<p>I'll be a freshman at Yale this fall. My dad graduated from Yale in '73, and I requested his college, Branford, when I submitted my housing form a few weeks ago. At the time, I didn't seriously consider not requesting Branford. I knew that it had coveted Gothic architecture and a pretty courtyard, and my dad says he was happy there (though he only actually lived there one year). Now, though, I'm having second thoughts. I found a YDN</a> survey from 2010 that ranks Branford above only Morse and Stiles in terms of overall college satisfaction. Branford is at the bottom in terms of happiness with fellow students, and--again--beats only Morse and Stiles in the category for "facilities."</p>
<p>Did I screw up? Should I have opted for a random assignment? Please don't get me wrong - I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to go to Yale. I know this question is kind of silly (hence my posting it on this anonymous forum), but I'm feeling pretty bummed. Can any current students, or recent graduates, reassure me that Branford is okay? (Or, if you must, confirm my worst fears?)</p>
<p>What’s not to like! My son is in Saybrook (the other half of the Memorial Quadrangle) and loves it – although he does say that Stiles and Morse have better food options given their new brick oven pizzeria, which he frequents after 6:30pm, when it’s open to the rest of the colleges.</p>
<p>Every residential college is beloved by its students–don’t worry about this at all. Within a couple of hours of arriving, you won’t be able to conceive of being in a different college.</p>
<p>Regarding Morse and Stiles, we’re actually near the top in terms of desirability now. The renovations have done wonders to both colleges, and we now have, objectively speaking, the best facilities and dining hall. The architecture is still hit-or-miss, and the location is slightly inconvenient.</p>
<p>As for Branford, my personal impression is that it’s pretty on the outside, but hollow on the inside. If you ask me, it’s definitely the prettiest courtyard and definitely the one Yale likes to thrust into the limelight to attract potential students. However, the dining hall leaves much to be desired (my friends and I never go to Branford, given their lackluster food), and the facilities are old and sparse. The rooms are mediocre – generally small (like those in all the other Gothic colleges) and mostly doubles. Not as much college pride as, say, Saybrook and not as good at IM’s as, say, Stiles. If I had to be objective about RC rankings, I’d put Branford near the bottom, with the only redeeming factor being the pretty courtyard and architecture.</p>
<p>Of course, I’m not in Branford, and these are just my impressions. Almost everyone ends up loving their residential college, regardless of where they end up. The details are just splitting hairs, especially when compared to the housing systems of other universities.</p>
<p>Personally, I wouldn’t waste any more time worrying about it. Keep in mind that probably 50% of the students who took that survey two years ago are now gone. Who knows what a more current survey would say?</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, when I was a college freshman (not at Yale), I lived in a dorm that (unbeknowst to me) was viewed by many as undesirable for a variety of reasons. Glad I didn’t know that in advance! I met great people there and had a blast, and chose to return there for two more years. Back in those prehistoric (pre-internet) times, ignorance was bliss.</p>
<p>You are going to an amazing school. Focus on all the positives; I bet your residential college will turn out to be one of them.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about this! The differences between the residential colleges are actually pretty superficial, and I have two friends who desperately wanted to transfer INTO Branford after freshman year because they loved the master and dean, the community, etc. The dining hall isn’t bad, either-- I don’t think it’s more “lackluster” than the other colleges (and because Branford is pretty centrally located, it will be really easy for you to get to other colleges when you want to visit people, use other facilities, and go to other dining halls.)</p>
<p>I’m not in Branford, so there might be secret horrors that I know nothing of, but I have a group of friends there that loves it, and I have always found it a nice place to be. Some of their rooms are a little smaller than ours (in Morse/Stiles), but a couple are pretty big, and they have beautiful architecture (windows and fireplaces are nice).</p>
<p>I was in Branford College a long time ago, but I can say that with the residential college system it’s mostly about meeting a group of friends you like to hang out with. And that can happen (or not happen) at any of the colleges. The college doesn’t shape the experience so much as the people do, and the people change every four years.</p>
<p>The seniors at Branford can often get really nice suites; my roommate and I each had a single connected by a big private living room and a fireplace. I also had a single room in a nice suite my junior year.</p>
<p>My daughter was assigned to one of the colleges, one that is generally well regarded, but she wanted to move to Branford. She must have known enough about it to know that is where she’d like to spend the next 3 years.</p>
<p>I apologize if I’ve caused you undue concern. Like I said, I simply posted my impressions of the college. Take them with a grain of salt. Every Branford student I’ve met is satisfied with their college.</p>
<p>Moreover, if it’s any consolation to you, my top choices were initially Davenport/Silliman. Needless to say, I was dismayed when I was placed into Morse. That YDN survey came out during our Bulldog Days and I remember thinking to myself “wow, sucks to whoever gets placed in Morse/Stiles.” Now, I couldn’t be happier to be here. Not only have the renovations been great, but, much more importantly, I’ve found a very tight knit group of friends with whom I regularly dine and socialize. I wouldn’t even think about switching colleges now.</p>
<p>I can only imagine you’ll end up like me (and an overwhelming majority of Yalies). You’ll look back on whatever dissonance you feel now and laugh at your naivete. And if worst comes to worst, you can always switch colleges later – I highly doubt you will because each college does a great job of welcoming its incoming Freshmen.</p>
<p>What TheAscendancy is saying should reassure you about Branford. Everybody “knows” that Morse and Stiles are the worst–except for the people who live there, who “realize” that they are the best. Branford is exactly the same–as is every other college. (Except, of course, for JE, which really is the best, and everybody knows it but refuses to admit it.)</p>