Yale is a great place for an academic challenge and usually great socially, but it can be isolating for students from lower-income families due to the large number of extremely wealthy, boarding school/magnet school kids. The residential college system gives you a group of people to associate with, but is basically luck of the draw, and because the dorms are organized by entryway, there are few people on one floor, which keeps groups fairly small and close-knit. STEM majors are often discouraged due to harder courses and a lack of well-taught intro classes, especially in mathematics, but tend to bond over the walks to science hill, the never-ending stream of midterms, and the eccentric lecturers.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
If you are accepted, make sure it's the school and not just the name that you love (that goes for any school). Also, go to Bulldog Days if you can. I felt that Yale was the right fit for me when I visited, which is why I'm here now. If you decide to enroll, sign up for a pre-orientation program; it's a great way to start the semester with a group of friends and makes the transition so much easier while also giving you connections to upperclassmen. FOOT (Freshman Outdoor Orientation Trips) was one of my favorite Yale experiences!
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
Yale is hard, especially as a STEM major, but I love it. There are so many resources available and so many opportunities because Yale is one of the greatest research universities in the world. It's really easy to find work in a lab or make connections with incredible writers and artists, if you're a humanities person. I couldn't ask for more!
Describe the dorm life at your college.
Some people love the dorms, but if you don't click with your residential college, it can be hard. (There is the option of transferring to another residential college as a sophomore.) In my college, freshman year has all suites of 4 people, but sophomore year is all 6's, and junior and senior years are 3's,4's, and 5's, so it can be really difficult to stay with all your suitemates if the number doesn't quite work out. There is a ton of housing drama. Overall, the social scene is really nice, and the dorms themselves are beautiful - all hard wood floors and paneling, with large windows to let in light.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
Yale's food is way better than other cafeteria food. The desserts are incredible (hello, freshman 15) and there are special dinners each semester with really classy food. The freshman year holiday dinner was another highlight of my Yale experience. There's even a place where you can get bagels with lox (tons and tons of smoked salmon and capers!) every other Saturday!
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
It depends on what social scene you are into, but there's anything from frat parties to board games and friends watching Netflix. Toads is a dance club/bar/bonding experience that Yale students go to on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The social experience is really what you make of it, and for me has been much better as a sophomore that as a freshman, because people have relaxed about general drinking and party habits. There is a lot of alcohol consumption and very little regulation by Yale security or police.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
The financial aid at Yale cannot be matched. Paired with the incredible academic rigor, you won't find a school with better bang for the buck.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
The admissions office will tell you that Yale students touch the golden foot of a statue on Old Campus before tests for luck and allow you to take a picture doing so to give you luck for your application. We don't touch it, and you probably shouldn't either, judging by rumors of what some groups have put on the foot.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
High-achieving extroverts do really well at Yale, which can be daunting for introverts, since nearly every extracurricular requires an application and interview, an audition, or a tryout.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
You can pretty much do anything you want at Yale, as long as you're up to the process of getting into whatever activity you want to do. The admission process for some activities can be daunting, but I can't imagine what I'd do without the people from my teams, jobs, and clubs.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
I'm not involved in Greek life, but it can be a fun part of the social scene. Many athletes are involved in fraternities and sororities, and most of the fraternities are associated with a specific sport or two. They seem to be really supportive of their members, and I haven't heard anything about bad hazing or problems with sexual misconduct.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
As long as you have the common sense to bring friends with you when you go out at night and you stay within the Yale bubble (basically from the New Haven green to streets near Broadway and Popeyes/Alpha Delta Pizza), you won't have a problem. New Haven has a reputation as an unsafe city, but in my experience it's no different than other cities - it has it's bad parts, but mostly it's fine. All residential colleges require an ID to get into, so there aren't random people walking around and Yale students look out for each other. There is also a pretty large campus security presence and a lot of resources if you need a ride home or feel unsafe. I always feel safer if there is a guy in the group I'm out with as well.
Yale is a great place for an academic challenge and usually great socially, but it can be isolating for students from lower-income families due to the large number of extremely wealthy, boarding school/magnet school kids. The residential college system gives you a group of people to associate with, but is basically luck of the draw, and because the dorms are organized by entryway, there are few people on one floor, which keeps groups fairly small and close-knit. STEM majors are often discouraged due to harder courses and a lack of well-taught intro classes, especially in mathematics, but tend to bond over the walks to science hill, the never-ending stream of midterms, and the eccentric lecturers.
If you are accepted, make sure it's the school and not just the name that you love (that goes for any school). Also, go to Bulldog Days if you can. I felt that Yale was the right fit for me when I visited, which is why I'm here now. If you decide to enroll, sign up for a pre-orientation program; it's a great way to start the semester with a group of friends and makes the transition so much easier while also giving you connections to upperclassmen. FOOT (Freshman Outdoor Orientation Trips) was one of my favorite Yale experiences!
Yale is hard, especially as a STEM major, but I love it. There are so many resources available and so many opportunities because Yale is one of the greatest research universities in the world. It's really easy to find work in a lab or make connections with incredible writers and artists, if you're a humanities person. I couldn't ask for more!
Some people love the dorms, but if you don't click with your residential college, it can be hard. (There is the option of transferring to another residential college as a sophomore.) In my college, freshman year has all suites of 4 people, but sophomore year is all 6's, and junior and senior years are 3's,4's, and 5's, so it can be really difficult to stay with all your suitemates if the number doesn't quite work out. There is a ton of housing drama. Overall, the social scene is really nice, and the dorms themselves are beautiful - all hard wood floors and paneling, with large windows to let in light.
Yale's food is way better than other cafeteria food. The desserts are incredible (hello, freshman 15) and there are special dinners each semester with really classy food. The freshman year holiday dinner was another highlight of my Yale experience. There's even a place where you can get bagels with lox (tons and tons of smoked salmon and capers!) every other Saturday!
It depends on what social scene you are into, but there's anything from frat parties to board games and friends watching Netflix. Toads is a dance club/bar/bonding experience that Yale students go to on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The social experience is really what you make of it, and for me has been much better as a sophomore that as a freshman, because people have relaxed about general drinking and party habits. There is a lot of alcohol consumption and very little regulation by Yale security or police.
The financial aid at Yale cannot be matched. Paired with the incredible academic rigor, you won't find a school with better bang for the buck.
The admissions office will tell you that Yale students touch the golden foot of a statue on Old Campus before tests for luck and allow you to take a picture doing so to give you luck for your application. We don't touch it, and you probably shouldn't either, judging by rumors of what some groups have put on the foot.
High-achieving extroverts do really well at Yale, which can be daunting for introverts, since nearly every extracurricular requires an application and interview, an audition, or a tryout.
You can pretty much do anything you want at Yale, as long as you're up to the process of getting into whatever activity you want to do. The admission process for some activities can be daunting, but I can't imagine what I'd do without the people from my teams, jobs, and clubs.
I'm not involved in Greek life, but it can be a fun part of the social scene. Many athletes are involved in fraternities and sororities, and most of the fraternities are associated with a specific sport or two. They seem to be really supportive of their members, and I haven't heard anything about bad hazing or problems with sexual misconduct.
As long as you have the common sense to bring friends with you when you go out at night and you stay within the Yale bubble (basically from the New Haven green to streets near Broadway and Popeyes/Alpha Delta Pizza), you won't have a problem. New Haven has a reputation as an unsafe city, but in my experience it's no different than other cities - it has it's bad parts, but mostly it's fine. All residential colleges require an ID to get into, so there aren't random people walking around and Yale students look out for each other. There is also a pretty large campus security presence and a lot of resources if you need a ride home or feel unsafe. I always feel safer if there is a guy in the group I'm out with as well.