<p>Hi, everyone, </p>
<p>This is a report on the Yale information session on Sunday 19 October 2008 at the Breck Chapel in Golden Valley, Minnesota. </p>
<p>We walked into the meeting place, familiar to us from other college meetings, and saw a table where picked up brochures about Yale in general and about Yale financial aid. After we sat down in the auditorium, an alumnus passed around sign-in sheets to catch up with the members of the audience who arrived before that was placed on the table in the entryway. There were many people in attendance, nearly all white or east Asian, noticeably different from other college meetings I have seen this year. </p>
<p>When the meeting began alumnus Tony Leung, who with alumnus Malcolm McDonald coordinates interviews in Minnesota and neighboring regions of other states, introduced himself. Then he introduced the speaker, Debra Johns, associate director of admissions. She is new to Yale but very experienced in college admissions. </p>
<p>Ms. Johns thanked the audience for coming to an indoor meeting on a fall day with gorgeous sunny weather and thanked the alumni for setting up the meeting and Breck School for hosting the meeting. She said she had represented Jesuit universities for years, is in her mid-forties, has worked in education for twenty-six years and has sixteens of experience in college admissions at six institutions. </p>
<p>She asked for a show of hands of how many students in the chapel auditorium were juniors. My son and the majority of students raised their hands. There were just a few freshmen and sophomores, and quite a few seniors. Some of the students had been on visits to the Yale campus. [From here first-person statements not in brackets will be those of Ms. Johns, either referring to her individually in the singular or to Yale collectively in the plural.] It’s easy to make a trip to visit Yale. I flew here through Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut, and from there it’s an easy two-hour trip. </p>
<p>I encourage students, rather than parents, to ask questions. I’ll speak about academic life, the residential college system at Yale, extracurricular activities, and admissions and financial aid, with some breaks in between to let you ask questions. </p>
<p>As for academic life, there are more than 75 majors at Yale College. There are about 5200 undergraduates on campus. There are also thirteen graduate and professional schools in Yale University for a total of about 11,000 students. You will walk among both undergraduate and graduate students at Yale every day of the week. </p>
<p>Many great teachers are available to undergraduates. Twelve undergraduates are taking a course with Tony Blair–you may have heard of him–who is teaching at Yale Divinity School. Hundreds of students applied to study with him. </p>
<p>There are more than 2,000 classes you can take. Usually you take from 36 to 41 classes to graduate, more if you are an engineering student. One-third of the classes are for distribution credits. Yale does not have a hard-core core curriculum because hundreds of courses meet distribution requirements. Students take one-third of their courses in their major. About 13 percent double major. You can also design your own major; there are no minors. One-third of courses are electives (possibly courses for a double major). Your undergraduate thesis is connected to your major subject. </p>
<p>75 percent of the classes have 25 students or fewer. 25 percent have less than ten students. Some courses are just one student and a professor–then you really have to be prepared for class. Less than 2 percent of classes have 100 students or more; if a class has more than 40 students, it splits into discussion groups. </p>
<p>My cousin-in-law studied at Yale in the 1990s. He liked shopping for classes. Yale has a course catalog, called the “Blue Book,” and students do “blue-booking” to plan for course shopping. A student might observe five or ten or even twenty classes during the shopping period. Shopping period allows good use of time in choosing classes. </p>
<p>Students get multiple sources of advice for choosing courses. Freshmen counselors, called “fro cos,” are very helpful. Residential college deans are also helpful. Three different advisers sign off on your schedule. You might ask, “What if I don’t get into a class?” Additional sections can open. </p>
<p>Yale is very student-centered in its academic experience. You can have access to Nobel Prize winners. There are many opportunities to study abroad at Yale with financial aid. Yale has overseas programs in London and Beijing. There are other study abroad programs in many countries [a long list of countries was read]. </p>
<p>Yale alumni, Bulldogs, set up internships in many parts of the world. The local Bulldogs can help you find housing as well as arrange an internship. Does anyone know the name of the Yale mascot bulldog. [A student answered, “Handsome Dan.”] We want our students to go abroad. </p>
<p>[The first question and answer break was about academic life.]</p>
<p>Student Q: Can you transfer credits from the University of Minnesota? [This is the question that most reliably comes up in EVERY college meeting in Minnesota, as several hundred students in Minnesota study at the state flagship university or other public colleges for part or all of eleventh and twelfth grade.] </p>
<p>A: College credit does not follow you to Yale. AP scores of 4 or 5 on specified tests, or IB scores of 6 or 7, can get you acceleration toward your degree at the end of your stay at Yale. Everyone starts as a first-year freshman. The policy on acceleration is clearly explained on the Yale website. You can graduate early, but most students want to be at Yale for four years. </p>
<p>Student Q: Is shopping period only for freshmen? </p>
<p>A: It’s the beginning of every semester. </p>
<p>Student Q: How competitive are Yale students with one another? </p>
<p>A: Once they get to campus, to use a word I learned from students and don’t use myself, they are “chill.” They are very grounded. My cousin and cousin-in-law who went to Yale are normal, very bright persons who are not obnoxious. Students and alumni are kind. Your Yale grade-point average is not computed until senior year. You get grades for your courses, but the overall G.P.A. isn’t calculated till then. Students get along very well. They are confident but humble. It’s cool to be smart, but you can also be very different from your classmates. There are students from 50 states, 70 countries, many students of color and many first-generation college students. </p>
<p>Student Q: How many students are there per adviser? </p>
<p>A: Less than ten, typically two to four. Each residential dean has about 400 students in his care, whom he gets to know very well. </p>
<p>As for residential colleges, they confused me at first. Each alumnus says that his residential college is best–is that right? [Agreement from all the alumni in the room.] There are now twelve residential colleges and there will be fourteen in 2013. Yale is not the only university with a residential college system, but it is a very distinctive part of life at Yale. The residential colleges are kind of like Harry Potter but without the sorting hat. The system has been in place more than eighty years. You are assigned to a residential college before you attend Yale. The best letter you get from Yale is the offer of admission, but you will also be very excited to receive the letter telling you what residential college you belong to. You will be received and helped to move in by members of your residential college when you arrive at Yale. </p>
<p>Ten out of twelve residential colleges are on the Old Campus. Each college is a community of about 400 students. Only about 10 to 12 percent of Yale students live off campus. You eat at your residential college all four years. </p>
<p>Yale has some planned social events. This year’s theme event is Screw Decision 2008, with references to the presidential or congressional elections. </p>
<p>Master’s teas in each residential college invite in famous speakers like Meryl Streep or Donna Dubinsky–do you know who she is? She developed the Palm Pilot. </p>
<p>Intramural sports are played through the residential college system. The Tyng Cup is a great honor. </p>
<p>Each residential college is a microcosm of Yale as a whole, with the full diversity of all the students. </p>
<p>[The second question and answer break was about the residential college system.]</p>
<p>Student Q: Is assignment to the residential colleges random? </p>
<p>A: For diversity, it is not wholly random. If you are the child of alumni, you can request to be in the same residential college as your ancestor. </p>
<p>Student Q: What’s the advantage of the residential college system? </p>
<p>A: Feeling part of a community, having a group of students you can relate to right away. </p>
<p>Student Q: Does each residential college have its own exercise area and dining? </p>
<p>A: Yes. And 40 percent of food at Yale is organic now. It’s really quite good. There is a sustainable food project. The dining areas look like dining rooms, with small tables, more than they look like dormitory cafeterias. </p>
<p>Student Q: Can you visit other residential colleges? </p>
<p>A: Yes, you can. I’m not sure how the I.D. card access, part of Yale security, works for that. You can have lunch at any residential college. There is also a dining area called The Commons, which looks like Hogwarts. </p>
<p>Student Q: Can you keep the same roommate all four years? </p>
<p>A: It’s up to you. You can keep the roommate with you in a suite all four years. </p>
<p>Student Q: How are students assigned to housing? </p>
<p>A: There is an extensive questionnaire. Take the survey seriously. </p>
<p>Student Q: Is there access to kitchens? </p>
<p>A: Yes, usually in the “buttery” of a residential college, which is like a snack bar. Each residential college has its own unique sandwich. Some of them have rather improbable combinations of ingredients, but the students like them because those sandwiches are their own. </p>
<p>Student Q: How many people live together? </p>
<p>A: A suite typically has five to seven students; it could be more. Each residential college has a website to show suite configurations. </p>
<p>As for extracurricular activities, there are more than 300 clubs. I won’t list them all now. The students at Yale are very active. There are many clubs related to arts and culture. </p>
<p>The half-time show by the Yale marching band is like a play. For example, one half time had a play based on “The Three Little Pigs” about the Three Lehmann Brothers. There is a snippet of a different Yale marching band act on the Yale website. </p>
<p>There are many singing groups. There is beautiful visual art in the Yale art gallery. The Yale Peabody Museum is a great museum of natural history. </p>
<p>There are thirty different publications to write for. The Yale Daily News is the oldest college daily in the country. Read the Yale Daily News for the heartbeat of Yale. </p>
<p>There are 47 club sports and 33 Division I varsity sports. There are great facilities, including the largest college gym in the United States. </p>
<p>[The third question and answer break was about extracurricular activities.] </p>
<p>Student Q: How are the libraries and computer labs? </p>
<p>A: There are twenty-two to twenty-six libraries, with three large ones. Sterling Library looks like a cathedral. Each residential college has its own library. Meinecke Rare Manuscript Library has a great collection. You can touch original documents. Cole Porter was a Yale grad, and there are great collections of music. </p>
<p>Parent Q: Are there fraternities and sororities? </p>
<p>A: They exist but are not active. They are off campus. About 10 percent of students participate. They don’t make or break your experience. </p>
<p>Student Q: Is Yale a wireless campus? </p>
<p>A: Yes. I’m still not sure about outdoor access. </p>
<p>[Ms. Johns advised everyone, especially seniors, to take a deep breath before discussing admissions.] </p>
<p>Here’s what you should know about Yale: we will look at you holistically; we will look at everything in your application. The transcript is very important–how much challenge you have provided yourself. Your context is always important. Some students have a family situation such that most of their activities are in their family. Standardized testing is the least important. </p>
<p>I loved the 4-H kids when I was at Marquette, or the FFA kids. </p>
<p>There are two ways to apply: </p>
<p>Single-choice early action (SCEA) with a deadline of November 1st. This precludes all other early applications except for the University of Michigan and rolling admissions with decision notification after January 1st. </p>
<p>Regular decision deadline is December 31st. </p>
<p>SCEA results are admit, defer to the regular round, or deny. </p>
<p>The regular decision deadline is December 31st, and the decision notification is April 1st, with results of admit, wait list, or deny. If waitlisted, don’t close that option. Yale admitted from the waitlist last year. </p>
<p>You let us know your choice of where to enroll by May 1st. </p>
<p>Admissions is an art but not a science. Have faith in yourself. We could choose two or three good classes of students to enroll in Yale from the applicants we see. Two numbers are important for applicants to Yale: There are 22,000 applicants for being one of the 1,320 students who enroll in a new class at Yale. Students tend to choose Yale if they are admitted. Last year 69 percent of those admitted chose Yale, the highest among the Ivies. Since so many admitted students enroll at Yale, the admission rate was 8.6 percent. </p>
<p>Things work out for a reason. Lots of students forget their first choice college after enrolling in the college they chose from those who did admit them. </p>
<p>[The fourth question and answer break was devoted to admissions.] </p>
<p>Parent Q: Is there a possibility of being inundated with applications in the SCEA round? Do you have to put a cap on the number of students admitted in that round? </p>
<p>A: There were 4,000 SCEA applications last year. We are very careful not to overadmit in SCEA, because there are many great applicants in the regular round. </p>
<p>We did an exhaustive study of SCEA. Students and counselors told us to keep it so students could show that they really like Yale. </p>
<p>Student Q: Do we send in the SAT or the ACT? </p>
<p>A: Either one; the ACT has to be with writing. We take your best section scores on the SAT, and your best composite score on the ACT–we don’t “superscore” the ACT. </p>
<p>Student Q: Do we have to send in AP test scores? </p>
<p>A: You don’t need to send them on an official report until after you enroll. You should self-report them on your application. </p>
<p>Parent Q: What are the admissions statistics from Minnesota? </p>
<p>Johns: I don’t have them at hand. There were about 100 to 150 applicants from Minnesota. </p>
<p>Tony Leung: There are about 150 to 200 applicants from Minnesota, western Wisconsin, eastern South Dakota, and North Dakota, our alumni interviewing region. The admission rate is like the national average. We have a strong yield. </p>
<p>As for financial aid, take the financial aid guide brochure; it explains financial aid. </p>
<p>I was at a meeting on campus where a financial aid officer said “Yale” should be spelled Y-I-A for “Yale Is Affordable.” Last year we added $24 million to the financial aid budget. For families with a family income below $60,000, there is no expected family contribution. For families with incomes from $60,000 to $120,000, the EFC on average is about 5 percent of income. For families with incomes from $120,000 to $200,000, the EFC is on average about 10 percent of income. This year’s financial aid budget is $86 million. 56 percent of the students are on financial aid. There are 800 students in the range below $60,000. 15 percent of the students are eligible for Pell grants. </p>
<p>Yale’s affordability brought me to Yale. The financial aid website has an online calculator to estimate your family’s financial aid, if you fill it out based on your most recent tax return. Or you can call or email the financial aid office. There are no merit scholarships at Yale. The average grant (we call our grant aid “scholarships”) is $37,000. </p>
<p>[There were a few final questions.] </p>
<p>Student Q: If we use an online application, how do our teachers do letters of recommendation? </p>
<p>A: We have instructions for how to mail them in; online letters of recommendation are possible if the teacher does ALL letters of recommendation that way. </p>
<p>Student Q: Do the libraries have leisure reading? </p>
<p>A: They do. </p>
<p>[Ms. Johns made a few final comments.] </p>
<p>Trust your instincts. Find the college that’s a good fit. </p>
<p>Yalies are diverse and curious, passionate about issues and very active on campus. </p>
<p>[Afterward my son and I waited for a turn to ask an individual question of Ms. Johns. My son asked about math research for undergraduates. Then we said hello to each of the alumni interview coordinators out in the entry hallway. It was a day of gorgeous weather, but we were glad to visit the Yale information session.]</p>