I've never been to Yale...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>...and I was admitted off the wait list a week ago. I just found out yesterday that I have to make my decision by Monday.</p>

<p>I committed to Dartmouth already, and am totally unsure. Yale has the residential college (major plus), a great mix of big-school research and small school liberal arts and student/professor ratios (plus), but I've heard bad things about New Haven (minus?).</p>

<p>I like the small-school feel of Dartmouth...I was there for Dimensions (the admit weekend) and absolutely loved the atmosphere and the friendliness f the student body (plus); I also liked the D-plan (plus).</p>

<p>I am thinking of studying engineering...and I feel like Yale would give me more depth in terms of a specific engineering field, thereby better preparing me for a job after four years. At Dartmouth, it takes a little longer because of the stronger liberal arts focus. Liberal arts is important to me...I don't want to become a straight-up drafting engineer. i would rather be involved in the business aspect of things too.</p>

<p>Finally, I am from the suburbs of Los Angeles, and I like the outdoors a lot, so Dartmouth's being rural is not an issue. If anything, the urbanity of Yale is a negative.</p>

<p>I guess overall...does anyone have any comments on anything that I have talked about above? I really am doubting I will get back to New Haven by Monday unless by some miracle I catch a flight tomorrow morning, which at this point looks slim. I want to make the right decision, but it's hard without ever having seen Yale.</p>

<p>Thanks for your help!</p>

2

<p>I love Yale, but if you know you'll be happy at Dartmouth idk if it would be worth it to risk it at Yale.</p>

3

<p>School's out, so as far as seeing Yale all you're going to get at this point are a bunch of seniors and graduates living the dream. Campus' architectural beauty still makes me smile after several years of being here, but you could get a sense of that from pictures.</p>

<p>D is a great school I'm sure (though I've never visited unfortunately), but I just couldn't see myself turning down Yale. New Haven is a pretty decent college town - thanks in no small measure to Yale's efforts - and certainly not nearly as dangerous as it's sometimes made out to be. Student body is going to be similarly impressive and Y's student body is certainly a lot friendlier than I would've expected - there's a pretty special ethos to the place. It's taboo to talk about grades, wealth; dressing up too much, etc. People generally just don their Yale gear and feel comfortable and happy.</p>

<p>I would've preferred a slightly more rural setting for Yale (It's no Princeton and I still think U. of Cambridge - which is a legitimately old version of Yale with nicer surroundings - is probably the most beautiful campus anywhere), but it doesn't feel overwhelmingly urban as sometimes Penn or Harvard do.</p>

<p>idk.. what could I say really? As a Y student I can't really see myself anywhere else, but if you have your heart set on D then that's a great choice as well, as long as you're sure you won't end up regretting it.</p>

4

<p>I would say go to Yale; I seriously doubt you would regret that choice in any way. Yale is known to have one of the happiest student bodies around. You will love it there, I'm sure of it.</p>

5

<p>it sounds like youre happier with dartmouth. you wont ever feel limited at dartmouth in terms of resources. plus, i think if you choose yale you will always feel like you went against your gut instinct.</p>

6

<p>I visited both schools and was very impressed by both. My impressions:</p>

<p>1.) I loved Hanover, and I'm not sure how I feel about New Haven. The nature around Dartmouth took my breath away. Wow... Do remember, though- Dartmouth is very far north, and you won't be able to go outside comfortably for 4-5 months of the year.</p>

<p>2.) The students at Yale impressed me the most by far. Friendly, welcoming, intellectual, and they all have some kind of amazing ability... just insanely brilliant kids. Dartmouth students were also impressive, but not to the same level. Yale fells like a powerhouse of ideas!</p>

<p>3.) I like the social scene at Yale a little more. Dartmouth has a bit more drinking and a lot more Greek life... I wasn't too impressed with that aspect of D. Yale's college system dominates, and I can't imagine living in any other type of arraingement.</p>

<p>4.) Both schools have incredible histories and traditions. I love both campuses for that.</p>

<p>5.) Academically, I think you'll be challenged at either place.</p>

<p>I picked Yale, but you'll doubtless love either one. It's hard to overcome that initial emotional tie to a college, but it's important to be objective.</p>

<p>Good luck with the decision! I hope to see you next fall, but if not- enjoy Dartmouth!</p>

7

<p>I don't know much about the differences between studying engineering at Yale and Dartmouth (I don't really know anything about Dartmouth's curriculum at all), but I'll try to comment on the rest of what you said as it relates to Yale.</p>

<p>
[quote]

I committed to Dartmouth already, and am totally unsure. Yale has the residential college (major plus), a great mix of big-school research and small school liberal arts and student/professor ratios (plus), but I've heard bad things about New Haven (minus?).

[/quote]

The residential college system is really amazing, in a way that you can't understand before you're a Yale student. It attracted me as a prospective student, but I never really understood how important or awesome it is until I got to New Haven in the Fall of my freshman year. If it sounds good to you, it's probably an even bigger plus than you realize. You're also right about how good it is to have a mix of the research and facilities of a major research university and the feel of a LAC. For science majors, this means major access to labs doing cutting edge research, while for humanities majors (like me) it means, among other things, access to virtually unparalleled library resources and the ability to take small classes with the top scholars in your field. All this comes with nearly all the benefits of a LAC - the ability to take small classes, terrific access to faculty, plenty of research opportunities for undergrads (despite the presence of grad students), and, because of the colleges, the ability to feel like part of a smaller community, but still to be easily able to get outside that community if it becomes confining.
As to New Haven, I think most of the people who say bad things about it have never actually lived there (at least not in the past decade). I've found it to be a fairly decent city - it has everything I need as a student who is happy to have a campus-centered social life (it certainly has more going on than Hanover). And it really isn't that dangerous - it's a city, so there is crime, but not to the extent some posters on this site like to imply.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I like the small-school feel of Dartmouth...I was there for Dimensions (the admit weekend) and absolutely loved the atmosphere and the friendliness f the student body (plus); I also liked the D-plan (plus).

[/quote]

Yale has a small-school feel as well, because of the residential colleges. Your college will have fewer than 500 people, making it as intimate as anything short of Deep Springs, but because the rest of campus is around (4800 other undergrads, to start) you can escape it if you want. The Yale student body is amazingly friendly as well - I won't compare it to Dartmouth because I haven't been, but we certainly don't lack in that regard. As for the D-plan, it's true that Yale has a more standard academic calendar, but I, at least, like the fact that everyone else is on campus when I am.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Finally, I am from the suburbs of Los Angeles, and I like the outdoors a lot, so Dartmouth's being rural is not an issue. If anything, the urbanity of Yale is a negative.

[/quote]

I'm also from the LA suburbs, and also like the outdoors, but you should note that Yale as urban setting is very different from LA. I actually find the campus quite beautiful, even though I'm normally a fan of more outdoorsy sorts of places. And you don't have to walk too far to get away from the central city of New Haven if you feel the need to.</p>

<p>I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have. Good luck deciding, and I certainly hope you choose Yale - you won't regret it.</p>

8

<p>go to Dartmouth.</p>

9

<p>To me, Yale's res college system trumps D's mostly Greek-centered social life. The res college system is much more broad and inclusive (yet extremely intoxicating) than a fairly rigid (i.e. homogeneous) greek system. You ask 100 alumni and 95 of them will tell you that the single best feature of Yale was its residential college system.</p>

<p>regardless, congratulations -- you have a wonderful choice to make. Wherever you end up come Sept, you'll be having a ball.</p>

10

<p>congratulations, Khoff!</p>

<p>As most people have said, you really can't go wrong. You will have a great time and receive a wonderful education no matter which school you pick.</p>

<p>Last year, DD was accepted at both schools. She loved Dartmouth and the students were really very outgoing. We have known a number of kids who went to Dartmouth over the years and for the most part, had a good experience. The social scene does seem to be very fraternity centered and the kids we knew felt that by the time they were seniors they had outgrown the school to some extent. The DPlan helped, as they weren't on campus all semesters.</p>

<p>I do believe the social scene is broader at Yale. The residential colleges provide a smaller core group that you know very well, almost like a large crazy family. You become friends with people that you normally wouldn't have gravitated towards because you eat, sleep, and party with them. </p>

<p>One other plus that I don't think has been mentioned. Yale really encourages summer study or work abroad. If you qualify for financial aid, they apply financial aid in the summer. If you don't qualify, they still deduct the amount you would have been expected to earn in the summer. Their philosophy is that everyone should study or work abroad - but they don't want you to miss out on your time in New Haven. </p>

<p>Anyway, good luck. And if you or your parents have any questions, feel free to PM me.</p>

11

<p>Thanks for all the advice, everyone. Turns out that I talked to admissions and I got the deadline extended a week so I can visit this week, so I'll probably be there Wed-Fri or Thurs-Fri. Is anyone still at Yale, or know someone who is still there, so I might have the option of staying overnight in a residential college? I know it'll be pretty dead, but I'd like to have the option if I can.</p>

12

<p>Khoff, I don't know if residential colleges will be available Friday. It's graduation weekend coming up, and the colleges are open for students working the ceremonies and for families who want to stay as an alternative to staying in a hotel. Hotels have been booked for many months, so I don't know if that will be an option BUT there might be something available Wednesday and Thursday. I would call admissions and see if they can find you a room in a college, but you might have to be out by Friday. As for engineering, be sure to ask lots and lots of highly specific questions.</p>

13

<p>Yale is...Yale, and its difficult to turn down such a opportunity. I've seen both and to me the residential college system trumps the frat life at Dartmouth by far. Similarly, the architecture at Yale is freaking amazing (Dartmouths is nice but just not the same). Both seemed to have intellectually stimulated student body who were welcoming. and while New Haven has a bad rep you have all sorts of locations nearby, vs Dartmouth where its hanover and thats it.</p>

<p>I myself am pursuing the dartmouth waitlist, so if you decide to say no to Dmouth, do tell them as soon as possible!</p>

14

<p>A few thoughts... (keep in mind that i'm advocating for yale)</p>

<p>If you're from LA, don't underestimate the severity of New England winters. Yale is going to be pretty cold over the winter, but New Hampshire has very, very harsh winters. </p>

<p>I wish you could have gone to bulldog days... i haven't met anyone who had a bad time at bulldog days, it's really an amazing few days. A lot of people decide to come bc of bulldog days. </p>

<p>Yale has the social advantages of a large and small school. The resco system basically makes it impossible not to make friends, but you'll also never run out of people to meet, since it's a medium sized university. There are some academic shortcomings to yale's size, if you take big lectures while getting pre-reqs out of the way. </p>

<p>Yale def. offers a liberal arts education, don't think otherwise. The distribution requirements ensure that, and there are so many interesting clases across disciplines that you'll want to have a diverse course schedule (eg, i'm a bio major, but more than half of my classes have been in classics, polisci, and history). </p>

<p>New haven is a very good college city... there are lots of bars/restaurants/clubs/theaters, but the city is also small enough that social life doesn't bleed out into the city. There are always parties on campus through student organizations, residential colleges, and just random room parties. People harp on safety, but it's really the same as any other city, and probably safer than LA. </p>

<p>Yale is excellent. You might consider comparing the strength of the engineering majors at each... that could be a productive line of inquiry before deciding. If you need a few days to research i'm sure you could ask the admissions office for an extension. Now that they've accepted you, they want you to matriculate.</p>

15

<p>"I myself am pursuing the dartmouth waitlist, so if you decide to say no to Dmouth, do tell them as soon as possible!"</p>

<p>Haha, small bias there maybe.</p>

16

<p>Housing is closed for the summer... but you could probably find people to swipe you into the colleges so that you could poke around inside them. I believe miscellaneous groups (athletic teams, people working commencement) have summer housing on old campus... you could probably see that. But there wouldn't be any formal overnight program. You'd have to find a friend if you want to sleep over, or get a hotel room.</p>

17

<p>In as non-flamey a way as possible, what's your beef with yale, chicagoboy? Between the AIDS thing and this and the waitlist comment, it seems like you're trying to discourage people from liking yale, for kind of silly (/ridiculous in the case of the AIDS comment) reasons.</p>

18

<p>I wonder if you intend to study engineering why would you choose Yale? I think only about 5% of the student body is in engineering and I wouldn't expect a strong focus in that area.</p>

<p>The engineering program doesn't allow much room for exploring other options and Yale will still make you study a foreign language.</p>

19

<p>The small size of Yale's engineering is actually an advantage; there apparently is a 1:1 student to faculty ratio. I've heard from engineering students that the size of the program actually gives students more freedom in molding their own program. </p>

<p>Also, engineering is becoming much more of a focus than you would think. Yale is pouring in over a billion dollars to improve the sciences, and has recently created a separate school for engineering and applied science. (although you still apply to Yale College)</p>

20

<p>Many of the Yale engineering majors I knew chose Yale because they had MORE opportunity to explore other options and classes in the humanities than at colleges better known for engineering. They also chose Yale because the personality of collge was a better fit for them and it wasn't like Yale was SO much worse in engineering that choosing the better fit was a crazy idea.</p>