Learnation

The 5 Best Schools in America

The Top 5 Private Colleges

Rank #2: Yale University

Yale University

Yale Sheild

38 Hillhouse Avenue
New Haven, Connecticut, 06511
(203) 432-9300
www.yale.edu

Yale University is an American Ivy League research institution. It is an iconic private univeristy located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. The school was founded in 1701 and is one of the oldest private research universities. Yale University became a founding member of the Association of American Universities in 1900. Yale College was transformed in the 1930s through the addition of residential colleges: 12 curently exist and more are in the works. Yale University employs over 1,000 faculty members. The school currently has over 5,000 undergraduate students and 6,000 graduate and professional students.

Sterling Memorial Library

Sterling Memorial Library (Source)

Academics

Yale is a medium-sized research university, most of whose students are in the graduate and professional schools. Many Yale students come from a variety of backgrounds, wether it be socail or ethnice. Yale University is also a welcoming campus for the gay community and is very active in the LGBT community.

Tuition / Finances

For the Class of 2016, Yale accepted 1,975 students from 28,975 applications, which set a record low acceptance of less than 6.8%. The university is one of only seven institutions of higher education in the world that is need blind and full-need to all of its applicants, including international students. Over half of all students that attend Yale University will receive financial assistance from the school. Most financial aid is in the form of grants and scholarships that do not need to be paid back to the university. The average scholarship that was awarded to students in the 2011-2012 school year was $35,400. Many students who attend Yale University receive $0 towards their education from their parents.

Campus

Yale University’s central campus in downtown New Haven covers 260 acres. Yale also has an additional 500 acres which includes the Yale golf course and Horse Island. Yale’s campus is largely gothic-inspired and houses several iconic modern buildings including Louis Kahn’s Yale Art Gallery and Center for British Art, and more. Yale University also owns mansions along Hillhouse Avenue, which many considered the most beautiful street in America. The oldest building on campus is Connecticut Hall which was built in 1750. Yale University’s Office of Sustainability is very committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and allocating reusable energy. Yale University’s campus is also committed to providing local organic vegetables, fruit and beef to residential college dining halls. The majority of on-campus freshmen live on the “Old Campus”. The grounds also house notable landmarks and buildings including Battell Chapel, Harkness Tower, Peabody Museum of Natural History and the Sterling Hall of Medicine. Yale University provides many safety services to those living on campus, including the Yale University Police Department, safety escorts and a shuttle service.

Walter Camp Gate

Walter Camp Gate (Source)

Student Life

Yale University provides many extra-curricular activities for students to partake in. There are many different journalistic ventures that students can work on including the Yale Daily News, the Yale Weekly Herald and the Yale Record. The school also has Dwight Hall which is an independent non-profit community service initiative that oversees over 2000 Yale undergraduates working on more than 70 community service projects within New Haven. Yale also has several fraternities and sororities for students to participate in. Yale University also has secret societies including Skull and Bones, Book and Snake and Scroll and Key.

Yale Bulldogs Logo

Yale Bulldogs Logo (Source)

Sports

Yale University does not provide athletic scholarships, but sports remain a vital part of the university’s experience. Yale’s mascot is “Handsome Dan” who is the very well-known Yale bulldog from 1984. The school’s color is Yale Blue. Yale supports 35 varsity athletic teams that compete in many different athletic conferences.  Yale University has many state of the art athletic facilities including the Yale Bowl and the Payne Whitney Gymnasium. Yale students claim to have invented the iconic game of Frisbee. Yale University intermural sports help to teach students to have a friendly level of competition.

Alumni

Yale University has produced many alumni including (but not limited to) U.S. Presidents:

- Gerald Ford

- Bill Clinton

- George W. Bush

It also produced U.S. Secretaries of State:

- Hillary Rodham Clinton

- Dean Acheson

Yale University also has many Academy Award winners including directors:

- Paul Newman

- Meryl Streep

- Jodie Foster

Yale University also produced famous child psychologist, Dr. Benjamin Spock and Boeing CEO, James McNerny.