Questions about Yale?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>Hello everyone! I am a freshman at Yale and I am willing to answer any questions you have, if you can, with honesty. I wish not to give any specific details of my own situation so as not to give my identity away. </p>

<p>I can say, though, that I highly highly recommend Yale. It has been a tremendous ride so far and I am very satisfied. </p>

<p>I think the biggest problem right now, though, is that Yale financial aid is not yet up to par with Harvard and Princeton. Many students are taking action against this and encourging the Financial Aid office to reduce family (?) or student contribution, I can't really remember because I'm fortunate enough not to be on financial aid here. </p>

<p>New Haven: The vicinity around Yale is really quite safe. I think, though, that once you venture out more than a mile, it can get sketchier. </p>

<p>Social scene: I really think there's something for everyone here. I know that we tend to compare ourselves to Harvard and Princeton, but it's only natural since those two schools are probably the ones we lost most of our applicants to. I went to a summer program at Harvard, and though I loved it there, from talking to Harvard students who were my advisors I got the strong sense that there wasn't that much partying going on, if that's your thing. However, I think H. has more cultural opportunities than Yale by virtue of its location. Princeton, too, from the friends I've talked to there, has a good social scene but it's different. If you're into drinking alcohol and dancing on the weekends, then sometimes there isn't always something going on (apparently Fridays can be quite dead). The gay social scene there is rather weak. At Yale it is thriving and encouraging, if you're interested. </p>

<p>Academically Yale is wonderful. Directed Studies is tremendous and I would encourage all of you to apply and look into the program. You really can't go wrong. It's not as suicidal as it sounds. </p>

<p>Perspectives on Science is supposedly less wonderful academically, since it's kind of light and easy, but gives participants a lot of funding for studying sciences and doing research projects. </p>

<p>Certain departments could use some bolstering, I think, such as Classics; but the classics dept. has hired 3 new professors and 2 are currently on leave this year, so I think more courses will be offered next year. However, there are still more Greek courses at Yale in a given semester than at Princeton or Dartmouth, if you're interested in comparison. Latin, I'm not sure, since I think we lost some Latinists recently. We have some really great professors in the Romance languages and History and English and Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. The math department supposedly sucks since the professors don't really teach or answer the questions you ask. Philosophy is deceptively strong. If you look at the rankings Yale philosophy may be only "59" or whatever, which I don't understand, but those rankings are old and were done when the Yale phil. professors were fighting with each other and there wasn't a lot of progress. Many new hires are absolutely amazing and the enrollment in philosophy classes and major continues to increase. So I wouldn't worry if you're intending on majoring in that. </p>

<p>I'm not sure about Religious Studies but I think there are some exceptionally strong Jewish studies professors and a couple of good philosophers who focus on religion. </p>

<p>Political Science is amazing, and the department is home to many of the hottest TA's. </p>

<p>Academically, one thing that you have to realize about Yale is its new distributional requirement system, which I find somewhat bothersome, although some schools have more demanding systems. </p>

<p>You need 2 QR (quantitative reasoning) classes and 2 science classes, as well as Writing intensive (2), humanities (2), social sciences (2), and foreign language to the intermediate (L4--4th semester if you're starting from scratch) level. </p>

<p>2 classes in each category may not seem like a lot, but if you really hate math and science you need to realize that you're going to be taking 4 math/sci classes with no exception for AP exams. This gets on my nerves, since I know I'm not ever going to touch the material again and I will have to force myself to do problem sets for classes I don't care about, when I already have AP exams in math and science with 5's. I think I already know enough. Sorry, rant. </p>

<p>However, there are some courses out there for non-science majors that are supposedly fun, interesting, and not too hard. Just remember--if you want absolute freedom I would recommend an open curriculum such as Brown or Amherst's. </p>

<p>These complaints may seem strong, but they are really just nags. I thought I would set them out there first. I couldn't possibily write about everything I loved about Yale. </p>

<p>So if you have any questions, please ask away and I'll try to respond.</p>

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<p>residential college?</p>

3

<p>Residential colleges are really the core or essence of Yale. When you arrive and meet new people, you will often be asking "what college are you in?" and you immediately begin to have somewhat of a sense of pride for your college--but not overboard, it's not an insane rivalry or anything. </p>

<p>I really like the college system because it breaks up the class into manageable little clusters with someone you can always turn to--the Master and the Dean. Both the Master and the Dean will be extremely welcoming and part of your family. They will eat with you on occaison, and you will always see them around. They are good advisors and resources. </p>

<p>Some colleges are better than others, for various reasons. My own personal view is that the best are Pierson, Davenport, Saybrook, Branford, and Berkeley. Timothy Dwight is also very nice, but it is far from the other colleges and thus can be somewhat alienating, but the TD kids seem to have a great community. Trumbull is currently being renovated so I guess I don't really know much about it. </p>

<p>Silliman is big and relatively ugly. I don't like it, but it's being renovated next year so freshmen in SM will be living in Swing Space [which is actually quite nice]. </p>

<p>Calhoun is kind of ugly, and it's not being renovated. I never go there to eat. I suppose it has a great location, though, close to Sterling and WLH and Cross-Campus Library and Durfee's. </p>

<p>Morse and Stiles are unfortunately located and designed, but they could be worse [I guess.] The upshot is that Morse kids live in Durfee and Stiles in Lawrance (i think) in their freshman year, which have amazing dorms. </p>

<p>Jonathan Edwards is horrific in my opinion, and its basement is like 98 degrees constantly. Fortunately that will be renovated after Silliman, but it won't be ready until my senior year and you [incoming JE'rs] junior years. But JE is a rich college so they take their kids on a lot of events and such, which is nice. Farnam is also a nice building for Freshmen. </p>

<p>All the colleges have advantages and disadvantages. I love the option of having so many dining halls to choose from close by, each with a different flavor. I usually chose from among Pierson, Davenport, Saybrook, Timothy Dwight, and if I can get in, Berkeley. Also available for eating are the Hall of Graduate Studies, the Law School, and Commons Dining Hall. </p>

<p>The colleges host interesting people in events called "Master's Teas." Some of my friends ritually attend them but I have not yet been to one. </p>

<p>The colleges, especially the renovated ones [Saybrook, Branford, Pierson, Davenport, Timothy Dwight and next year Trumbull] have really nice features. Not just beautiful, but they have game rooms and practice rooms and little bars and eating places run by students. The colleges are really just a gem. </p>

<p>Remember that for everyone except Timothy Dwight and Silliman, you live on Old Campus freshman year--which usually means for some loud, drunken freshman evenings on the weekends. Most of the rooms on Old Campus are extremely nice, except for the kids in Saybrook and Pierson, who live in Lanman-Wright Hall, which is older and smaller. Still, it's not that bad. </p>

<p>Welch, Lawrance, and Durfee have the nicest rooms on the OC.</p>

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<p>I really want to be in JE. (well, I really want to get in, and I'd be happy to live at home and fly from ohio to new haven every day) I mean, they had enough money to renovate THEMSELVES. that's insane.</p>

5

<p>From your posts, you don't seem very happy at Yale. </p>

<p>I mean, I don't view life in extremes most of the time unless I feel strongly about something in particular. And the way you described some of the departments and residential colleges gives me the impression that you strongly believe that "math sucks" at Yale, that some of the professors aren't very good, and that some the residential colleges are garbage. I was also under the impression that Harvard, Yale, and Princeton weren't too different, at least not to the degree that you described them. But maybe it's just your personality to over exaggerate or, perhaps, sensationalize your feelings..I don't know. I mean, how bad can it be..it IS Yale..</p>

<p>So I guess I'm just wondering if you are happy at Yale or do you wish you went somewhere else?</p>

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<p>this hurts me...deep down inside.</p>

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<p>mijehar, I don't know what gave you that impression! I am absolutely in love with Yale, I'm just trying to be real that there are advantages and disadvantages to everything. </p>

<p>I feel like my posts have been very positive. </p>

<p>With regard to different departments being stronger than others, I think that's true at any University. Math does seem to suck, that's the general consensus from my non-math major friends who have taken math classes. But there are math majors here so I guess they find their way. Note that I use the word "seem," I've never taken a math class here, and I kind of hate math in the first place! The English, History, Humanities, Philosophy, Political Science, Chemistry, Biology, Art, Art History, Music, Theater Studies, Environmental Engineering and Biomedical engineering departments all have really high marks from my friends. I myself am a Classics major, and though I love some of the professors in it, right now (meaning this current semester) the offerings are limited--2 professors are on leave and the 3 professors they've hired won't start until this fall. I am excited for that. I am obviously a little more critical of the department in which I'm in since I know its ins and outs. I wouldn't major in it if I weren't pleased. </p>

<p>I don't think I ever said that some of the professors aren't very good, but maybe I'm wrong. I've absolutely fallen butt-crazy in love with some of my professors. They're all really brilliant. </p>

<p>In fact, the professor-quality here is one of my favorite aspects of Yale so far. Some of them care so much for their students that they take them out to dinner, go out for coffee with them, etc. Some professors are more aloof but you still learn a great deal from them. And some of the professors (gasp!) are kinda hot!</p>

<p>I also love the social scene here. </p>

<p>I am great friends with my roommate and I have a strong bond with a lot of other people. </p>

<p>It's true--JE does suck. That's its motto ("JE Sux"). But I mentioned upsides to it--it will be renovated, it's a rich college, and the freshmen live in Farnam. It also has a good location. There are problems with its current dilapidated state, however. But remember, I'm kind of phrasing this in comparison with other residential colleges like Berkeley, Saybrook, Branford, etc., which really are much much nicer by virtue of being renovated. </p>

<p>Am I supposed to love every residential college? </p>

<p>Yes, I do have a tendency to sensationalize what I'm thinking. </p>

<p>I do think that Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are the same in many ways at the core, but have very different "feels" about them. I for one applied to all 3 and I would have more than happily gone to all three. I really like Harvard, but the party scene [of which I am part] is not that big there. I love Princeton's campus and academics, too. I think what sets Yale apart is the real sense of community here. </p>

<p>I was talking to a Ph. D student in English who received her BA from Harvard. She absolutely loved Harvard and would not have gone anywhere else, but she likes Yale too for its community and social scene. She doesn't like New Haven all that much, and that's fair enough for her. I don't love New Haven, but living in a semi-urban environment has its perks. I like knowing that where I am is not just defined by my school, but also has qualities of its own--some of the greatest restaurants in CT, for example. </p>

<p>Yale also has some great Extracurricular Activities to speak of. Its a capella groups are amazing, and seductive. There are so many you would think everyone at Yale could sing great. I also love to go see Yale's improv comedy shows--too funny sometimes. I've never been to a theater performance yet, surprisingly, but I'm not much of a theater person anyway so I'm not the best person to ask. Apparently it's good. </p>

<p>It would be sensationalist of me not to list some problems with Yale--it's not for everyone. I think that the hardcore mathematician would be better fit for MIT. I think the free-spirit who wants no part in math/science would be better at Brown, if only because the QR and Sci requirements can get in the way. </p>

<p>I'm only giving you my perspective. Everyone is going to have a different one. Most people I know really love Yale. </p>

<p>I missed Yale when I went home for Christmas. I even went back early! Some people who had a harder first semester [don't take on too many EC's guys, and making staff reporter for the Yale Daily News is a LOT of work!] were a little more stressed out. </p>

<p>By all means, apply to Yale and if you get in come to Bulldog Days because that's a good way to meet people. The people, in the end, should be the deciding factor, not whether or not JE sucks. If you feel like you could see yourself here, then by all means come! Don't come if you feel pressured or if you like another Univ. better, because there will always be that lingering feeling that you should have gone somewhere else.</p>

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<p>odd, I was in Branford and my favorite colleges were silliman and JE (which I thought were the two most beautiful after Branford). It really is a matter of taste. Something that might make you love JE more is the secret (Hogwarts-esque) passageways that lead away from the library to other buildings. Start with climbing out the window to the sculpture garden.</p>

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<p>I guess...you've been to all 12 colleges then? Regardless of how it looks on the outside, JE has a really inferior dining hall and features compared to other colleges, and desperately needs some renovation attention! I think it used to look better, but compared to the renovated colleges (like Branford, Saybrook, Berk, etc.) it's really quite lacking.</p>

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<p>I am in JE and I don't think it diminishes my quality of life. It does need renovation, but it's not THAT bad. Right now, I'm living in Farnam though, which is nice. I really like the people in JE, the sense of community, various other things. Then again, it's all a matter of comparison. Honestly, you shouldn't make it such a big deal what college you end up in because you will probably like it no matter what, but it's important not to base your opinion of Yale on one or a few people's opinions because people here are really different with very different experiences with Yale and departments/professors/res colleges.</p>

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<p>I'm a freshman at Yale. MATH DOES NOT SUCK--a few intro classes, which are, for the most part, the only classes some non-math majors see, may be taught by grad students who aren't great. But get on to more advanced math classes and they start to get better.</p>

<p>Yale is more socially liberal, more fun, more of a community, and more welcoming than Harvard or Princeton.</p>

<p>While DS dictates what classes you take, Perspectives on Science only gives you a low-commitment session that meets once a week that counts as half a credit (half a class) each semester. It is basically just one easy way to get money to do research over the summer, making it so that you don't have to ask the professors you work with to pay you. (Research is very easy to come by, in my experience; I landed a research job the first few weeks I was here.)</p>

<p>Finally, please don't trust College Confidential message boards. (Except for this post :-).) I respect you guys, but the truth is that we could be anyone; even those who are Yale students by no means give an accurate picture, myself included. And even some high school students chime in as experts, even though they don't have the same kind of first-hand experience at the schools that current students do. Come for Bulldog Days and talk to current students there or by emailing them from the admit website--if you're a prospective math major, email the current math majors listed on the admits website and they'll give you their view.</p>

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<p>So what is the process of joining something like the rumpus like? haha, i think I'd be an excellent staff writer.</p>

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<p>I don't know how hard it is/what the process is like for the Rumpus. Presumably, you have to demonstrate writing skills and do some grunt-work before you can make it to the staff. Not sure though. </p>

<p>The YDN requires 10 articles (spread out over different desks) to become a staff reporter.</p>

14

<p>Thanks for the clarifications, everyone.</p>

<p>I seriously can't wait to get up there. I had a dream last night that I was in Morse; it'll be interesting to see if it comes true.</p>

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<p>You mean you had a nightmare?</p>

<p>hehe jk... I'm in Morse and I love it =).</p>

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<p>Strange. I had a premonition about what college I would be in, too, and it turned out so!</p>

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<p>A few things:</p>

<p>Being on the staff of Rumpus (but not as a writer), as far as I can tell, you're a part of Rumpus if you write an article for Rumpus.</p>

<p>Yes, L-Dub is the worst freshman dorm on campus, but it really depends on what you make of your room. Out of the three suites on my floor, mine is the smallest, yet everyone who comes by always comments on how nice and clean it is. Meanwhile, the other two suites are either covered in trash, covered in junk, or both.</p>

<p>Personally, I don't think financial aid is that bad. If your family makes less than $45,000, your parents pay nothing. I do think the summer contribution and self help could be reduced a bit though, but when you're talking about reducing self help and summer contribution by only one or two thousand, it doesn't really compare to the overall $42,000 cost.</p>

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<p>this is random but i don't fully understand the residential college system... so durfee is a college? but then what's "morse" is that a little college.. within durfee? </p>

<p>and do you get to put down a preference of which college you would to dorm in? (when you get accepted) </p>

<p>sigh... i hope i get accepted =(</p>

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<p>There are twelve residential colleges: Saybrook, Branford, Jonathan Edwards, Davenport, Pierson, Calhoun, Berkeley, Trumbull, Timothy Dwight, Silliman, Morse, and Ezra Stiles. Each residential college is like a regular dorm building, except that they each have their own dining hall, library, gym, and other things.
There are other buildings that are inhabited by students but are not colleges. The freshman dorms are Lanman-Wright (Saybrook and Pierson), Durfee (Morse), Farnam (JE), Lawrence (Stiles), Welch (Davenport), Bingham (Calhoun and Trumbull), and Vanderbilt (Berkeley and Branford). (TD and Silliman freshmen live in their residential college.) In addition there are several annexes where some juniors live when there isn't enough room in their residential college.</p>

<p>College placement is completely random unless you're the sibling or child of a person who goes or went to Yale. In that case, you can choose the college your relative is in, choose not to be in that college, or have no preference.</p>

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<p>there is an interactive on this website which glosses over the anatomy of a residential college</p>

<p><a href="http://www.yale.edu/about/tour.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.yale.edu/about/tour.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>you can see examples of the residential college campus and amenities (like library, gym, dining hall, printing press). Something which should not be overlooked is the amount of advising that goes on within a college. The college has a Dean who overseas your academic progress as well as a Master, who enhances your social life both by subsidizing parties as well as cultural events. Freshman counselors are also college specific and they are really helpful for the first year transition. Then there are tutors in college and peer advisors. Altogether, the college is your safety net, a home, both academically and socially.</p>