<p>Okay more specifically- I got accepted EA to Yale, and will almost certainly go, unless I get accepted to Harvard in April and have to make the choice between the two (blegh).</p>
<p>So just wondering, for current and/or previous students: what is the food like? dorms? how do they compare to other colleges? I've heard about the...erm...uninhibited social life, but would like to know a little bit more about the day-to-day standard of living there :)</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>The dorms are mostly nice, though I wish they’d tell us what dorms we’ve been sorted into before we choose a school - I would personally hate to be in Morse or Stiles, and I hear transferring colleges is a pain in the neck.</p>
<p>(Can any current Yalies confirm/disprove that?)</p>
<p>I think you’d grow into Morse or Stiles if you were actually placed there.</p>
<p>You should read this post:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/187335-why-i-chose-yale-over-harvard-current-student.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/187335-why-i-chose-yale-over-harvard-current-student.html</a></p>
<p>@rocker: Hm, I realize that I sounded a bit more disparaging than I intended. What I meant was that since one of Yale’s draws for me is its neo-gothic campus and lovely surroundings, and the proximity of its dorms to the library/classrooms, being sorted into Morse/Stiles would be less than ideal for me, especially as I’m not a gym person. </p>
<p>It’s very weird because I have this sort of premonition I’ll be in one or the other… =_=</p>
<p>fstar’s link is actually a really good one. Very thorough and in depth.</p>
<p>In a nutshell, though, here’s my take on the aspects of Yale you asked.</p>
<p>Food – This varies. For the first two or three weeks, the food is amazing! Like you walk in and you wonder why people on CC complained about the food so much. The thing is, after a while, you just get tired of Dining Hall food. It’s not even that it’s necessarily bad - sometimes it is, sometimes it’s not. It’s just that the monotony of it gets to you. But, don’t fear - there are restaurants around campus that let you break the mold: Yorkside, A1, Ivy Noodle, Bulldog Burrito, Wall Street, York Street Noodle House, etc. etc.</p>
<p>Dorms - This is really hit or miss. First of all, the suite style living is amazing! I cannot imagine not living in a suite. I think it would SUCK! Most freshman live in suites (I would say about 99%). Now, how nice is each suite depends on where you are. Compared to other schools, I think every freshman dorm is nice. Comparing each freshman dorm is different, but also subjective. I’m in Bingham, and I don’t really mind our suites, but some of our singles are really small. However, we have a pretty spacious common room (and we don’t have to put our desks in the common room) so I guess it’s not that bad. Lawrance, Durfee, Farnam, and Welch suites are pretty frickin’ nice. Their common rooms are spacious and their rooms are too. They also have some HUGE suites (princess suites, 10-packs) which allows for a pretty good social life and just great space. Vandy is okay - they’re common rooms are pretty, but their rooms tend to be small. I don’t personally think LW is THAT bad, but they definitely do have the short end of the stick in terms of size. They’re common rooms are small, and made smaller by the fact that their desks have to be out there. And their rooms are also small. 
I can’t really say much about Silliman or TD, but I don’t think they’re that bad.</p>
<p>Day-to-Day – Not much to complain about. There’s ALWAYS something going on: debates, performances, study breaks, presentations, meetings, rehearsals, etc. In fact, it can get overwhelming and unproductive if you let yourself get carried away. In terms of socializing during the week, that’s also pretty easy. Each college has a common room where people can just chill and hang out and there’s also the buttery, which is actually the BEST PLACE EVER. Not only is there late night, cheap snacks, but you get to really meet a lot of the people in your college (and as a freshman living in Old Campus, this is indispensable). There’s also usually a TV room or a game room or something that is also a hang out spot. So definitely fairly social.</p>
<p>But do look at the link posted above to get a more in depth look at life at Yale (esp. vs. Harvard).</p>
<p>Oh, and by the way, Morse and Stiles are not THAT bad - even if you don’t like the distance/architecture. By the time you live in either college, it’ll be renovated so you’ll have suites (which is one major complaint). Your freshman living situation is basically amazing. Stilesians and Morsels are probably some of the most social freshmen. And you will definitely learn to love your uniqueness.</p>
<p>drbigboyjoe did a good job of describing all of the “fun” things on can take advantage of on a typical day at Yale, but he failed to really describe what day-to-day life is like.</p>
<p>Basically, a typical day consists of the following:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Waking up (though this may or may not happen). One’s perception of “early” quickly changes in college. I always considered myself an early riser and had to be in school by 7:00 am throughout high school. Now I cry if I have to wake up before 10:00.</p></li>
<li><p>Someone seeing you at least partially naked (welcome to suite style living!)</p></li>
<li><p>(Assuming you have woken up) Eating. Students usually opt to go to their residential college for breakfast, or if they want hot food they go to commons. Where you eat is also dependent on where your classes are in relation to your dorm. If you eat is dependent on if you wake up in time for class. Anecdotal evidence: I had a 9:00 AM class this semester. I did not eat breakfast once.</p></li>
<li><p>Class!!! Ok so most of you have this romanticized image of what classes at Yale, one of the best universities in the WORLD, are going to be like. Well, I have good news and bad news. Most of the classes are amazing (I was lucky enough to have the best schedule in the world that I absolutely LOVED), but some of the classes really aren’t. It’s important that you take advantage of your resources (yale.edu/oci, the blue book, shopping week, word of mouth, etc). Many people take the classes they’re “supposed” to take, without giving serious thought to what they want out of a course - these are usually the people that end up with poopy schedules and unnecessary stress. Although I was stressed several times this semester because of coursework, none of it was unwelcomed because I was genuinely interested in my assignments. </p></li>
<li><p>MORE FOOD (YAY!!!). So you’re going to eat again eventually. Lunch may be obtained at a residential college, Commons, or at Durfee’s (for the student on the go!). The food at lunch is more or less the same quality as the food served at dinner and it’s generally pretty good. Though be warned, some dining halls are better than others (there was actually a survey done about a month ago and Silliman was given top marks - TRUMBULL!!! was up there as well :)). You’ll probably end up making dinner/lunch dates with your friends in a random dining hall and these are so great and fun and convenient! You’ll also probably use the dining hall to procrastinate. “As long as I’m eating, I’m being productive!” you’ll say. This is a good excuse.</p></li>
<li><p>Extracurricular Activity until very late into the night. Most clubs/organizations/arts things meet at absurd hours. Sometimes not ending until midnight (this is rare, but 10:00 or 11:00 pm really isn’t). Be prepared to spend 100% more time on your college activities than on your high school ones. This is the double-edged sword of college - especially one like Yale. On the one hand, you get to work with incredibly bright people on something that you’re all passionate about and presumably are interested in doing professionally (e.g. Yale Political Union people generally want to work in politics). But on the other hand you have to give up part of what made you so successful in high school. Part of the reason you got into Yale was because you were able to juggle 9^100 activities while still maintaining excellent grades. This is not possible at Yale, so don’t try it. You actually have to stick to max 3 activities if you want to get anything out of them while still maintaining good grades. On the flip side, some people choose not to care about grades and only focus on their activities. This is a choice you’ll be making soon - yay choices!</p></li>
<li><p>Homework :(. Ok, college homework is very different than the homework I had in high school. It’s more like studying for an AP test. There’s more reading than you would have ever imagined (but it IS possible!! I took all humanities classes this semester and did 99% of the reading - and I’m not that smart!). But if you’re like me, then you’ll love doing the reading because you get smarter after every page :). Also this goes back to what I said earlier: you’re more likely to do the reading in a class you like. True assignments (papers and problem sets) will take 150% longer than they ever did in high school because they count for much more. One paper may be 10-25% of your grade. Be prepared to exert effort on everything you do for class. (This is actually a good thing, you gain SO much from it.)</p></li>
<li><p>Sleep (Like waking up, this may or may not happen. If sleep does not apply to you skip down to 9, if it does, then congratulations you just completed one of many days at Yale).</p></li>
<li><p>Procrastination. This is rampant in college and usually manifests in the form of interesting conversations with your roommates. The topics of the conversations generally vary from room to room or may be centered around a video game (perhaps super smash brothers). To avoid this, one may go to one of the libraries: their college library (each residential college has a beautiful library), Bass, Sterling Memorial, Arts, and my personal favorite - the law.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>YAY!</p>
<p>Great job, eatingfood. That accurately describes a day-to-day count on Yale life. Of course, you hit the nail on the head with the waking up and going to sleep part!! I, in particular, skipped both! :D</p>
<p>I particularly agree with the following though:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I was in the latter category, and it was not a fun experience. So, heed the advice young’uns.</p>