Last year, I posted a thread where I asked for advice on deciding between a full ride to UVA and Yale. People seemed very invested and after logging on to this account for the first time in months, I saw a few DMs, so I figured I’d post an update and some reflections on my decision.
I ended up choosing Yale for a variety of reasons. Off the bat (and most importantly) I had the incredible privilege of having a family willing to fully fund my decision. After visiting both UVA and Yale for admitted student days, I simply felt that my experience at Yale was unparalleled. It felt like coming home. The other students, professors, and New Haveners I talked to were among the most interesting and talented people I have ever met. While I knew that UVA and the Jefferson Scholars program presented a wealth of opportunity, I wasn’t as comfortable with the idea of being in a very small, select, and “spoiled” cohort within a larger institution whose culture was less appealing to me. Everywhere I go at Yale, I am always greeted with something or someone who challenges my way of thinking and pushes me to new heights in my knowledge of the world, empathy for others, or perspective on life. I am especially grateful for the vibrant international student community here-- I have met people from around the globe I never would have met had I attended UVA.
I do think that choosing UVA would have been a slight strategic advantage in terms of applying to law school-- I really do believe it would have been far easier to fill my resume with research and internships as a Jeff Scholar. At Yale, we don’t have invested advisors and tight-knit alumni communities the same way the Jeff Scholar program does. But I do think that the delta is pretty negligible in the long run-- while opportunities at Yale are more competitive and there is less hand-holding, the few that have worked out have allowed me to leverage incredible resources towards real impact. I truly think that the best things about my experience here have been a direct result of this amazing college community.
Ultimately, I do think that the cost of Yale wasn’t “justified.” It was just a very, very generous gift. My family essentially paid $70k a year for me to have amazing friends, be surrounded by a diverse culture of hard work and brilliance, and occasionally do really cool stuff. But I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world-- I’ve met the person I think I’ll marry and also the people who will be bridesmaids at that wedding.
Funnily enough, there is an ex-Jeff Scholars friend group at Yale of people who were accepted into the program and chose otherwise. This is hearsay, but most of them broadly share my view.