Yale University
Reviews

It Is What You Make It

It's easy to find guts, and sometimes difficult to get really good seminars. As with most large universities, it's hard to avoid taking a lecture at some point (especially in sciences), but there are often multiple levels of intro classes to accommodate students with different levels of preparation or interest. Seminars can be competitive to get into when the topic is popular, but there are enough classes available that overcrowding tends not to be a big problem in upper level classes (I have never been denied a seminar, so long as I stayed with it all through shopping period, but I know people who have.) The registration process SUCKS abysmally. It's important to have backup plans in case you can't get into a class (and often you don't know until two weeks into the term whether you are in), and shopping period is the worst kind of limbo for students and professors-- nobody knows who will end up in the class, or what the atmosphere, size, or sometimes even the final syllabus will look like. The class you see during shopping period is seldom the class you get stuck with for the rest of the term.

I have actually found the seminars at Yale a little disappointing. Professors are usually great (though sometimes it's easy to tell they are overworked and don't really have time for your class), but discussion can be a letdown. The 36 course requirement means that many people are taking 5 courses per semester, and there's a lot of pressure to take on an "above-average" extracurricular load, so without a "fifth class" (something a little lighter), it can be difficult to be thorough with all of your classes. This means that you often have to discuss books with very vocal people who only read analyses, peer review "drafts" that look more like short outlines, and tolerate incredibly vague, incorrect, but bombastic monologues about things that happened "all throughout history" or what makes something "so human." It's really frustrating to take a junior seminar (a core requirement for your major) with people who decide they just won't do several of the assignments, because they can still get away with a B if they don't turn in this or that. (Grade inflation, by the way, is a real thing. Easy to get away with a B in most classes. Credit-D is kind of like a sport for a lot of people: how low a grade can you get within the C- to A spectrum? It's actually really difficult to get something below a B in some classes.)

Grocery Store Is Far from Campus, Restaurants Not Bad

The main problem with off-campus eating is that the grocery store (Stop and Shop) is a bit of a hike. There is a weekly shuttle, and the walk is not unmanageable, but you can't just pop over in the middle of the night or anything like that. A lot of people who have the cash will resort to Gourmet Heaven, Durfee's, or restaurants near campus if they need quick food, but the cost adds up (it's exorbitant) and the selection is poor. Stop and Shop is a pretty standard grocery, and there are specialty places around if you're looking for something special (G-Heav has some stuff you can't get there, Hong Kong market has things that you can't get in the "ethnic foods" section, I've been told there's a Trader Joe's fairly close, there are a couple Hispanic food groceries farther out.)

I haven't had the chance to eat out very often, and it has almost always been at Asian places when I've gone. They seem good, though.

The stuff right next to campus (anything around Broadway and York) is usually very overpriced (G-Heav especially.) Ivy Noodle is okay and close, but the food is often really greasy. Dee Asian Kitchen is across the New Haven Green, and has really good boba and steam buns (both around $3.00, and both fairly filling even by themselves) as well as enormous bowls of soup or noodles for about $6.00 or $7.00. Basil, which is also fairly close to campus, has similar noodles and boba, but I think it's a little pricier and I'm not sure if they do to-go (and no steam buns or dim sum style stuff.) If you are looking for cheap and filling food at a restaurant, the falafel sandwiches at Mamoun's are great. We fed a group of 10 guys (who had not eaten for several hours) for under $40 dollars once, and everyone went away full.

I've been to a couple spendier sit-down places, though I tend not to do these often. I think Great Wall is the standard for Chinese food. There's definitely more variety and higher quality dishes, but it's definitely spendier than the places I mentioned above. I've also been to Bangkok Gardens, which has pretty good Thai food, but is also more expensive.

Toad's good, everything else not so much.

Toad's is the club that everyone on campus goes to. It can be fun (for foam parties for example). However, there are not really any other great clubs in the area since most of them are populated by townies. There have been a few shootings recently at the clubs on Crown Street, so I wouldn't want to go there too much.

Yale is not good at athletics.

We are good at a few preppy sports--squash, crew, etc. However, Yale is not really good at any of the main sports: Football, basketball, etc. Additionally, the administration does not really support athletics, so athletics are a rather small part of campus life. Jocks often hang out together, and rarely will you see anyone attend a football game except for Harvard-Yale.

Yale could definitely be safer.

New Haven already has some danger, so Yale is not the safest campus given that it is located in a sketchy city. Yale has also had some safety issues on campus these past few years: A few suicides, a murder, a machine shop accident, etc. So Yale could be better. That said, the Yale Police do a pretty good job of keeping campus and the immediately surrounding area relatively safe. Most of the muggings are graduate students who live off-campus.

Good professors

Yale has some great classes. In particular, I have really enjoyed the history, economics, and political science departments. However, the teachers in science/engineering/comp sci are less interesting overall. Yale is a good place to get a liberal arts education, but not a great place to be an engineer or get a practical education.

Yale's not perfect.

I have had a decent experience at Yale. I have had good classes, met interesting people, there is lots of money for free food/events, etc. Classes are generally rewarding. However, Yale is far from perfect even though it often pretends to be perfect (emphasis on the word "pretends"). Freshman here often love everything about Yale "because its Yale" but as you mature you begin to see the downsides more. In particular, people get caught up in the rat-race of grades, internships, etc and don't develop as much as complete people. Additionally, Yale somewhat instills a sense of entitlement in its students which disconnects them from others, and it is bad at teachings its students anything practical like science or engineering. And Yale has had a lot of public issues in my time here: Title IX lawsuit, murder, 5+ suicides, etc.

New England Weather: Traditional Fare

Quite gorgeous if you enjoy an acute sense of seasonal change. Fantastic colorful falls, somewhat oppressive winters, with gorgeous and rejuvenating springs to make up for it. Not as cloudy as some people think.

General Aesthetics

The combination of gothic architecture and efficient use of green space (trees, grass, etc) makes Yale both inherently aesthetically pleasing as well as welcoming and 'natural.'

Yale and New Haven?

Most Yale students don't interact with New Haven residents much on a regular basis. Some interactions come through service organizations, but a lot of Yale students keep to the Yale bubble. While it doesn't have the greatest reputation, the area of New Haven immediately surrounding Yale feels safe and is kept up well. The food is amazing (great pizza and Thai), but the shops can leave something to be desired. While we live in New Haven, you shouldn't ignore the accessibility of New York. Many students, especially upperclassmen, take day trips there on the weekends.

Transport

New Haven is a city. Cars are problematic on campus as there is no parking. Yale has a good bus system, but most kids walk where they need to go and it's totally doable. The trains are a great way to head to NY or DC.

Guys, Girls, Etc...

You will find a wide array of students from every walk of life and from all over the globe. There is no way to stereotype the student population here.

All in All

Yale is the perfect fit for me. The people are the biggest surprise. Everyone is nice, so helpful, sincere and smart. I feel really lucky to be a part of the Yale experience.

Dining Options

There are plenty of options. There are plenty of healthy choices, as well as comfort food. They do a good job trying to meet the needs of so many students.

So Much Variety!

Every facility you can imagine is available to you. There is a huge gym that provides exercise programs and classes for a fee (or you can just go with your friends and use the equipment). Every residential college also has a gym. There are numerous libraries on campus with a daunting number of books, and they are very nice places to study. The campus is absolutely beautiful and every student has access to amazing resources.

YALE IS AWESOME

If I lived 1,000 times, I would choose Yale every single time (provided I could get in each time). Everything is amazing.

I Just Started

I am only at the beginning of my major, but so far everything is excellent.

Cognitive Science

It's incredible! It's a very close-knit major and Yale has the best Cog Sci professors in the world. They are so open to helping students and so passionate about the topic. I leave my classes in shock and excitement every day and my goal in life is to work on research with one of my professors.

Good Nightlife.

There are parties everyday in campus, at frathouses, and at nightclubs around the area, which is a great outlet away from school every once in a while.

Amazing Classes

Classes are very interesting and intriguing. Professors have open office hours every week to meet with you one on one. Professors are some of the leading figures in their fields, so to be able to pick their brains is a great experience.

Fairly Lax

Campus police are quite relaxed when it comes to the rules. They are more concerned about student safety than anything else. Many students keep alcohol in their room. As long as you keep quiet about drinking, you probably won't get busted.

Diversity at Yale

Diversity at Yale is excellent. There are students from all over the world and you get to meet and interact freely with people with a totally different background from yourself. Yale is diverse when it comes to socioeconomic status, religion, sexual orientation, and political beliefs, not just race and ethnicity.

Don't Bring a Car!

It's very costly and unnecessary since there is so much public transportation (campus shuttles, buses, trains, etc). And there is not a lot of parking available!!!

15 Dining Halls, Salad Bars, Tons of Fruit, & Comfort Foods!

There are dining halls in every college that have a similar menu (though slight differences unique to each) and also three special dining halls with other options. It creates a very family-like atmosphere at dinner time when you can walk into your college dining hall and know everyone or another dining hall and know half the people or the largest Hogwart-esque dining hall and eat like a wizard!

Not a Big Deal

Most frats are uninteresting or unsavory, with some exceptions. Sororities don't have much of a presence.