Nerdiness at Yale

Mathinduction
Sun, 05 Apr 2015 02:42:41 +0000

Hi all,

I’m a prospective applicant to Yale and just had a quick question. I’ve visited Yale and definitely fell in love with it (everybody seemed so friendly, and it had a wonderful vibe). However, I had one slight concern which is whether it’s possible to find a nerdy culture at Yale. I’m a prospective math/physics double major (and if I got admitted would be very interested in the intensive sequences (math 230, physics 260, etc.)). I know Yale’s math/science departments are very good although quite a bit smaller than other places which is why I’m asking about whether there’s a nerdy student culture available.

I definitely would like to have people who are as invested in math/science as I am (and who would stay up until 3am with me working on problem sets). I know this kind of culture is probably more abundant at MIT/Caltech (which I’m also looking at applying to) but was wondering whether it’s also existent at Yale. Outside of academics, my interests are also very nerdy (my main loves outside of math/science are board/strategy games- especially ones like Settlers of Catan, Risk, Ticket to Ride, etc. and logic/brain puzzles). I am definitely on the more introverted end and would probably not be a frequent party-goer. While I definitely respect those who do want to spend their Friday nights out at a party, my ideal Friday night would consist of ordering pizza, staying up late playing Catan, and contemplating questions about the nature of the universe/reality until 2am.

So what do all of you think? I’m incredibly interested in Yale and sincerely hope that there is this kind of student. I definitely have struggled to find people I genuinely connect with in high school and probably made my best friends/connections during a summer math camp I attended. In choosing where to apply, I know I’ll have great opportunities in math/science at many places (especially at top schools like Yale) so am very interested in getting some glimpse as to whether there’s a student culture available where I could really find my place.

Thanks so much in advance for your help!