<p>1) I am a nerd. I spend free periods TAing in the chem lab for no reason other than that I love the faint sulfury-smell and cleaning beakers seems more glorious than doing dishes at home.</p>
<p>2) Yale was love at first sight. After a thorough study and investigation, it is still love.</p>
<p>3) I've been accepted to both MIT and Caltech, the big beautiful nerd schools. Being able to write that sends a shiver down my spine.</p>
<p>I think I have a good chance of getting into Yale... although like all strong applicants I still have doubts and jitters. I can't wait until March 31.</p>
<p>Given all this, I'm challenged to wonder why my heart is so committed to Yale. It feels like some sort of magic. Yes I want a focused education in math and science, but I also want to be with people who are passionate about other things. I can't help but think that the great novelists and politicians and economists and diplomats won't be going to science-focused schools.</p>
<p>SO.. my question is, does anyone out there have a similar situation? Will I find other nerds at Yale who fear the cloistering quality of selective math/science/engineering schools?</p>
<p>I was not in a similar situation, but the answer is absolutely, there are people like you. There are tons of people who are passionate about science/math on campus who will geek out with you, but then you'll have dinner in your residential college and be surrounded by art history majors, English majors, etc. I've known a number of people who transferred to Yale from schools like MIT and Caltech for similar reasons of atmosphere and because they wanted a liberal arts education on top of the science/math stuff they cared so deeply about. You can't go wrong with any of you three choices, but there's a reason why Yale felt like magic. It is.</p>
<p>Heh, I'm in a similar situation. I got into MIT, Caltech, and got likely letters to Stanford, Yale. I'm a math/sci guy but it seems that Yale has many characteristics that make it stand out. Although my top choice now is Stanford, I never thought that I would even consider Yale as a choice. I really wish I could go to Stanford and Yale.</p>
<p>You want nerdiness? When the new campus library opened at Yale, we all got drunk, went to the opening, cried with joy over the shiny new studyspaces, then enjoyed several rounds of random people mooning. </p>
<p>My d was accepted in the early round at Yale. We talked a lot about how she could be so incredibly confident that she should play her early card there. One of the big factors was that she felt (after a couple of visits) that Yale had carefully selected a group of fun nerds and that going to Yale would be a homecoming for her. </p>
<p>In conversations with my Dad (retired engineer), one of his concerns was that she choose a place with strong science and engineering majors, although she will not be majoring in engineering. He's a big believer in the benefits of cross pollination between math/science people and humanities types. I wonder if Yale has a similar goal in choosing their undergrad classes.</p>
<p>Among the top elites, HYPS, I think most people would agree that Yale's engineering program is by far the weakest. As a senior at Caltech, I don't think I've met anyone applying to a grad program there except for their med school. OTOH, Yale's engineering program might be good enough at the undergraduate level.</p>
<p>Tying my observations back to the OP, I would think Yale's relative weakness in engineering would deter many nerds.</p>
<p>My Dad attended both Yale and MIT - Yale for his Masters and MIT for his PhD - and while he truly LOVES both, he says if he could do it over, he'd choose MIT over Yale and be there longer.</p>
<p>My son was accepted EA at MIT, and is waiting to hear from Yale RD. He plans to major in Physics. He has gone through a careful comparison of the schools, including visits to each (Yale twice). I feel that the undergraduate experience should stand - mostly - by itself; don't choose a school primarily because of how much it will help graduate program chances. Ultimately, he's decided that if one is sure he/she wants to follow a pure or applied science path (not necessarily engineering), then MIT is the choice. If one is not entirely sure of his/her major, or if pursuing history, politics, etc. is still appealing even as a minor or just an interest, then going to a Liberal Arts school makes more sense. He's a serious musician; it's apparent that he can pursue music as much as he wants at MIT (and with cross-registration at Harvard, Berklee, etc.).</p>
<p>A factor for many families is the financial aid situation. Yale has apparently capped a family's outlay at $18,000/year unless income is greater than $180,000.00/year; MIT has recently announced a less liberal aid policy (no aid for families with income over $100,000.00/yr.). For families with in-between incomes, a value judgment must be made about the added cost (possibly over $150,000.00 total) over four years at MIT.</p>
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1) I am a nerd. I spend free periods TAing in the chem lab for no reason other than that I love the faint sulfury-smell and cleaning beakers seems more glorious than doing dishes at home.
<p>Same situation here. I was accepted by both MIT/Caltech, but I am truly in love with Yale!</p>
<p>Even though it has a weaker engineering program (which I want to do), I can't help but placing it above some of the other schools with top programs.</p>
<p>As I've written elsewhere, if you're interested in a Phd, my friends at Yale who majored in engineering or the sciences had no problem getting into top programs.</p>
<p>Wow, didn't realize I would get so many responses. I qualified for a Pell grant, so I'm thinking finances will not trouble me anywhere (thank God for aid; this is truly the generation when anything is possible regardless of economic class). And I guess I'm looking for a well-rounded undergrad education even if I'm positive I won't be going into the humanities... as for engineering I really got the impression that they are trying to improve, and I figure it isn't such a bad thing to be part of a program that's rising and hasn't peaked yet. It should be exciting. </p>
<p>you'llsee... : :D CHEMISTRY!!! (Hope I'm not scaring you).</p>
<p>Undergraduate academic programs are good at both, obviously, but the social/campus experience varies greatly. </p>
<p>I wouldn't underestimate the differences in this regard, and I would advise spending 2-3 days (including weekdays and a weekend) at each, and talking to as many students/faculty as possible, before making a decision.</p>
<p>Yale's engineering is probably weaker, yes, than HPS and Caltech/MIT...BUT, Yale's engineering program has a 1:1 student faculty ratio. Because not many people do it. Which is nice.</p>
<p>I chose Yale over MIT and have minimal regrets. I get to enjoy an amazing intellectual atmosphere (aka lots of nerds like me!) without compromising the numerous benefits of a liberal arts education. And I wouldn't be so quick to judge Yale Engineering. It is a lot smaller, but not necessarily weaker. There are hundreds of millions of dollars being poured into science and engineering right now...plus the amazing student faculty ratios across the engineering disciplines. At the undergraduate level, you will get a fine engineering education at Yale.</p>