<p>Thanks for the post TA. I feel like, coming from my school, the marginal gain in “prestige” is so minimal such that filling out an application and going through the process would be a waste of time for most people (as evidenced by the transfer out numbers in the single digits). Yale’s community is certainly unique, and it’s different from all of the others out there (including Harvard’s house system, which definitely doesn’t generate that kind of passion or vibe that a Trumbull College does). However, the general atmosphere is also great, and it’s different from that supposed stuffiness at some other <em>ahem</em> notable schools. I’d be a terrible fit for Harvard so much that even if it had applications this year, I would not have applied. </p>
<p>Yay! Let’s hear more good things about Yale.</p>
<p>"I share your concerns Viola lol. Prestige hunting makes me want to vomit. "</p>
<p>starting fights on an internet messageboard makes me want to vomit. </p>
<p>and viola, i did apply to a lot of top schools because i’m in a program that gives me a guaranteed seat in medicine, and after hating two years of it, my desire is to go to an only undergrad program that would serve me better than my current one. all the schools i applied to represent a wide variety of locations, student bodies, undergraduate programs, etc… so i figured i might try. </p>
<p>i’m not really sure what my top choice is, though… i’m choosing to make that decision after i see what i get…</p>
<p>dirty.chicago, you have to understand where we’re coming from though. You started a Facebook group for a school that you might not even go to. I think when we, perhaps subtly, question your sincerity that we don’t do it out of spite. Everyone is going through some tough times right now and sometimes, it’s just maddening to see someone express excitement for something that’s kind of an unsure thing right now. It’s equivalent to those posts asking, “Which should I choose out of HYP?” So, no hard feelings, but you just have to understand.</p>
<p>No one is starting a fight or antagonizing another. dirty.chicago, If you did apply to UChicago, I think you have a decent shot. So do I. But I choose Yale. UChicago is great for academics and other qualities that intellectuals look for in a school. I chose Yale because it fits into my character. I think what jrrrmph is trying to say is that we shouldn’t choose to apply to schools for prestige. We should apply because there are other non-superficial qualities of the school that we admire. His second point, I take it, is that we should all wait till May for our admissions. Albeit the anticipation is a killer, we can keep hoping for the best. So dirty.chicago and jrrrmph, hope for the best. May is right around the corner. Lets’ hope to have outstanding testimonies of our admission. </p>
<p>P/S: dirty.chicago, your top choice is not which school admits you, but which school is your favorite. The one you want to go to. Think about this and decide which is your personal favorite.</p>
<p>well, i understand what you mean and it might seem like i’m only pushing for top schools - but even then, i don’t see that as a problem. these top schools give me the impression that they are only dedicated to learning, a feel that i have not gotten from some other institutions. </p>
<p>also, i didn’t apply to ‘just apply.’ i spent over 8 months on applying to schools that i carefully researched. hundreds of hours went into my applications. i put the same work in that everyone else did. </p>
<p>i’m definitely not one of those people who would rub it in people’s faces if (god willing) i get into these schools. </p>
<p>also, the reason i created that facebook group was because no one else had - its nice to be able to place a few faces, as well… i remember applying for freshman admissions everyone joined the groups of the colleges that they got into, not necessarily going to.</p>
<p>well transferaccepted, what i meant by not having a top choice is that i applied to a bunch of different unique schools that have qualities i like. i think it is impossible to pinpoint one school that i “really want to go to” because i would be thrilled to go to any of the schools that i applied to, hence why i applied to them.</p>
<p>i got into a few o-kay schools, waitlisted at my top choice so now i’m planning to transfer to yale or brown if i don’t get off the waitlist(God forbid!). however, say i do decide to apply for transfer and didn’t get in, is it normal for people to stay in their original schs or would they eventually transfer to somewhere else? </p>
<p>wouldn’t be kind of embarrassing to stay at a school when the entire office/your profs are well aware of your desire to transfer? </p>
<p>sorry if this seems like a naive and silly question, i am an international student, and not quite familiar with how things run there.</p>
<p>Jamapelle–I guess for a lot of (successful) transfer applicants on CC, they didn’t exactly go into their ‘original’ schools with an intent to transfer; neither did they go around telling everyone their intentions. I believe that most people eventually desire to transfer because of some significant personal change or growth that their current school (hopefully) assisted in developing, and perhaps they realize another school would help them develop further. What has been said the most throughout these threads is this: enjoy your school, get involved, and don’t enter with the mindset that everything you’re doing is for a transfer app; instead really, really invest yourself–maybe you’ll end up loving your school, and if not, you’re passion and enthusiasm will no doubt shine through on your apps. </p>
<p>To the argument above–so what if d.chicago applied to a bunch of top schools? Who, in their right mind (barring financial issues and such), would purposely transfer to a school of significantly lower rank?</p>
<p>And TransferAccepted–I’m curious; what is it about yale that you say ‘so fits your character’?</p>
<p>I am more of a congenial and amiable person. For me, Yale is the only ivy league school that amalgamates high academic rigor and academic excellence with a sense of community. I don’t want to go to a school where academic excellence is motivated by rampant competitiveness. I choose Yale because it has somehow deciphered a way to demarcate competition from academics. Yale has an amazing community of intellectuals that I would also like to join. Why do you want to go to Yale? Why does everyone else on this thread want to go to Yale? </p>
<p>lax, a handful of people from my school transfer to lower ranked institutions every year, so it’s not as impossible as you say. There’s probably one person every year who transfers up, if that, and I go to an Ivy.</p>
<p>yale here, trying to transfer to brown.
if you say that “prestige hunting makes you vomit,” you should not apply to yale. yale is absolutely full of prestige hunters.</p>
<p>as much as opportunists disgusted me at first, there is nothing wrong with “prestige hunting,” especially for those to whom the differences between the ivies are negligible. it’s self-satisfaction, elitism, absurd claims of erudition, and haughtiness that are damnable. which is the case for many, many, many students at yale.</p>
<p>Wow, such strong words from a Yale student. aubeardsley, can you please enlighten us more on your experience at Yale, and why you decided to apply to Brown? Is the Residential College system as awesome as it sounds, or is it not as good as we think it is?</p>
<p>I had no idea a lot of Yale students exhibited any sort of pseudointellectualism (I believe that’s what you’re describing?) - I thought that was more of a Harvard thing. Please enlighten us.</p>
<p>What does Brown have that Yale doesn’t? Or which demerits does Yale have that Brown doesn’t. I’m just extremely curious because I got accepted by Brown straight out of High School but couldn’t go for financial reasons. I’m curious. What am I missing?</p>
<p>i don’t want to dissuade people from being excited to go to yale. it’s a great place, and a lot of kind, humble, intelligent people are happy there. i had great expectations for its academics, and it still exceeded those expectations. </p>
<p>you can’t say that it there isn’t a competitive spirit there, however; there are people who care less about the most fundamental will toward understanding and more about grades and other quantified modes of performance…lots of them. there are many who, having lived in luxury all their lives, feel some sort of violent ownership of their intellect and have a need to impose that intellect on others in a way that is more flamboyant than actually grounded in truth. safe to say, many people there chose yale because it’s yale…it’s not just “chicago” or whoever is “prestige seeking.” just go to a YPU meeting. blech.</p>
<p>of course, this is merely my experience.</p>
<p>anyway, all that is tolerable for me; the main reason i’m leaving is because new haven is a cultural wasteland. it’s ugly, it’s unsafe, and it is lifeless. that, i think, is less disputable.</p>
<p>i am trying to transfer to brown for mainly aesthetic reasons. the campus is beautiful, and providence is lovely. it’s not that there is some substantial difference in academic experience; at brown, i went to a brilliant habermas lecture - sitting in the back row, i saw at least 5 people surfing facebook. yale’s problems - demerits - are not exclusive to yale…i think for the most part, colleges - at least the top tier schools - are rather homogeneous. you can always find similar, if not the same, faults, the same advantages at most colleges. (i am speaking only of the humanities, by the way.) for that reason, i sort of have to rely on these seemingly unimportant particulars such as geography, beauty, etc. i think i’ll be happier at brown; it’s a feeling, and a constantly recurring feeling. and i decided to trust it in applying. good luck to you all.</p>
<p>I don’t want to come off as imposing or naive, but don’t you think that you can try to change the aspects of Yale that you don’t like. Should you leave Yale if she is not all you imagined her to be? That’s up to you. I believe that admission to a college commits both the student and the college to a mutually beneficial relationship. The college offers you it’s goods (education) and the student offers his on her perspective on anything that should be amended (presuming that the college has the ability to amend the system in question). I’m just saying that you should put more thoughts into your decision to leave Yale before adding execution. Should the presence of some students corrupt your interest in your college? Do what makes you happy. </p>
<p>Hey, I’m considering applying as a transfer for next year and just wanted to know how the process was for getting the forms filled out by your dean and high school counselor. I still keep in touch with my high school counselor so I’m not too worried about that, but I’ve never even met my dean. Do you have to know the dean personally, at any level, since I notice they ask questions about their relationship with the student in the application. Thanks.</p>
<p>aubeardsley
well, one thing I like brown is the 5-yr dual degree with Rhode Island School of Design…but it’s unlikely for general ppl like me to get in…</p>
so now i’m planning to transfer to yale or brown if i don’t get off the waitlist(God forbid!). however, say i do decide to apply for transfer and didn’t get in, is it normal for people to stay in their original schs or would they eventually transfer to somewhere else? </p>