<p>Popular conceptions are inaccurate. Do you believe everything you hear? As you go through life, you will find that that is true of almost everything.</p>
<p>I’m not denigrating any other schools - as you can see in my posts I’ve referred to them as fantastic as well. Places like Dartmouth, Swarthmore, Wellesley, Cornell and many others are just mind-blowing, and I love spending time at them. I’m just stating, based on talking with hundreds of students there, friends who have gone there (as graduate or undergraduate students, or as faculty), and various alumni, and spending time on the campus, why I think Yale is so many people’s top choice (and would probably be mine if I were applying), which is the topic of this thread. Yale is very different from its peer institutions, and it is worth pointing out the qualities that make it so. </p>
<p>In terms of Boston vs. New Haven, for the reasons I’ve already written about in detail above, that is a very debatable one – and I know a large number of adults, not just college students, who would prefer the latter by a huge margin. You all make good points, but just keep in mind that your so-called “popular conception” is actually not nearly as popular, or as accurate, as you seem to think.</p>
<p>Everyone has there own preferences. For my DD, New Haven really appealed to her. That’s not to say she didn’t like Cambridge, but she found New Haven equally attractive. She didn’t make her choice on location, however, she made it based on a combination of factors, including the general atmosphere on campus. </p>
<p>SupermanPQ - most kids at Yale are pretty rabid about their school, as are students at H & P. Brainwashing must occur at all three places during orientation, because all kids really seem to think they are at the best place. </p>
<p>Having visited my DD several times, the thing that amazes me is how down to earth most of the students are. They are incredibly accepting and supportive of one another. There really is a sense of fun on campus, starting with the Dean of the undergraduate program. </p>
<p>I do get tired of the debate about which place is better. Anyone would be
lucky beyond belief to attend any of these schools. To think otherwise is just plain nuts!</p>
<p>You haven’t even gone to Yale?!?!?!??!?!?!?</p>
<p>Oh my, posterX. Oh my my my my my my my.</p>
<p>By the way, when you write:</p>
<p>“undergraduate academics are unparalleled, even compared to Yale’s impressive peer institutions. Caltech is really the only competitor out there for having such a high level of dedication to undergraduate academic quality. I’m not saying others are “bad” - you can obviously get an unbelievable education at Dartmouth, Wellesley, Swarthmore, Princeton, Williams, etc., but Yale is in a class of its own.”</p>
<p>that is denigrating, patronizing, and insulting to others. It is not just talking about what is great about Yale. It is an attempt to establish this institution of which you have no firsthand knowledge above others. </p>
<p>We do appreciate you acknowledging our pathetic existences, though. The bone was just scrumptuous.</p>
<p>applejack–An earlier iteration of your post above asks PosterX if s/he is just a high school student. According to his/her posts s/he is an adult and in a business that gives broad (and deep) exposure to many college campuses. In the virtual world it’s hard to know who’s telling the truth, but PosterX may have real exposure to lots of colleges and is entitled to his/her opinion. </p>
<p>Many people adore their college, whichever it is, and believe it to be in a class of its own. I don’t think PosterX’s tone or intentions as nasty as you perceive them. Do I think PosterX is a little over the top? Sure. But I also understand why it’s easy to be over the top about Yale.</p>
<p>Well, obviously that’s why I deleted that part. I realized the individual is far, far, far too knowledgable about the world and the socio-economic dynamics of various locales to be in high school. I was confused when he/she said he/she was not applying to Yale. It sounded like the present tense. </p>
<p>My mistake. I also get annoyed at people who claim “America’s the greatest country in the world”. Well, maybe for some people. It’s a dangerous mindset that perpetuates bigotry on many levels. </p>
<p>I’m done here. I think Yale’s great and I shall end where this thread began: </p>
<p>Something I love about Yale is the people I’ve known who’ve gone there. While I’ve never been, some of the dearest people in my life have come out of Yale and they are absolutely wonderful.</p>
<p>I didn’t claim that Yale is the greatest in the world - I’ll leave that claim to writers in The Times, Europe’s largest newspaper, which called Harvard and Yale “the two greatest universities in the world,” or to students actually at Yale who will tell you the same thing if you actually visit for a few days and see what it is like there. </p>
<p>All I am explaining are some of the reasons why people love Yale so much. Yes, a few my posts about why people love Yale may be over the top to some people, but would I maintain that they are accurate, and I invite you to read some of my other 2,000+ posts on this forum which often have to do with other topics.</p>
<p>“Yale is notable among major research universities for the way it has been able to straddle the tensions between the research university and the undergraduate college. The culture of teaching here is more intense, and more rewarding, than that at many of Yale’s peer universities; and Yale faculty pick up on this culture in a way that makes most of them exceedingly conscientious about their teaching. Course by course, students appreciate the teaching they receive. They love and value their classes and choose them with great care. Watching student after student come into an adviser’s office with his or her beloved Blue Book chock full of tabbed pages makes one understand that course selection, teaching, and learning at Yale continue to be valued and appreciated.”</p>