Essential Yale

Yale University has launched LUX - a groundbreaking digital platform that brings together, for the first time, the incomparable collections of Yale’s museums, libraries, and archives and makes them freely available online. LUX connects the knowledge from collections at the Yale Center for British Art, Yale University Art Gallery, Yale Peabody Museum, and Yale University Library, which includes the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, encompassing over 17 million objects.

Five current students and recent graduates from FGLI backgrounds share their advice for prospective students considering applying to Yale and other selective colleges. The students provide insights on managing imposter syndrome, finding self-confidence, and recognizing that an applicant’s authentic lived experience is their best resource when completing the application. One in three Yale students is a first-generation college student or from a lower-income family, and they represent an amazingly diverse collection of identities, backgrounds, aspirations, and experiences.

Current Yale students and recent graduates describe the social, academic, and financial support systems in place to assist students from first-generation and low-income (FGLI) backgrounds. The First-Year Scholars at Yale program, generous financial aid, special grant programs for study abroad, mental health support, and academic support offered through the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning provide all students with the resources they need to maximize the Yale experience.

Yale’s community of first-generation and low-income (FGLI) students is diverse, supportive, and large. One in three Yale students is a first-generation college student or from a lower-income family. Six current students and recent graduates from FGLI backgrounds share their experiences connecting with peers with shared identities and experiences. No matter where they come from, Yalies find a strong sense of belonging within Yale’s community.

Yale’s undergraduate program is rooted in the liberal arts. Students explore many subject areas to develop the skills and ways of thinking that will prepare them for positions of leadership in any profession. Current Yale students and recent graduates from first-generation and low-income (FGLI) backgrounds describe their journey through Yale’s flexible and supportive liberal arts program. The liberal arts approach can seem impractical and abstract at first, but ultimately it empowers students to reach their goals with hard work while exposing students to wonderfully unexpected experiences and insights.

Simply applying to a highly selective college like Yale can seem daunting, especially for students who will be the first in their families to attend college. Four first-generation college students at Yale discuss their experience overcoming their initial reservations to take the leap to apply to Yale and ultimately enroll. Despite the challenges of long distances, homesickness, and imposter syndrome, Yalies find a new home with peers from an amazingly diverse collection of backgrounds.

Breakthroughs in medicine start with research — and lead to better lives. Ask Dr. Kevan Herold of Yale School of Medicine. His team’s work led to approval of the first drug able to delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes. He’s seen firsthand the profound effects on young patients and their families. NIH funding matters. And NIH’s announced cuts to indirect research cost reimbursements would harm everyone. 🎥 Watch this video to understand what’s at stake. Learn more about Yale’s response: bit.ly/4jVFYnk #Yale

Yale’s most valuable resource is not its libraries, its laboratories, its renowned faculty, or its global network. Yale’s most valuable resource is its student body. This singular community of scholars and friends is now yours. Welcome to Yale!