<p>Do you interview prospective students for Yale?</p>
<p>I don’t yet, Sewcurious, as I just graduated, but I hope to start interviewing soon</p>
<ol>
<li>Is Yale incredibly freaking awesome? If so, why?</li>
<li>What is the best class you’ve taken?</li>
<li>Best professor?</li>
<li>Everyone (the ■■■■■■) on this board are always like “sciences suck at Yale.” Is this really true? I have some trouble believing it (it’s an Ivy, for God’s sake! It can’t suck THAT badly!) I want to major in a science, and Yale is my first choice.</li>
<li>If you were an admissions officer, would you rather read an essay about tsunami relief or ramen noodles? </li>
<li>What is one thing you would suggest to someone who wants to go to Yale? (and don’t say something like “follow your passion” because everyone has heard that a million times)</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>Yale has such a great culture, a lot of opportunities to learn a wide vareity of subjects, has lots of cool history and tradition, an attracts generally cool people.</p></li>
<li><p>Ancient Greek History</p></li>
<li><p>Vince Scully</p></li>
<li><p>Sciences are great at Yale, especially biological. It may not be better than MIT or whatever, but for 99% of Ivy level students the sciences are great.</p></li>
<li><p>Something else actually, one seems like the serious one, the other the random one, try a different tact</p></li>
<li><p>Get involved with all aspects of campus (athletics, res college, theater, art, off-campus life, etc.). Don’t silo yourself…</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks!!!</p>
<p>Here’s my take on sciences at Yale, from an impartial observer:</p>
<p>Yale might have 20% fewer number of labs than MIT, but I think that you have to keep in mind that it also has fewer students majoring in sciences. In terms of quality (e.g., the amount of research activity per student, the prominence of faculty, etc.), Yale is definitely one of the best. It has hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding pouring in every year, making it one of the top recipients in the country and also representing more per student than any other university except Caltech. Furthermore, just like the rest of Yale’s undergraduate program, classes on average are significantly smaller than those at other large research universities. In many ways, taking the amount of resources divided by the number of students is a good way to estimate the strength of a program. Same holds for small colleges. LACs with 10 history professors and 50 students are usually better places to study history than LACs with 5 professors and 50 students.</p>
<p>I’d say that all things considered, Yale and Caltech have the strongest undergraduate science programs in the country. I’d say you also have to look at Swarthmore, Amherst, Wellesley, Williams, Claremont McKenna, Wesleyan, etc. for this distinction. </p>
<p>This is kind of interesting, but UC-Berkeley, Yale, MIT, Harvard and Stanford are the only universities in the country with more than 100 members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences on their faculty (NAS members are basically pre-Nobel laureates). Among those schools, Yale has by far the fewest total number of students majoring in science, mostly because it has a smaller student body than the average research university. Caltech has almost 100 NAS members, and the fewest number of students majoring in the sciences, so that’s one reason why I would put it up there with Yale for undergraduate studies.</p>
<p>If Yale has “less of a reputation” for sciences, it’s only because it has fewer students majoring in the sciences when compared to some other huge research universities. But that’s only because Yale’s arts and humanities offerings are without peer. Also, Yale’s science programs have been growing very rapidly — but in the late 1980s, they weren’t as large as they are now (so some of the reputation is simply misinformation).</p>
<p>whoa posterx, now I am a “yale ■■■■■” according to Byerly and all, but you have gone a little too overboard…</p>
<p>It’s my opinion. And sometimes, as I said above, I think the actual strongest undergraduate science programs are more likely to be Wesleyan, Wellesley or Amherst. Bottom line is you need to do your research and figure out the best program for you, not listen to irrelevant claims on who is the “biggest and best” or most “prestigious.”</p>
<p>Whatev.
I’m happy as long as I don’t have to use scalpels which - judging by their appearance - have been in use since the Middle Ages (like the ones my school has). Also, a centrifuge would be nice…the clinic where I worked had one…it was so cool…</p>
<p>and you claim to be impartial? WARNING TO ALL READERS: If you ingest posterx’s comments and let them settle in your digestive tracts, possible reprecussions include nausea and vomiting from excessive lies. Read at your own risk.</p>
<p>What’s wrong with you people? These are IVY LEAGUES you’re talking about. You aren’t going to get an inferior education at any of them! Sure, they have their strengths and weaknesses, but majoring in science at Yale does not mean that you’ll be confined to dissecing dead frogs with rusty razor blades.</p>
<p>Jeez! Get a freaking grip on reality, will you?</p>
<p>Prefontaine, I haven’t lied once. Maybe you need to look up the definition of that word in the dictionary. Please stop your personal attacks, and if you don’t want to contribute to the discussion, go somewhere else.</p>
<p>Yale has tons of great labs and they have a slew of modern buildings dedicated to the science (and are always building and renovating), don’t worry, you’ll have the same equipment available to any student anywhere, trust me I know, I’ve been to alot of different institutions. Its all the same, especially for undergraduates.</p>
<p>That’s sort of what I suspected.</p>
<p>heh rusty scalpels.
i grew up in a russian satelite country which still uses scalpels from 1964 (needless to say - imported from mother russia) and will never contribute to science.
i dream of getting my molecular physics and biochemistry + applied math degree from yale.</p>
<p>martinibluex, why do I have the feeling I know which country that might be…:P</p>
<p>hey bulgarians!!!</p>
<p>I am writing this from Sterling:</p>
<p>Y A L E is A W E S O M E ! ! !</p>
<p>hi mr yale rep… i was wondering how is the student teacher relationship? are you able to talk to your teacher and ask questions. And if you feel behind, because of your high school curriculum, in a certain subject, are there ways to catch up? plus is there any way you can send me your essay, that is the biggest challenge i am having right now, i do not know what they want from me.</p>
<p>I don’t think we ever had any doubts about that, mariela;)
I envy you so much right now:)</p>