<p>I just finished my interview, yesterday :). During my interview, my interviewer described Yale like a resort/spa with midnight snack stations, etc. Is this true? Is Yale a hotel, worthy of attendance for simply the amenities?</p>
<p>P.S. I don't really need more reason to go to Yale besides the academics alone, but the added benefits are still a plus :)</p>
<p>When I visited Yale, I got a tour of one of the residential colleges (Silliman, to be exact), and at least according to my guide, what was there was pretty much standard for all the residential colleges. It had, among other things, a decently sized work out room, dance studio, gymnasium, snack/recreation area, dining hall, and mini library (there is of course the major one that is simply stunning)…and a lot of it is quite new, seeing as Yale has spent the last few years fueling a ton of money into renovating each college. </p>
<p>It’s quite nice… :-)</p>
<p>The way she described it made me want to vacation at Yale</p>
<p>No, it’s not like a hotel. </p>
<p>I don’t know. I kind of shake my head. Really. I went when rooms and bathrooms weren’t particularly modern and when you went to Payne Whitney to work out. So what? It was a great school, a great time and a great experience. </p>
<p>I take some of the dressing up that Yale does as a sign that it has too much money and too many people working in administration thinking of ways to “improve” things. Does Yale really need to “compete” based on amenities? I sincerely hope not. (And the numbers say not.)</p>
<p>Back when giants walked the earth (like Lergnom and me), the amenities in the residential colleges were often not so great–a dark, cold library, and a smelly TV room with decrepit furniture, in my case. Now, they are much nicer. But honestly, they were pretty great even then, compared to many college dorms.</p>
<p>One of the great things about college used to be that you were disconnected from the rest of the world to study ideas and the world. If we wanted to watch tv, we had to go to the common room, which usually meant sitting with a bunch of people to watch an event like a basketball game. That was not only social but it meant we didn’t watch tv - or often even read the newspapers. Truth is you don’t need much comfort, just like you don’t need much dessert. Maybe it’s the New Englander in me, but there’s nothing wrong with wearing a sweater in the winter or getting warm in hot weather.</p>
<p>My feeling about a lot of amenities added by Yale is a) as noted, they have too much money, too many people dedicated to administering projects and b) they’ve committed to this notion that Yalies are special and deserve this and they use this notion mostly for what consultants would say is internal motivation & wall building that then acts as a recruiting tool. </p>
<p>BTW, the above is, I hope, an example of what Yalies should do, which is to question things, including their own status.</p>
<p>I agree that there’s too much TV-watching. I also remember that we only watched TV at specific times, in a common room or TV room–i.e., when Saturday Night Live was on. I also remember running from TV room to TV room with my friend to try to find one where we could watch (the original) Battlestar Galactica. The amenity that is no longer around that I think is a big loss is the film societies.</p>
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<p>During the move-in day, one parent made a similar remark. If you have ever seen a dorm room at a typical state school, you will likely agree that the amenities at many private colleges (not only Yale) are better. Inside a dorm room at a local state school, you basically can not walk when the bed is pulled out. Students rarely stay in their room except when they sleep.</p>
<p>Swing Space is like a quite new hotel (Was it a Ramada Inn in the past?). I heard most students who live there are happy, as its quality is better (more spacious, brighter, newer) than their residential college that has not been remodeled yet. I heard that some of the remodeled residential colleges are even better.</p>
<p>But you are still required to work hard academically though. BTW, the master often buys snacks for the students during the reading week right before the final.</p>
<p>Somewhat not related to this thread, but an interesting conversation nonetheless:</p>
<p>Somebody asked a Yale student whether he has any regret going there. His reply:
No, if I did not go there, I would not have a chance to meet many dirty rich people in my whole life. LOL. (This student is from a middle class family. He is happy there.)</p>
<p>No film societies? That’s sad! Score one for the University of Chicago – still a lovingly curated film series every day of the week.</p>
<p>I had no idea we were short on amenities in the good old days. I thought the communal TV was fun, and the college library was a great place to study (and occasionally to sleep, when one’s roommate had a guest). We had a gorgeous dining hall, common rooms in almost every suite, towers to climb, a couple of squash courts and some exercise machines, and I thought it was heaven.</p>
<p>A couple of months ago my freshman D gave me a tour of her newly renovated “dorm” for next year, the 2 gyms/athletic facilities where she works out, the library where she regularly studies and the dining halls she frequents. I thought it was literally an embarrassment of riches. (But I was okay with it since we are full-pay, so in a sense I felt I was getting closer to my money’s worth. On the other hand, I wondered if I might be paying less if Yale didn’t have all of this!)</p>
<p>Another reason I am okay with the luxury and excess of Yale is because it more than makes up for the neighborhood one block outside of campus. (I do think the first block around the perimeter of campus is great and has everything a student needs. Just don’t venture out much further.)</p>
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<p>Unless it’s to go to Pepe’s.</p>
<p>You wouldn’t pay less for fewer amenities. I think we can all agree Yale will find a way to vacuum your wallet. </p>
<p>I liked going to Sterling and what used to be CCL. It made studying social.</p>
<p>Of course, but they closed at midnight or so.</p>
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<p>I understand Sally’s is also very good. Is there one that’s much much better than the other? I know that Pepe’s has the name, but I’m more concerned about the pizza. As a New Yorker, I need to know where I can get a good pie (I hear that Yorkside has good stuff too, but not the the same league/also much closer to campus).</p>
<p>Some students Today believe that “Cross” as in “Cross Campus Library” refers to Wilbur Cross 1885 GRD 1889, it is apparently not:</p>
<p>[Yale</a> Daily News - University to students: Call it Bass, not CCL](<a href=“http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2007/10/22/university-to-students-call-it-bass-not-ccl/]Yale”>http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2007/10/22/university-to-students-call-it-bass-not-ccl/)</p>
<p>"Contrary to rumors circulating among students, the old Cross Campus Library — and, above it, the Cross Campus itself — was not named after Wilbur Cross 1885 GRD 1889, the first dean of the Yale Graduate School and a four-term governor of Connecticut. Wilbur Cross is the namesake of the heavily traveled Wilbur Cross Parkway and New Haven’s largest high school, Wilbur Cross High School. The graduate school’s highest alumni award, the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal, is also named after Cross.</p>
<p>But Cross Campus is not. The name was a geographic designation that dates back to architect James Gamble Rogers’ master plan for the University, crafted in 1921."</p>
<p>I heard that you can find buildings named after Bass at Yale, UT (bass concert hall) and Stanford. You can not easily avoid seeing this name.</p>
<p>Somehow I think I still like the name CCL.</p>
<p>bluescreen, the pizzas are actually fairly similar, but we like the atmosphere and service at Pepe’s better. Yorkside isn’t nearly as good, IMO, but it is much closer. The other good place (although not equal to Pepe’s) is Modern, which is a long walk from campus in a different direction than Pepe’s and Sally’s (which are practically next door to each other if you ever want to do a side-by-side taste test.)</p>
<p>D graduates in May and I’m really going to miss those pizzas…</p>
<p>^you are making me hungry, : P</p>
<p>We always liked Sally’s better than Pepe’s, for no particular reason. I’d say go to the one with the shorter line.</p>
<p>Almost any New Haven pizza is better than what you’re used to. New Haven has high pizza standards; it’s a pizza cluster.</p>
<p>We manage to stop at Pepe’s at least 2-3 times a year, despite living about 200 miles away, and having no children at Yale. For some reason, Sally’s is never open when we’re there; we wouldn’t mind trying it again, too. The Italian pastry shop next door to Pepe’s is also not to be missed if you are going down to Wooster Square.</p>
<p>Yorkside and Naples are fine, but they don’t play in the same league as Pepe’s or Sally’s.</p>