Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut is a research university and member of the Ivy League. After Harvard and the College of William & Mary, it is the oldest institution of tertiary education in the United States. It is also one of the nine Colonial Colleges. Yale has the 2nd highest financial endowment of any academic institution in the world, valued at $19.4 billion in 2011. Yale has over two dozen libraries that hold 12.5 million volumes. Notable alumni include 19 United States Supreme Court Justices and five United States Presidents.

History

On October 9th, 1701, the General Court of the Colony of Connecticut passed the “Act for Liberty to Erect a Collegiate School” in an attempt to create an establishment that could prepare ministers and leaders for Connecticut. It first opened in Killingworth, Connecticut, and was called the “Collegiate School”. It was moved to Saybrook and then Wethersfield before moving to New Haven in 1718. In the same year, Elihu Yale, who was a British philanthropist and merchant, donated over 560 pounds and 417 books to the school. The Collegiate School was changed to Yale College in his honour. In July 1779, British forces occupied New Haven during the American Revolution. Yale alumnus Edmund Fanning, who was a Secretary to the commanding British General, was able to save the college and prevent it from being razed. Yale expanded gradually over time, establishing the School of Medicine, the Law School, and the School of Fine Arts throughout the 19th century. Yale would add the School of Public Health, the School of Nursing, and the School of Management throughout the 20th century.

Programs

Yale Law School is one of the premier law schools in the world. It is ranked by U.S. News as the #1 Law School in the country. Yale offers five degree programs, all of which provide unmatched environments of excellence through small classes, renowned faculty, and limitless opportunities for clinical training. The five degree programs include the three year J.D. program, the one year LL.M. program (for students who have already completed their law degree), the J.S.D. program, the 1 year M.S.L. program (for students from other disciplines who want to see how law relates to their specific field), and the 3 year Ph.D. program. Yale Law School also offers joint-degree programs with the Master of Arts, Master of Environmental Management, and Master of Business Administration programs. Yale also has an excellent nursing program. The School of Nursing is ranked 7th by the U.S. News. It was the first school to train nurses under an educational program as opposed to an apprenticeship program. The school offers a master’s program with nurse practitioner, nurse-midwifery, clinical nurse specialist, and nursing policy, management, and leadership specialties. It also offers the Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing, which is designed for students who have baccalaureate degrees in other academic disciplines but wish to get into nursing. In 2006, the Ph.D. program in nursing was launched, which prepares nurse scholars to advance the development of nursing knowledge and understand health care issues over 4-5 years.

Pros & Cons

Yale is ranked as the 3rd best University in the country by U.S. News, and is known for its Law School, Medical School, and School of Fine Art. Attending Yale will provide students with a phenomenal education and will prepare them for high level positions in the workforce or for careers in academia. The average freshman retention rate at Yale is 99%, speaking to the quality of the program and student satisfaction. The student-faculty ratio is 5:1, which is excellent, and over 75% of classes have less than 20 students in them, allowing students to better connect with faculty. It is very selective, however, with only a 7.7% acceptance rate. This means students will have to excel in high school, on the SATs, and will need to have other intangibles such as volunteer and community service experience to gain admission. It is also expensive – tuition and residence charges run up to over $55 000 a year and 56% of undergraduates at Yale require some form of financial aid.