Hello, I am currently a student in HS who is very interested in Yale and I am wondering what the environment is like. I am an introverted person and have heard that most people at Yale are very extraverted and there isn’t much room for people like myself who are generally more quiet. I also would like to know how competitive the students attending are. In high school I am extremely stressed out about class rank, GPA, etc. If I got into Yale I would want a friendly environment where everyone isn’t trying to one up each other. Not that I wouldn’t try as hard (If I went to Yale I would try as hard as I could to achieve the best grades) but I want it to be more relaxed from a competitive standpoint than high school. So my two questions are: Will Yale be uncomfortable as an Introvert, and is Yale a more relaxed community than high school from a competitive standpoint. By this, I don’t mean that I won’t try my hardest, I just don’t want everyone to be trying to be better than everyone else.
I’m not sure where you received your information, but many Yale students are quiet and introverted.
At Yale, students don’t go around sharing their GPA or their class grades. That said, Yale is filled with ‘Type A’ students who are interested in being the-best-of-the-best. That doesn’t mean they can’t also be friendly! No matter what college you attend, you should understand that employers expect recent college graduates to list their GPA on their resume. And if they don’t – the assumption is that their GPA wasn’t competitive enough to have graduated at the top of your class – which means you probably won’t get the job! So, while Yale is indeed relaxed, I think it’s a fair assumption that no student wants to graduate in the lower 85% of their class. Hence, I think that naturally leads to a certain amount of stress for all students, be they at Yale or HPSM or another college.
Bottom line: Some students who graduated in the bottom half of Yale’s graduating class might have been better off attending another university where they would have graduated with honors. So, be mindful of what you want, and what you are capable of achieving given the competition. Without even knowing your stats or abilities, it sounds like you would be more comfortable being the #1 student at a less prestigious college, than #750 at Yale.
Being an introvert is fine at Yale. My son is certainly an introvert and is enjoying his time there. Freshman orientation was tough, as they were kept busy all day every day with forced socialization and necessary meetings, but that’s how it seems to be at every school’s freshman orientation.
Yale has a reputation for being much more collaborative than competitive. DS feels supported and encouraged by his friends.
You will find lovely, supportive collaborative people there, and also lovely, competitive, Type A people. Introverts and extroverts.
If you’re looking for something more relaxed/less stressful (while still getting an excellent education) be sure to broaden your horizons to consider other options as well. A school like Yale attracts a high preponderance of intense people, and that is not always the most fertile environment for every person. Know yourself.
Either way, going into whatever school you attend recognizing that you are an introvert and knowing proper care and feeding of introverts will help immensely. But first you need to figure out if you want to be little fish/big pond or big fish/little pond or something in between. It matters.
Thanks for your replies!
ANY of the schools at this level will have a preponderance of students who are accustomed to being among the smartest in any room they enter before arriving at college. Yale, IME, is among the schools whose students tend not to “wear it on their sleeves.” I can only speak to the CS/math types, but DS reports that they are collaborative, frequently work together on psets (within ethical guidelines), don’t consider education to be a zero sum game (i.e., one student’s success does not detract from another’s), and genuinely encourage each other to go for it.
There are exceptions, but IME they are discovered early and their selfishness is noted and discounted.
Competitiveness exists: DS would rather win than lose at poker, would rather win a hockey game than lose, would rather get an A than a B, etc. I don’t think, though, that someone describing him or his circle of friends would choose “competitive” among the first 10 words describing them.
When I attended, albeit many years ago, everyone wanted to do well and there was stress before midterm and finals. However, what I witnessed and experienced was support and collaboration. Sharing lecture notes, working in study groups, proofreading each other’s papers, etc… was the norm and not the exception. There were students with “cutthroat” reputations, but they were few and their friends fewer! My observation was that students end up in social groups based on commonality of interests and personality. The residential college system facilitates this finding of your “flock”. I don’t think human nature in group dynamics changes much, and the posts by parents on this thread about their kids are consistent with my experience.
More recently, my son just got back from Bulldog Days. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being an extreme extrovert), I’d rate him a 7. He was pretty nervous that everyone was going to be way more accomplished than him, but he quickly found that most kids were equally nervous with similar self doubts. His new group of Yale friends are now happily chatting away with each other on social media. I don’t doubt that his group will evolve or that he will have different groups during his time there. You have to recognize the quality of your college experience, academically and socially, will be driven primarily by you, not the institution.
@BKSquared - congrats to your son and welcome to the world of legacy parents!! Your description of Yale, then and now is spot on. My D, now a senior, is an extreme introvert but came out of her shell at Yale somewhat. She does not like to party or drink much, but has a great life participating in some awesome ECs and has made some great friends. Yale has to be a fit, but for those who like its vibe, it is a great place to spend 4 years of one’s life.