Like who are some kinds of people that Yale is definitely not right for?
Whether it be conservatives, a certain personality type, etc.
people sick of New England weather, and who also get into Stanford.
I agree with 3puppies. If you want great weather go to Stanford. But you should be able to find friends at Yale. There’s more than one type of person.
Conservatives? You’ve simply gotta stop believing what you hear on Rush Limbaugh or Fox News. There is no shortage of conservatives.
My guess is that the type of student who would be an “outcast” at Yale might very well be an “outcast” pretty much anywhere.
My experience with college kids is that the vast number are very accepting of people whose views differ from theirs. But there are some people who seem to go out of their way to antagonize others, to put people off with their behavior. They push their views onto others, when those others are firmly comfortable with their own point of view. They view others in terms of their political or religious views as though those views were all that mattered, as opposed to being one part of a whole person. They tend to see their way as the only way, and to continually attempt to “enlighten” others and cure them of their obvious ignorance.
Assuming that this isn’t your MO, I would imagine that you have no worries of being an “outcast” at Yale or anyplace else.
What @bjkmom said. Schools like Yale make a point of admitting a broad spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives – it’s a part of why admissions is such a roll of the dice. If you’re able to relate well to people in general, you’ll find your tribe at any of these places … and also people with whom you’ll feel out of place. Just like life.
Arguably, you’ll find a relatively high concentration of people who’ve experienced a high degree of privilege … but that’s not one single type, and there will also be a lot of people who are going to challenge that.
Yale is a great place but these might be some categories: you hate snow/cold/wet (go to Stanford or somewhere in Florida); you hate Urban areas and want your school to be in a sleepy hollow somewhere with mountains, cows and corn fields (Princeton maybe), you want a school with a large Greek presence (Dartmouth), you want a major league sports school (e.g. a Michigan, Alabama, Auburn). Things like this may be a deal breaker. For all other stuff: conservative, raging liberal, gay, straight, minority, public school kid, prep school kid, non-athlete, musician, heavy drinker, teetotaler… You will find those of like mind at Yale and be very happy. Hope this helps.
@Tperry1982, I agree with most of what you’ve written, but I must have missed the “mountains, cows, and corn fields” the last time I was near Princeton. 
^^ Had to chuckle about the “sleepy hollow somewhere with mountains, cows and cornfields” Princeton comment. The university is just off the Rte. 1 corridor that is as busy as anywhere in NJ. There are cornfields though but you have to drive to get to them.
@IxnayBob and @Falcon1 - okay, I obviously couldn’t think off hand of a school that fit that description. Princeton just popped in my head. I know the area around the school definitely is not like New Haven, but I guess I should have picked a smaller, sleepier school. Any suggestions for a replacement?
Williams!! Purple cows and all! |
Cornell…obviously.
Thanks @lostaccount!! I knew there had to be at least one Ivy that fit that description. 
In your defense, there are cornfields (though smallish) probably not more than five miles away on the other side of the busy Rte. 1. No doubt you can find cows as well but I’m not sure where. Mountains though…
Can you tell in all my years I never went to Princeton?!
Cornell. Gorgeous countryside and great tap rooms for cow tipping ! (That is in gest of course…as a vegetarian I don’t condone tipping of any farm animals)