2016-2017 Yale University Application Thread

[WesternBlot]

I would add that the individuals accepted were put together for a particular reason to form a class that's representative of what Yale wants in a class. Of course, it is difficult to tell who will accept the offers of admission. While the WL is broken down into tiers, there is some selection of individuals characteristics that are missing from the class of 60-70 individuals who end up holding onto their acceptances at Yale after the deadline to try to hit the balance of personalities and interests that Yale wants. In other words, it is not a truly "ranked" WL where they just call the next person on the list necessarily.

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[dr. sushi roll]

Can any current students comment on why you chose Yale and what are the things that you like and don't like about the school? Thanks!

 

[VIZ1]

Do we upload our letters of intents on the portal?

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[Troy8989]

Does anyone know what housing cost per year for a 1bd 1 bath?

 

[Cigar]

Does anyone know what housing cost per year for a 1bd 1 bath?

Too much


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[avgn]

Does anyone know what housing cost per year for a 1bd 1 bath?

1-bedroom can be a little pricey depending on where you look. Anywhere from $850-1200

 

[Iwannaknow]

To current students, how vital was second look weekend in informing you/making friends? It's going to cost me an arm and a leg to get out there. I'm fairly certain on Yale, but not 100% sure. I'm looking at the schedule and the night activities sound really fun, but a lot of the other activities/seminars are centered around information that I feel like I learned on the actual interview date/online.

 

[a_borgia]

Does anyone know what housing cost per year for a 1bd 1 bath?

I don't where avgn is getting 1-bedrooms for 850, but if you want to live somewhere safe, close, and alone, you'll be paying $1100-1700. You might be able to swing a studio for $850, maybe.

 

[Cigar]

I don't where avgn is getting 1-bedrooms for 850, but if you want to live somewhere safe, close, and alone, you'll be paying $1100-1700. You might be able to swing a studio for $850, maybe.

I don't want to live in a dorm at my age, man, but rent is high in that town.


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[WhittyPsyche]

I don't want to live in a dorm at my age, man, but rent is high in that town.


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Just came up on this from home page, but I've rented a basement apartment for $700, had roommates with Yale grad student for $500-600, and saw many 1 bed apts anywhere from 900-1400 on the high end. This is in East Rock and Prospect Hill neighborhoods which are safe, family friendly and also have a lot of Yale affiliates. The hospital is in a not so ideal area, but the above neighborhoods are a 5 min drive.


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[Cigar]

Just came up on this from home page, but I've rented a basement apartment for $700, had roommates with Yale grad student for $500-600, and saw many 1 bed apts anywhere from 900-1400 on the high end. This is in East Rock and Prospect Hill neighborhoods which are safe, family friendly and also have a lot of Yale affiliates. The hospital is in a not so ideal area, but the above neighborhoods are a 5 min drive.


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I've heard good things about East Rock. Ideally I'd like to live alone in a 1BR or studio, but I'll take roommates before I live in a dorm.

What about stuff outside of new haven? I don't mind a drive if it means I can get good rent. I'm in ATL so I'm used to driving an hour or more in traffic to go to work every day.


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[a_borgia]

Just came up on this from home page, but I've rented a basement apartment for $700, had roommates with Yale grad student for $500-600, and saw many 1 bed apts anywhere from 900-1400 on the high end. This is in East Rock and Prospect Hill neighborhoods which are safe, family friendly and also have a lot of Yale affiliates. The hospital is in a not so ideal area, but the above neighborhoods are a 5 min drive.


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Yeah, 90% of med students in my class live in the dorms/towers or downtown (NOT east rock/prospect hill), where $700 for a 1-bed is a pipe dream, except in the dorms. The people who live in east rock have to rely on the infrequent shuttles or pay for parking at the med school, and it's just not a popular option for pre-clinical students, though I know engaged/married people who do it.

A handful of people live south and west of the hospital where rent gets really cheap- not recommended if you're a girl or even a guy living/walking alone.

Living outside New Haven is fine from a time, but it's very unpopular. Do you want to be totally unable to go out with your classmates, or have pay exorbitantly for your Uber home? Are you uninterested in having people over? Living out of town is a great way to ensure these things. If they are not important to you, then you can definitely save a bit by living farther, but remember that you will have to pay for parking.

Remember folks, New Haven has the lowest vacancy rate in the country (2%) so start looking for places NOW if you are going to attend Yale, or if it's even on your shortlist.

 

[Cigar]

Yeah, 90% of med students in my class live in the dorms/towers or downtown (NOT east rock/prospect hill), where $700 for a 1-bed is a pipe dream, except in the dorms. The people who live in east rock have to rely on the infrequent shuttles or pay for parking at the med school, and it's just not a popular option for pre-clinical students, though I know engaged/married people who do it.

A handful of people live south and west of the hospital where rent gets really cheap- not recommended if you're a girl or even a guy living/walking alone.

Living outside New Haven is fine from a time, but it's very unpopular. Do you want to be totally unable to go out with your classmates, or have pay exorbitantly for your Uber home? Are you uninterested in having people over? Living out of town is a great way to ensure these things. If they are not important to you, then you can definitely save a bit by living farther, but remember that you will have to pay for parking.

Remember folks, New Haven has the lowest vacancy rate in the country (2%) so start looking for places NOW if you are going to attend Yale, or if it's even on your shortlist.

How do you feel about the dorms? It's nice that the people there are all grad/med students, but the rooms are tiny, and I feel too old to live like that. I think my best bet now would be to try and split rent on one of the graduate housing 2BR apartments.


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[CaliforniaDreamer]

How do you feel about the dorms? It's nice that the people there are all grad/med students, but the rooms are tiny, and I feel too old to live like that. I think my best bet now would be to try and split rent on one of the graduate housing 2BR apartments.


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I don't recommend the dorms. Getting a place in Crown or Madison towers is nearly comparable in distance and you aren't living in a dorm with no personal kitchen or bathroom.

 

[Cigar]

I don't recommend the dorms. Getting a place in Crown or Madison towers is nearly comparable in distance and you aren't living in a dorm with no personal kitchen or bathroom.

When would someone begin to reserve a space for crown, Madison, etc.? They seem to be pretty small buildings.


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[CaliforniaDreamer]

When would someone begin to reserve a space for crown, Madison, etc.? They seem to be pretty small buildings.


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People are already signing leases, and have been for a few weeks, so now would be a good time, although I didn't sign mine last year until mid summer, there were only a couple single units left at that point, but I got one I liked. If you are going to second look it might be nice to set up a viewing with the property manager at that time.

 

[WesternBlot]

Second Look is a good time to find out more about housing. Last year, we had a housing tour that was popular and helpful for people.

What you have to remember about East Rock is that if you want to drive into the Med Campus you'll have to pay ~$100 for a parking space in Air Rights Garage likely. That'll drastically spike your "rent" for the month despite living somewhere that's generally cheaper.

Madison/Crown Towers is, in most people's opinions, relatively "overpriced" for the quality of the apartment. You're paying a relatively high amount for your proximity to the Med Campus. You just have to realize that Madison/Crown Towers were built a long, long time ago. That being said, I would say that ~50% of the M2 class currently lives in those properties.

The dorms aren't great, as evidenced by the fact that most people move out after the first year.

As for making friends RE: SLW, I would say that doing something like MOOT (our outdoors trip before White Coat) is way more important to making friends. At SLW, you end up spending a lot of time with people who end up not matriculating at Yale. Now, I'm sure that many people have made great friends from SLW or you recognize familiar faces, but I would say that it's not imperative for that.

Perhaps the most important part of SLW information-wise is meeting current students who can talk to you in a much more relaxed manner and for a longer period of time than they could at interview day. Having attended SLW and helped organize last year, I would say that the information you get we try to personalize and give you the most relevant sections, but I think what most people find important is the general atmosphere and environment and trying to imagine themselves there. We can give you all the information that you want, but you can contact your interview day tour guide or admissions or look online for a lot of it, to be honest.

 

[Bumblenest]

What you have to remember about East Rock is that if you want to drive into the Med Campus you'll have to pay ~$100 for a parking space in Air Rights Garage likely. That'll drastically spike your "rent" for the month despite living somewhere that's generally cheaper.

Madison/Crown Towers is, in most people's opinions, relatively "overpriced" for the quality of the apartment. You're paying a relatively high amount for your proximity to the Med Campus. You just have to realize that Madison/Crown Towers were built a long, long time ago. That being said, I would say that ~50% of the M2 class currently lives in those properties.

The dorms aren't great, as evidenced by the fact that most people move out after the first year.

So between these great choices which one are you recommending??

Is living in downtown any better? Seems like options are pretty scarce here

 

[NotAnotherPreMed]

I'm living in the dorms my first year and honestly apart from the first 2 weeks when it was really hot I don't mind it at all. I love the proximity to class, the gym in the basement and running into classmates in the halls. Second year onwards most people move out and I'm also moving to downtown since we got a good deal on a Yale owned apartment. If money is your concern, the towers won't really make sense to get and maybe a few blocks south of med campus/east rock/some parts of downtown might work out better for you.

 

[Cigar]

I'm living in the dorms my first year and honestly apart from the first 2 weeks when it was really hot I don't mind it at all. I love the proximity to class, the gym in the basement and running into classmates in the halls. Second year onwards most people move out and I'm also moving to downtown since we got a good deal on a Yale owned apartment. If money is your concern, the towers won't really make sense to get and maybe a few blocks south of med campus/east rock/some parts of downtown might work out better for you.

The Harkness rooms look painfully small online. How are the shared bathrooms?


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[ContinuousPhenotype]

Would it be ok to bring a friend of mine to SLW? He would preferably be able to attend all engagements I attend at SLW.

 

[WesternBlot]

So between these great choices which one are you recommending??

Is living in downtown any better? Seems like options are pretty scarce here

I didn't mean to be overly negative, but it seemed like most people had an idea of what the pros were and were wondering/possibly unaware of the cons (e.g. living in East Rock and having to park Downtown is harder than you would think). It depends on what you want and what you're willing to compromise on, which is hard for me to say without knowing anybody. (Even with knowing people, it is hard to say.) Many people make decisions that they love but many people also wish that they had explore housing more. I've been more of the latter, living in Harkness, Downtown, and moving out to East Rock next year, so I've run the (relative) gambit of housing options.

As another side note, Harkness can be particularly difficult if you enjoy cooking since not every floor has a kitchen and there's not much space to store ingredients/utensils/cookware. I think this was a huge drawback for me since I enjoy to cook.

The Harkness rooms look painfully small online. How are the shared bathrooms?


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Our floor's bathroom didn't have hot water for an extended amount of time, which made showering relatively painful. Water pressure also isn't great. They get cleaned weekly, I think, so they are a bit grimey by the end of the weekend but not horribly so. (It will also vary floor-by-floor probably.)

Would it be ok to bring a friend of mine to SLW? He would preferably be able to attend all engagements I attend at SLW.

Friend? Maybe. I know that MSTP students in particular have brought their spouses, but it might be different for a friend. Generally, there isn't any screening process for the events, especially the more lecture style ones.

 

[Cigar]

How useful is a car in New Haven? I know there's a lot of stuff walking distance from the med school, and I'm concerned about making car payments, maintenance, etc while dealing with a student budget.


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[Iwannaknow]

Where are rotations? I've started to notice that a lot of schools have students travel all over for third year. Are most rotations at Yale-New Haven?

 

[WesternBlot]

How useful is a car in New Haven? I know there's a lot of stuff walking distance from the med school, and I'm concerned about making car payments, maintenance, etc while dealing with a student budget.


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I think it would be variable depending on who you ask. It is difficult to go grocery shopping within New Haven proper, which means that you oftentimes have to drive out of the area to do so. You can certainly get by without one, but the school recommends that you get one for rotations, as stated by our Deans.

Where are rotations? I've started to notice that a lot of schools have students travel all over for third year. Are most rotations at Yale-New Haven?

Yale has started merging with many of the surroundings hospitals, including Saint Raphael's (in New Haven proper), Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence & Memorial, etc. Of course, we have the VA, which is in West Haven, too. Saint Raphael's, Bridgeport, and the VA all get used quite a bit, especially with the overlap in students this year. Where you are depends, but you'll likely spend time away from YNHH during each 1/4 year rotation (e.g. Surg/ED, Med/Neuro, etc.) for at least a few weeks. This isn't uncommon, though. For Primary Care, you're sent to a community site normally, too.

 

[Iwannaknow]

I think it would be variable depending on who you ask. It is difficult to go grocery shopping within New Haven proper, which means that you oftentimes have to drive out of the area to do so. You can certainly get by without one, but the school recommends that you get one for rotations, as stated by our Deans.



Yale has started merging with many of the surroundings hospitals, including Saint Raphael's (in New Haven proper), Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence & Memorial, etc. Of course, we have the VA, which is in West Haven, too. Saint Raphael's, Bridgeport, and the VA all get used quite a bit, especially with the overlap in students this year. Where you are depends, but you'll likely spend time away from YNHH during each 1/4 year rotation (e.g. Surg/ED, Med/Neuro, etc.) for at least a few weeks. This isn't uncommon, though. For Primary Care, you're sent to a community site normally, too.

What proportion of the time would you say we spend away? Do you think that's a positive? I have no idea. I know this is not uncommon at most schools, but one school I have the option of going to has all but one rotation in one general area (2-3 hospitals next to eachother). Just looking to get some varying opinions!

 

[avgn]

What proportion of the time would you say we spend away? Do you think that's a positive? I have no idea. I know this is not uncommon at most schools, but one school I have the option of going to has all but one rotation in one general area (2-3 hospitals next to eachother). Just looking to get some varying opinions!

The answer to all the questions is, "depends." Guessing from my head, easily >60% of your rotation time will be at main YNHH or St. Raph's. I don't count the VA as part of this percentage, and the VA is quite easily accessible. Some services are better at other sites, other services are not. You get to put preferences down for all your selections and administration does a good job of minimizing the number of faraways you need to do. There is also public transportation/shuttles for almost all the far away sites. We recently got a shuttle to Bridgeport, which is a good 40 min drive away. That's impressive to me.

 

[Iwannaknow]

The answer to all the questions is, "depends." Guessing from my head, easily >60% of your rotation time will be at main YNHH or St. Raph's. I don't count the VA as part of this percentage, and the VA is quite easily accessible. Some services are better at other sites, other services are not. You get to put preferences down for all your selections and administration does a good job of minimizing the number of faraways you need to do. There is also public transportation/shuttles for almost all the far away sites. We recently got a shuttle to Bridgeport, which is a good 40 min drive away. That's impressive to me.

That sounds perfect to me. As long as majority is at the main site, and we get preferences for certain rotations, I'm happy. Yale sounds so incredible. Can't wait for the fall.

 

[WesternBlot]

What proportion of the time would you say we spend away? Do you think that's a positive? I have no idea. I know this is not uncommon at most schools, but one school I have the option of going to has all but one rotation in one general area (2-3 hospitals next to eachother). Just looking to get some varying opinions!

It'll depend on what you define as away. I think that, excepting the primary care clerkship (which you would spend all "away") that you would likely spend 70%+ at YNHH. Sites that aren't YNHH aren't necessarily a bad thing either. Sometimes you actually get to do more away from the main campus, which has the highest concentration of residents and fellows. Plus, you get to experience a variety of ways things are done (some of which are better at away sites). For instance, our burn center is at Bridgeport Hospital, so all burn patients who come into YNHH are immediately stabilized and transferred over. A lot of students work with attendings much more closely at other hospitals, which I think is a huge plus since you're often quite removed from them at YNHH.

YMMV, and it'll depend on your personal opinion. Some people don't want to travel. At my state school, sometimes you got sent across the state for pieces of the surgery clerkship, which doesn't happen here. You'll be sent 45mins away at most, which is very do-able.

You'll find out that any service you're on is very dependent on who's on the team and who you're working with. You could have a great experience away or a horrible experience, but that doesn't necessarily reflect on the institution or hospital. It's just their perception of the team that they worked with. You'll get good teams and bad teams throughout your career. I don't think that being at an away site diminishes your medical education in any way--in fact, it might broaden it, but that's just my 2 cents.

 

[a_borgia]

Re: Cars. Nice but not needed.

I got a car a few months into medical school here. Was life impossible without it? No - there are weekend shuttle to Stop and Shop, you can leech rides. and getting to school doesn't require one if you live nearby. But, I was a slave to shuttle schedules, and since it blizzarded three times since I've been here, that was suboptimal. I always had to fly out of NY instead of Westchester, Hartford, or Providence because service to those airports is spotty. You can't go to Trader Joes, Walmart, Target, etc without a car, though I suppose you can rely on Amazon prime.

I don't consider my car a luxury because I have driven it over 250 miles in the past week, and if I added up what I pay for my car, it would be less than what I would have paid for trains/busses/airport shuttles/etc. This is not the case for everyone, and you can also just lease a car for clinicals. If you plan on doing things like away rotations, you may want a car since you can save by driving it to Sibley, MGH, B&W, CHOP, Penn, NYPresb, MSSM, etc and it can take time you don't have to familiarize yourself with public transport in other cities.

 

[Cigar]

I think I'll keep my car then. At least the payments will be over by the time I reach residency.


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[Willy38]

I think I'll keep my car then. At least the payments will be over by the time I reach residency.


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I sold my car before starting. Biggest mistake ever. Having one allows for so much more freedom (living in east rock, grocery shopping, and getting to your clerkships easily).

 

[avgn]

Wow, a first-year discussion away rotations in a class thread!

 

[Cigar]

Wow, a first-year discussion away rotations in a class thread!

Just trying to see what to do with my car, man


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[avgn]

Just trying to see what to do with my car, man


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Just saying that hearing first-years discuss rotation logistics is quite rare, that's all

 

[billbillbillbill]

Just trying to see what to do with my car, man


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I asked about this on interview day. From what I remember, the only hospital that you'll need a car to get to is the VA hospital (it's 4 miles away I think), but they have shuttles/buses. So having a car is not a necessity but I imagine it's convenient. Also, Yale medical center is on the other side of new haven as the rest of the Yale campus is, so if you plan on taking any classes that are offered by other Yale professional schools/Yale undergrad, you'll need to get over there. Again, though, I bet there are shuttles/buses. Also, FWIW, parking in new haven isn't all that great. Wherever you drive, you'll have to walk a bit after you park. I own a car and only need to pay for insurance at this point, so I will bring mine because I don't want to get rid of it, but if you're on the fence about it bc of cost, I wouldn't bring a car.


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[WesternBlot]

I asked about this on interview day. From what I remember, the only hospital that you'll need a car to get to is the VA hospital (it's 4 miles away I think), but they have shuttles/buses. So having a car is not a necessity but I imagine it's convenient. Also, Yale medical center is on the other side of new haven as the rest of the Yale campus is, so if you plan on taking any classes that are offered by other Yale professional schools/Yale undergrad, you'll need to get over there. Again, though, I bet there are shuttles/buses. Also, FWIW, parking in new haven isn't all that great. Wherever you drive, you'll have to walk a bit after you park. I own a car and only need to pay for insurance at this point, so I will bring mine because I don't want to get rid of it, but if you're on the fence about it bc of cost, I wouldn't bring a car.


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As a current student, I'm not sure what is said on the interview day, and I'm sure they don't intentionally mislead you but there is a difference between need a car and might be beneficial to have a car. All sites are accessible by public transportation but, that being said, many would be easier if they had a car.

Examples of sites where you might be:
-Saint Raphael's Campus
-West Haven VA
-Bridgeport Hospital (e.g. Medicine, OB/Gyn)
-Greenwich Hospital (e.g. Primary Care)
-Middlesex (e.g. ILCE)

You can look at them on the map to gauge where they are in relation to downtown New Haven. Now, I suppose, this might change once we don't have two classes on the wards, but I wouldn't necessarily guarantee that.

 

[avgn]

I asked about this on interview day. From what I remember, the only hospital that you'll need a car to get to is the VA hospital (it's 4 miles away I think), but they have shuttles/buses. So having a car is not a necessity but I imagine it's convenient. Also, Yale medical center is on the other side of new haven as the rest of the Yale campus is, so if you plan on taking any classes that are offered by other Yale professional schools/Yale undergrad, you'll need to get over there. Again, though, I bet there are shuttles/buses. Also, FWIW, parking in new haven isn't all that great. Wherever you drive, you'll have to walk a bit after you park. I own a car and only need to pay for insurance at this point, so I will bring mine because I don't want to get rid of it, but if you're on the fence about it bc of cost, I wouldn't bring a car.

This needs some clarification, but it's obviously not your fault! The med campus is 5 blocks away from the main campus, and 7 blocks away from what would be considered "central campus." If you're driving to the main campus, that's ridiculous. Sorry. I could crawl and beat you to wherever you're going before you find legal parking Some of the hospitals are real concerns if you don't want to rely on the shuttle systems. But that almost never applies to first year so even then there is a big fat cushion between when you get here and when having a car would really make a difference for things you need to do.

 

[avgn]

I don't consider my car a luxury because I have driven it over 250 miles in the past week, and if I added up what I pay for my car, it would be less than what I would have paid for trains/busses/airport shuttles/etc. This is not the case for everyone, and you can also just lease a car for clinicals.

I want to make clear before any more people take this post the wrong way. Let us dissuade ourselves that there is anything close to a need to commute over 250 miles (or over 50 miles, even) in a given week. This is not representative of Yale medical student life. I have not commuted more than two zip codes away from New Haven proper for the past 3 months and have had a perfectly satisfying spring semester so far

 

[avgn]

Would it be ok to bring a friend of mine to SLW? He would preferably be able to attend all engagements I attend at SLW.

Late reply, just saw this. SLW is only open to admitted students. He can come visit and hang out in the area (so long as your host can accommodate two people), but many activities are sign-up only and I'm pretty sure Richard and Barb wouldn't like someone random going to all the events.

 

[Iwannaknow]

We get iPads here right?

 

[Mcatbot]

When is financial aid award released?

 

[WesternBlot]

We get iPads here right?

Yep. And iPad Minis are offered for discounted prices once you reach the wards.

 

[avgn]

When is financial aid award released?

Probably after second look weekend. Financial aid office is pretty slammed. If you get it earlier, consider yourself lucky

 

[a_borgia]

Wow, a first-year discussion away rotations in a class thread!

You know very well that we have had an off-site rotation for physical exam for the past few weeks, and some of us have ILCE offsite as well. It's not just about away rotations, and not everyone lives close to shuttle stops.

Also: at least I managed to be on time via car to our off-site on Tuesday. Can't say the same, can you?


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[NotAnotherPreMed]

#Bicycles

 

[tamkasiam]

Does anyone here know what West Haven is like? Looks like rent is a lot cheaper and you can still ride a bike...

 

[avgn]

You know very well that we have had an off-site rotation for physical exam for the past few weeks, and some of us have ILCE offsite as well. It's not just about away rotations, and not everyone lives close to shuttle stops.

Also: at least I managed to be on time via car to our off-site on Tuesday. Can't say the same, can you?

Sure, I can't say the same. I am dirt poor and can't afford jack ****. What's your point again? Showing off the superiority of your car on SDN? lol k wish i cud b u (not rly)

In any case, that was a compliment with the since it's honestly quite rare, at least on SDN, so it's really helpful for everyone to hear.

 

[Cigar]

Looks like financial aid letters have started coming out. Got mine this morning.


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[720606]

Looks like financial aid letters have started coming out. Got mine this morning.


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In the mail or email?