Seriously, Kalorama??? Yale not a top-tier school? That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I happen to be at Yale visiting my daughter at this very moment. She's furiously working on a paper for a doctoral seminar she is enrolled in as a junior undergrad. Every thing about Yale is top-tier. Stanford is fine. I would argue Stanford, while fun, techy and sunny (I'm a Californian) is not as intellectual an environment as one will find at Yale. Stanford is also significantly more conservative (e.g., the Hoover Institute). Still, it's a fine institution so no need to bash Yale. That's just plain silly. And yes, Yalies are quite happy--the happiest, in fact (no worries--Stanford kids do pretty well too):
College Rankings 2011: Happiest Schools - The Daily Beast