ok to talk about clubs/organizations in "why yale"?

whitecadillac · 10-25-2009, 11:07 AM

besides talking about academics, etc, is it ok to talk about what specific organizations at yale i'm interested in joining and why?

wjb · 10-25-2009, 11:16 AM

Absolutely. Yale is looking for students who will contribute to the vibrant campus community.

whitecadillac · 10-25-2009, 12:02 PM

great! that's what i was hoping. thanks!

whitecadillac · 10-31-2009, 09:28 PM

is it also ok to mention the residential college system?

like...is there anything off-limits for the "why yale"?

Demiitasse · 10-31-2009, 10:43 PM

Haha whitecadillac, just don't mention anything sketchy like staXXX or anything such as that :]

vicariousparent · 10-31-2009, 10:52 PM

Quote:

is there anything off-limits

I wouldn't really know, but I would guess:

prestige.
harvard.
usnewsandworldreport.
emma watson.

whitecadillac · 10-31-2009, 11:04 PM

haha. k, so the residential system is fine then?? cool, i might mention that.

also, are they looking more for specifics (like a particular class or prof you might wanna have) or general (residential college system, good ___ department, organizations, etc)? i'm guessing a little of both is fine?

rockermcr · 10-31-2009, 11:36 PM

Weeeellll, if you want to go to Yale because of a specific professor, write that. If you want to go because of a specific department, write that. You like the residential college system? Write that.

My answer was 85 words. That's hardly enough room for you to fully express what you love about a school as great as Yale (assuming, of course, that you do love the college). I'm fairly certain that going into more detail than what can be gleaned in the first 200 words of the Wikipedia page will pull you past the "this applicant is truly interested in Yale" threshold.

And yeah, words like "prestige" are automatically bad.

Hunt · 11-02-2009, 01:27 PM

Put yourself in the shoes of the application reader. What would you find believable and persuasive in this category? Personally, I would be skeptical about the mention of a particular class or professor unless it was something unusual (i.e., maybe if you want to be a music composer and can articulate why Yale's composition prof is the best for you). For me, I'd want to see something that shows either that you have well-thought out reasons for wanting to go there (i.e., Yale's English department focuses on blahblahblah, which is my area of interest), or that shows that you have something specific to contribute (i.e., I play my school's carriillon, and Yale's Guild of Carilloneurs is the most active on the East Coast).