Before attending Yale, I had only visited the campus once and felt as if I had forgotten what I had seen as soon as the campus tour was over! So before I officially arrived as a freshman, I had had very little idea about what Yale actually looked like.
But as magical as the first days of college are, everything fits perfectly in place and college is under way. Just as all freshmen got ready to explore the “Yale experience,” we discovered that, sadly, as individuals, we could never live the whole “Yale experience,” for there is simply too much going on in this single university.
Yale, aside from its proud tradition and excellence, is first and foremost a big place. Yale College is home to more than 5,300 undergraduates, 12 residential colleges, 2,000 classes and over 600 student organizations. Even the best organizers cannot choose all of their favorite classes, cannot participate in all the extracurricular activities that interest them, cannot go to all the amazing shows on Friday nights and cannot participate in the “full” Yale experience.
In the meantime, however, we realized that it was precisely the experiences of the individuals that put the pieces together into a “Yale experience,” which is fascinating for people both in and outside of Yale.
With that little paradox in mind, I am fully aware that my “Yale experience” is only one out of thousands of perspectives. Some of my stories are unique, while others are quite typical. After all, Yale is a place for everyone to enjoy its diversity. I am here to absorb its richness, and to share the little things, which are pivotal building blocks of the Yale experience.