Yale University

Date: Mar 13 2008
Major: Chemistry (This Major's Salary over time)
I have been at Yale for nearly two years now and I couldn't be happier with my decision to attend. The campus is beautiful, the people are great, and no one can ask for better academics. To give some specifics:

Campus -

The campus is unbelievably beautiful, especially in the summer and fall. The buildings are gorgeous and the architecture is varied. I think it is much prettier than campuses with cookie-cutter buildings. The campus is big, but not overwhelmingly big. After returning from classes I never have to walk more than a block or two to get to evening review sessions or class sections. The only complaint I have about the campus is that the science majors have a small hike to get to their classes.

People -

Since Yale draws students from across the country, we have a really interesting mix of people. I love my suitemates. We stayed together from freshman year to sophomore year and we're probably going to stay together through junior year. Students are much more collaborative than you would expect. People are always very willing to share their notes or prepare for exams in groups. We all do want to make good grades, but we aren't willing to do it at the expense of others.

Weather -
I don't really appreciate the weather. It's cold and it's rainy, but it's on the east coast so it's what I expected.

Academics -

It's Yale, so you can't beat them. The libraries are incredible, especially the rare manuscripts libraries. I always feel like I have more opportunities for research, study abroad, etc. than I could possibly take advantage of. Every year we get dozens of emails about summer opportunities for research, internships, and trips abroad.

Extracurriculars -
I cannot imagine anyone having an interest they cannot continue to explore. We even have a juggling club.

Residential College System -

I love the college system. They are like dorms, but more inclusive. It's designed to give you a small college feel inside a larger university. Most of the freshman live together on one quad so they can get to know each other during the first year. Then all students split off to live in their respective colleges. Each college has a library, a hang-out area, and a dining hall. Most have gyms and other recreational spaces and they all have something extra, like a movie theater or a dance studio or a pottery studio (my college has all three)!

I love Yale!