<p>Yale has a very impressive year-round recruitment travel program </p>
<p><a href="http://admissions.yale.edu/events/%5B/url%5D">http://admissions.yale.edu/events/</a> </p>
<p>and a Yale event may be coming near you soon. Check the schedule to see if you have a chance to meet a Yale representative before the admission deadlines this year.</p>
<p>Two more events have been added in my state. </p>
<p><a href="http://admissions.yale.edu/events/%5B/url%5D">http://admissions.yale.edu/events/</a> </p>
<p>There are also international events. These are good opportunities to ask questions before submitting your application.</p>
<p>Hi, everyone, </p>
<p>This evening I attended the Yale information session in St. Paul. I was at another meeting until the last possible minute, so I arrived a little late, to see a standing-room-only crowd in a public library meeting room. There were at least forty, maybe more than fifty, students and parents there. I stood way in the back to listen to the presentation. </p>
<p>Yale admission officer Nicholas Strohl, a Yale alumnus, was talking about Yale's curriculum when I got into the room. He said that Yale is between the two extremes of a curriculum with no requirements whatever, in which students can take whatever courses they like, and a curriculum with common required courses for all students. He said that at Yale students select courses according to their interests from a few broad areas required of all students. He was a history major and didn't want to take a lot of math and science courses. He did have to take some (nonmathematical) science courses to fulfill Yale degree requirements, and said that Yale has many accessible math and science courses for students who don't plan to major in those subjects. He took an elective course in astrophysics that was quite interesting. He also took a lot of elective courses in economics, a subject he likes. </p>
<p>Yale's requirement for graduation is to take 36 courses over eight semesters. Of those, 12 courses must be in the student's major subject. About 15 percent of Yale students double-major. Even more could, except many Yale students take such a wide assortment of elective courses they never accumulate the courses for a second major. Some as-if doubled single major subjects are already set up at Yale, for example economics and math, or physics and philosophy. If an interdisciplinary major that you would like isn't already set up, you can request an individualized interdisciplinary program. Mr. Strohl knows a student who is studying what she calls "nanoscience," a combination of courses from several different departments. Yale has no preprofessional majors as such, so there isn't a major called "prelaw" or one called "premed" nor is there a business major. But Yale studies can lead to professional school, so Mr. Strohl knows a theater studies major who went to medical school, and students with other majors who went to law school, and there is preprofessional advising at Yale. Mr. Strohl says Yale's liberal arts education makes you an "engineer plus" or a "doctor plus" and more attractive to employers. </p>
<p>Study abroad is promoted vigorously; Yale President Levin would like to see 100 percent of Yale students have some sort of international experience before they graduate, whether that is traditional study abroad, intensive language study, or personal travel abroad. Yale has campuses in London and in Beijing where Yale students may take regular Yale courses. The most common form of studying abroad for Yale students is studying somewhere overseas during a summer. These programs can be student-designed and Yale-supported. For example, one student wanted to practice Buddhist monastic life in Taiwan, and he was able to fly to Taiwan and spend a summer in a monastery there with Yale funding. Another student wanted to do historical research on the development of pub culture in Ireland (!) and he spent a whole summer traveling to pubs in northern Ireland and the Irish Republic and then returned to Yale to write his senior thesis on his chosen topic. Funding for that travel--and presumably for a lot of beer--came from Yale's history department. </p>
<p>Mr. Strohl then took questions on academic life at Yale. </p>
<p>Student: How can one take a class not in the Yale catalog?
A: Find a professor, maybe do a directed study in that area. The residential colleges [about which there is more below] can sponsor a teacher, for example on the subject of TV comedy writing. It's possible to take many classes at Yale that don't appear in the catalog.
Student: Can one triple major?
A: It's theoretically possible. There are sometimes overlaps among required courses for majors, making double majors take less than 24 courses. Many students take a variety of elective courses.
There are no official minors, but you can list on your resume what courses you took. Mr. Strohl was a history major and applied for a job as a history teacher. He was hired in part because of his many elective courses in economics, and ended up teaching more AP economics courses than history courses at that school.
Student: Are there internships abroad?
A: Yale has a study and travel office that helps students find overseas opportunities. Yale alumni have formed Bulldog clubs all over the world that love to help alumni network to hire students for paid internships over the summer.
Student: How many courses do students take each semester?
A: One must take 36 courses over eight semesters, so basically 9 courses per year. Taking 4 a semester is easy; 5 is doable; some students take 6.
But Yale students are very active in extracurricular activities. The saying at Yale is "Don't let your classes get in the way of your education."
Parent: Can a student defer admission?
A: Generally, one can routinely defer enrollment for a year. Ask if you need to defer for longer, explaining the reason.
Parent: Can a student get a leave of absence?
A: Sure. You can take a leave for a semester or for a year. The directors of a Yale choral group typically take a whole year off to plan the group's foreign travel schedule. You take your courses in eight semesters, so you can't take really light loads of just one or two classes per semester. Of all Yale students, 94 percent graduate in four years, and 96 percent in six years.
Student: Can high school students who have studied college courses transfer their credits to Yale? Does Yale except PSEO [dual-enrollment] credits? [This is the single most frequently asked question at Minnesota college meetings. It gets asked EVERY time.]
A: Yale doesn't accept credits from other colleges. AP test scores or IB test scores can be used to gain "acceleration credits" that allow a student to graduate early. Most students who could graduate early choose not to. You're not going to run out of challenges. Yale is stingy with outside credit, but you can always take a more challenging class. You are free to take harder courses.
Student: What AP scores get [acceleration] credit?
A: 4s or 5s.
Q:
A: Most majors require a senior thesis.
Student: How popular is engineering?
A: Yale is thought of as an arts and humanities college, so not as many would-be engineers apply, but when they are admitted, they find they have a good ratio of students to professors, and get lots of one-on-one attention from the engineering progressors. Freshmen can work in research labs.
Yale is building the Malone Center, a major new science building. It has just bought the $100 million former Bayer company facility near the Yale campus, saving considerable time in expanding research space for Yale students. </p>
<p>The Mr. Strohl began speaking about residential life at Yale. Yale alumni look back most fondly on their experiences outside of class. Yale's residential colleges define the Yale experience. </p>
<p>It used to be really hard to explain what Yale's residential colleges are like, but now everyone knows about Harry Potter, so we can say that Yale is like Hogwarts, and the residential colleges are like the various houses at Hogwarts. Yale's 5,300 undergraduates have a home within a home, as there are twelve residential colleges each with about 400 or 500 students. A student's Yale diploma is actually handed to the student during a ceremony at the student's own college. </p>
<p>The residential colleges are a way to make things more personal. Each college is a cross-section of the student body. If, for example, Yale enrolled twelve students from Alaska one year, probably each one would be assigned to a different college. Athletes, art majors, and all other kinds of students are mixed among all the colleges. College friends are different from you; you live with them, you dine with them, and some become your best friends. If you ask twelve different Yale students which residential college is the best, you'll get twelve different answers, but Berkeley College is the best. :)
Parent: What about Skull and Bones?
A: The senior societies are something distinct from the residential colleges to which all Yale students belong. They are not a big part of college life.
Student: What's the different between a residential college and an ordinary dorm?
A: The residential colleges are living spaces, but they also have dining facilities, and recreational facilities, some of which are unique to each college. Each college has a master, who has a budget for activities. You might take a ski trip with other students from your college at the college's expense, or go to the theater in New York City.
Yale students must live on campus for two years. About 87 percent live on campus all four years.
Your residential college master is not the same as your major advisor, but the master checks up on your academic progress and signs your registration forms.
Student: Can students from one college use the facilities of another?
A: You can use them all. "We just approved intercollege dating." [laughter from audience] Many colleges have special events called master's teas, in which some celebrity may visit a small group of students for tea and crumpets, and in those cases sign-up priority is for students in the particular college hosting the event, but it is possible to meet many famous people in master's teas at other colleges. Meryl Streep is a fellow of Berkeley College.
Student: What percent of students are international students?
A: About 10 percent.
Student: What's the process for starting student clubs?
A: Yale will give you money. Some examples of clubs are </p>
<p>The Antigravity Society (a club that juggles with flaming torches, or anvils, or other unlikely objects). </p>
<p>The Free-Style Dueling Society (which uses plastic swords to set up sword fights on campus). </p>
<p>The David and Lauren Society, which sponsors parties which you can attend if a) you are named "David" or "Lauren"; b) you know someone named David or Lauren; or c) you would like to meet someone named David or Lauren. </p>
<p>Student: Is it easy to start a club?
A: Two students and an idea gets $500.
Student: Are there fraternities?
A: There are three fraternities and three sororities. They are not a big part of campus life. All fraternity and sorority parties are open to nonmembers. Greek life is largely outside of Yale policies. Yale neither discourages nor encourages Greek societies. The residential colleges fulfill many of the same social functions.
Student: How is the food?
A: Berkeley College was visited by the Wall Street Journal food editor, who wanted to learn about the college's new menu featuring all organic products and emphasizing locally grown food. People are surprised how good the food is.
Student: How are students selected for each college?
A: [joking] They use the magic hat [from the Harry Potter books]. The process is designed to keep students from grouping together with similar students. You can petition to join the same college your parent or grandparent belonged to, and you can petition NOT to be in the same college as your sibling, but that's it. </p>
<p>Then Mr. Strohl turned the subject to admission and financial aid. </p>
<p>Yale has a nonbinding early action round in its admission process. You can apply by November 1, get a response by December 15, but don't have to reply to Yale to accept an offer of admission until the following May 15. You can compare offers of financial aid from different colleges. Note that other colleges have a BINDING early decision round. Yale's early action round is a single-choice early action (SCEA) program. Yale requires that you don't apply early to any other early action or early decision college. But you can apply to as many colleges as you like during the regular decision round, and you may apply to "rolling admission" colleges (typically state universities) and to scholarship programs according to their deadlines.
People notice that the base admission rate is higher for the early action round than for the regular admission round. Yale says this is because there are stronger applicants in the early round (students who have already compiled a strong academic record by the end of junior year of high school) and because all recruiting of athletes is done in the early round. Yale doesn't bump you into the college if you apply early and are on the edge; maybe some other colleges do.
Student: Do you require SAT II tests?
A: Yale requires either
a) the current SAT I and two SAT II tests,
or
b) the ACT with writing.
What students submit depends on what state they live in. Yale has no preference for either test.
Parent: The number of applicants?
A: 20,000 applications.
1,900 acceptances, for an overall acceptance rate of about 9 percent.
All applications are reviewed holistically and contextually. There are two readers for every application. All final decisions are made by committees. Yale does not presort applications. Yale does not make up its own common GPA scale. Yale looks at each school according to its context.
First Yale looks at academic factors, because it is an academic institution. The transcript is the most important element of the application. The admission officers look at the high school program and to what degree you challenge yourself. A rigorous, challenging high school program is given more weight in the admission process than test scores.
Yale gets more qualified applicants than it can take. Yale estimates that 15,000 of the applicants are academically qualified to be admitted, so decisions go beyond academics. There is no secret combination of extracurricular activities to gain admission. Do what's satisfying to you.
Residential college deans sit on admission committees, because they are looking for applicants who will be members of a residential community. </p>
<p>Mr. Strohl said, "Here's some free advice, which is rare for college admission. If Yale appeals to you, apply, but have a sensible list of colleges to apply to, so you can surely get into three to five of them, even if you can't get into another three to five of them. Close your eyes and daydream about what it would be like to be a student at each college. If you can't imagine being happy there, don't apply to that college. If, God forbid, you are only admitted to one college, make sure it's one you'd be glad to go to. Leave yourself with good choices."
Parent: Does Yale require interviews?
A: We attempt to offer interviews to all applicants. Once you submit your contact information, our alumni network finds someone to interview you. The alumnus receives no information about you except what high school you go to and your contact information. The interview is a fresh look at the applicant to get at what kind of person the applicant is. And students can use the interviews to learn about Yale. Don't worry if an interview isn't scheduled for you.
Student: Do you require letters of recommendation?
A: Two recommendations are required, from academic teachers. If someone else knows you well, you may submit a supplemental recommendation in addition to the two academic recommendations.
Student: Supplemental materials?
A: Yale only has a system for evaluating art and music materials, which are routed to professors in related departments. Yale has no system for evaluating science papers or the like.
Student: What does Yale think about home educated students?
A: We have applications from homeschoolers every year, and we accept some every year. I don't have numbers about that. You might have to explain your homeschooling program in a way that corresponds to a high school counselor's school profile. We're interested in knowing about your learning program.
Parent: You mentioned the vigorous promotion of going abroad. If a high school student is living abroad as he applies, is that good?
A: We are interested in what students have done. If you can't go abroad, that's not bad.
Parent: How are regular courses compared to honors courses? If my daughter is taking honors [name of subject], but only gets a B, is that a disadvantage compared to taking regular [name of subject]?
A: Challenge yourself to a reasonable extent. [Both my son and I, talking about this parent question afterwards, reflected that the parent who asked the question probably hasn't considered how many young people her daughter's age pursue the same extracurricular activities she does, unrelated to that subject, but study that subject at the AP level.]
Parent: So a B+ grade doesn't automatically exclude a student from Yale?
A: We're not looking for perfection. We don't take a lot of students with perfect transcripts and do take a lot of students with imperfect transcripts.
Q:
A: Get your application in as early as possible, as that allows checking online whether or not it is complete.
Parent: Is getting a Yale undergraduate degree an advantage for getting into Yale graduate school? [The parent probably really meant "professional school."]
A: There is no feeder system, but it could be an advantage. Yale has 94 percent medical school placement, compared to a nationwide figure of 37 percent.
Parent: Does a student have to audition to be a theater major?
A: Just a few majors have special admission requirements, for example architecture--which is a rare undergraduate major. You are eligible for almost all majors just by being admitted to Yale.
Student: Can nondrama majors participate in plays?
A: Yes, there are many opportunities to perform.
Student: Can a student deferred after the early round send in more application materials?
A: [after explanation of "admit," "defer," and "deny."] Yes, we want you to send in more materials. Being deferred means we are interested in you and want to know more.
Parent: Does Yale have five-year M.A. programs?
A: Yes, it has some five-year M.A. programs. </p>
<p>Then Mr. Strohl turned the topic to financial aid (which I was surprised took so long to come up). </p>
<p>Yale provides NEED-BASED financial aid, and there is NO upper limit on the number of students who may receive it; in fact, we are searching for more students who need aid to admit. </p>
<p>Yale has a list price for tuition, room, board, and incidental expenses. We calculate what your family can pay. We fill the gap--with no loans, only grants. There is a family contribution for some families, and a student contribution for all students. Students can fulfill their $4,400 student contribution through part-time work (and Yale's minimum wage is $11.20 per hour, the highest in the country for student jobs) or through outside scholarship awards, or through taking out student loans. The typical Yale graduate has only $15,000 in debt, a manageable amount, for an education with a list price of almost $200,000. For families with joint incomes under $45,000, there is NO expected family contribution, and the family contribution is sharply reduced for incomes under $60,000. </p>
<p>Do any of the current Yale students here have any comments on this? </p>
<p>Are any of you expecting to attend Yale meetings in your town? </p>
<p><a href="http://admissions.yale.edu/events/%5B/url%5D">http://admissions.yale.edu/events/</a></p>
<p>I second the don't-panic assurance for non-science majors. There is a group of courses that fulfill quantitative reasoning and science requirements, yet without prerequisite, and without any dumbing-down. For example, this year's shopping for me included an intro computer programming class where the pace was fast and the assignments interesting, yet you'd be fine with some dusty algebra to successfully get through it and come out with actual programming skill.</p>
<p>The double-major thing is easily done, and seems popular. When I checked in with my department advisor (the people to talk to about your major), she suggested I do a "joint" program to better get at what I actually wanted to do within the field. She'd laid out a complete B.A. plan for me within ten or so minutes. Yes, it's extremely easy to customize your education here.</p>
<p>Seconded on the Harry Potter. Especially if you live in one of the prettier residential colleges (errrhm, like mine). It sounded very abstract before I got here, and I kept thinking nobody could really base that much of a community feeling around just sharing the same dining space and event budget - but your college becomes your social homebase, pretty much. You get to know people quicker and there's a guaranteed bumping-in rate, intra-college rumor spreads faster, and the competition between the houses makes sure you'll always be involved in trying to make YOUR hoods the one with the most fun. Even people that live in the temporary housing at swing space feel that magical pull of community. I wish he would have mentioned the compact size of the campus at this point as well, because it really does make a difference in keeping the residential college thing fun rather than inbred - the fact it's never more than 5 minutes away from all the other colleges makes sure you never feel like you're stuck in an isolated bubble.</p>
<p>Yeah, getting involved in drama, juggling or bagpiping will be no problem whatsoever at Yale, I promise. There are five different improv comedy groups and fifty thousand closely related ones - I don't really understand how such a small campus can have so many of them, but they exist and are very active and visible. Same goes for publications to get involved in, etc. And speaking of random craziness: this is a school where it's possible to take a class on "the history of shopping", chinese gongplaying, magic, etc etc. Yale challenges you, but that doesn't mean it won't let you have ridiculous amounts of fun in the process.</p>
<p>The only thing I'd like to add to this is that, well, financial aid - not really what they're trying to hype it up as. It IS extremely generous, and especially for us international students it's crazy generous, but it's just not true that a combined income of $45000 or even $35000 equals a fully free ride. They arrive at this number and thus the EFC by taking into account all of those mysterious intangibles my fiscally challenged brain can't identify (property in the form of cars, houses, etc, I'm guessing). People are shy about talking money, but this is important stuff: I'm from a family below $45000, with no house ownership, and no previous savings to cover college for either me or my sibling. I still have a combined EFC of around $9000 per semester, which I luckily can cover myself through loans and a job. Again, this is still extremely generous, far more so than any of the other offers I got and in no way impossible to pull off - finding on-campus employment is easy and very well-paid: and for all the resources you get access to, it's one of the best investments you can make. I also found the finaid people incredibly reasonable, helpful and willing to adjust the pricetag down to a for us doable level.</p>
<p>I say this because I don't want people to be surprised and discouraged by the actual EFC. I just wish they'd be a little more upfront about the finaid so my mom didn't have to get a Yale-induced heart attack twice :) </p>
<p>From someone that came here a month ago trying not to expect anything - Yale really is everything they say, and far beyond words. It's engaging, it's fun, it's intense, it's chill, and it doesn't take itself too seriously even though it's in the thick of the ivy league creme de la creme.</p>
<p>
[quote]
From someone that came here a month ago trying not to expect anything - Yale really is everything they say, and far beyond words. It's engaging, it's fun, it's intense, it's chill, and it doesn't take itself too seriously even though it's in the thick of the ivy league creme de la creme.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply.</p>
<p>frrrph--I am delighted to hear such a positive report from you!</p>
<p>Hi, AdmissionsAddict, are you a parent or a student? Is Yale on the list for this year?</p>
<p>tokenadult--I'm a passionate alum and longtime alumni interviewer who started lurking on this site several years ago to see what was being said about my alma mater. I finally registered and started posting a couple years ago because the inaccurate information about alumni interviewing in particular and the admissions process at Yale in general was driving me batty.</p>
<p>I can definitely understand that dedication of yours now. The sense of community this school inspires is incredible.</p>
<p>tokenadult, thanks so very much for your report. My d just returned from a visit to Yale, which I wasn't invited on :) and I suspect she heard many of the things you relayed, but a lot of this didn't come up at our dinner table this week. At least not in the detail you provided. We live off the beaten path, so may not get a chance to meet a rep. </p>
<p>Question: The EA deadline is soon. Are all EA alumni interviews conducted in November? Does Yale attempt to interview all EA applicants? </p>
<p>Also, thanks to frrrph. Your enthusiasm is contagious!</p>
<p>riverrunner--Most alumni interviews will happen in November, some may happen in early December. </p>
<p>Different states and regions have different policies for alumni interviews. Alumni interviews are run by alumni volunteers, called ASC directors, who assign interviews within their regions (less populous states will be a single region, states like NY and CA will be broken into multiple regions). In my region, every applicant is offered an opportunity to interview. Some applicants decline. Applicants in less populous parts of the state have to travel for alumni interviews. From what I've read on CC, in other regions alumni interviewers are assigned to particular high schools and if your high school isn't covered, you're out of luck. I'm not a fan of this system, but I have no control over how ASC directors outside my region do their job. One reason why not everyone gets an interview in my region is when people do not accept the offer to interview until late in the day and there are no interviewers left. This year it may be hard to get all EA applicants interviewed because there will likely be a ton of people to be interviewed in a very short period of time and not enough volunteer hours available to cover everyone. Remember, the vast majority of alumni are not interviewers, so even if there are tons of alums in your area there may not be tons of interviewers.</p>
<p>Finally, Yale processes the names of applicants to the ASC directors in the batches that reflect when the applications were received. It seems like it takes a week or so after an application has been received for the info to be processed to the ASC director. One reason to get your application in early is to ensure that your ASC director gets your name early and, presumably, sets out to find an interviewer for you early.</p>
<p>If you have not been contacted about an alumni interview 3 weeks after you have submitted your application (I'd say 5 weeks for RD), I'd call Yale and ask for your ASC director's contact info. Please remember that these folks are volunteers with careers and family obligations and that they do the best they can.</p>
<p>Thanks for the description of the Yale interview process.</p>
<p>thank you for sharing the info.</p>
<p>Thanks for the description of the Yale interview process.</p>
<p>it was great to read this...
I hope s much every day to get in here!</p>
<p>admissions addict, another question.</p>
<p>Do recruited athletes have alumni interviews or are the conversations and meetings during the visit with coaches, current students, etc. considered to be the "interview"?
Thanks very much.</p>
<p>There is a Yale Information Session coming to our city soon. Can anyone tell me if the Assistant Director of Admissions who runs the session is also the person likely to read the applications from that region? Further, is a record made of who attends? Also, if circumstances allow, is this considered a good opportunity for a prospective student to introduce himself, and make some sort of positive impression on the rep? </p>
<p>We attended an evening hosted by Columbia/Cornell and others a month ago, and there really wasn't time or opportunity to connect, and the impression we had was that the presenters were marketing schools, not interviewing students. Same for these Yale visits?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>
[quote]
Also, if circumstances allow, is this considered a good opportunity for a prospective student to introduce himself, and make some sort of positive impression on the rep?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The best way to make a positive impression is to R.S.V.P. for the meeting, show up, and listen politely. I didn't stay for any one-on-one interaction that happened at the very end of the Yale meeting I attended, but it's possible a student would be remembered who asks some thoughtful questions that show the student did some research beforehand. </p>
<p>Yes, these meetings are to tell groups about the college, not to evaluate students individually. You do NOT need to bring a "brag sheet"--trying to show one to the admission rep would probably make a bad impression, because regional info sessions are not the place for that. I'm pretty sure Yale representatives travel by docket, so the person you see may be reading your child's admission file later.</p>
<p>It almost always the admissions officer for your region who will give the presentation. At the recent presentation I attended, there was no sign in; Yale does not track demonstrated interest the way many other colleges do.</p>
<p>There is an opportunity to ask the admissions officer a quick question after the presentation. It is absolutely not an interview situation and I think it would be hard to do anything to make yourself stand out or be remembered. Yale has alumni interviews and on-campus interviews that are the times for evaluative interaction.</p>
<p>In general if it's an admissions officer, he/she is travelling to several dozen schools over several states. Given the number of interested students and likely apps, I don't think it's their focus to "keep tabs" on outstanding students (unlike other college reps whose job is to search for recruits sometimes).</p>
<p>As an alumni volunteer, I'm giving a session at my local HS tonite. Last year we had four admits (which is statistically crazy!). Although i give out my contact info and I receive some follow up questions, I don't keep tabs on anyone I meet.</p>