i got in scea. i always had this impression of yale that it was a significantly more artsy, sort of progressive place than almost all other ivy leagues, except maybe brown. this may still be true. but i’m coming to wonder if, as a girl coming from a very progressive city who even now barely feels comfortable to be my whole self (basically a socialist politically, queer woman but haven’t really found my community and hope to find it in college, a writer/poet, not really concerned about jobs etc), if i would feel really marginalized at yale. i don’t dress indie/alternative or outwardly present as “quirky” really at all, but i’m increasingly wondering if the kind of person i’m hoping to grow into at college is conducive to yale’s possibly much more “mainstream” atmosphere. RD i’m applying to lots of schools that fit that particular aspect of me better, like wesleyan, vassar, swarthmore, and brown, but there are some things about yale that i really do love, like the combo between community and larger resources, the residential colleges, the active theater and writing scenes, friendly students, and new haven. i know many other things are important, like academics and future opportunities, but this is something i can’t help but think about and i’m wondering if anyone could speak to it.
I would recommend Brown over Yale, and Princeton over both of them. From what I’ve heard from friends who went there (albeit as grad students or beyond), it’s the second most conservative Ivy after Harvard. By your description of yourself, I would say that you are a better fit for the Liberal Arts colleges you mentioned. There is a reason that Skulls and Bones was at Yale.
On the other hand, both Brown and Yale appear, on and off, on top LGBTQ friendly schools. However, Campus Pride has not yet ranked Yale or Brown, but has ranked a bunch of Liberal Arts colleges, and Princeton, which, by the way, has a perfect score on their Pride Index.
Meh. Yale is not a bad school for political activism. Don’t be afraid of a little competition from the more buttoned-down, YPU types. It’s a big school. You will find your peep. Loving New Haven is a big plus.
One of the great features of Yale is that it has a good size and diverse student body but a good structure for smaller groups (residential colleges and various clubs/organizations) that it is easy to find your tribe. I would email the AO and ask for contacts for students involved in the clubs/activities/groups you are interested in and communicate with them. Honestly, the Ivies and the NE LAC’s are all going to lean left/progressive and all have a vibrant LGBTQ community, so I don’t think you should base your decision on those criteria. The differentiating points are size of school (Swarthmore is tiny), focus of education (intimate LAC or full research university, core or open curriculum or something in-between), strength of departments that you are interested in and location (urban, big city vs small city, rural). I don’t think you will have any bad choices.
Congratulations on your acceptance! Several articles for you to read:
https://yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/2494-why-they-call-yale-the-gay-ivy
https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2010/02/10/one-in-four-maybe-six/
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/yale-conservatives-students-report-liberal-bias-daily-news/
Also See: https://lgbtq.yale.edu and https://studentorgs.yalecollege.yale.edu/directory
I think that everybody is telling you is that a queer socialist woman who likes writing could find her community at most of the places to which you are applying, including Yale. So if you love Yale more than any other place, and are accepted, go for it.
Good luck, and congrats on your acceptance to Princeton!
I’m a Yale alum from the prehistoric age (I remember that 1987 Gay Ivy article), but much more relevantly, have a current sophomore kid there who sounds pretty similar to you in many ways. She has 100% completely found her tribe, and also enjoys the challenge, as @circuitrider put it, of going after the more buttoned-up types in classes. PM me if you’d like to email or speak with her. And congratulations! The beauty of EA is that you can wait on results later in the spring and revisit other options that also sound appealing.
You sound like a great fit for Vassar, and I’m sure you will find a place wherever you end up. Congrats and best of luck!
hey! this is late but i was just bopping through college confidential again to check out how other applicants are feeling, and reading this, it seemed like you were experiencing something fairly close to what i’m experiencing. i wish i could PM you but i genuinely have no idea how to (lol) - anyway, i’m an SCEA admit as well, and my self description would sound pretty similar to yours - i have the same reservations. i know i won’t be able to make a decision until i go to bulldog days and see what the culture’s like for myself, but the more admits i talk to the more that fear fades. in fact i was lucky enough to meet another admit, randomly, at a meditation retreat a couple months ago - we’re now such good friends. that eases my mind. it’s surprisingly exciting how diverse yale is. are you in the facebook group? i’d love to talk!