<p>(This is originally from the Brown page, but I think we should have another perspective.)</p>
<p>I don't care about rankings and funding or whatever numbers they assign to colleges. What is the difference between campus atmospheres. My impressions are as follows:
Yale: Over achieving grade grubbers, albiet talented, got there because they worked for nothing more than to get in. Despite what they may say, they will continue with this mindset to get into the best grad school, and the campus atmosphere is one of competetive over-achievers pushing one another to get the highest grade or leadership position.
Brown: People who genuinely want to learn, but maybe not that "academically focused." Party more, hang out more, and generally less competetive. While this sounds great, it might not be enough to keep someone working and that person could consequently slack off and coast through pass/fail humanities courses.</p>
<p>How accurate/inaccurate do you find these impressions?
Any other thoughts?</p>
<p>Maybe if you want some help, you should use terms that aren't so obviously biased. They discourage people from wanting to respond.</p>
<p>That said, I think that your Yale and Brown comparisons are slightly off. One thing that I think is hilarious is that everyone (people at my prep included) seem to think that Brown is this great equalizer. They seem to forget that Brown was the last Ivy to turn need blind (I think, could be wrong) and has a disproportionately high income distribtuion amongst its students. I just wanted to clear that up.</p>
<p>Moving along, I think that Brown and Yale are actually more similar in terms of student bodies than other Ivys. Brown is notorious for having a laid back student body which, according to my friends who go there, is true. Yale is considered to have a less pressure cooker environment as compared to say Harvard or Cornell. Again, these aren't quanitfiable things, so someone else might have a complete different opinion. In terms of politics, I think they both have a lot of liberals and a lot of political action on campus, with Brown probably having a little more. In terms of parties, I'd say they're about equal. I've been to some at both, and they were pretty comparable, except that maybe the party at Brown had more mind altering substances. I don't know enough about pass/fail to make a comment about that. </p>
<p>Basically, both are great schools. If you're a social person, you will have social opportunities at either. I'd suggest you probably just apply to Brown though, because that seems to be your (obvious) first choice.</p>
<p>The Yale characterization doesn't fit at all. Energetic, enthusiastic, even academically driven (there are some), but competitve with one another, no. Good grades are not that hard to come by at Yale if you work reasonably hard - no need for a super competitive attitude. I think what characterizes the Yale student is what might be called "lust for life." Whatever there interest may be, they are in it all the way.
Committed. Focused - but not because the are grubbiing for grades. They LOVE what theyr'e doing. I can say that about every student I've met (which is a considerable number over the last two years.) They are really into what they do, and very excited if you are also into what they do. They would succeed in their field with or without Yale, because of their passion.</p>
<p>Rereading this, my post seemed horribly biased toward Brown. Yale has been my first choice for a while, but I just wanted to be a little extreme to make sure that I got solid opinions, and opinions for anyone else reading this. I would encourage everyone I unintentionally angered due to my Yale-deriding to post their experiences and impressions of Yale.</p>
<p>hey you're a tasper aren't you? i seem to remember the name. i'm also a tasper and also applying to yale. brown doesn't seem like the right place for me bc i have so many interests that id just get consumed by brown's open curriculum. now yale, they even have directed studies if you're into a core...</p>
<p>I see what you mean. I'm pretty much interested in everything too, but then again, we could explore those with a curriculum like Brown and probably find the right subject. Then again, without direction a lot of time could be wasted. I was at the U Mich tasp... yeah, blurblurblur seems oddly familiar.</p>
<p>hmm, i dont know why, but im a washu tasper. our little bridge of tasps didn't really work out haha, but here we are, connecting over the stress of college applications...</p>
<p>The characteristics that you just described about Yale are total rumors; that's Harvard. People here are modest, no one is competitive, everyone genuinely wants to help eachother out. Community life is huge on campus, people take care of you from the moment you step on campus and everyone from your residential college wisks your stuff to your room. (I moved my posters to my room, that was it). Everyone has worked hard in the past, but we all realize the gift that we've been given to be able to come here--we really just got lucky. Almost everyone here LOVES it, and mean I have never met so many people who truly adore where they are. I would really recommend visiting both schools if you are able to. We love getting pre-frosh. Sit in on some classes, go to a few parties (of which there are many), hang out, see which place really feels right. My Yale experience has been everyone wanting to learn, to support others learning, and to give you the best opprotunities that they possibly can. If you have any specific questions, just shoot.</p>
<p>Thanks, it seems I misdirected deserved Harvard descriptions to Yale.
Everything you said had discounted my qualms about Yale. I guess my specific question would be about the feel of the school. The stereotypes of Brown were of a noncompetetive, intellectual atmosphere, and that's something I really want. Also, I am not a partier by any means, but I can't speak for myself in the future, and don't want such an "upwardly mobile" student population like Harvard is supposed to have.<br>
What's it like having Residential colleges all four years? How much time is actually spent in classes/doing work? Are you free enough to take classes that you want (I know there are some distribution requirements, but how stringent are they)?<br>
Thanks</p>
<p>I am someone whose dream shcool forever was Brown I never even thought about getting into Yale. I was definitely not grade-grubbing and I didn't work speciifically to get here but I am so happy and I love it. The people are incredibly laid back and I'm so glad I chose to come here. Brown rocks but there's no way I could say no to Yale. A Brown representative even TOLD me to come to Yale. It was the right choice.</p>
<p>The residential colleges I think are the best thing at Yale. They are really the center of your community, but, unlike the eating clubs at Princeton, aren't exclusive. You have a home, but you are also welcome in all other colleges. I mainly eat, for example, in my college's dining hall, but I go to friend's dining halls and they come to mine. You're welcome at all master's teas and there are a lot of parties (drinking optional) in all of the different colleges. Also, it helps acclimate freshman year because rather than having 1300 random freshmen, there is an immediate bond and obligation of upperclassmen to welcome their new 110 kinsmen. Its like a family (in the best way). However, you are by no means limited to your college.
You can spend as much or as little time doing work, depending on what classes you take. A lecture class generally will only have a mid-term and a final, sometimes with loads of reading, sometimes without. Some english classes have you write a paper every week, others once a month. Another great thing about Yale is Shopping Period. The first two weeks of classes you can "shop" as many classes as you'd like and then after the two weeks decide which classes you really want to take. You have to keep up on all the work from every class you shop, but generally professors keep it light because they know everyone is shopping. Say you want to try something, but you don't know if you'd like it or not: shop the class. Say you realize you don't like the professor: its okay, its only shopping period. Say you realize you want to take a class the week after classes start: shop it. Shopping period is truly a wonderful invention.
1 class equals 1 credit, and most people take 4 or 5 credits a semester. To graduate you need 36 credits, which means generally you'll take 4 credits one semester and 5 the other each year. There are new distributional credits to the class of 2009 and after. They aren't very stringent, and are classes that you'd take normally. Between Freshmen and sophomore years you have to take a writing-intensive (not necessarily english) class, a quantitative reasoning class, and a foreign language. Over your time at Yale you also have to take a social science, humanitites, natural science, and a few others. While it all sounds like a lot is being dictated by the administration, its really not that bad. I didn't want to go to a school that told me what I have to learn, and this really isn't that. It allows you to try new things and not be overly focused on what you think you want to do. How do you know that your tastes might change and you'll find your true passion somewhere else? I think the distributional requirements are simply to make sure that there are well-rounded students, that they understand the world. Also, within each area, there are a mulitude of choices of classes. There are science courses that are writing-intensive, for example.
Hope that helps, any other questions?</p>
<p>you mischaracterize princeton's eating club system. fully half of the clubs are non-selective, and employ a "sign-in" procedure whereby interested sophomores can join simply by signing their name. for these clubs' parties, anyone with a princeton ID, freshmen included, can gain admission and dance and drink at no charge. as for the selective clubs, they are really not that "exclusive," beyond their admission procedures. an ID will again grant admission to many of their parties, and a guest pass from a club member will do the trick at any other. passes are easy to come by. bottom line: most princeton students have partied at all of the clubs, and many times. contrast this to yale, where only a select few students lucky enough to be deemed "tappable" by the senior elite ever see the inside of a secret society "tomb." perhaps it's just my personal opinion, but i believe the eating clubs to less "exclusive" than yale's secret societies, harvard's all-male final clubs, and every other university's greek system. apologies for the sidetrack.</p>
<p>the major flaw in your argument is that yale's secret societies do not in any way occupy even 1% of the social life of yalies. They do not throw parties, you can't eat in them, and save for 10% of seniors, you aren't a member nor do you know members in them. The comparison was made between residential colleges and eating clubs, a fair comparison since the two represent the major social and eating centers at each institution. Save for Berkely college, you don't need to sign into any college dining hall, you don't need a pass to attend a residential college party, and you don't have to bicker or pledge at 50% of the residential colleges to gain membership. They are, almost by definition, less pretentious than eating clubs - they're not CLUBS. And, they offer libraries for all night use, gyms, printing presses, studios, theaters, masters teas, tutoring, dean counseling, and professor interaction. No contest IMHO</p>
<p>some fair points. remember, however, that princeton also has residential colleges. they're all two-year colleges now, but by 2007, three of the six will be four-year colleges. i'd really characterize yale's as three-year colleges, because yalies don't live in their colleges until sophomore year. so perhaps the comparison should be half residential college vs. residential college, and half eating residential college vs. eating club. even the latter, though, i think is unfair, because the eating clubs throw parties virtually every thursday and saturday, while yale's residential colleges, at least so far as i understand, only host the occasional party. they don't function as nightclubs.</p>