Next stop on my recent East Coast trip of college tours: Yale University.
A few takeaways from my campus visit:
- In terms of size, Yale is the middle sibling of the Ivy Leagues: bigger than Princeton and smaller than Harvard. It is located in urban New Haven, Connecticut.
- Yale has some only-ever-heard-at-Yale perks, like a knitting room and a student sand box (both intended to reduce student stress).
- Any Hogwarts fans out there? Yale has its own version - every incoming student is randomly assigned to one of fourteen residential colleges where they will live for all four years. Our tour guide raved about the close-knit community his residential college provided (and the college buildings are stunning).
- Yale had a great info session. It was not part of the tour, but I’d recommend it. The session was led by the Assistant Director of Admissions who shared tips about college essays (among other things). I liked his take on essay topics - he emphasized that there are no “bad” or “good” topics, the key is that the essay is reflective, personal, and in your own voice. Yes!
- Yale offers an Early Action program that is more restrictive than other Early Action programs, so I strongly recommend reading the fine print of the program terms.
Go Bulldogs! (Yale’s bulldog mascot is affectionately named “Handsome Dan” and has his own Instagram account)
