<p>“New Haven is a crappy town and its also somewhat dangerous.”</p>
<p>As a native of New York City, and an undergraduate at a college located in a rural-suburban town populated by locals, university students, and students of my own college, I argue that the quoted is a “crappy” and “dangerous” statement to make.</p>
<p>The college area of New Haven is as safe and aesthetically pleasing as the best LAC town. Provided that one does not drive downtown in an 80,000 dollar sports car dressed in sunglasses, a polo shirt, khakis, and loafers, blasting classical music, one should be fine.</p>
<p>“Yale gets the upper hand because it is a little bit more prestigious.”</p>
<p>Yale College is significantly more prestigious.</p>
<p>“I’m not homophobic or anything, but there is also a high homosexual population at Yale from what I was told by Yale undergrad and medical students.”</p>
<p>You are homophobic if you believe this is a problem. A closeted homophobe. =)</p>
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<p>I would do it to you, just to see your face contort with rage and bitterness.</p>
<p>“You’re not getting into either Yale or Penn with that attitude.”</p>
<p>Well, there are plenty of pre-professional prestige whores at Penn…</p>
Nah, it won’t work. I’m fairly content/secure with what I have. And I have degrees from two of America’s best/prestigious universities, Duke and MIT.
Non-Ivy superpowers.</p>
I am not clear the he did, either. I get the feeling that OP likes the IDEA of the self validation that would come from being accepting at a HYP school… which one doesn’t matter, they’re fungible. The fact that OP has not articulated what it is about Yale that attracts him/her leads me to believe it is 100% a prestige play.</p>
<p>OP, I do not criticize your point of view. You are young, and your views are most likely informed primarily by your family, and your culture. It takes many, many years to calmly observe life’s opportunities, paths, and outcomes to reach even a greyish certainty about what your OWN views are. You have simply revealed in this thread what half the posters here also believe… that is some as yet undefinable way, attending a HYP school vs. any other will equate to having grasped the brass ring. “Prestige mongers” is a phrase thrown around here, as though prestige were an evil concept. It is not evil, but I hold that is is almost irrelevant to your post college life.</p>
<p>Still, challenge yourself. I suggest you do a quick read of the book Harvard Schmarvard to stimulate your thinking about what your college choice may mean for you and your future opportunities in life.</p>
).</p>