Btw massive congratulations - whether or not you decide to go it’s a huge achievement 
Well done!!
Congratulations. Remember, feelings are feelings. You have lots of time to figure out whether or not Yale is the right school for you. Only you can decide if an alternative is better for you, and there is nothing wrong with that. And if you decide that somewhere else is better for you, then someone else who really feels like Yale is the best choice for them will be able to attend, so it’s a win win no matter what you choose.
Keep in mind that they are VERY VERY VERY different. Its not even comparing apples and oranges- more like apples and avocados. Visit both and really visit. Dont take the silly tours but walk around, look in the classrooms. Embrace the size of the classes, school and everything that is included in the student environment. One is huge, one is small. One is newer and the other is very old. One will have sun all year long with little change and the other has not only 4 seasons but 4 very unpredictable seasons. Mark Twain once said something along the lines of “if you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes as it till change”. It may be hard for those of us that grew up here to deal with yet another winter but we actually have winter with snow (most years). The biggest issue is that its very far away and if you are so bent on staying in CA to be near family then you will hate it here. On the other hand if you know your family will always be there for you and you will always be happy to return home then see what the world has to offer you.
Oh no @eastbaygirl. I want you to enjoy your acceptance. Don’t beat yourself up about being apprehensive. Even my D, who wanted to go to Yale her whole life, was scared crazy when she actually got accepted. It’s kind of “oh no, what do I do now?” You have until May 1 to make your decision based on, hopefully, on site visits to the tops schools on your list. Don’t let money be an issue either. Yale has paid travel for accepted students to come to Bulldog days, once you get there you’ll have almost no expenses since you stay with a student and eat in the dining halls. If you want to go, contact them immediately if you need the money to travel. If you decide to go, PM and I’ll have my D contact you so she can show you around.
^ Wise and generous advice.
No one who is accepted should have feelings of guilt if they are ambivalent. SCEA does not commit an applicant. It is good to have a sense of accomplishment for having achieved such a difficult feat, but at the same time keep an open mind. In the end, finding a school that provides the best fit is the primary concern for each and every applicant.
I agree with @Tperry1982. DD turned down Harvard, Yale, Brown and Wharton for Stanford after years of insisting on an Ivy. She does not regret it one bit. BTW, research done at Wharton and confirmed by Harvard in 2015 shows that happiness leads to success, not the other way around. And on the strength of that she turned both of them down and could not be happier.
Turning Yale down for Stanford and turning it down for USC are two different things, though. Go to accepted student visits and give both a very thorough look.
I hadn’t seen this thread initially, I hope the OP is still following it.
First off, Congratulations! Being accepted at Yale is a very significant accomplishment. Having said that you should go to the college that is right for you, given what ever criteria you hold to be important.
There has been a lot of wisdom shared here that I hope provides perspective for you.
There is significant cachet that comes with being a graduate of HPY, MIT or Stanford. Does that trump happiness or fit? No absolutely not.
One of the things that I have become aware of as the parent of a Harvard student is that the environment that exists at a school like Yale cannot be fully understood and appreciated until you are there. The students are amazing in every way, the faculty is amazing, the EC’s are remarkable, the activities and people that come to present or speak at these schools are some of the most accomplished and interesting people in the world.
The most valuable element of attending a school like Yale to me is the kids, you would be surrounded by the best and the brightest kids from all over the world, your roommates, the kids in your classes and study groups. You just can’t imagine how engaged these kids are, that is as big a part of your education at a Yale as the courses you take.
I am sure my bias is clearly obvious. You have to do what is right for you and there are a lot of elements to that. You will have some wonderful but hard choices to make, that’s how it is for kids that have accomplished what you have! Congratulations again and Best Wishes!
Congratulations! As a recent alum, I have some feedback:
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That’s a valid reason for choosing USC. However, from my experience, most people change their majors several times before senior year. Just because you know you want to do urban design doesn’t mean you’ll actually do it - more likely than not, you’ll find something else that you like more.
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Being close to family is good, but you’ll probably find that you live within the college bubble so much that you only see them on breaks. This was the case for most Yalies I knew who were already from New Haven. SAD is real, and I’m really sorry you have to deal with it. I had my own slew of mental health issues while I was at Yale (bipolar and anxiety), and am very familiar with the mental health system at Yale. I’d be happy to chat about this if you’re interested in the mental health treatment available at Yale.
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Yale is not at all cutthroat. I don;t know of any students who think it is. Everyone worked together on problem sets.
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Yale has a really strong network. In financial firms, there are official Yale networks for recruiting through HR. i can’t speak about other industries, because I’m not as familiar with them). I emailed people at different financial firms and I received essays in response answering my questions.
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Yale has a very large party scene - there are so many open parties going on every night during the weekend. People also go out to Toad’s on Wednesday. Yale does have a bit of a binge drinking culture, so I would exercise judgement.
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There are a lot of people who care about sports at Yale. Look into the Whaling Crew.
Good luck with your decisions! For what it’s worth, before I received all of my offers I was desperate to go to Princeton. It was my dream school. I only applied to Yale as a back up - I wasn’t really interested in going. However, once I received my offers and did some research, the tables turned and Princeton was my last preference, and I ultimately ended up choosing Yale. Just keep an open mind and talk to alums/current students - a lot can change over the next few months.
^^^ My D is a sophomore at Yale and hardly drinks. No this is not the mom in me talking, I have always been very open about her ability to drink and she was in Europe most of the summer where it was legal to drink and she didn’t. While drinking is a large part of the Yale persona, there are tons of kids who do not drink their way through the weekend. You can find like minded people no matter what your interests are. And just one note - Yale has a 99% freshman retention rate (#1 in the country), so those hard drinking weekenders must be sober enough most of the time to get their work done.
@Memmsmom ironically the relevant Mark Twain weather quote for the thread is, “the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”
Summer in SF is one thing. It does not describe summer (or any season!) in S. Cal. (Or even nearby Palo Alto)
The best school is the school that is best for you.
If you got in ED, I don’t think you have the right to choose any other college unless do not get the right FA. If it wasn’t your first choice above all you should not have applied ED to Yale.
@khanam, Yale does not do ED. They do SCEA , a form of restricted early action, which is non-binding. I still think it’s a good idea to apply SCEA to your first choice, but DS applied to Yale and UMichigan early, without doing anything contrary to the rules.
@IxnayBob ah got it. thanks.
@donnaleighg
Bay Area has micro-climates…can be cold and foggy one place and warm and sunny 10 miles away!
PA has lovely weather but the area is very expensive. Not for everyone…
Just confirming: Summer in Palo Alto is generally low 80s and sunny, day-in and day-out. On those same days, if you happen to be in a foggy neighborhood in Sad Francisco, it might be low 50s and damp most of the morning, and you don’t see the sun until mid-afternoon. Sometimes in the summer the fog can be practically opaque.
@JHS
Certainly not complaining as its high70’s here in Bay Area today whereas Eastcoast…I’ve heard its in the -single digits…burrrrr
…yes, the single negative digits. 