<p>Here are links to an article from The Harvard Crimson from a few years ago: The Cult of Yale</p>
<p>The</a> Harvard Crimson :: Magazine :: The Cult of Yale
The</a> Harvard Crimson :: Magazine :: The Cult of Yale, Part II</p>
<p>This article confirms what I have been hearing from friends at both schools.</p>
<p>That more or less describes life 30 years ago, too. I went to some pretty good parties at Harvard (around Game weekend, when there were lots of Yalies around), but there was no question that Yalies were happier, friendlier, and had a less conflicted relationship with their university. And drank more, too much actually. Learning to say no was an important part of the experience.</p>
<p>Interesting. When I once had a Harvard interview, my interviewer complained about Harvard's social life, too (after I asked him WHAT the weakness of Harvard was).</p>
<p>Those articles are several years old, and I think Harvard students will tell you that the administration has taken measures to improve the social life for undergrads. I’ll let them address that. But I will say that last spring my son attended Admitted Students Days at H and BDD at Y, and ultimately chose Y. Even though Y had been his first choice from the beginning, the decision turned out to be surprisingly tough. Obviously, both institutions have much to recommend them, and some factors pointed to H. In the end, though, one of the main reasons he chose Yale was the whole social gestalt. He did NOT find that H students lived up to the uber-competitive/cutthroat stereotype; they were very nice. He did find, though, that H students – especially freshman boys – were somewhat flattened, and lacked enthusiasm for their experience, especially the social piece. He came away with the gut feeling that Yale students were just plain happier. For him, that mattered. </p>
<p>If you get into both schools, visit. For some students, that visit gives a clear answer. For others, like my son, it still may mean numerous follow up questions and hours sitting at the kitchen table reviewing lists of pros and cons. But in any event, a visit gives you valuable information.</p>
<p>I am an EA admit to Yale but have kept my Harvard application active. Can Harvard students comment on living in one of the Radcliffe houses? Is it like being in Siberia? Yale has spent a lot of money improving their residential colleges; are there plans to do the same at Harvard?</p>
<p>I'm a freshman at Harvard. I didn't apply to Yale and didn't expect to get in/ go to Harvard but somehow did.
I read a little bit of the first posted article, and indeed it is rather outdated. There is almost too much to do on campus. As for the Quad/ Radcliffe houses, there is definitely a lot going on there. I have a lot of friends up there and I really enjoy it, plus the shuttle system works very efficiently. Harvard has been working on a massive plan to improve housing (hence freezing transfer student admission). In the short time I've been here, I've loved it. I had no clue where I wanted to go this time last year, and am so glad I'm Harvard now.</p>