<p>I heard from a friend of my sister that students at yale are told that they will be given 6hrs of free time a day, and that they can either sleep or social network during that time. Is it true?</p>
<p>Haha. Seriously, is this a joke?</p>
<p>In most (if not all) colleges, and that includes Yale, students aren’t particularly FORCED to do anything, especially in regards to how they spend their free time!</p>
<p>Perhaps from India you aren’t accustomed to US education system. At Yale, students are treated as fully functioning and highly capable adults. They do what they want, when they want and with whom they want. There’s no one at the doors, there is no one making you go to class or to see that you eat or to see that you clean your room or wash your clothes. You can leave campus and go to NYC or Boston or Cancun whenever you want. People can come and visit or even stay. You’re free.</p>
<p>It’s not a prison camp. Your sister’s friend is toying with you or is completely ignorant.</p>
<p>As everyone else has already said, your sister’s friend is either very misinformed or just pulling your leg. The only U.S. colleges that might have that sort of policy are the military colleges (West Point, Naval Academy, etc)</p>
<p>Well, there are some other colleges with much more restrictive rules.</p>
<p>But at Yale and similar places, the typical student has several hours of scheduled classes each weekday, and then the rest of his time is his to manage appropriately. There will be assignments from the classes that need to be done (if he wants decent grades). Many students will get involved in other activities that may have time demands, such as sports, performing groups, etc. Other students may have jobs. But putting all this together is up to the student. (I fondly recall one semester when I managed to schedule all my classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday…)</p>
<p>Well what’s the average free-time (in hours/week) that an average Yale student (Undergrad to be precise) who’s planning to major in Ethics, Politics & Economics/Political Science + International Studies with Elective in Philosophy and Macroeconomics gets?</p>
<p>This is not a meaningful question, really. You don’t “get” free time. You have class time, and the associated homework, and then whatever other activities you decide to do. Most Yale students have plenty of time for non-class activities (although some, especially in the sciences, have more class time than others because of labs). Also, the amount of free time you will have will depend on how efficient you are in doing your assignments, and how well you manage your time. How long will it take you to read Plato’s Republic?</p>
<p>No, actually it’s more like four. We spend our time wisely though, don’t let anyone tell you different. You can actually cut time by doing several essential things at once you know! Many people choose to take short catnaps in the long line outside the refractory to get our daily serving of gruel. But you can’t sleep too long, you know. Only about two hundred people get food each day (it gets leaner during the winter season), and the rest have to improvise. Did you know that finely mashed paper in boiling water actually takes like oatmeal if you imagine hard enough? And if you eat your hot paper soup fast enough, you can retain just enough heat not to feel cold when you pass out in exhaustion under a tree. But make sure no one steals your boots.</p>
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<p>Last year Yale sent me a book and what I got out of it was that students have incredibly varied schedules and there is no way to determine “average” free time.</p>
<p>^ This is true. Even for a given student, free time will vary depending on the day of the week, or time of year. SO many factors go into determining your free time. I’d say that if you’re efficient and honest about doing your work, and are respectfully involved in extracurriculars, you get a decent 24 hours of “free” time. I’m not including meal time or showering time or anything like that.</p>
<p>At Yale, you’re supposed to work. But you’re supposed to have fun and participate in the overall campus experience as well.</p>
<p>Oh… Anyways, I was just wondering because I heard that the Yale Political Union is supposed to be Awesome, and I was just wondering how much time I’d get for ECs and How much time I’d get to spend at the library… Thanks folks! <to hunt=“”> I am Currently reading Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Politics, Kautilya’s Arthashastra, Machiavelli’s Prince, Sun Tzu’s Art of War… and I have finished the Arthashastra cover-to-cover once already.</to></p>
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<p>lol .</p>
<p>I mean Seriously… I Have read the arthashastra cover-to-cover once already and am currently reading it again…</p>
<p>lol seconded</p>
<p>lol thirded.</p>
<p>I want to “lol” as well, but I think it’s reserved for the exclusive “already-accepted-to-Yale” club.</p>
<p>^ Oh, then I guess I should lol as well.</p>