<p>YALE.
If Princeton seems disconnected from reality, Yale seems married to it. Or, more appropriately, Yale seems like reality gave it a good, thorough beating.<br>
When I arrived in New Haven, I was startled by how much it reminded me of home. It was strangely comforting. Prefrosh at Bulldog Days this year were greeted by an oversized Handsome Dan and a loud morning protest: angry Grad Students on strike.<br>
The school spirit is apparent as soon as you arrive on campus. Yale students are happy to be Yale students, and they arent afraid to say so.<br>
This may sound kind of obnoxious; but no, in itself, an Elis school spirit is actually contagious and endearing. Its the Harvard bashing that is obnoxious; but more on that later.
Yales campus surprised me. I had pre-imagined it as the fairytale world that you see in the viewbooks or on Gilmore Girls. What I encountered was that fairytale world, browner, a little more decrepit, more realistic, more energetic and more intense.<br>
I loved it. Old Campus, where most of the freshman stay, was bustling with activity when I arrived (the day before Bulldog Days officially started): a cookout, students lounging on the lawn, tanning, reading, writing, playing ultimate frisbee, doing whatever it is college students do on a lazy, sunny day.<br>
Its no secret that New Haven seems pretty rough compared to Princeton, Providence, and others. There are homeless people walking the streets. Prefrosh were advised not to go out alone at night (which, for the record, is great advice for WHATEVER college you go to.) There were stories of how students were mugged during the year, things like that. After a certain time, the gates are locked. And I was approached for money a few times while walking the streets with friends.<br>
But I do think criticisms that New Haven is a complete dump are slightly exaggerated. And I do feel that students who complain about New Haven really arent cut out for Yale, anyway, because Yale students pride themselves on going out into the community and changing things for the better, rather than just complaining about them.
Yale students seemed very academically driven, defined by what they were studying, what they were researching, what paper they happened to be writing at the time. At 1-2 am, you could still see students in the libraries. Premeds, my host joked. It was strange, and intimidating.
I went to Bulldog Days not knowing what to expect. I had read the viewbook numerous times, had long conversations with my interviewer (though I never had an actual interview), my admissions officer and a student who called my house after I received a likely letter; still, it took actually visiting the place to make any firm conclusions (reason #1 why visiting is VERY important.)
Of the three schools in question, Elis seemed to have some of the strangest, coolest talents overall. In the class of 2009, according to the Dean of Admissions in a welcome to Yale presentation, theres a national champion rodeo and a birdwatcher that had spotted an impressively large number of rare species. I remember a boy who raised his younger sibling after their parent(s) died and still had time to be captain of the math team being mentioned. And in one of the older classes, theres a girl who juggled her way across Europe. And we cant forget that Howard Deans son is at Yale. Etc., etc. etc. I thought it was very cool, and very humbling. (It was also pretty funny to actually meet some of Rumpus hottest Yalies, including one of my hosts.)
One major difference between Yale and the other two is that you can double major at Yale. Maybe with some difficulty. But it is allowed, and you dont have to combine the majors like at Harvard. Or, at least, the English department chair that I talked to said I could easily double-major in English and Film Studies.<br>
But I think the thing that attracted me to Yale was the Directed Studies program. (<a href="http://www.yale.edu/yalecollege/freshmen/academics/programs/ds.html)%5B/url%5D">http://www.yale.edu/yalecollege/freshmen/academics/programs/ds.html)</a>. Its an intense, selective program; but if youre an humanities junky like me, its perfect, and definitely worth looking into.
Sometimes, though, it becomes difficult to ask Yale students questions about Yale. Why? Because some Yale students often answer questions about Yale by commenting about Harvard. It wasnt all of thembut it was enough of them to make it annoying, especially because I found that everything I learned about Yale made the school strong enough to stand on its own, without the unnecessary comparisons to Harvard that I often encountered.<br>
My experience at Yale was interesting and fulfilling. It was fun to experience a slice of the social life that Yalies brag so much about. New Haven has great foodespecially pizza. Mmmmmm. And boy do Yalies like to have a good time. (Ill leave it at that, *wink.) The extra-curricular fair was, to say the least, incredibly overwhelming. Is there anything they DONT do at Yale? Juggling clubs, karate clubs, spoken word, a cappella, sexual health activism (dear to my own heart), religious groups, etc. etc. etc. . . It was amazing.
Academically, Yale boasts great programs in the Humanities (like all of the Ivies). I was particularly impressed by the blossoming Film Studies program. Princeton doesnt really have a comparable program; Harvards is not quite as strong. As well (Im relying on the opinion of a musician friend who chose Yale over Princeton), Yales music program is more solid than those of H and P. And definitely check out those a cappella groups; theyre stunning.<br>
Everything felt very real at Yale, and I think thats why I felt like a genuine college student while I was there. But Yale, like all schools, definitely isnt for everyone. And when I left, I knew I respected and liked the institution a great deal, but I wasnt quite ready to commit to being a Bulldog.</p>
<p>thanks saxfreq, that was incredibly helpful and informative</p>
<p>You took all my feelings about the beauty of roughened-up Yale and put them in words. When I was trying to choose between Yale and Princeton I couldn't rationalize any way Yale really came close to Princeton academically or socially (these of course were personal sentiments) and ultimately chose Princeton. No regrets, but I keep a soft spot in my heart for them Elis.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, sometimes other factors (like location) seem to make us forget Yale's academic prowess. Like I said, I disagree that Yale's social life is 'better' than that of other Ivies; but it's no secret that Elis like to party hard and work hard, too. Nothin' wrong with that.</p>
<p>Congrats on Princeton!</p>