<p>This is a question for current/former Yale undergrad students…</p>
<p>I absolutely loved Yale when I visited it, and I know it’s amazing in what I want to study- Political Science. </p>
<p>However, I know that you have to take 36 classes, and that these are extremely rigorous and challenging! I want to be able to have some life outside studying, so is the academic pressure unbearable? especially in the 1st year? I know people eventually adjust, and that any college is academically a HUGE step from high school, but I don’t want to drown in my first year!</p>
<p>I’ve only been here for a week, so I don’t know how credible my opinion is going to be. However, think about it: kids got into Yale by literally doing EVERYTHING (academically and extracurricularly). It doesn’t just stop when they get to college. Instead, they do more with what they’re really passionate about rather than just random activities. </p>
<p>There’s something going on every night at Yale. There’s always a frat party, concert, show, suite party, or event that you can go to. There is never a dull moment. Going to Yale I don’t feel like I’m missing out on any of the plusses of a state school. I do have a lot of reading, but I’m also having a lot of fun. </p>
<p>Moral of the story: nothing is unbearable for a Yale student! mwuahaha!</p>
<p>A lot depends on your classes, but I’ve always heard from Yale students, the biggest complaint is the reading and very long papers…that said, they seem longer when you do them later. Many have told me (and I heard this from Cornell students also) that you really can’t do all the reading, but being a smart student, you learn what to read, what not, when to use spark notes, etc. and to read everywhere…just be careful when you are walking, I’ve seen a few incidents! : )
I know at my girls high school, juniors and seniors take Yale Intro classes, some got into more advanced classes when they showed that they had a good command of the class they were in (music theory was one) Most of them did well, some got C’s and couldn’t take another class without permission. C is passing, but since they aren’t Yale students and it’s free, they are held to a higher standard which I understand. Intro classes vary, but many students try to not have heavy reading/writing classes with another.
I like this program for high school because it does give students with higher scores a “peek” at the classes and I think that is great for helping to understand the rigor and intensity.
I’m sure, if yu got in, you would do fine and as the other poster said, there is so much to do, but you will not be thinking, “What looks good”, but what do I want to do.</p>
<p>I certainly wouldn’t characterize Y as a pressure cooker. We were admitted because we all showed superior academic accomplishment and we loved to learn. Inherently, we have lots of internal drive and hunger. But to say it’s a quantum leap above what we were already used to doing in HS? In general, no.</p>
<p>The biggest academic pressures we faced were ones we self imposed.</p>
<p>Do you think the 36-units graduation requirement give students some pressure? For science majors, it appears to me that many science labs seem to gave only 1/2 unit of credit and tend to comsume a lot of time.</p>
<p>Compared to some schools which give “real” credits (instead of acceleration credits, which just enable you to take a higher-level class if you do not graduate early) just based on AP test results and students may AP out some general education (distribution) requirements, Yale seems to be more rigorous to me. I guess this is the price to pay for going to such a school like Yale.</p>
<p>I was an econ/poli sci major and in hindsight, I could have taken a few more classes. I was just that motivated by Y’s offerings. Science majors still have remarkable flexibility in their schedules to take the whole breadth of the course catalog. In my (admittedly very narrow) experience, the “rigor” of Yale wasn’t Yale’s requirements of the students – the “rigor” was all self-made as we all were just drinking in all the fantastic class offerings. </p>
<p>One of the biggest regrets as a Yale undergrad? You gotta stop taking classes and graduate!</p>