<p>Hmm... who knew "cushy" wouldn't go over too well? ;)</p>
<p>But "cuddly"? You guys really like cuddly?</p>
<p>My Yale interviewer talked for about twenty minutes about the differences between Yale and Princeton and one thing that he wouldn't stop talking about was how Princeton reminded him of Disneyworld because "it's so beautiful and sparkly and perfect and everyone there is happy," whereas at Yale "you can see reality right outside the campus gates." He said that if I wanted to go live in a sort of fantastical magic land where I would likely lose sight of what the real world is like, I should go to Princeton, but I guess I do have to be objective about his bias...;)</p>
<p>Cushy implies that the environment is easy on the kids. Cuddly implies that the institution takes care of the kids in a demanding environment, and that the kids take care of eachother.</p>
<p>Walk through campus. There are always kids calling out to eachother across courtyards, from one crisscrossing path to another.</p>
<p>And j07, the real world is what you make of it.</p>
<p>J07, yes, it’s certainly safe to say that your interviewer was a little biased, but then we Princetonians would be as well. I was accepted to Yale and Harvard and chose Princeton over both. </p>
<p>One might level this charge of “fantastical magic land” at both Cambridge and Princeton and it is true that neither is like New Haven. Crime in Princeton is virtually non-existent due to its suburban setting. On the other hand, it seems to me that your interviewer was working hard to make an asset out of a liability. Most Yale students do not consider New Haven to be a reason for attending their fine institution. At the same time, students at both Princeton and Harvard have plenty of “real world” experiences outside their gates. Trenton is about fifteen minutes away from Princeton and is as gritty and ‘real’ as an urban area gets. It is also host to many Princeton undergraduates performing service-related work. In fact, the “Urban Action” program for incoming students at Princeton bases most of its service programs in Trenton. Similarly, Harvard students have plenty of opportunities in South Boston and other nearby areas to see the tougher side of life in the city. </p>
<p>Students are, of course, free to take advantage of these opportunities as they wish at Princeton and Harvard…and at Yale, it’s possible to stay on campus and avoid the crime and other problems nearby. Believe me, you won’t “lose sight of what the real world is like” at either Princeton or Harvard. The difference is that at these places it’s a little less ‘in your face’ than at Yale. </p>
<p>Finally, it’s interesting to see that New Haven is actually improving. Crime is still a serious problem but there have been great advances in recent years in improving the appearance of the area around Yale. There is an article about it in today’s issue of the Yale Daily News, so perhaps this real world advantage of Yale that your interviewer was stressing is disappearing anyway! See: <a href="http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/20175%5B/url%5D">http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/20175</a></p>
<p>^^^ Good smart post. So... which is better, cushy or cuddly? I mean, if you had to choose. J/K :) </p>
<p>Cambridge (the one in England) strikes me as cushy, not that that's a bad thing. It was pretty seductive, actually ;)</p>
<p>Actually I would just like to say that Cambridge, MA isn't a whole lot better than New Haven, IMO.</p>
<p>Sorry if I came across sounding like I think I might lose sight of the real world at Princeton because I definitely don't think that. I think my Yale interviewer was a tad bit cynical, or perhaps just really set on persuading me to attend Yale by dissauding me from Princeton.</p>
<p>The real-world thing is such a load of crap, as if Yalies actually ever go out of their gated residential colleges and step one foot south of Rt. 34 in New Haven. I would say that in all seriousness, their claim that Yale gives you a more "real world" experience, which I guess means that Yale is in seedy New Haven with higher than average crime, is not something they should be advertising, unless they have an absolutely stellar Department of Urban Studies, which can be good even at schools that are NOT urban. I would say Yale and Princeton both suffer from a bubble effect, its just that Princeton's bubble is not in a city, and Yale's is. Its a poor argument that tries to pass off Yale as having a stronger "real world" experience, because the majority of Yalies and Princetonians have no idea what its like to even live...forget growing up... in an area thats been really overlooked by society, and will never know for the rest of their lives. </p>
<p>So Yalies think that going to Princeton is like being in a country-club? Maybe so, but I would say "master's tea" is hardly roughing it.</p>
<p>Just keep in mind... most people go to Yale despite New Haven, not because of it. The same is not true of Princeton.</p>