<p>Prospective Students,</p>
<p>If you have any questions about life at Yale please feel free to ask any questions you may have.</p>
<p>Academically, how different was the academic scene at Yale from your high school's?</p>
<p>There's more work. I would say more, but I have a paper to write. kk bai.</p>
<p>What are the parties like? Are most of the partiers prep types? What is the drug scene like? On a different note, what do most students do for fun? Is there anything like "going out on the town"/shopping or is New Haven not conducive to that?
These sound like un-Yale questions but I'd like to know the answers anyway.</p>
<p>Well, I could say that personally, I love the Yale campus/ city around it. I like in a town very close to New Haven...I find it a really good place...there is this one good restaraunt near the Yale Barnes and Nobles (behind it), and its great to eat there then go out and walk around the campus. There are great cafes/ ice cream places to sit and relax in (most have wireless internet I think). Its a great place, downtown New Haven.</p>
<p>Cool that's exactly what I wanted to hear. It may not be Harvard Square or downtown Palo Alto but if it has got even a few places to relax at, I am satisfied. And from what you said it's not just good, its great :)</p>
<p>Ok, sorry to repeat but I don't want my other questions to go unanswered so I'll post them again:
"What are the parties like? Are most of the partiers prep types? What is the drug scene like?"</p>
<p>Parties - a lot more relaxed than at other schools, because alcohol is treated only as a health concern, not as a discipline issue. My friends at other colleges complain about RA's, but we don't have them. Independence ftw.</p>
<p>Prep - it's slightly more preppy than average suburbia. Not like Princeton, though.</p>
<p>Drug scene - it's there, but its not a big part of campus life.</p>
<p>For fun - there are numerous parties at least 5 days out of the week. There are concerts, performances, movie screenings, speakers, etc... almost every night. Some people go to NY, since it's less than 2 hours away by train.</p>
<p>Cool, thank you very much guys!</p>
<p>This sounds very...I dunno, sheltered/motherly, but I have to know. While I loved Yale and most of New Haven when I went, there were parts I passed by while exploring that looked...well, shady. Any safety issues?</p>
<p>Here are the safety issues as I see them:</p>
<p>1) Girls don't like to walk across campus in the dark by themselves. Of course, most girls (and just people in general) shouldn't be walking anywhere in the dark by themselves. They usually just get a friend to go with them. There is an two-person escort service that you can call.</p>
<p>2) People don't go off campus a lot. I live on Old Campus (freshman housing) and there are two haircut places, two bookstores, a club, a grocery store, a record store, an urban outfitters, two or three more clothing stores, and five restaurants all less than a block away. The convenience store is actually attached to Old Campus, so you never have to leave a keycard-access-only area to get to it. (it's even open until 2:00 am)</p>
<p>3) People use common sense a lot more. The reason that Yale actually has lower rates of some crime (<a href="http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/photos/expansions/expansion_007690.jpg%5B/url%5D">http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/photos/expansions/expansion_007690.jpg</a> ) than Harvard is because people are cautious and don't assume that they're invincible. Most of the crime occurs if you go out to the sketchy frat areas. Drunk people + shady characters = not good.</p>
<p>4) My suite doesn't lock its doors. Ever. I sometimes lock my room if I remember to. Suite-style living makes it harder for random people to come and burglarize your room.</p>
<p>5) Yale is in New Haven. New Haven isn't a place I'd want to live in for my entire life. But the campus is very pretty, fairly safe, and requires a dose of common sense.</p>
<p>6) Someone told me that roughly 90% of the victims of crime at Yale are drunk, near the frats (on the edge of campus), and alone. So, if you avoid being alone and drunk near the frats, you'll be fine.</p>
<p>This story has some very sensible safety tips from the Yale Police Department:</p>
<p>APfreak, you're back!!! Como estas?
How's Yale treating you???</p>
<p>Yale is ****in sweet. My first semester workload's a joke compared to my junior and senior years of high school. I guess it just depends on what ur taking. Parties are sweet. The drug scene is there too, but just not as prominent as the drinking scene. U'll find a lot of prep types at frat parties. I don't go to them very often since old campus suite parties are nice, and in close proximity to ur dorm compared to the frats. And like other people said, don't walk alone in New Haven at night. If ur with friends, then ur good. Peace out.</p>
<p>Five restaurants? There are at least 100 restaurants within a block or two of the campus. Plus dozens of bars, nightclubs, theaters, etc. It is easily one of the best college towns in the country. The downtown and areas around Yale are all gentrifying, with million-dollar condominiums being built everywhere.</p>
<p>Gentrification is a little depressing to me because of the implications for those on the other side of the tracks, and I would be surprised if Yale really was in one of the best college towns in the whole country, but anyway it's good to hear that it's a nice college town.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone else who said the workload isn't that bad, but it really does depend on what you're taking. (I'll probably take this back tomorrow when I'm writing my paper) The Chem people I know study all the time, and my Japanese language class is a lot of work and practice. It's all worth it though, I'm really interested in all my classes and there's so much stuff I never had the chance to do in high school. And there's always a ton of things to do around here, even if you're like me and are not all that into the bar/frat/nightclub scene. I always have so many club meetings and things I want to go see that I have to pick between them. Seriously, you will never be bored. And posterX is right that there are literally restaurants everywhere, and a lot of them are really good. It's true that New Haven may not be the idyllic college town in every way some people would like, but theres so much going on that it really doesn't matter that much.</p>
<p>One thing that I really wish that Yale had nearby was Wal-mart, a movie theater, and some common chain restaurants like Red Lobster, Applebee's and Chilis. You have to take a bus ride to these locations. </p>
<p>Social life here is what you make of it. I am at Swing Space, so we are sort of isolated from the Old Campus freshmen except for dinner times and during the weekend and during classes. </p>
<p>Premedical classes here are intense. The average for intro Bio (MCDB 120) tests can be near B+ so you need to really be on a roll. Overall, if you focus on academics it should not be too bad. Me for one work quite a bit. They have a 19 hour limit but for two weeks I have worked for about 21 hours per week. However, Yale pays extremely well: $12.40 for my job. The minimum wage is $10.90 which is sweet. </p>
<p>It is quite difficult to get a clean A on an english paper--they are reserved for papers that merit (nomination) for departmental prize awards--so yet they are tough.</p>
<p>The weekends here are very comfortable. Swing Space more than makes up for our isolation from Old Campus. We have control over the heat/AC in EACH room. We have bathrooms in each sweet. We have hallways which allow an entire "wing" of suite to get together and hang out. Regular dorms only have entryways that restrict theis social aspect. Also, Swing is literally across the street from the world's second largest gym in the world--Payne Whitney! It is really awesome. Next year when Silliman is renovated it will be in the best location for me because it will be next to science hill, my job, pretty close to the gym, and closer to other colleges. The Dean and Master at SIlliman are without QUESTION some of the nicest people here. Silliman is known for this and I really understand why. When you arrive here, they will know your full name before you even know their's and they will make tremendous effort for a wonderful and smooth transition. Here, at Yale, at Silliman, you can do what you want to do. Want a dodgeball game? Then organize it? Want a meeting with freshmen, just make arrangements with the Dean and Master. They are themselves fun loving people--I can remember some water ballon fights :) :) especially during "tap" night when the acapella groups came to induct new members----yeah..I got some people wet...! (hehehhe)</p>
<p>Anyways, socially Yale is simply awesome. The whole preppy ambiance is not what people say it is--meaning that you really can dress however the heck you want to--it actually gets ya more sleep! People really are accepting here.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>I believe Yale to be probably one of the more accepting and tolerant of the Ivy League schools. </p> </blockquote>
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<p>If you chose not to drink--and I chose not to--then people don't care to bother you because it is your choice....plus there's more drinks for that person (logic).</p>
<p>Your experience here is what you make of it. I am typically very very busy..either studying, sleeping, at work, eating, or at the gym except for weekend. Yet somehow in my crammed schedule I always have a great time....things here will happen and your life will never be the same every single day.</p>
<p>Guys....just chose Yale should you get accepted.</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I applied SCEA and I LOVE YALE.</p>
<p>But then I went online and read some back issues of the Rumpus. Is Yale life really as crazy party-centric as the Rumpus makes it seem? I am SO not the party type. Does EVERYBODY really go to Toad's every weekend?</p>
<p>The Rumpus is a pile of "humorous" crap. They try to be humorous in obscene ways which makes Yale look rather bad to outsiders. Trust me, I don't go partying in that manner--and Toads is not that large. Many people NOT from Yale go to Toads as well. Toads is also facing a penalty for its loose drinking conducts.....=basically partying will be toned down a notch. Plus, Toads does not distract from the yale old campus, residential college, or swing space because it is ample distance from those areas.</p>
<p>Also, guys, Yale is really large enough to have tremendous resources while it is small enough to be friendly. I have made friends with so many people here. And even those not friends I have seen on a daily basis. The campus really does lend itself to a cohesive place.</p>