Columbia vs. Yale

Yuchentu
Sat, 10 Sep 2016 22:25:29 +0000

I just finished reading an older post on the topic from 6 years ago, as well as several “why Columbia” and “why Yale”, and I thought it was time for another discussion of this type.

I’m currently a senior that’s struggling with the decision of applying to Columbia ED or Yale REA after having visited both campuses. I prefer Columbia’s core curriculum/location a lot more than Yale’s counterparts, but everything else from student life, to campus/student body size, to overall atmosphere seems to be a lot nicer at Yale.

Columbia’s style of living intimidates me - the lines of singles down a long hallway are a long shot from the suite style , residential houses of Yale. My question is, do Columbia students ever feel isolated/lost in the student body, or locked into the closed campus style that Columbia has? Additionally, how is the stress load? After reading a lot of other posts, it seems Yale is much more laid back and less competitive; could anyone speak to this?

Any additional comments on Columbia atmosphere, or additional views from students that had to decide between Columbia and Yale would be greatly appreciated - Thank you so much for your time.