<p>This is the time of year when many on this board will begin posting threads of the “I got into Yale and School X (and School Y, etc), where should I go?” variety. I’m sure I speak for all the current Yalies on the board when I say that we are willing to answer any questions you may have that can help you make your decision, but I would also like to post a few general suggestions for those of you making your decision.
- You probably will not get very useful advice if you simply ask “should I go to Yale or School X?”, particularly if you don’t offer details about what you’re looking for. Clearly, all of us who currently go to Yale decided that it was best for us (and many of us had to make decisions similar to yours), but the decision is ultimately a very personal one, with everything from academic interests, to size of financial aid packages, to gut feeling playing a role. You will get the best advice if you ask questions about specific programs and opportunities at Yale, and how they compare to similiar programs at other colleges.
- For most people, when deciding between Yale and its peer institutions, quality of specific academic departments should not be important (obvious exceptions arise when your desired field of study doesn’t exist at a school you are considering). Even in the physical sciences, Yale’s weakest area at a graduate level, the quality of teaching, the strength of fellow students, ability to get into grad school and the academic experience generally for undergraduates are going to be equivalent to those of other top schools. After all, many people consider top liberal arts colleges, which lack graduate programs entirely, to provide an undergraduate education as good as or better than that at the nation’s top research universities. So, in short, “US News says Yale is ranked 12 in physics, while Princeton is ranked 5” (and yes, I made those numbers up) is not a good reason to go to Princeton over Yale (nor is the reverse: “Yale is ranked 1 in history, while Harvard is ranked 4” a good reason to choose Yale over Harvard).
- Visiting the schools you are considering, if possible, is the best way to decide. When I was deciding last year, I really didn’t know where I wanted to go from just looking at facts about the schools I was thinking about and asking other people their opinions. But, after visiting my top 3 choices, I knew that I preferred Yale. It’s not something I can really explain, but this is a situation where going with your gut really has a lot of merit. If you don’t feel that you can afford to attend Bulldog Days, ask the admissions office to subsidize your travel, they will be more than willing to help (and I’m sure that this is true at the other schools you are considering).
- Since you got into Yale, I’m sure that the other schools you are considering are also wonderful and that you will be happy wherever you go. This decision will have a huge effect on your life, but that effect will mostly come from events that can’t be foreseen (particularly the people you meet in college) not from any vast inherent differences between the schools. So, if on May 2 you’re unsure if you made the right choice, don’t worry - it will work out.</p>