The prestigious private school Yale University has been hailed as one of the world’s best universities to attend. With its top-notch education and fully featured facilities, it is no wonder why Yale is regarded by so many as one of the best schools. There are, however, some facts that may make you want to avoid attending Yale. Whether you are just getting ready to apply for college or your Yale application was rejected, you may want to know about these facts that make some people decide against Yale. This article will cover a number of reasons not to attend Yale University.
It’s a home of world changers and jerks alike
Throughout the years, Yale has produced some of the finest graduates, including US Presidents, Nobel laureates, academic leaders, masters of technology and innovation, and Pulitzer Prize winners.(1) Aside from these numerous world changers, however, Yale has also been associated with a number of disappointments. In 1977, for example, a Yale graduate by the name of Richard Herrin used a hammer to murder Bonnie Garland, a senior at Yale at that time. Garland tried to break off the relationship with Herrin, sparking the murder.(2) Another shameful truth about Yale is that the university supported slavery and slave-owners in the past. In fact, some of the buildings and colleges at the university are named after pro-slavery politicians or slave-owners. Just because slavery was accepted at that time, it does not mean that an intellectual, scholarly, and academic institution such as Yale should also approve slavery and its resulting degredation of human dignity.(3)
It’s just too expensive
Let’s face it. Most Ivy League schools are just plain expensive. You may be paying for a great education, but you can probably get a similar education at lower costs in another school. Ever since the 1998 to 1999 school year, Yale has been steadily increasing its tuition. From the 1998 to 1999 to the 2008 to 2009 school years, there has been a compound growth rate of about 4%. For the 2008 to 2009 school year, the normal tuition at Yale was over $35,000.(4)
The students can be jerks
Another annoying thing about Yale University is that many of the students are pompous jerks. Just because you go to a school with a great reputation, that doesn’t give you the right to treat others as though they are lower than you. They may be rich, smart, and talented, but some Yale students can still be asses – literally.
You’re not trying to be the cream of the crop
As mentioned above, Yale has helped to train, educate, and mold numerous influential figures in the world. Still, if you aren’t looking to make a huge, world-altering impact, you may want to think of going to another school. If all you want is to get a degree and get by at a reputable school, then you may not want to deal with such high tuition, a disappointing history in slavery, and a pompous student body. It seems that Yale isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Yale_University_people
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_Garland
(3) http://hnn.us/articles/213.html
(4) http://www.yale.edu/oir/open/pdf_public/W082_Tuits_U.pdf
The University of California, Berkeley is one of the oldest universities in California and it has also become one of the most well-known universities in the world. There are a number of reasons that may persuade you to go to school at Berkeley, such as the wide variety of courses in both undergraduate and graduate degree courses. If you applied at the school and got rejected or changed your mind about attending Berkeley, you may want to know some good reasons for not attending Berkeley – here they are:
Massive classes
Berkeley may be a well-known school, but it isn’t well-known for having small class sizes that are conducive to learning and teaching. If you’re used to a nurturing educational environment wherein each student can easily communicate with the teacher, you probably won’t get it from Berkeley. In fact, Berkeley is known to have classes with 500 students, making it practically impossible for teachers to get to know every student and cater to a student’s specific learning needs. Small classes are rare in Berkeley because of the large school population and the budget constraints that the school deals with. Going to a class at six in the morning to make your way through an oversized crowd doesn’t exactly create a motivating experience.(1)
Better system at Stanford
As though it weren’t so obvious already, another reason not to go to Berkeley is because it isn’t Stanford. A number of the people who go to Berkeley are those who did not get accepted into Stanford, which is considered by some to be more prestigious than Berkeley. There are a lot of reasons to choose Stanford over Berkeley, including the more relaxed environment that makes Stanford a great place for learning. With Stanford’s smaller student body, the school is able to provide smaller class sizes, better enrollment options, and more privileged treatment for the students.(1, 2, 3)
The “active” student body
Both the residents of the city of Berkeley and the students at UC Berkeley have a reputation for being activists, hippies, and leftists. In fact, some have even gone as far as to call Berkeley students “tree huggers,” “marijuana smokers,” or “reggae lovers” because of the strong activist and hippie history at the university. Many students actively participate in rallies, protests, or other public showings of political and social beliefs. If you’re not one of the “hippie” types or you don’t like the commotion that they bring, you’d probably be glad about not going to Berkeley.(4, 5, 6)
The fraternity system and sports
Another disappointing fact about Berkeley is that the fraternity system and the school’s sports teams aren’t that good. People looking to have a great time enjoying fraternity parties or sports games with beautiful people and successful school teams will find Berkeley lacking. Cal has a bad record when it comes to football and basketball, and they are probably better known for producing Nobel laureates and post-graduate degree holders than having a good-looking student body.(7)
(1) http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/stanford-university/327444-stanford-vs-berkeley.html
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California,_Berkeley
(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford
(4) http://www.truthout.org/031209A
(5) http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-09-09-2142499057_x.htm
(6) http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/12/18_pov.shtml
(7) http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/96legacy/sigma.html
