Yale University | Teen Ink

Yale University MAG

February 8, 2010
By Urbs2013 BRONZE, Not Listed, New York
Urbs2013 BRONZE, Not Listed, New York
4 articles 2 photos 62 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.

The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular things."


New Haven, CT: As a high school freshman with a brother at Yale University, I am in a unique position to speak about the school both from a visitor's perspective as well as from a more personal viewpoint. Yale is at once an institution of the greatest scholarly pursuit and a college of educational intimacy. It is a place of Nobel laureates and exciting, frenetically paced research as well as a campus of deeply devoted, creative-thinking professors. These teachers walk into a classroom concerned with engaging their students in the day's lecture because one or maybe all of them will have a brilliant future in the field, or simply because they believe that every student has the right to a classically enlightened education.

Yale students are world leaders because the campus nurtures independent thought, the creative process, the thrill of building fledgling organizations and catalyzing them to meaningful heights, and that “can do anything” attitude that every Yalie possesses. Students jump into the extraordinary energy of campus life and the academic, service-focused, artistic, and leadership opportunities available because the faculty, deans, and colleges (the houses freshman are assigned to, from which their closest ­allies and future “brothers and sisters” derive) coax, nurture, and challenge them to lead.

Yale students are a spirited bunch, not only ­because the type of freshmen Yale accepts is full of moxie and light, but because the spirit, respect for, and love of college traditions are deeply rooted on this campus, and the excitement of great scholarship and discovery is contagious.

One's freshman classes may be taught by Nobel Prize winners, best-selling authors, world leaders, former White House officials, renowned scientists from Yale Medical School, or career professors who love the energy of reaching out to students in a daily seminar or lecture. Their approach is always fresh. The freshman experience in a Yale classroom is one in which, regardless of the professor's rank and ­persona, the student can be assured of a class taught with dedication and imagination. Professors are ­accessible, and ready to go the extra mile to reach students, regardless of the journal article or book waiting for them to complete back in their office.

Whereas other Ivy League schools often wish their students well and send them off to classes with an ­attitude of “it's up to you now,” Yale nurtures and continues to extend itself to help students rise above the dry, hollow scholarship rolled out each day in other bastions of higher learning; because, in fact, it's not just up to students to know how to make their mark – it's up to the mentors, scholars and soaring minds into whose hands students entrust their futures.

Students do a lot on campus. This is not a campus for eight-hour-a-day library stints. This is a campus of artists who are breaking boundaries, scholars who are active in laboratory research a couple of days a week, writers and journalists, politically minded ­activists, social leaders and entrepreneurs, musicians of the highest order, and future medical whizzes who are smart enough to major in Humanities or Music or Neuropsychology and still complete pre-med track requirements.

The campus is buzzing with events every day – concerts, dramatic performances, speakers who are stars in the realms of politics, science, comedy, film; and every weekend there are informal get-togethers, formal dances, and cocktail parties. With over 300 student groups, there are shows, concerts and presentations every night of the week. In addition to these activities, the college houses at Yale subsidize outings to Boston or Manhattan for theater, concerts, and other special events.

It should be apparent by now that if you are one of the very lucky ones to be accepted to Yale University, you will have the college career of your dreams. Learn more on their website: yale.edu.


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This article has 78 comments.


collegeboy said...
on Oct. 15 2010 at 12:19 am
True, true! great article. Yale's education and social/artistic scene is second to none. Truthfully, Harvard does not come close to the undergraduate education students receive at Yale. Remember, harvard is all about its graduate schools; the undergraduate students get stuck with a lot of TAs. They dont' tell you that on the tour!

crfcaio SILVER said...
on Aug. 22 2010 at 5:05 am
crfcaio SILVER, Santa Monica, California
7 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
"When there is a will, there is a way."

"If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place."

I LOVE this review! I was between Harvard and Yale, and even though Harvard is number 1 in the world, thanks to this article I definitely want to go for Yale in 2 years! I hope they accept me there, because it is going to be some kind of "returning home" for me (:

RahRah said...
on Aug. 16 2010 at 10:30 pm
I go to Yale, and have to agree with everything here. Of course, students have to deal with living in New Haven, but the area right around the college is very hip, perfectly safe, and offers everything we need as students looking for weekend diversions.

on Aug. 16 2010 at 10:04 pm
earlybird_8 BRONZE, Roberts Creek, Other
4 articles 0 photos 115 comments

Favorite Quote:
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

No offense, but this article sort of sounds like it came out of an advertisement for Yale. Is there anything bad about the school? Like, anything? That said, it sounded good enough to have been made by a professional advertiser.

on Jul. 22 2010 at 8:27 pm
goddess_of_the_moon_123 SILVER, Beaverdam, Virginia
5 articles 0 photos 70 comments

Favorite Quote:
'To unpath'd waters, undream'd shores' ~ William Shakespeare, A Winter's Tale

Thanks, me too! :) haha

outasight said...
on Jul. 18 2010 at 12:16 am
This remains the best review online. Super insightful.

reesha SILVER said...
on Jul. 17 2010 at 8:26 am
reesha SILVER, Rawalpindi, Other
6 articles 15 photos 124 comments

Favorite Quote:
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."
Walt Disney

"Hakuna Matata!"
Lion King

"The British policy was 'unite and conquer'. But I say 'unite and conquer'."
Greg Mortenson (Three Cups of Tea)

This article was really helpful. I have my eye on Yale for further studies and now I'm sure I want to go there!

headingout said...
on Jun. 28 2010 at 8:24 am
Okay, this is obviously the best review up, so why isn't it in the magazine? Makes no sense to me. I get a very in depth view of yale from this well written article and an understanding about what really goes on inside the campus. Thanks for sharing the points with us that most never would see from just a visit.

on Jun. 25 2010 at 8:04 pm
antoniutc BRONZE, Edison, New Jersey
2 articles 1 photo 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. -Henry Thoreau

To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch… to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded! –Ralph Emerson

It's a given.

Dawson11 said...
on Jun. 25 2010 at 12:26 pm
I just got back from visiting Yale and I heard so many of hte things you put in this article. I love the school and your article was spot on! Thanks.

zobean GOLD said...
on Jun. 23 2010 at 10:10 am
zobean GOLD, Northfield, Massachusetts
16 articles 1 photo 33 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A Good player inspires themselves. A GREAT player inspires others."

This was such a great review. I have always had my eye on Yale for my future schooling, and your piece has really confirmed how well this collage fits my needs. Thanks so much, and great job!

on Jun. 19 2010 at 7:36 pm
Thanks for writing such a great review. Very helpful for all of us looking for a more personal view of the school.

Alexconquers said...
on Jun. 9 2010 at 10:26 pm
Excellent Review! Congratulations!

Joe'splace said...
on Jun. 8 2010 at 6:13 pm
Such a refreshing and sound college write-up. I learned alot of valuable info I wouldn't have known without first-hand experience. Thanks!

Robblore said...
on Jun. 6 2010 at 12:20 am
This article offers such thought and heart. Kudos to the author.

Nicholle11 said...
on Jun. 3 2010 at 3:34 pm
Love this review! And love Yale! I'm applying.

curlyQ said...
on May. 23 2010 at 12:12 am
This is the best article online about a college. If you write more about different schools within the Ivy League, you would definitely have me reading the pieces.

CatherineO said...
on May. 16 2010 at 12:28 am
So well written. Bravo! I'm going to send my firends who will be writing college essays all summer to this article so they can get a better idea of the nurturing environment that Yale provides.

CarlyQ said...
on May. 16 2010 at 12:25 am
Best review online! You're going to make everyone who reads it want to go there. I want to go there!

soonsoon said...
on May. 14 2010 at 12:37 am
So well written! I don't need to hear anyone speak about the school because you gave us a lot behind the scenes. Thanks!