Yale’s class of 2021 broke a whole new set of records this year. 94 percent of students were in the top 10 percent of their graduating class and the average SAT score was over 1500. The new student body represent every region of the United States and over 60 different countries. Yale also admitted a record breaking number of admittees this year with nearly a ten percent increase the number of students who will be on campus this fall. The heightened number of new students was so high in fact that the university added a new accepted students day – or as they’re known in New Haven, Bulldog Days – to accommodate increased interest. This expanded student body was driven by three factors. The first is a deliberate effort by Yale to increase the size of their student body. Rather than trying to cut the admissions rate to boost people’s perception of its selectivity, Yale’s attitude could be summarized as the more the merrier. Yale has continued to increase its financial aid offerings with students under 65,000 dollars expected to pay nothing out of pocket and reducing all student’s expected contribution by several thousand dollars. The last contributing factor was an unexpected rise in Yale’s yield rate – the percentage of students accepted who will attend the following fall – to 71.4%. Students’ reinvigorated desire to attend Yale comes from a variety of sources. The Ivy League school has continued to increase its national profile with researchers at the university contributing research to combat our national opioid crisis and completing groundbreaking studies on the effects of soil loss on global warming. That range of contributions aligns with the scope of Yale student’s studies which run the gamut from theatre to biomedical sciences.
Upon attending Yale, students are sorted into one of fourteen Residential Colleges (think Harry Potter houses), each with its own administrative system, dining hall and culture. This is part of what makes Yale unique. Unlike other schools where your dorm is just a place to live, your Residential College has an all-encompassing culture that permeates into every aspect of your life there. The different Residential Colleges all put on plays and put students in direct contact with staff who build deep personal relationship to help students navigate the pitfalls of college life. These Residential Colleges also maintain Yale’s long link to the past with each having a distinct architectural style, libraries and snack bars (or butteries as Bulldogs like to call them). One of the best parts of Yale’s college life for freshmen is the Holiday Dinner where over 1,300 students stuff themselves into a single dining hall to feast before leaving campus. The comparison to Hogwarts’ holiday dinner speaks for itself.
Beyond campus, students can take advantage of New Haven which has all the perks of a traditional college town. There are restaurants and bars galore alongside opportunities to go hiking and attend concerts. For pizza lovers (read: all of us), Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana is a local establishment that has consistently been ranked one of the best places in the country to grab a slice.
Yale’s singular campus life is accompanied by world class academics. You will have the opportunity to study underneath Harold Bloom, perhaps the world’s foremost Shakespeare scholar, and Judith Butler, one of our society’s most prolific and groundbreaking feminist critics. You will also have the opportunity to take unique classes like Great Hoaxes and Fantasies in Archaeology. While it won’t prepare you for a career in art forgery, you will be prepared for whatever career you decide upon once you’ve finished Yale’s curriculum. A degree from Yale will put you alongside graduates including the Chairperson of the Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, Anderson Cooper and Hillary Clinton.
The weight of history is powerful at Yale. There are parts of Yale’s culture which are unique and they contribute to a feeling of wonder even if you aren’t a member. There are opportunity to join drama groups which have been around for centuries as well as civic groups stretching back to our nation’s founding. There are offbeat clubs like Kappa Banga Banga a drum enthusiast fraternity. Everything you could want in a college is available at Yale. You will study with the best students on earth under some the most prominent scholars in our time, while getting to do everything that the college experience portends. Yale might not be Hogwarts, but it’s as close as muggles will get.
