Legacy At Ezra Stiles

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>Hi guys! This is my first post here but I've been reading threads for a little while. I'm going to be attending Yale in the fall as a freshman but I have a question for you guys about housing. I am a legacy at Ezra Stiles so I have a choice to either be assigned Ezra Stiles or randomly into one of the other 11 colleges. I don't know what I should do. I think it would be kind of cool to be in the same college as my parent but it is not really that big of a deal to me. I also know that Stiles will be done with the renovations soon so the new facilities will be a plus. However, I don't like the architecture as much as the other colleges nor the location. I know Ezra Stiles is one of the bottom two colleges in terms of how desired it is. I heard the renovations will be very similar to Morse's recent ones so I was hoping someone could comment on what they are like. Essentially, I want to know if the recent renovations are enough for me to choose Stiles over one of the other random 11.</p>

<p>Thanks for the help.</p>

2

<p>I’m sure you’re aware that most students love their residential college no matter which one is assigned. The renovation should be nice and Stiles has always had lots of singles relative to other colleges. If you think you will use the gym, Stiles is a premier location.</p>

3

<p>I’d say go for it. Stiles has great freshmen housing, will be all new and pretty next year, and has a great master and dean. People hate on Stiles but it’s really not that bad. Also having the legacy connection with your mom or dad will be a nice little added benefit of being a Yalie.</p>

4

<p>ccotot,</p>

<p>Congrats on your acceptance to Yale!</p>

<p>Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to your conundrum.</p>

<p>YaleGradandDad is absolutely right when he says that virtually all Yale students love their residential colleges. And with good reason, since the residential colleges at Yale offer a living and learning environment no other university in America can match.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, I understand your ambivalence. The residential colleges at Yale are not created equal, as anyone who has walked through the grand Branford courtyard or eaten in the beautiful Berkeley dining room can attest. Thus, while Stiles is a wonderful residential college, it is not among the most desirable residential colleges at Yale. Even so, its popularity will likely improve after it is renovated.</p>

<p>You are correct: there is much to be said for being a member of a newly renovated college, since the residential college renovations at Yale have been of a uniformly high order. Keep in mind, however, that some residential college renovations are grander than others depending on the degree of alumni support.</p>

<p>If I were you, I would determine what residential colleges you prefer over Stiles and then assess your probability of being assigned to one of them. From that point, it will just be a question of high your risk tolerance is. </p>

<p>In the final analysis, you will have the best four years of your life at Yale no matter where you end up! Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the help so far guys! I will definitely try to assess the probability of me getting a more desired college. I was hoping that someonce could tell me about the renovations that just happened at Morse because I heard that the ones at Ezra Stiles are very similar. Do you think they will be nice enough to overlook the architecture and location?</p>

6

<p>Morse has an extremely nice basement now, with really great facilities. Most other colleges also have very nice basement facilities, though (Branford aside…)</p>

7

<p>Hi, My D just said yes to Yale 2015 and I was wondering how you would figure out the probability of being assigned to a particular college. Do some colleges have different room configurations, i.e. College A has large rooming groups, College B, all doubles etc. Is there a site where we can go to look, she hasn’t received her Net ID yet as she just pushed the button yesterday. Thanks,</p>

8

<p>Probability is 1/12 to each. Don’t worry about that other stuff since it can’t be controlled by you. The randomness of the assignment, making each residential college a true microcosm of Yale, is one of the greatest strengths of the residential college housing system.</p>

9

<p>That makes sense, didn’t know if there were other factors thrown in there. Sure it will all work out!</p>

10

<p>Keep in mind probability is only roughly 1/12. Yes it is random, but some colleges are larger than others, ie Silliman.</p>

11

<p>Muffin9988, Thanks, I probably sound math illiterate but was wondering if there were other factors involved. My two older kids go to Harvard and when they put in for housing they knew if they said they only wanted 1 roommate it meant certain dorms whereas 4-6 would mean a different set of dorms, you could game it a bit if you had the gouge. Just didn’t know if Yale residential colleges had similar difference. For example if one asked to be housed with all Freshman rather than housed in your college Freshman year, would they eliminate Silliman or Timothy Dwight? Realize she will love any college (pictures on line are amazing) but just hoping to get some insight! Thanks!</p>

12

<p>Yale doesn’t accept input into a freshman’s choice from the freshman, with one exception: students who are legacies can choose either to be placed into the legacy college or NOT placed into the legacy college.</p>

13

<p>Yalemom2 covered it, Yale takes very little info from freshman into account. When you and your daughter fill out the housing form soon, you will see it asks you questions on bedtime, study habits, musical taste, and various other small things like that. Suites vs singles and other larger options are not included as an option and Yale says they can not honor such requests.</p>

14

<p>As I’ve said before, each student is randomly assigned to the best residential college at Yale. This will become clear to you within minutes of arriving on campus.</p>

<p>If you are a legacy, your parent has already explained to you what the best residential college at Yale is, so why wouldn’t you pick it? Seriously, it’s a fun thing and a bond to be in the same college as your parent. Unless there’s some strong reason not to do it, I would choose that one.</p>

15

<p>Replying to original post, I want to add my two cents. I just graduated from Yale and was in Ezra Stiles, and I can safely say that it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Having seen parts of the renovation, you will be very impressed with basically everything that is happening (the fact that Stiles has come second means that things have been improved since Morse)…there will be a brand new brick pizza oven and Mongolian grill in the dining hall, wonderful upgrades to student rooms, and as has been said, the shared space under Morse and Stiles is fantastic. The courtyard will also be completely redone and is gorgeous, with a beautiful new fountain and trees that many other colleges cannot boast either.</p>

<p>One other factor you are forgetting: the master and the dean. This is probably top three, if not the most important, factor in how much you like your residential college. Stiles has one of the top Master/Dean combos of all of the colleges (not just my bias, I hear it from friends in other colleges all of the time). Both of them are very caring, very involved with students, showing up at all of the major activities of the college, making a point to know everyone, writing great rec letters, etc. - not all colleges can say they have such an involved AND caring administration. They are both young (Master Pitti is 41, I believe - already a well regarded, and tenured, professor - and, for the record, is also ES '91) with families and young children. This is a HUGE factor not to be overlooked.</p>

<p>Finally, two other points. Stiles freshmen housing (Lawrance hall) is simply the best in terms of facilities/square footage/nice rooms. Note: i had a single all four years in Stiles. Also, the location is pretty good - very convenient to library and cross campus, VERY convenient to gym and intramural buses (although the gym in the shared basement is so nice you won’t even want to go across the street), and very convenient to a lot of things that many other colleges are not - all of the shops on broadway, the Yale bookstore, many restaurants and stores, even the grocery store.</p>

<p>Final note - I know next year’s freshmen counselors, and you will LOVE them. Seriously, not a better group.</p>

<p>Definitely do not judge Stiles simply based on outer appearance. Stiles is quickly becoming the envy of a lot of people on campus (there were almost 4 times as many requests to transfer into, as opposed to out of, the college this year), and you will love your time there. Keep in mind also that if you absolutely hate it and develop a social circle in another college, transferring after a year or two, while very discouraged, is possible.</p>

<p>Hope this helps. PM me if you have more questions.</p>

16

<p>I’m in Morse, and while I can’t speak for what the college was like before, I really like the new renovations. The theater is nice and spacious, the recording studio should be up and running by next fall, and the dining hall actually lets in a lot of natural lighting (contrast this with most of the other colleges like Calhoun, Berkeley, Trumbull, etc.). Lots of singles, and even when there aren’t singles, the doubles are enormous – my double next year will be larger than many of the common rooms on Old Campus (also implying that the Morse common rooms are even larger). </p>

<p>Keep in mind that while the location of Morse and Stiles isn’t as ideal, most of Yale is still accessible within a 5 minute walk (compare this to larger schools like Harvard or Stanford where a walk to class could take 15-30 minutes). If you’re a science major, the only college that would really benefit you in terms of location would be Silliman, and you only have a 1/11 chance of being placed there. Basically, the location should be a negligible factor – Yale is very compact to begin with. It’s only marginally further from classes than the other colleges are.</p>

<p>Lastly, really consider which colleges you’d prefer over Stiles, and your chances of getting into one of those. I’d argue that the only real contenders are Silliman and Berkeley; every other college is more or less of equal value if not worse. And your chances of being placed into either Silliman or Berkeley is only 2/11, whereas you could go ahead and use your legacy for a solid residential college (and that’s not even considering the possibility of being placed into a worse college).</p>

17

<p>^^ “If you’re a science major, the only college that would really benefit you in terms of location would be Silliman, and you only have a 1/11 chance of being placed there.”</p>

<p>You’re forgetting Timothy Dwight. Also, Calhoun is reasonably well located in relation to Science Hill.</p>

<p>By the way, I loved Hunt’s post (#14) above. So true!</p>

18

<p>I heard that if you’re a legacy of any RC you’ll probably be put in Morse/Stiles unless you choose your relative’s RC. Apparently they try to distribute the legacies around all RC’s and everyone who is not bound somewhere else is placed to one of these two for balance, since legacies try to opt out of them.</p>

19

<p>^^ I’ve heard the same, but I wonder if this has shifted in the past couple of years, since Morse and now Stiles have been renovated. There is certainly a lot to be said for being in newly minted facilities, not to mention that the proportion of singles in Stiles is (and always has been) much higher than in most other colleges.</p>

20

<p>Do legacies of Stiles and Morse really advise their kids not to choose them? That would really surprise me.</p>