<p>Can someone explain the deal with the residential colleges to me please? It’s like dorms, right? The website says that you’re affiliated with your college for the whole 4 years, does that mean that you live there for 4 years, and there’s no opportunity to live off campus or in apartments with other students?</p>
<p>Benefits/disadvantages of residential colleges?</p>
<p>Residential colleges are pretty much a way for students to truly immerse themselves in the social life of their school. Each school has a variety of residential colleges, and each one has different social activities. Since you’re pretty much around students all the time, you’re kind of forced to interact with them and get to know people. They’re surefire way to make friends, and you don’t have to deal with the hassle of finding housing if you live too far away, since the school usually offers it to you for the first two years. On another note: living in the dorms is great location-wise, because you’re close to all your classes.</p>
<p>Most schools (not sure about Yale) offers housing for the first two years on campus, and then you move into school affiliated apartments afterward. Being affiliated with the school doesn’t mean you’re forced to be on campus for all four years. </p>
<p>Downside to residential colleges: roommates. The school chooses a roommate for you, based on both of your matching personal interests; however, that doesn’t guarantee you two will become best buddies (keep in mind you’re sharing a ROOM with this person, and this room is probably smaller than most people’s bathrooms). Also, at the school I want to apply to (UCSD) room and board adds an additional 9000 dollars to the cost of my education. You may be able to stay in some apartments nearby that are cheaper. </p>
<p>Keep in mind, dorms are optional.</p>
<p>Fantasticpsycho has no idea of how the residential college system funtions at Yale.</p>
<p>So you are assigned to a residential college when you are a freshman. You do not automatically live in the ACTUAL college/dorm house.
Portugueseninja, it is better than dorms. Freshman year is usually spent on Old Campus, a lovely place for me. When you are a second year, you would usually live int he ACTUAL College House. They are so unique and all very interesting. </p>
<p>The plan for each is different. Some are attached and I know one of them is divided into two buildings, with an underground connection. If you look at the typical Yale photo of the tall library, you will see that there is a green in the front. Below that is the connection. </p>
<p>You basically live in the same college house for the rest of your Yale years. It is a sort of apartment style living; you have rooms and courtyards and common rooms. The great part about it is that EVERY COLLEGE HOUSE has a gym, dining hall, and so many things that the average person needs to get outdoors to access. I guess that would be the downside. </p>
<p>Each of the college houses has a master and this is a professor. That is your mother or father for the rest of your years; he/she helps wih class selection and is a listening ear. Can you imagine a Nobel Prize Winner listening or speaking to you? That is Yale.</p>
<p>If I made mistakes, I gladly welcome corrections</p>
<p>Yale’s residential college system divides all the undergraduates into 12 groups. Each college is a cross-section (i.e., there is no athletic dorm). Almost everyone is randomly assigned to a college before arriving. Most freshmen live in freshman dorms on the Old Campus–but everyone in that dorm has been assigned to the same college (freshmen live in two of the colleges from the beginning). Some meals are taken in the large freshman dining hall–Commons–while others are taken in the assigned residential college. The colleges are a center of social life, and of general advising. Colleges have their own intramural sports teams and other clubs.
Unless things have changed a lot, very few students change colleges, and relatively few move off campus. The college really creates a strong bond, and most students will find most of their friends in their residential college.</p>
<p>Residential Colleges</p>
<p>In addition to what other posters have said (except Fantastic’s incomplete statements and although I am loath to do so), the RC system has been compared to what JK Rowling introduced to many readers in the form of Hogwart’s Houses. While there’s no “sorting hat”, the fierce loyalty to one’s RC is enormous. As a matter of fact, alums do not introduce themselves as this:" Hello, my name is Jane Smith, Pyschology, class of '95"</p>
<p>Rather, it’s: “Hello my name is Jane Smith, Berkley '95. Oh, you were in Branford? We kicked your butt in intramural women’s soccer my Junior year!”</p>
<p>LOL: I’m exaggerating but most Yalies’ context of their undergraduate days is formed around their RC affiliation. my experience amongst alums is that about 90% of us would say that the RC system was the single most compelling positive about Yale College. Of course the academic offerings could never be fully taken advantage by anyone in four years – however, the loyalty and identity that most Yalies feel is because of this first bond to Yale, the bond through their residential college.</p>
<p>BTW about 95% of students choose to live on campus – tells you how much the avg student feels bonded to the individual college’s daily life and activities. Also because of these huge bonds, the fraternity and sorority scene at Yale is very small unlike some other Ivies.</p>
<p>As to roommates (or rather suitemates), your first year is randomly assigned. However, everyone reforms groupings after Freshman year. I lived in a suite of six (4 singles, 1 dbl BR) as a Freshman on Old Campus. Soph year, I lived in my college in a Triple but had a dbl BR to myself as my roomie lived all year in his girlfriend’s suite. We shared a floor with three other triples and the twelve of us became fast friends. Jr year, we lived in very nice annex housing on Old Campus. A quintet, 2 lg BRs and a single. Fireplace. Very nice. My Sr year, we took the Octet in McClellan (6 sgls, a lg Dbl, 2 fireplaces, two floors, many skylights). Fantastic time, fantastic friends.</p>
<p>When I got married 6 yrs after graduation, 13 of my Yale friends (mostly old roommates) came into town to be w/me. I’ve been to most of their weddings. Our spouses are amazed at our bonds even many yrs after graduation.</p>
<p>To the OP: sorry for misleading you, I was trying to help. I stupidly assumed that the residential system was the same almost everywhere. Next time I’ll only get involved in threads in which I’m completely sure I can contribute accurate information to the discussion. I apologize.</p>
<p>Another Old Blue here to agree that the Residential Colleges are among the best things about Yale. Hunt and T26E4 have given a good description. What they haven’t said, although you can pick it up from T26E4, is that the college housing is not just all cookie-cutter doubles or singles. There are some great, unique room set-ups in almost all of the colleges. (I’m not sure about Morse and Stiles, the Saarinen-designed 60s colleges.) Rooms that are multi-floor, or have towers attached to them. Lots of fireplaces. Beautiful courtyards, including ones that are tucked away and hidden from tourists. Each college has its own library, common room, and dining hall, many have theaters, athletic facilities, art studios, practice rooms, etc. 3-4 different faculty, including a Master and a Dean for each, live in each college with their families. The Masters have “teas” that are usually little cultural programs, and each college sponsors ad hoc seminars for credit that range from gifted grad students teaching their theses to famous people jetting in to talk about themselves a lot.</p>
<p>One of the good aspects of the system is that freshmen have a great way to meet upperclassmen and get the benefit of their friendship and advice through their college.</p>
<p>I owe my marriage to my college. My future wife was in the same college as I, but she hated its (then) jocky, noisy atmosphere. (Although everyone is assigned at random, random variations can make a college acquire a specific character for a while, although the character will tend to change over the course of a few years. My college went from English Majors On Acid to Varsity Athletes in a couple of years.) So she moved off campus her sophomore year and never really lived in the college. But she still ate there several times a week, and had a bunch of friends from freshman year there, one of whom was dating one of my friends, and another of whom lived one floor up from me in the same entryway. So . . . we wound up having a few meals together, and running into each other periodically, and then TRYING to run into each other periodically, etc. . . . this over the course of two years. A wonderful system!</p>
<p>Downside: It’s not that hard to form friendships with people in other colleges, but you have to work a little harder to maintain them.</p>
<p>This might help:
[Yale</a> College Virtual Tour](<a href=“http://www.yale.edu/collegetour/frameset/tour.html]Yale”>http://www.yale.edu/collegetour/frameset/tour.html)
Scroll down to and click Habitat. That will give you a kind of analysis of look and feel of most of the residential colleges. (The example used is Branford, which, I have been told, is the best.) (The graphic works for me only with IE.)</p>
<p>Sorry to digress, but these stories of finding “the one” at college that I read randomly on CC are so cute.</p>
<p>Ooh, thanks guys I understand much better now. And fantasticpsycho, no worries, I know you were only trying to help! :)</p>
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<p>Me too! Relationships can blossom during all those hours spent hanging around in the dining hall.</p>
<p><a href=“The%20example%20used%20is%20Branford,%20which,%20I%20have%20been%20told,%20is%20the%20best.”>quote</a>
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This, of course, is an absurdity, since all right-thinking people recognize that JE is the best.</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman at Y and just called to tell me she has finalized her living group for sophomore year when she will move from Old Campus to her residential college. She was absolutely ecstatic- choosing whom to room with, and knowing where you will live without the hassle of apartment shopping is a great system. Also, while she is also an athlete, she won’t be rooming with team mates, partly because none of them happen to belong to her college. To me this is a good thing- the structure of the residential college system requires her to know many people, not just those in her area of study or her sport. </p>
<p>I can’t say enough positive things about the residential college system.</p>
<p>D is a senior at Y and a Froco, meaning she is living with the Freshman back on Old Campus. A huge part of her decision to become a Froco was knowing that she was giving up senior room priority in her college.</p>
<p>UMDAD, many thanks to your daughter and the other Frocos who are shepherding the freshmen this year. From the moment she arrived on campus, my daughter has felt connected to her college, and that she has someone to go to with questions, big and small. I appreciate your daughter’s sacrifice :)</p>
<p>UMDAD, I’ll second that. D is a freshman, loves Yale, feels a close connection with her college, and thinks the Frocos are great.</p>
<p>Seconded here too, but I am not a parent. Building close ties to people is the best thing that could happen to humans. GO YALE!</p>
<p>^ This thread is just going to depress me even more if I get rejected…</p>