<p>What’s not so great?</p>
<p>This is not Yale’s fault, but the HYPs can feel claustrophobic. For students from states with low population densities who love open space, wide vistas, being alone in the woods, and so on, this is an adjustment. After almost 4 years at Yale, I’m now accustomed to D getting off the plane and heading straight for the ranch for some time watching the cows. It’s not that something is “wrong” with Yale. She loves New Haven and Yale, and wouldn’t trade the experience for anything, but her time there has reinforced her need for big sky and solitary outdoor interludes. </p>
<p>I’m not sure high school students always know how they feel about urban surroundings, tight living quarters and limited access to wilderness until they are immersed in it. Visiting is so different than living it. Obviously there are other Ivies with a more rural/suburban feel, but many students, my daughter included, wanted everything else Yale had to offer, and chose Yale for the right reasons. This adjustment hasn’t been a “big nothing”, though.</p>