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One last post (read: plug) before I wish all of you well in your college search:

I'm finally here (Berkeley College at Yale), and I have only two minor qualms about anything: the weather on the East Coast is terrible, and the science buildings and most courts/fields are far away from campus. Other than that, I honestly do not think that anything could be better here. I'd really, sincerely encourage anyone to apply. Good luck!

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Tuesday, August 31, 2004 - 11:11 pm: Edit

Yeah, I second that. Yale does rock. The weather right now, though, is sort of odd...quite humid and uncomfortable. I've had so many great experiences packed into so few days. Just like Knabcire, I really couldn't imagine being anywhere else. Every day I'm "wowed", literally. The people are great and I even like the food at Commons...I had no idea it would rock this hard. Coming from where I hail, I could never envision myself ending up someplace like this, it makes me take nothing for granted. I guess life is truly amazing. Okay, enough of waxing emotional!

One downside, the guys I've met are pretty much just interested in getting laid...I don't think that's unique to Yale, however.

By Chasgoose (Chasgoose) on Tuesday, August 31, 2004 - 11:24 pm: Edit

Yale is amazing. I agree the weather is terrible and the lack of many air conditioned places is very frustrating, but that is only for the first few weeks. Since I am in Silliman, one of the residential colleges that have freshmen living in it instead of on Old Campus I have already gotten a chance to taste residential college life (and to everyone on Old Campus, you don't know what you are missing).My entryway is one of the smallest at Yale (shout out to J. Crew) and we already have a family like feel. The food is pretty good (at Silliman or Commons anyways) and my dorm room is really nice. Yale is basically everything I hoped it would be and so much more. I can't say I am excited to start classes tomorrow, but I am more excited than I ever was before. Everyone should apply.

By Pebbles (Pebbles) on Wednesday, September 01, 2004 - 06:49 pm: Edit

Yale is beautiful, and oh so perfect. Now... lemme in

By Yalie05 (Yalie05) on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 09:58 pm: Edit

we have air conditioning in swing...haha...j/k

By Kingb123 (Kingb123) on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 10:29 pm: Edit

How's the partying been?

By Nervous (Nervous) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 05:24 pm: Edit

what college are all of you guys? LOL... have we all met yet?

By Jessc (Jessc) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 05:49 pm: Edit

Things are not equal for all at Yale. I have been here for one week and I am hoping things will get better. My freshman housing is Ok (lame suitemates though) and tiny room that is sweltering and my residential college that I will live in is a disappointment. It is last on the list to be renovated and compared to the others looks like a slum inside. In fact the sophmore housing is referred to as sophmore slums. How is it we all pay the same price but some students get gorgeous accomadations and organic fresh food and others live in shabby dorms and eat in dark, dank dining rooms? They dont show you that on the tour. Shopping period for classes is not all its cracked up to be. Its very confusing and their system is to petition or write essays to get into classes which is a pain. My adviser knows nothing about my interests, I dont know why they didnt give me someone that was a better match.If you are pre law or med picking classes is easy but if you dont know beware. You get no help. I have met some chill people but they are the exception. Many of the students here are so sheltered and immature. Also not a lot of people have drank in high school so at these stupid frat parties they overdo it and act like idiots. There are alot of conservative people that have their life planned out to the letter. They all want to be rich. The creative folk are hard to find. Where are the mellow, artsy folk.? I am thinking I should have gone to Brown or Wesleyan instead. Also many people here are not that smart. The legacys are idiots and many of the jocks never even applied. The super smart people are all biochem majors and socially retarded. I have only been here 1 week and so far met 3 cool people, thats it. Ivys are a name brand but look below the surface. I am sure there are many places better than Yale. At least I know I can transfer anywhere next year

By Thereishope (Thereishope) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 05:56 pm: Edit

how about princeton or mit?

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 08:11 pm: Edit

Wow...Jess...At least I know you are definitely not in Bingham...There is a guy on the floor above me that writes pages of brilliant satire on the nature of polygamy and a guy that argues political philosophy with me perfectly cogently, while drunk, no less at 12:30 a.m. I can honestly say that I've never met people like this in my entire (brief) life.

By Nceph (Nceph) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 08:59 pm: Edit

Jessc -- You have to write essays to get the classes you want? What sort of classes are they? Are they particularly specialized? Or are they just to get into more popular sections of intro. classes? I'm very interested in what you have to say, because my daughter has expressed an interest in Yale. Our tour guide when we visited this summer was a football player who didn't impress me as being much of an intellectual and talked about how to avoid doing too much work. That wasn't what we expected to hear.

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 10:14 pm: Edit

To be perfectly honest, Nceph, I haven't heard of a single class that requires essays in orger to gain entrance. That doesn't mean that it isn't true, it just hasn't been my experience or that of anyone that I know. There are a couple of jocks that are obviously not that bright--however, the really egregious examples of such have been few and far in between in my experience (of a week here).

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 11:10 pm: Edit

As for the partying, I think this is probably where the students are most polarized. Like the guys above me, all they do is drink and go to frat parties. I've been to couple of parties, and I find it quite fun, just not something that one could be doing every night. On the other hand, there's people who never party at all. There are plenty of alternative activies...drama festivals, a capella recruiting, and the like, that draw teetotalers and others.

By Kingb123 (Kingb123) on Saturday, September 04, 2004 - 12:45 am: Edit

cool. im into partying ( drunk as i wwrite thisP)O

By Debelli (Debelli) on Saturday, September 04, 2004 - 09:19 am: Edit

S is in Bingham and loving it, loving NH and after seeing it, now I know why! Hope the heat lightens up soon for you all - was the only thing that bothered me while there

S thinks he needs a bike - is anyone else up there buying one or have one - he too says many places are far (like science hill) and that the Yale transit isn't reliable - have you found this to be true?

Good luck to you all!

By Chasgoose (Chasgoose) on Saturday, September 04, 2004 - 01:07 pm: Edit

That is one thing I really like about being in Silliman as opposed to being on Old Campus. Though we are a bit removed from all of the other residential colleges and I don't get the OC experience, we are more centrally located than most of them (the 10 minute walk up to Science Hill is not bad at all) and because I am not taking a science this semester I have no class more than 5 minutes away which is really nice. Not to mention having two dining halls (Silliman and Commons less than one minute from my room.

By Nervous (Nervous) on Saturday, September 04, 2004 - 06:37 pm: Edit

I love being in Branford. We're so close to Old Campus and it's just beautiful. I think the point is that everybody thinks that their own colleges are the best--even my friend in Timothy Dwight has grown to love his college. I think that the parties here are pretty good, except for the fact that most of the alcohol runs out before 11 o'clock. But for me, personally, the main attraction is the people. Man, the people are so brilliant and interesting here... how many times have I asked myself, "What am I doing here?" I have no idea. I love it here.

By Tropicanabanana (Tropicanabanana) on Sunday, September 05, 2004 - 04:17 pm: Edit

I had to write essays for one class - it is a poetry seminar taught by Louise Gluck. Obviously they want to keep them small and they do not want to choose the students on a first come, first serve basis because that wouldn't be fair, so you have to submit samples of your poetry and a very short (1 paragraph) "essay" on why you want to be in the class. They are sent to Louise Gluck's class where she decides who is accepted. There are other writing courses you do not have to apply to, but this one is taught by a celebrity, and it cannot be a lecture course, so they have to choose the students somehow. A lottery would also be a really bad idea.

By Jessc (Jessc) on Monday, September 06, 2004 - 11:02 am: Edit

I have now been here one week and am finally settling in and glad I came. I only got into 1 out of the 4 classses I wanted BUT the other classes I took instead are great. My suitemates are still lame BUT it doesnt matter as I finally met great people upstairs.
Come to Yale and thrive, there is so much going on here

By Anarchy245 (Anarchy245) on Monday, September 06, 2004 - 11:02 pm: Edit

Commons food may be good compared to other colleges, but believe me, it will get really old, really fast. Still, the architecture is amazing, and I spent many days wandering through the campus just studying the unique buildings. The weather is horrible, at least when I was there - perpetual humidity and high temperatures. Still, once you get to know the place and settle in, it is a most splendid experience.

By Jessc (Jessc) on Tuesday, September 07, 2004 - 12:15 pm: Edit

Commns food is boring BUT there are many great restaurants all around here to eat. And many deliver. The weather is not good but that is unusual for September. This is a strange weather year with all the hurricanes.

My classses are ALL amazing!!!

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Tuesday, September 07, 2004 - 12:54 pm: Edit

Chasgoose, how come I've NEVER seen you??? You need to hang out on the OC more...

By Upandover (Upandover) on Sunday, September 12, 2004 - 08:43 pm: Edit

'not a lot of people have drank in high school so at these stupid frat parties they overdo it and act like idiots'

This is SOOO true! People are like... whoo... drinking! A lot of people get drunk in the first few weeks. The parties suck cos everyone is too busy getting drunk and everything. My friend says to wait a couple of weeks before going to parties, when people actually calm down over the initial college excitement, and actually dance.

Like there was this girl who said to me, "Why are going to bed so early? No parents!"
Doh. You would think that some of these people never have been to summer camp at all.

I'm sorry I'm so cynical about this, but really Yale IS great. The classes are really good with the exception of a handful, the people are great, the food is pretty good too! My fav places to eat are Commons, JE, TD, and Calhoun (mainly cos it's near Durfee)


Debelli,

If you are still here. If your S is going to be a Science major, he should have a bike. Science Hill is not really that far, but it gets VERY inconvenient. VERY. Especially if you have to travel up and down it. It's a good investment. The bike shops around New Haven are really exp, there are some good ones in Walmart. Hmm.. I found Yale transit to be pretty reliable, but it is ... really inconvinient. Myself, I'm getting a bike soon

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Monday, September 13, 2004 - 02:02 am: Edit

"This is SOOO true! People are like... whoo... drinking! A lot of people get drunk in the first few weeks."

So true. My mom stopped by for the day (a bad time, the morning after Saturday night) and my entryway literally reeked of alcohol. There was a huge bag of empty beer cans lying next to a door as well. Mom just slowly shook her head.

By Iska (Iska) on Monday, September 13, 2004 - 10:55 pm: Edit

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0914/p01s02-ussc.html

By Anticipatory (Anticipatory) on Monday, September 13, 2004 - 11:01 pm: Edit

Just a quick thought about the suggestion to get a bike - I work in a bike shop and I should tell you that getting a bike at Walmart or any department store and not at a bike shop is NOT a good idea at all. You might pay a hundred dollars less than at a bike shop, but the bikes are so terribly built that it's almost scary that they allow people to ride them. All the parts are cheap and either break or don't hold adjustment, so you'll constantly have to have the bike serviced for it to even work. The money you would spend taking it to a bike shop to have it serviced all the time could be much better spent on a nice bike from the shop that won't need so much service. Additionally, most bike shops offer some kind of free service to people who buy a bike from them. At my shop, we tell people that it's a bad idea, but we actually don't mind that they buy bikes at department stores because they spend more money getting us to fix their crap bike than they would have just buying a bike from us in the first place and then using our free maintenance policy.

By Goldoro99 (Goldoro99) on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 - 11:12 am: Edit

awesome article, iska

By Nervous (Nervous) on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 - 07:07 pm: Edit

LOL... so true. The sad thing is, Yale is New Haven. And even though they're trying so hard to make New Haven into a "cultural center," walking two blocks from Old Campus and you're in the ghetto. The shops literally go from Salvation Army to J.Crew in five minutes.

And what everybody has said about the drinking is true. Well, what else can you do when you go into a party and realize that you don't know anybody? Get some beer, obviously. I can't say that I've been a saint these couple of weeks, but the thing is that you get the drinking over with quickly, find your limits, and then have some REAL fun.

By Pre1321 (Pre1321) on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 - 07:21 pm: Edit

So for you guys already there... how'd the quality of the, um, women? Are there a good amount of attractive girls? Excuse my shallow-ness but I want to know ALL aspects of Yale before making my application decision. lol

By Jarahul106 (Jarahul106) on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - 10:07 pm: Edit

wow, this has been a great string. i like issues being addressed that like that jessc addressed. Like people getting drunk just cuz there are no parents around and they go wild, the nature of jocks, shutins, legacies, etc. I really wanna know more about this. Does anyone have any more comments about social aspects like this? hahaha i can really imagine that whole "ppl-who-never-drank-in-HS" scene, that must be irritating.

By Asterix (Asterix) on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - 10:47 pm: Edit

I never drank in high school, and I don't drink here. I'm a freshman and it's fine if you don't drink. Seriously fine. There are accapella performances and plays and dances - all without alcohol.

By Debelli (Debelli) on Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 07:26 am: Edit

Upandover - still looking for a bike - thanks for your input. Will probably get something decently priced and have it shipped to him. Good luck in your search for a bike as well!!!

By Anticipatory (Anticipatory) on Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 02:19 pm: Edit

Does anybody have any thoughts about New Haven that they would like to share? Its reputation is that it is scummy and there are a lot of homeless people.
When I visited Yale, I didn't really get to see much of the city; however, my impressions were that there wasn't very much going on outside of the one street where all the cafes and shops are. I didn't think the city itself was bad - the greens were nice and it seemed fairly clean - but there were a lot of homeless people there. Do any of you Yale students who have now really explored New Haven have anything to share about it?

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 02:47 pm: Edit

With the homeless people-I believe that is mainly a drug problem. I am, unfortuately, familiar with crack addicts and their behaviors and I see tell-tale signs in many of the people begging for money.

However, New Haven is not a "ghetto". Most people who would declare it as such have probably never seen a real ghetto. They need to be taken to Canarsie, Liberty Ave. or Euclid Ave. in Brooklyn, NYC if they want to see a real ghetto. Remember to bring an imposing adult male. I would love to hear your stories once you get back...

By Nyugrad (Nyugrad) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 07:24 pm: Edit

I lived in Canarsie for 26 years. I recently went back to visit. New Haven is worse.

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 07:50 pm: Edit

"I lived in Canarsie for 26 years. I recently went back to visit. New Haven is worse."

Pardon me if I find that extremely hard to believe.

By Jessc (Jessc) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 08:31 pm: Edit

The area around Yale is poor and there are lots of homeless people but they are not obnoxious like in NYC. There is a very present police force at Yale. They stop anyone on campus that doesnt belong. There is not much going on beyond Yale campus BUT there is so much going on at Yale that you dont need to venture out into the slum of New Haven to have a good time. If you want a city experience apply to Columbia or Harvard. If you want a pristine town apply to Princeton.

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 09:17 pm: Edit

I again object to the terms "slum" and "ghetto" being used so loosely. I just came back from home yesterday, after being here for a couple of weeks, and my apartment building now looks 10X shabbier than how I left it. I guess according to you guys I live in the "sub-ghetto" or "sub-slum"...Hehehe...

By Asterix (Asterix) on Sunday, September 19, 2004 - 02:13 pm: Edit

I'm from a nice suburban community and New Haven really isn't so bad. It isn't gorgeous, but the area right around campus is fine. I haven't had any problems. There was a frat party on the edge of the "nice campus area" which was a little creepy, but when you go with a group of people, and EVERYONE is going there, it's not so bad.

By Nyugrad (Nyugrad) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 12:18 am: Edit

Candi,
I still have friends and relatives in Canarsie. It is a residential community with houses selling for over $350,000. My parent's house sold in 1995 for 300,000. By New Haven is worse, I meant it is not as residential community. I never used the word slum or ghetto.(actually, you did in describing Canarsie) I agree that these are derogatory terms used to describe very unfortunate living situations for people trying to make the best of what they have and who obviously deserve better. Is Canarsie suburbia? Absolutely not. But it is a community of two family homes. Yes, we had metal detectors and NYC police officers checking ID when entering the HS even in the 1970s, but I would hardly describe it as a ghetto. It is an urban, residential area in NYC. Not unlike many areas of Pittsburgh that I have seen and lived in (East Liberty). Would I stroll around Canarsie at night? I did until very recently, but you are right, things have changed. But a ghetto? Nah.

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 01:33 am: Edit

"...a residential community with houses selling for over $350,000..."

So does where I live... and it still looks shabbier than New Haven. I've been to Canarsie many times before, no need to describe it to me. I'm guessing you haven't been to the local high school recently. Nightmarish...People actually transferred into my high school (which is by no means premier) to get away from there. In addition, Liberty Ave. and many other places in Brooklyn have many two-family residences, some of them in much better condition than others. I know Brooklyn. My Dad works in Brooklyn (actually owns a business there). Almost everyone in my high school was from Brooklyn.

What areas of NYC would you consider "ghetto", for purposes of argument (not that I'm trying to argue with you)?

By Nyugrad (Nyugrad) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 07:18 am: Edit

I worked at Brookdale hospital in Brooklyn in the early 1980s. The area of East New York and Brownsville behind the hospital was very sad.We needed police escorts in daylight to get to our cars(men and women). I don't like the word ghetto, but I would say that those areas of burnt down buildings and subpar schools with broken glass and bars on windows make the area much more difficult than Canarsie with it's manicured lawns and a magnet elementary school for gifted kids.

I would say the same for parts of the south Bronx which I volunteered in during the mid 1970s. Nobody should live like that.

Yes, New Haven is MUCH better than the aforementioned areas (and I mean MUCH), but not as nice (and by that I mean residential) as Canarsie. Remember, New Haven is not NYC. NYC has it's own problems which need to be addressed. New Haven is still a New England town, and thus the culture is different. It has a much slower pace with a quieter atmosphere than anywhere in NYC.

Upon visiting Yale two summers ago, I found myself not intimidated by New Haven at all. I felt that there was quite a bit of potential there and it was quite peaceful. Yes, you are so right Candi, it all depends on your point of view and what you have seen. Someone from Brooklyn would view New Haven very differently than someone from the midwest.

From what I have read on this board, you have been through a lot and I admire you. You are the type of Yale student that impresses me. I wish you all that you and your family desire. You have a great start.

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 04:46 pm: Edit

Thanks. I agree what you're saying about the difficulty in comparing New England to the City.(I still use the term "the City" here, even though people might think New York'ers are a tad egotistical by saying their city is "the City"...It's just a habit.) Drivers will sometimes stop for you if you're crossing in the middle of the road (in NYC, they never do that, a taxi cab driver actually spat at me once when I tried to cross in front of him). I still won't go anywhere at night by myself here because it creeps me out that after a certain time, very few people are walking the streets. Whereas, in my neighborhood, although it was probably not wisest to go anywhere in the dark by myself (same goes for most of NYC) I would always be comforted by the sight of people walking past.

I guess it all does depend on what you've seen. I asked my mother to describe New Haven and she said, "Very quaint". Which made me laugh...but she meant it.

By Goldoro99 (Goldoro99) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 05:58 pm: Edit

just adding my two cents--
as a preppie, middle-upper class suburban type from california, new haven was a shock to me when i arrived as a freshman last year. yale surrounds itself with some of the most gorgeous new england-type scenery one can imagine, but its no lie that a mere few blocks from the outskirts of campus resides what, in the parlance of our times, i would describe as a "ghetto" im sorry, candi, if this is not an apt description of new haven according to you, but to me, and to most yalies i would imagine, new haven is pretty slummy. however, for all intensive purposes, i do not find this to be a negative thing at all. i think getting a glimpse of a few tenement houses and being approached by a few homeless people on the way to the supermarket is nothing if not a character-building experience, especially to those coming from sheltered upbringings, as i was. if safety was an issue, i would be rethinking my stance on this, but ive never felt physically endangered in my year and some change here at yale, and none of my friends have either. im sure you can find stories that are the total opposite of mine in every respect, but in my opinion, the "ghetto"-ness of new haven is as much of a education as the gentrification of yale.

By Planetbeing (Planetbeing) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 11:31 pm: Edit

Are you kidding me? You've never been approached by a homeless person before?

By Mzhou (Mzhou) on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 08:09 am: Edit

wow,Yale...my eternal dream...

By Goldoro99 (Goldoro99) on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 11:05 pm: Edit

no of course i have...its just here, they certainly seem to be more forward than back home...and they do exist in *far* greater numbers.

By Bulldogswmr (Bulldogswmr) on Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 10:42 pm: Edit

the homeless people here rule...I hear a few weeks ago a freshman girl brough one back to her room...after they had sex, he STOLE HER COMPUTER. it doesnt get much better than that. Oh, and to jess...stop whining. You should be grateful that you are at Yale in the first place, cause if i was on the admissions staff, i would have pitched your app at the first mention of "creativity." Those creative people aka HIPPIES go to brown and wesleyan for a reason...mainly, they suck balls. Yale is the greatest. Eat me.

By Rorygilmore08 (Rorygilmore08) on Monday, October 04, 2004 - 02:13 am: Edit

I know bulldogswmr is enjoying Yale - I saw that dance he did in his speedo at his party a week ago. Interesting dance, but he has nothing to be "cocky" about.

By Beckygirl383 (Beckygirl383) on Monday, October 04, 2004 - 05:28 am: Edit

The Yale homeless people are infamous - there's the lady whom i think looks like a bulldog, and the way she always harrasses me she kind of has the assumed pugnacious nature to accompany her underbite. Then, there's the bike guy. He's pretty nice. We haven't talked much. There's the flower lady, and I used to like to buy the 1 dollar flowers from her, but then I saw her buy a pack of cigarettes--if she's going to buy cigarettes with my money, I just won't give it to her. Lastly, and most importantly, there's the Shakespeare Lady. Legend has it she's a Yale Drama graduate who got hit in the head. Heh. She recites everything, although I tried to do Much Ado with her once and she didn't know most of it.

Anyway, I'm SO JEALOUS of you all already at Yale. Rather, accepted to Yale. I get to bide my time until December while Yale sits in front of me and taunts me like it has for the past two years.

By Jessc (Jessc) on Monday, October 04, 2004 - 08:38 am: Edit

Bulldgsmr why didnt you go to Harvard or Princeton? What an a..hole
You so dont belong here at all.
I guess you are a legacy.
Related to the Bushes no doubt

By Happystudent (Happystudent) on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 - 01:21 am: Edit

This is an interesting thread, especially regarding the homeless. I'm a freshman at Harvard and there are always about a half dozen or so homeless people around Harvard Square. I've never seen them confront anyone; usually they just sit next to a building and ask for change.

By Beckygirl383 (Beckygirl383) on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 - 04:15 pm: Edit

So, in comp lit today I found out that I know you by two degrees of separation, Bulldogswmr. small world. kind of.

By Bulldogswmr (Bulldogswmr) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 12:34 pm: Edit

Post removed. Poster banned for flaming.
Moderator DoveofPeace

By Bulldogswmr (Bulldogswmr) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 12:39 pm: Edit

PS... the speedo strip was legendary, much better than the squash team's shoddy performance last night. and beckychick...how do you know me?

By Goldoro99 (Goldoro99) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 02:16 pm: Edit

hate to be the cranky mom, but bulldogswmr, jessc...get a room.

By Beckygirl383 (Beckygirl383) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 10:24 pm: Edit

your roommate is best friends with my best guy friend