Anonymous wrote:PP, the data -- albeit a bit old -- show a different preference pattern. about 10 years ago, a study was done and the results were reported in the NYT. Here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/09/17/weekinreview/20060917_LEONHARDT_CHART.html

As you'll see, for students admitted to and choosing between Harvard and Yale, back then roughly 2/3 chose Harvard and 1/3 chose Yale. (Some suggest that the gap is closing between those 2 schools.) For students admitted to and choosing between Yale and Princeton: roughly 2/3 chose Yale and 1/3 chose Princeton. But that was 10 years ago, and it seems that now Stanford is giving Harvard a run for its money. At the local private schools that I'm familiar with, the same type of student who is drawn to Harvard is often now choosing Stanford. Yale is very popular around here -- as an earlier poster said, often even more popular for area private school students. It's not perceived as being quite as "pre-professional" as either Harvard or Stanford.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think "eye rolling" might be a bit melodramatic, but I've met several people who were interested in applying to Yale and not Harvard. For one thing, more of Yale's graduate programs (chemistry, molecular biology, math, business, economics, etc.) are top tier, as in top 10 or top 20, but not #1-5 in the field compared to Harvard. There are also less than half the number of total graduate students at Yale compared to Harvard--there are 6,000 grad students at Yale, compared to 14,000 at Harvard. This means to some that there appears to be more focus on undergraduate education at Yale, while still providing access to a top notch research university. Since a lot of the time, the more hot shot the professor, the less interaction they have with undergrads, having fewer completely powerhouse graduate programs is not necessarily a bad thing for one's undergraduate institution.

There are other aspects like the intangible fit of the campus for the individual student. But I can totally see why one might prefer the overall vibe of undergrad at Yale vs. Harvard.

I agree with your analysis of the schools, but that leaves out the fact that New Haven is a pit and unfortunately Yale is surrounded by a cesspool of violent crime.

You realize that's how most people outside of this area describe DC as well? Cambridge is nicer for sure (and many will pick Princeton over Yale for the idyllic surroundings), but New Haven looks pretty good these days and the student safety statistics are excellent. If you've spent time on the Yale campus, the residential areas are inside nice quadrangles with Oxford-y looking lawns and gates that are key access and thus secure.

This made me smile -- I grew up in Princeton and DH did his undergrad there -- it's a suburb -- tony, yes, but, far from idyllic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think "eye rolling" might be a bit melodramatic, but I've met several people who were interested in applying to Yale and not Harvard. For one thing, more of Yale's graduate programs (chemistry, molecular biology, math, business, economics, etc.) are top tier, as in top 10 or top 20, but not #1-5 in the field compared to Harvard. There are also less than half the number of total graduate students at Yale compared to Harvard--there are 6,000 grad students at Yale, compared to 14,000 at Harvard. This means to some that there appears to be more focus on undergraduate education at Yale, while still providing access to a top notch research university. Since a lot of the time, the more hot shot the professor, the less interaction they have with undergrads, having fewer completely powerhouse graduate programs is not necessarily a bad thing for one's undergraduate institution.

There are other aspects like the intangible fit of the campus for the individual student. But I can totally see why one might prefer the overall vibe of undergrad at Yale vs. Harvard.

I agree with your analysis of the schools, but that leaves out the fact that New Haven is a pit and unfortunately Yale is surrounded by a cesspool of violent crime.

You realize that's how most people outside of this area describe DC as well? Cambridge is nicer for sure (and many will pick Princeton over Yale for the idyllic surroundings), but New Haven looks pretty good these days and the student safety statistics are excellent. If you've spent time on the Yale campus, the residential areas are inside nice quadrangles with Oxford-y looking lawns and gates that are key access and thus secure.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think "eye rolling" might be a bit melodramatic, but I've met several people who were interested in applying to Yale and not Harvard. For one thing, more of Yale's graduate programs (chemistry, molecular biology, math, business, economics, etc.) are top tier, as in top 10 or top 20, but not #1-5 in the field compared to Harvard. There are also less than half the number of total graduate students at Yale compared to Harvard--there are 6,000 grad students at Yale, compared to 14,000 at Harvard. This means to some that there appears to be more focus on undergraduate education at Yale, while still providing access to a top notch research university. Since a lot of the time, the more hot shot the professor, the less interaction they have with undergrads, having fewer completely powerhouse graduate programs is not necessarily a bad thing for one's undergraduate institution.

There are other aspects like the intangible fit of the campus for the individual student. But I can totally see why one might prefer the overall vibe of undergrad at Yale vs. Harvard.

And vice versa of course. Yale has a reputation as being for those with more offbeat personalities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think "eye rolling" might be a bit melodramatic, but I've met several people who were interested in applying to Yale and not Harvard. For one thing, more of Yale's graduate programs (chemistry, molecular biology, math, business, economics, etc.) are top tier, as in top 10 or top 20, but not #1-5 in the field compared to Harvard. There are also less than half the number of total graduate students at Yale compared to Harvard--there are 6,000 grad students at Yale, compared to 14,000 at Harvard. This means to some that there appears to be more focus on undergraduate education at Yale, while still providing access to a top notch research university. Since a lot of the time, the more hot shot the professor, the less interaction they have with undergrads, having fewer completely powerhouse graduate programs is not necessarily a bad thing for one's undergraduate institution.

There are other aspects like the intangible fit of the campus for the individual student. But I can totally see why one might prefer the overall vibe of undergrad at Yale vs. Harvard.

I agree with your analysis of the schools, but that leaves out the fact that New Haven is a pit and unfortunately Yale is surrounded by a cesspool of violent crime.

You realize that's how most people outside of this area describe DC as well? Cambridge is nicer for sure (and many will pick Princeton over Yale for the idyllic surroundings), but New Haven looks pretty good these days and the student safety statistics are excellent. If you've spent time on the Yale campus, the residential areas are inside nice quadrangles with Oxford-y looking lawns and gates that are key access and thus secure.

+1 We visited Yale this summer. I was expecting New Haven to be a dump, but the area around Yale is as great. Maybe is you were from Oklahoma you would feel threatened by other areas of New Haven. As DC residents, we didn't.

I know that you do not mean a slight PP, but I always cringe when I hear someone from this area make a condescending or disparaging remark about the other parts of the country as being backwards, unsophisticated, unintelligent, or somehow inferior. Why would you remark that someone from Oklahoma would have less adaptability, or common knowledge and experience, and thus "feel threatened by other areas of New Haven.", as compared to "DC residents"? Also, why would you "expect" New Haven to be a dump?

If this reflects the way DC area residents feel about the people and towns in the rest of the country, then I certainly hope the colleges admit only a small fraction of this entitled lot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think "eye rolling" might be a bit melodramatic, but I've met several people who were interested in applying to Yale and not Harvard. For one thing, more of Yale's graduate programs (chemistry, molecular biology, math, business, economics, etc.) are top tier, as in top 10 or top 20, but not #1-5 in the field compared to Harvard. There are also less than half the number of total graduate students at Yale compared to Harvard--there are 6,000 grad students at Yale, compared to 14,000 at Harvard. This means to some that there appears to be more focus on undergraduate education at Yale, while still providing access to a top notch research university. Since a lot of the time, the more hot shot the professor, the less interaction they have with undergrads, having fewer completely powerhouse graduate programs is not necessarily a bad thing for one's undergraduate institution.

There are other aspects like the intangible fit of the campus for the individual student. But I can totally see why one might prefer the overall vibe of undergrad at Yale vs. Harvard.

I agree with your analysis of the schools, but that leaves out the fact that New Haven is a pit and unfortunately Yale is surrounded by a cesspool of violent crime.

You realize that's how most people outside of this area describe DC as well? Cambridge is nicer for sure (and many will pick Princeton over Yale for the idyllic surroundings), but New Haven looks pretty good these days and the student safety statistics are excellent. If you've spent time on the Yale campus, the residential areas are inside nice quadrangles with Oxford-y looking lawns and gates that are key access and thus secure.

+1 We visited Yale this summer. I was expecting New Haven to be a dump, but the area around Yale is as great. Maybe is you were from Oklahoma you would feel threatened by other areas of New Haven. As DC residents, we didn't.

I know that you do not mean a slight PP, but I always cringe when I hear someone from this area make a condescending or disparaging remark about the other parts of the country as being backwards, unsophisticated, unintelligent, or somehow inferior. Why would you remark that someone from Oklahoma would have less adaptability, or common knowledge and experience, and thus "feel threatened by other areas of New Haven.", as compared to "DC residents"? Also, why would you "expect" New Haven to be a dump?

If this reflects the way DC area residents feel about the people and towns in the rest of the country, then I certainly hope the colleges admit only a small fraction of this entitled lot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think "eye rolling" might be a bit melodramatic, but I've met several people who were interested in applying to Yale and not Harvard. For one thing, more of Yale's graduate programs (chemistry, molecular biology, math, business, economics, etc.) are top tier, as in top 10 or top 20, but not #1-5 in the field compared to Harvard. There are also less than half the number of total graduate students at Yale compared to Harvard--there are 6,000 grad students at Yale, compared to 14,000 at Harvard. This means to some that there appears to be more focus on undergraduate education at Yale, while still providing access to a top notch research university. Since a lot of the time, the more hot shot the professor, the less interaction they have with undergrads, having fewer completely powerhouse graduate programs is not necessarily a bad thing for one's undergraduate institution.

There are other aspects like the intangible fit of the campus for the individual student. But I can totally see why one might prefer the overall vibe of undergrad at Yale vs. Harvard.

I agree with your analysis of the schools, but that leaves out the fact that New Haven is a pit and unfortunately Yale is surrounded by a cesspool of violent crime.

You realize that's how most people outside of this area describe DC as well? Cambridge is nicer for sure (and many will pick Princeton over Yale for the idyllic surroundings), but New Haven looks pretty good these days and the student safety statistics are excellent. If you've spent time on the Yale campus, the residential areas are inside nice quadrangles with Oxford-y looking lawns and gates that are key access and thus secure.

+1 We visited Yale this summer. I was expecting New Haven to be a dump, but the area around Yale is as great. Maybe is you were from Oklahoma you would feel threatened by other areas of New Haven. As DC residents, we didn't.

I know that you do not mean a slight PP, but I always cringe when I hear someone from this area make a condescending or disparaging remark about the other parts of the country as being backwards, unsophisticated, unintelligent, or somehow inferior. Why would you remark that someone from Oklahoma would have less adaptability, or common knowledge and experience, and thus "feel threatened by other areas of New Haven.", as compared to "DC residents"? Also, why would you "expect" New Haven to be a dump?

If this reflects the way DC area residents feel about the people and towns in the rest of the country, then I certainly hope the colleges admit only a small fraction of this entitled lot.

Good point. I didn't mean to insult people from OK. I apologize to anybody I may have offended. I have observed that people from non-urban areas often find urban areas that urban residents might find fun and hip threatening instead. My friends from less urban areas often comment about urban schools as though they were in terrible neighborhoods that they would never want their children to step foot in, while I often love the same neighborhoods. Urban people have their own set of fears about remote places.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think "eye rolling" might be a bit melodramatic, but I've met several people who were interested in applying to Yale and not Harvard. For one thing, more of Yale's graduate programs (chemistry, molecular biology, math, business, economics, etc.) are top tier, as in top 10 or top 20, but not #1-5 in the field compared to Harvard. There are also less than half the number of total graduate students at Yale compared to Harvard--there are 6,000 grad students at Yale, compared to 14,000 at Harvard. This means to some that there appears to be more focus on undergraduate education at Yale, while still providing access to a top notch research university. Since a lot of the time, the more hot shot the professor, the less interaction they have with undergrads, having fewer completely powerhouse graduate programs is not necessarily a bad thing for one's undergraduate institution.

There are other aspects like the intangible fit of the campus for the individual student. But I can totally see why one might prefer the overall vibe of undergrad at Yale vs. Harvard.

I agree with your analysis of the schools, but that leaves out the fact that New Haven is a pit and unfortunately Yale is surrounded by a cesspool of violent crime.

You realize that's how most people outside of this area describe DC as well? Cambridge is nicer for sure (and many will pick Princeton over Yale for the idyllic surroundings), but New Haven looks pretty good these days and the student safety statistics are excellent. If you've spent time on the Yale campus, the residential areas are inside nice quadrangles with Oxford-y looking lawns and gates that are key access and thus secure.

+1 We visited Yale this summer. I was expecting New Haven to be a dump, but the area around Yale is as great. Maybe is you were from Oklahoma you would feel threatened by other areas of New Haven. As DC residents, we didn't.

I know that you do not mean a slight PP, but I always cringe when I hear someone from this area make a condescending or disparaging remark about the other parts of the country as being backwards, unsophisticated, unintelligent, or somehow inferior. Why would you remark that someone from Oklahoma would have less adaptability, or common knowledge and experience, and thus "feel threatened by other areas of New Haven.", as compared to "DC residents"? Also, why would you "expect" New Haven to be a dump?

If this reflects the way DC area residents feel about the people and towns in the rest of the country, then I certainly hope the colleges admit only a small fraction of this entitled lot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think "eye rolling" might be a bit melodramatic, but I've met several people who were interested in applying to Yale and not Harvard. For one thing, more of Yale's graduate programs (chemistry, molecular biology, math, business, economics, etc.) are top tier, as in top 10 or top 20, but not #1-5 in the field compared to Harvard. There are also less than half the number of total graduate students at Yale compared to Harvard--there are 6,000 grad students at Yale, compared to 14,000 at Harvard. This means to some that there appears to be more focus on undergraduate education at Yale, while still providing access to a top notch research university. Since a lot of the time, the more hot shot the professor, the less interaction they have with undergrads, having fewer completely powerhouse graduate programs is not necessarily a bad thing for one's undergraduate institution.

There are other aspects like the intangible fit of the campus for the individual student. But I can totally see why one might prefer the overall vibe of undergrad at Yale vs. Harvard.

I agree with your analysis of the schools, but that leaves out the fact that New Haven is a pit and unfortunately Yale is surrounded by a cesspool of violent crime.

You realize that's how most people outside of this area describe DC as well? Cambridge is nicer for sure (and many will pick Princeton over Yale for the idyllic surroundings), but New Haven looks pretty good these days and the student safety statistics are excellent. If you've spent time on the Yale campus, the residential areas are inside nice quadrangles with Oxford-y looking lawns and gates that are key access and thus secure.

+1 We visited Yale this summer. I was expecting New Haven to be a dump, but the area around Yale is as great. Maybe is you were from Oklahoma you would feel threatened by other areas of New Haven. As DC residents, we didn't.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think "eye rolling" might be a bit melodramatic, but I've met several people who were interested in applying to Yale and not Harvard. For one thing, more of Yale's graduate programs (chemistry, molecular biology, math, business, economics, etc.) are top tier, as in top 10 or top 20, but not #1-5 in the field compared to Harvard. There are also less than half the number of total graduate students at Yale compared to Harvard--there are 6,000 grad students at Yale, compared to 14,000 at Harvard. This means to some that there appears to be more focus on undergraduate education at Yale, while still providing access to a top notch research university. Since a lot of the time, the more hot shot the professor, the less interaction they have with undergrads, having fewer completely powerhouse graduate programs is not necessarily a bad thing for one's undergraduate institution.

There are other aspects like the intangible fit of the campus for the individual student. But I can totally see why one might prefer the overall vibe of undergrad at Yale vs. Harvard.

I agree with your analysis of the schools, but that leaves out the fact that New Haven is a pit and unfortunately Yale is surrounded by a cesspool of violent crime.

You realize that's how most people outside of this area describe DC as well? Cambridge is nicer for sure (and many will pick Princeton over Yale for the idyllic surroundings), but New Haven looks pretty good these days and the student safety statistics are excellent. If you've spent time on the Yale campus, the residential areas are inside nice quadrangles with Oxford-y looking lawns and gates that are key access and thus secure.

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Heard a rumor that the current Yale count at Sidwell is 10 accepted ED. True?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think "eye rolling" might be a bit melodramatic, but I've met several people who were interested in applying to Yale and not Harvard. For one thing, more of Yale's graduate programs (chemistry, molecular biology, math, business, economics, etc.) are top tier, as in top 10 or top 20, but not #1-5 in the field compared to Harvard. There are also less than half the number of total graduate students at Yale compared to Harvard--there are 6,000 grad students at Yale, compared to 14,000 at Harvard. This means to some that there appears to be more focus on undergraduate education at Yale, while still providing access to a top notch research university. Since a lot of the time, the more hot shot the professor, the less interaction they have with undergrads, having fewer completely powerhouse graduate programs is not necessarily a bad thing for one's undergraduate institution.

There are other aspects like the intangible fit of the campus for the individual student. But I can totally see why one might prefer the overall vibe of undergrad at Yale vs. Harvard.

I agree with your analysis of the schools, but that leaves out the fact that New Haven is a pit and unfortunately Yale is surrounded by a cesspool of violent crime.

Anonymous wrote:I think "eye rolling" might be a bit melodramatic, but I've met several people who were interested in applying to Yale and not Harvard. For one thing, more of Yale's graduate programs (chemistry, molecular biology, math, business, economics, etc.) are top tier, as in top 10 or top 20, but not #1-5 in the field compared to Harvard. There are also less than half the number of total graduate students at Yale compared to Harvard--there are 6,000 grad students at Yale, compared to 14,000 at Harvard. This means to some that there appears to be more focus on undergraduate education at Yale, while still providing access to a top notch research university. Since a lot of the time, the more hot shot the professor, the less interaction they have with undergrads, having fewer completely powerhouse graduate programs is not necessarily a bad thing for one's undergraduate institution.

There are other aspects like the intangible fit of the campus for the individual student. But I can totally see why one might prefer the overall vibe of undergrad at Yale vs. Harvard.