What is the best residential college at Yale?

There's no single "best" Yale residential college, as it's subjective, but popular contenders often cited for their unique vibes, locations, or amenities include Trumbull (picturesque, great location near campus spots), Timothy Dwight (TD) (homey dining, lively courtyard), Silliman (claims to be the best!), and Ezra Stiles (great pizza, artsy/tight-knit feel). Each college offers distinct character, but most students find their own best experience by embracing their assigned college's unique community and resources, with some, like Silliman, TD, Franklin, and Murray, housing first-years.

What is the largest residential college at Yale?

Silliman is the largest residential college, with our courtyard taking up an entire city block. Whereas some other colleges house their first-year students on Old Campus, first-year students in Silliman College enjoy the privilege of living in Silliman. But Silliman College is more than just a lovely place on campus.

Do you pick your residential college at Yale?

All incoming undergraduates are assigned to one of Yale's fourteen residential colleges.

What is the best dorm at Yale for freshman?

The Colleges are balanced fairly well, but Silliman is the best all-around dorm from its top dining, spacious rooms, magnificent courtyard, and special interest facilities. Its location is best for science and terrible for the arts.

What are the residential colleges at Yale?

Residential Colleges

• Benjamin Franklin College.
• Berkeley College.
• Branford College.
• Davenport College.
• Ezra Stiles College.
• Grace Hopper College.
• Jonathan Edwards College.
• Morse College.

I Visited Every Yale Residential College — Trumbull

What dorm did Rory Gilmore live in at Yale?

The fictional characters Rory Gilmore and Paris Geller, from the hit TV series Gilmore Girls, lived in Durfee Hall as freshmen. Scenes from the Fox TV series Fringe (aired October 14, 2008) that were purported to be of Harvard's campus are actually filmed at Yale; Durfee Hall is plainly visible in the background.

What is the smallest residential college at Yale?

Trumbull is the smallest of Yale's residential colleges, both in terms of students affiliated with the college and students housed in the college.

Are students happier at Yale or Harvard?

It's subjective, but generally, Yale is often perceived as having happier students due to a slightly more relaxed, collaborative vibe, while Harvard can be more intense and competitive, though both offer immense opportunities, with happiness depending heavily on individual fit and coping mechanisms for high-pressure environments. Surveys sometimes place Yale higher in student happiness, but both schools have elements that can lead to student stress or satisfaction, depending on personal goals. 

What is a buttery at Yale?

All 14 of Yale's residential colleges have their own butteries — late-night snack bars staffed and managed entirely by undergraduates to help college residents sate after-hours appetites. Each one has a unique menu of late-night treats and snacks, offered at an affordable price subsidized by the college.

What is the hardest class at Yale?

There's no single "hardest" class at Yale, as difficulty is subjective, but CPSC 323 (Systems Programming) in Computer Science and certain intense natural sciences like old "Natty Haz" (Natural Hazards) are famously tough, while Yale's extremely popular Psychology and the Good Life (Happiness class) is paradoxically called the hardest because changing personal habits is difficult, despite its popularity and ease of enrollment. Other contenders often cited include advanced humanities with heavy reading, like some Constitutional Law courses, depending on the student's background. 

Can you switch residential colleges at Yale?

Students may request a transfer from their assigned residential college to another college. Such a request will be granted when a student has compelling reasons and there is space in the college to which they wish to transfer.

What are the top 3 majors at Yale University?

Yale's top majors by student numbers consistently include Economics, Computer Science, and Political Science, often followed closely by History and Biology, reflecting strong interests in social sciences, quantitative fields, and STEM. While exact rankings vary slightly by year and source, these five areas form the core of popular majors at Yale.
 

Was Gilmore Girls filmed at Yale?

No, Gilmore Girls wasn't primarily filmed at the real Yale University; they built elaborate sets at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, to resemble Yale, using stock footage and shots from other colleges like Pomona College (for Rory's first visit) and USC(for later scenes) to capture the Ivy League feel, as it was more practical and cost-effective than filming on the actual East Coast campus. 

What is the #1 party college in America?

According to recent rankings, the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is frequently named the #1 party school in the U.S. for 2025-2026 by sources like Niche, recognized for its lively beach culture and social scene, followed by schools like Florida State University (FSU) and Tulane University. Rankings vary by publication, but UCSB consistently ranks high due to its active campus life, bars, Greek life, and overall party culture, notes Niche. 

Is Yale or MIT harder to get into?

It's incredibly difficult to get into both Yale and MIT, but Yale often has a slightly lower acceptance rate, making it statistically harder by that measure, while MIT is known for its intense focus on STEM and equally rigorous demands for top-tier applicants, meaning difficulty is subjective and depends on a student's strengths and fit. Both are top-tier institutions with extremely competitive admissions, but they seek different strengths, with Yale being an Ivy (broader academics/humanities focus) and MIT a STEM powerhouse. 

What college has the nicest dorm rooms?

Top Recommendations

• High Point University (High Point, NC) Yes, connect me!
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
• Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) Yes, connect me!
• Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)
• Columbia University (New York, NY) Yes, connect me!

What billionaires went to Yale?

Yale University

Other notable billionaire Yale alumni include Pinterest co-founders Ben Silbermann and Paul Sciarra, the Bass family oil tycoons, and Blackstone chairman and CEO Stephen Schwarzman.

What is a nickname for someone at Yale?

The Oxford English Dictionary definition is simply: "A student or graduate of Yale University." But "Yalie" may well have started out as an insult. I can't find it in the alumni magazine archives until the late 1960s. Before that, the term is "Yale man," as in "the love that Yale men feel for their alma mater" (1899).

What is the sister college of Yale?

Colleges that are paired are referred to as sister colleges, and have an academic, ceremonial, and symbolic relation to each other. Some notable pairs include: Harvard University and Yale University.

Which ivy has the best social life?

Campus happiness: Brown is widely known as the happiest Ivy, perhaps because of students' freedom to choose courses with almost complete autonomy. Students report feeling less competition amongst themselves and an overall sense of campus community.

Who is Yale's rival?

The Harvard-Yale football rivalry goes back 139 years, the second oldest rivalry in college football, dating back to 1875.

What is the #1 hardest school to get into?

There isn't one single #1 hardest school, as it changes slightly by year and criteria, but Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, and Caltech consistently rank among the top with extremely low acceptance rates (often 3-4%) and intense competition for spots, though other top global universities like Oxford and Tsinghua are also incredibly selective. Harvard is frequently cited as the hardest due to its high volume of applications and focus on global leadership potential, while Caltech is known for its extreme difficulty in STEM. 

What is a freshman at Yale called?

The Yale College Dean's Office has adopted in its publications and communications the terms “first-year” in place of “freshman” and, to refer collectively to sophomores, juniors, and seniors, ”upper-level students” in place of “upperclassmen.” Here are the guidelines that Yale College uses for these terms.

What is the most popular class at Yale?

Yale psychologist Laurie Santos is famous for teaching the university's most popular class ever — on happiness. Her insights on how to achieve the good life were so incredibly popular that they have even been turned into an online class taken by millions of people.