<p>
[quote]
But admitted students who are anxious for their residential college assignments, which will not come until this summer, can rest a little easier: Based on the results of a Yale Daily News poll sent last week to 5,183 undergraduates, of which 1,613 students responded, Yalies vary in their appraisal of the residential colleges, but overall satisfaction with their residential colleges had little relationship to their satisfaction with the Yale experience overall. In other words, a randomly chosen residential college will likely not determine the quality of your bright college years.</p>
<p>Still, some colleges fared better than others. Respondents from Davenport, Silliman and Berkeley colleges were the most satisfied with their residential colleges overall. When students asked which college they would transfer into if forced to choose one, Davenport and Silliman received the highest number of votes, with Jonathan Edwards College close behind. Morse and Ezra Stiles colleges scored lowest in both categories.
<p>So, I’m not in Morse or Stiles, but I think they’re awesome. While the residential colleges all have their pros and cons, the main reason why Morse and Stiles scored lowest is because Morse is being renovated and Stiles is the only college of the 12 that has not yet been renovated. If this poll were taken again in a few years, I’m confident that the stats would be very different. For example, from 2005-2007ish, Stiles won the Tyng Cup (the prize for getting the most points from intramural sports) three years in a row, so there’s clearly no lack of spirit there.</p>
<p>Really, you have nothing to worry about The residential college system is awesome.</p>
<p>Mmk I’m going to go now before I get “That’s Why I Chose Yale” stuck in my head again.</p>
<p>As a current student in Ezra Stiles, I have to admit I’m a little peeved by the “data” the YDN is presenting to prefrosh during Bulldog Days. Can we please reexamine the statistics cited in the article in question? </p>
<p>Let’s look at the areas in which Stiles ranked poorly:</p>
<ol>
<li>Courtyard: data invalid,* courtyard is being renovated next year.</li>
<li>Buttery: data invalid, buttery is being renovated next year.</li>
<li>Housing: data invalid, housing is being renovated next year.</li>
<li>Facilities/Gym: recognize a trend yet? STILES FACILITIES ARE BEING RENOVATED NEXT YEAR.</li>
</ol>
<p>*by “invalid” I mean “really doesn’t matter because by the time the prefrosh reading this article get here as actual students these things will be different, and also every other college has recently been (or is in the process of being) renovated”</p>
<p>How about the areas in which Stiles ranked well:</p>
<ol>
<li>Fellow Students: your college is (more or less) randomly assigned. If Stiles ranked well for fellow students, clearly we are doing something right.</li>
<li>Events: considering that Stiles and Morse have the least amount of money of all of the colleges, Stiles has some pretty sweet events, including:</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>College Master: ranked number 1!!!</li>
<li>College Spirit: top 3</li>
</ol>
<p>Point is, this survey is unscientific and frankly unrepresentative of the relative awesomeness of the various colleges. The parts of Stiles that suck will be gone by the time the majority of CC readers get here, while the parts that are awesome will remain constant (or get awesomer).</p>
<p>Uh, this ranking has been the same for probably … well, since Stiles & Morse were built. Many kids don’t want the architecture and some don’t want to be on that end of campus. They prefer the traditional colleges. That’s all. </p>
<p>I was just at Bulldog Days (as a parent) and was at Stiles for a panel discussion on Res. Colleges. Although I’d have to agree about the location and architecture (wouldn’t be my first choice of either), I was blown away by the students; the master and dean were also terrific. They were obviously very engaged and enthusiastic about their college and showed great pride in the community. I agree that the “dissatisfaction” is likely the physical part of the college, not the part that counts.</p>
<p>I hope you don’t mean that because it shows absolute ignorance of the aesthetic of the colleges and the work of one of the great modern architects, Eero Saarinen - who also did the hockey rink. Eero’s work, including Stiles and Morse, comes out of the work of his father, Eliel Saarinen, and Frank Lloyd Wright, and embodies many of their principles. The walkway between the two colleges is a unique space in America, clearly the best evocation of an Italian hill village. The way the dining hall entrances are covered is directly from Wright. </p>
<p>One may not love Stiles and Morse but one should be able to appreciate them.</p>
The residential college system is awesome.</p>