize a summer program I attended last year (admissions, publicity, organizing speakers, etc.)
+a few other minor leadership positions
this summer = TASP <3</p>

<p>Let me know if I don't even have a shot, har har.</p>

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<p>obviously you're joking because if you did not have a chance then by god, who does (except for those olympiad finalists and chelsea clinton/tiger wood's; wait that's stanford)</p>

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<p>For some reason I feel like the fact that I usually go to bed before midnight automatically kicks me out of the Ivy acceptance club. XD</p>

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<p>I'm kind of annoyed because I had a very thoughtful long message and it got lost when I hit submit. But I'll be brief:</p>

<p>Yalies are competitive w/ themselves, not each other. They are willing to share notes, teach each other math, talk openly, respect those they disagree with, etc. VERY TOLERANT COMMUNITY. NOT CUTTHROAT. I chose to attend Yale as opposed to Harvard because I wanted an "intellectual" and "engaging" community without the bs of conversations about SAT scores, GPA, titles/awards, etc. I am incredibly pleased with my choice and I LOVE YALE.</p>

<p>Moreover, I think you have the right attitude and would mesh very well with the community. COME VISIT! AND APPLY EA!</p>

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<p>Yalie343: You make the entire atmosphere seem so...lax. Those are the exact reasons why I can't wait to apply EA. Can you tell us anymore about the social scene? Was it difficult to adjust when you first started?</p>

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<p>AM07: do a search about the Residential Colleges here on the Yale forum. It's the single most important determinant to Y College's community.</p>

<p>As for adjusting: it really depends on the person. I went to an inner city HS (albeit extremely rigorous) in a large midwestern city and had never travelled further East than Buffalo. Applied sight unseen (besides being completely enthralled by a recruiting presentation by then-current undergrads). Visited Feb my senior year. Loved it, confirmed as "first choice". Come April, the thick envelope arrived. It may be my attitude but I wasn't intimidated whatsoever going to Y. I do recall people around me being kinda tense the first term's finals. I felt fine, really. Made lasting friendships w/people from all sorts. I now interview and present at college fairs. Good luck to you</p>

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<p>Ditto to what 343 said. It is considered gauche to discuss test scores, grades, etc. and people are very cooperative.</p>

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<p>I may have misled you slightly: Yale is not a cake walk... it is extremely demanding. Moreover, many students are doing 10,000 things at once e.g. plays, YPU, a cappella, dance groups, debate, athletics etc. I don't want to make it seem "stress free" and like candyland ******** where everything is easy... but students love the things they do and they participate in their activities for the right reasons (i.e. students are over "resume buffers")...</p>

<p>In terms of the adjustment, it really depends on your high school, your social development by the time you leave for college, etc. I found it very easy -- but it is personal for everyone so I don't want to make grandiose statements. </p>

<p>I love the social scene. There are parties (w/ drinking etc) if you are into that but TONS of other stuff too if you don't want to. There are so many plays, performances, debates, guest speakers etc on campus during any give weekend that you feel like you are missing out on a lot (and you are, but i guess it is a good thing).</p>

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<p>Thanks for the helpful information yalie343 and T26E4: I'm really good at making new friends and interacting with others, but I kind of feel like I don't put in the effort to get myself known by others. (Trust me, I’m not an attention w****.) I'm the type of person who can function just fine without dozens of friends at my fingertips, but I do enjoy hanging out with close friends and am always up to meeting new people.</p>

<p>I have my on-campus interview in July, so I'll definitely take the most of it by touring the entire grounds...especially the science department.</p>

<p>I have two more questions:
1) Does each college put on a play of its own? Or are there plays/musicals open for the entire school? Are they NYC caliber, good, average, spectacular? (Theater is a big part of my life and I will definitely minor in it, if not double major.)
2) I just moved to my hometown in VA a little over a year ago and I loved getting to know the town. Is New Haven the type of city where students actually enjoy hanging out around the town or do most people stay on campus?</p>

<p>Thanks for your time and in puts!</p>

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<p>Answers for you AM07.</p>

<p>1) the colleges have budgets for many things. If there is someone who wants to put on a production, they petition for funds and voila. A play is born. If no one or no group decides to do this then no play. It's not every college every year for sure. I've never heard of ANY plays that don't BEG for auditions from everyone (not just in the hosting college). Actors, production people, etc. These are the most grass-roots level of college productions. There are others that are certainly "more legit". The Dramat, the graduate Drama school, many other theatres -- great for viewing. I doubt that they have many openings for people not in their schools or non-professionals. </p>

<p>There are no MINORS at Yale. Note this or you'll sound like you didn't do your homework.</p>

<p>2) The area around campus and downtown is very bustling w/lots of restaurants and shops and theatres. The city proper isn't so attractive to the avg Yalie. There are some tougher neighborhoods not to far from campus too.</p>

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<p>I wasn't a theater person but had plenty of friends that were and therefore went to lots of productions. I'd say 3-4 new productions go up every weekend. I can't remember any that didn't have open auditions. There are TONS of opportunities. The quality varies but, for instance, the female lead in a musical I saw my freshman year was starring on Broadway immediately after her graduation. There were numerous students who had been on TV shows and in movies in the undergraduate population and several of them kept performing at Yale. I didn't see a bad show when I was there.</p>

<p>There are lots of threads on New Haven. It's a great college town.</p>

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<p>Wow, thanks for the insightful information T26E4 and AdmissionsAddict; it really helped a lot. Also, I did not do my homework very thouroughly T26E4 because I completely forgot about Yale's lack of minors. I did see an article on that in the past, so thanks for the correction! (Here's a copy: The</a> Yale Herald - October 1, 2004 - Double, double: a major trouble?)</p>

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<p>I would second a lot of the sentiments here. Most people work fairly hard, but it is cooperative, not competitive at all. Very few people I know even object to outright copying of problem sets, etc, especially if you having a stressful week with lots of things do. There may be a select few classes where this doesn't hold, for example if a teacher sets a really nasty curve (which is extremely rare).</p>

<p>As for New Haven, I'm cool with it, but most people rarely leave campus and the immediate area unless they are headed to the train station on a trip to NYC or on a hike up to East Rock. This works out just fine though, because shops, restaurants, and pretty much everything you need is right there. There are some sketchier areas, but you never have to go there.</p>

<p>That being said, there are a few people who work themselves a little hard but usually not in relation to ECs. Mostly it is the people gunning hard for top Wall Street Jobs or pre-med kids. There are also a few people who party too hard and don't take work very seriously. But all in all, the vast majority have a well-balanced life.</p>

<p>To the OP: Typical Yale student in one word? Happy. You have a great chance at getting in and it seems like you would fit in well (honestly, there are very few here who don't, because the only real unifying traits about Yalies are love for the school and a certain laid-back attitude, not in the sense of laziness, but in an "it'll be alright" or "I get along with everyone" sense). Small LACs are largely overrated compared to a school like Yale - if you know what you are doing, you can definitely take mostly small, extremely well-taught classes at Yale, and your residential college brings you that sense of small community pride, PLUS you get all the benefits of a bigger school with more resources.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
For some reason I feel like the fact that I usually go to bed before midnight automatically kicks me out of the Ivy acceptance club. XD

[/quote]
</p>

<p>lmfao this is like the most hilarious thing I've ever heard of; everyone that I know personally who got into Ivies got like 8~9 hours of sleep daily, and I dunno what sleep has any relevancy to admission to top colleges anyways; i sleep 10 but I'm still young. you probably do have good chances.</p>

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<p>
[QUOTE]
lmfao this is like the most hilarious thing I've ever heard of; everyone that I know personally who got into Ivies got like 8~9 hours of sleep daily, and I dunno what sleep has any relevancy to admission to top colleges anyways; i sleep 10 but I'm still young. you probably do have good chances.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>Haha... Well, then I might not be getting into Ivies... This school year, I slept, on average, about 4 or 5 hours a night TOPS! I went some sleepless nights for the first time in my life. In fact, I set a new record for myself: 32 straight hours without sleep.</p>

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<p>^^I completely know how you feel, drbigboyjoe9505. I averaged about the same amount of hours of sleep and went through several sleepless nights...it was terrible!</p>

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<p>you fail...very bad stats...
just apply to a community college nearby ur house..
ur life is hopeless
bump 10 char
good luck!</p>

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<p>You said it <em>unlimited</em></p>

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<p>^ Um. A 2290 SAT and a 99/100 UW GPA is considered a 'fail' and 'very bad'? Unless you were being sarcastic there...</p>

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<p>^thanks captain obvious. =)</p>