<p>I'm definetely going to Yale. Gotta love it.</p>
<p>See you there 09ers.</p>
<p>What I saw:</p>
<ul>
<li>Everyone was amazingly friendly. I wonder if it is always like that, but everyone seems to think it is. It's definetely nicer to be in a place where people smile most of the time and help each other out.</li>
<li>I got to visit a good few classes and enjoyed pretty much all of them.</li>
<li>Architecture is beeeeautiful.</li>
<li>The weather certainly cooperated.</li>
<li>Some people were bothered by some of the H bashing going on, but I found it mostly funny and enjoyable. I wouldn't mind seeing the opposite going on at H, except by then it probably won't be funny anymore as the Yness sinks in.</li>
<li>People @ Yale seem to like the residential system a lot.. and I do too.</li>
<li>Even the food was pretty good. I know I won't be going hungry.</li>
<li>Everything seems to be pretty close and it all seems to be a tightly knit community.</li>
<li>All the benefits of an Ivy League school with a superb worldwide recognition. Check.</li>
<li>I especially like the whole idea of studying abroad for a summer with all expenses paid by Yale.</li>
<li>There is just an insane amount of money and they're willing to spend it on you. What I understood was that even the beer came out of Yale's pocket.</li>
<li>New Haven did not feel unsafe at all. I saw a couple homeless people, but I walked right besides them and never felt threatened by them. Besides, I wouldn't like to be in a place where I can just forget that those things do exist. Helps me appreciate my position and reminds me that I should do something with the opportunities given to me.</li>
<li>I thought it was going to be harder turning down other schools, but now I'm pretty excited about the future so I guess that's that. The end of the process for me.</li>
</ul>
<p>
[quote]
Some people were bothered by some of the H bashing going on, but I found it mostly funny and enjoyable. I wouldn't mind seeing the opposite going on at H, except by then it probably won't be funny anymore as the Yness sinks in.
[/quote]
I didn't hear any Harvard bashing. Honestly, the only times Harvard was mentioned were when Dean Shaw or another admissions officer would jokingly refer to "that school up north" or "that school on the banks of the Charles" - nothing rude whatsoever.</p>
<p>I gave a bunch of change to a homeless guy on the way back to the train station and (in return) he offered to walk me back there (which was good, I would have gotten lost). Other than walking right through the most ghetto apartment complex ever it was fine!</p>
<p>Vivaldi - In my experience, the Harvard bashing was EVERYWHERE. It drove me insane. Harvard was bashed in EVERY class I visited by EVERY professor, by the dean, by other prospies, by Yale students... At first I didn't mind, but enough is enough. Being rudely accused of only considering Harvard for its name and told that I would only choose it if I was a prestige-whore, because that's all it's good for, made me want to come home. It seriously made me crazy and virtually ruined Bulldog Days for me and was probably my only complaint. </p>
<p>I've heard that the comparable Y-bashing doesn't occur during the Harvard Admit Weekend.</p>
<p>When I was comparing the two schools last year I was a bit put off by the Harvard bashing that occurs at Yale, but I found Harvard's equivalent even more annoying. They didn't even put any effort into trying to convince me to choose Harvard, simply assuming that I would come (using such persuasive arguments such as "3/4ths of cross-admits choose Harvard" and "come on it's Harvard"). They simply thought I ridiculous for even considering Yale at that point. Yale's anti-Harvardness is annoying but a lot of it is nothing more than your typical school rivalry.</p>
<p>Bashing other schools is the only aspect so far that has made me angry. When I was at Yale and considering MIT, some of my hosts for bulldog days bashed MIT and I heard a bit of harvard-bashing (but not thaaat much) and the reasons they gave for criticizing the schools were stupid. I got WLd at Harvard and I prefer Yale in the first place, but that doesn't mean I would resort to silly immature displays like that. School rivalry is great, but I wish Yale didn't have to constantly compare itself to Harvard. (I don't know how much of it goes on at Harvard, since I haven't been). Otherwise, I love Yale.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(I don't know how much of it goes on at Harvard, since I haven't been). <<</p>
</blockquote>
<br>
<p>Very little in my experience. The only time they really start bashing Yale at Harvard is around the time of the football game, and that is mostly pretty good natured.</p>
<p>During our visits, the Princeton people bashed Yale. The Yale people bashed Harvard. And the Harvard people didn't bash anyone.</p>
<p>I visited a music history lecture, in which the professor spent the first 10 minutes discussing how Yale's admissions process works such that Yale students are "normal" and far less "nerdy" than students at Harvard. </p>
<p>After awhile, it was sort of like, "Are you kidding??" It did seem like most people at Yale (professors and administration especially) had some inferiority complex that made them feel the need to CONSTANTLY compare themselves to Harvard by making Harvard look bad.</p>
<p>I would have come away with a much better impression if Bulldog Days had been about YALE and what's great about it, not why its the best because another institution is flawed.</p>
<p>Yale has always seemed to define itself relative to Harvard, while Harvard is more inner-directed.</p>
<p>At President Lawrence H. Summerss installation, Yale President Richard C. Levin confessed that, Harvard is blessed with the broadest and deepest assembly of intellectual talent and academic resources in the world, and it is to Harvard that the whole world looks for leadership. </p>
<p>The Harvard Crimson observed - tongue in cheek - that "at last, Levin joined the long tradition of Yale graduates who spoke the truth in their unguarded momentsor at least forgot that the microphone was turned on."</p>
<p>lindseylujh - I hope you have a wonderful experience at Harvard.
It's an excellent institution.
Things must have changed a lot since I was at Bulldog days two years ago. I do remember a reference to 'that school to the north' but the only time I heard negative comparisons was when I heard students, or parents, telling profs and others that they also got into Harvard, and "why not Harvard" and even then, I didn't hear anything I would consider bashing. I was struck, however, at just how OFTEN people would ask that, and how often kids talked about how they also got into Harvard or MIT.</p>
<p>It was after all, a day that students were there specifically to compare schools, so it is a fair question. On the other hand, it's fair that Yale students/profs give their opinions. All students were there to compare and contrast - that was the point of the event.
Harvard and MIT were the only two schools that kids ever asked about - probably because they were the only ones giving Yale any competition. Why so surprised that Yale has ready answers?</p>
<p>I can't help but think that any student who is "put off" by a little rivalry, which from my experience has been good natured and respectful by faculty and good natured, if somewhat immature by students, probably doesn't belong at Yale.</p>
<p>And here was Larry Summers' "confession" at his address at Yale's tercentennial celebration (<a href="http://www.president.harvard.edu/speeches/2001/yale.html%5B/url%5D):">http://www.president.harvard.edu/speeches/2001/yale.html):</a>
[quote]
For three centuries, your very existence has been a gentle reminder of Harvard's imperfections....
We joke about our rivalry, without ever fully concealing our robust mutual admiration. In a real and deep sense, we are colleagues spurring each other forward and promoting values that we both share....Great universities connect us not just with our history and our values, but also with each other, and our future. Harvard today is proud to join in celebrating the greatness that is Yale University.
[/quote]
Indeed, this has been my experience over more than 30 years' association with Yale: We joke about our rivalry. I have never met anyone at either school who regards that rivalry with the deadly seriousness that you do.</p>
<p>And since when, queenie, do you credit Larry Summers for anything? Not long ago, loyal "old Blue" that you are, you were hopping over to the Harvard board to excoriate Summers for the benefit of the kiddies there!</p>
<p>The worst thing I've said about Yale, insofar as I can recall, is that the bulldog makes a problematic mascot for an institution with academic pretentions, in light of its low intelligence, and that parading this unfortunate teathered creature up and down the sidelines in fair weather and foul borders on animal abuse!!!</p>
<p>Byerly, darling--I merely point out that Larry Summers and Richard Levin both have the courtesy not to take pot-shots at their rival institutions--unlike Summers' most passionate defender (yourself, in case I'm going too fast for you) :rolleyes:.</p>
<p>And I'm so glad to hear you're not deadly serious about these matters. Perhaps you should confine your delightful sense of humor to the Harvard forum, where it might be more fully appreciated. (I promise not to bring my "terminal snottiness" over there if you keep yours away from here.)</p>
<p>...or a sense of humor :). (Ooh, where are the acolytes?) </p>
<p>Anyway, enough nonsense. I'm done here, and hope this thread will return to the original subject of prospective students' impressions of Bulldog Days.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I visited a music history lecture, in which the professor spent the first 10 minutes discussing how Yale's admissions process works such that Yale students are "normal" and far less "nerdy" than students at Harvard.
[/quote]
Are you talking about Craig Wright's master class on Mozart? I went, although I was a few minutes late, so I had to stand at the back. And I do remember him talking about how he was impressed at how Yale students always seemed to be passionately interested in several things at the same time (for example, he has a poli sci major in his class who had taken 12 years of violin lessons and was also into sports and some other things; he also mentioned a girl who had just done very well at a fencing competition, who was a musician and was majoring in some branch of biology or neuroscience, I think). When he mentioned that, he made a reference to the fact that Yalies are very well-rounded, even when compared to those at "that school on the banks of the Charles," and briefly noted his son's experience as a Harvard undergraduate. That was all I remember - it wasn't bashing so much as his attempt to sell Yale from a perspective that could very well be true for him as a music professor (not many people at Yale are solely musicians, esp. in his classes - they're all doing other things) but might not necessarily be true in general.</p>
<p>Expanding on my previous post, the only reference to Harvard I heard an undergraduate make - one made by my host - was a compliment. In his opinion, Harvard is a better university, but Yale is a better college, and he gave a few reasons why he thought that. He said that most Yale students couldn't care less about Harvard - some profs, etc. do, but the average Yalie doesn't. That was the only comment I heard about Harvard that was made by a Yale undergraduate.</p>
<p>Just a few thoughts - sorry to hear that you heard more of the Harvard-bashing than is typical, Lindsey. When I've been at Yale, I haven't had that issue.</p>