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My name is Carla Decombes, I am 20 years old, and I come from Paris, France. I went to high school in a bilingual (English and French) school in Paris named Ecole Jeannine Manuel. I would say that three words to describe me would be: motivated, creative and hard-working. While in high school, my number one dream university was Brown University in the US.
I now go to Yale University. My admission came as a surprise to me, and I never thought about not attending. My choice about coming here was therefore very straight forward. I am now a second semester sophomore (second year). Even though Yale was not my first choice, I am more than happy that I ended up going to school here. My favorite thing about Yale is probably all the amazing opportunities it has to offer outside of academic learning (classes are also amazing!).
I am now double majoring in History of Art and Cognitive Science. However, I have been able to take classes in lots of different departments. Yale can be academically competitive but not especially in a negative way. In order to have both an academic and social life it is important not push yourself to work more than you need to. Basing yourself on a work time schedule such as from 9am to 6pm is a good way to balance your work.
I attended International Orientation when arriving at Yale which allowed me to meet people from all around the world which were in a similar position as I: far away from home in a new country. This orientation program also allowed me tomeet some of my closest friends. Yale is located in the city of New Haven on an open campus. Even though the campus is centralized it is also incorporated in the city. English is the most spoken language, and the majority of students are Americans but there are also students from all around the globe. During normal times I used to go to the library but personally prefer to work in coffee shops. There are a large number of libraries, some are social, and others are silent. From 1 to 10 I would rate my campus 8. I used to live in the dorms, but I am now off campus. The dorms depend on which one you are assigned to. I am in a co ed society which does not consider itself as a fraternity or sorority. From 1 to 10, I would rate my school parties at 7. In non-covid times, people usually go out, on average, 1 to 3 times a week.
I am part of the Yale Student Film Festival, the Gallery Guide Program at the Yale University Art Gallery and an art history journal named Asterisk. I love all of these activities. The Gallery Guide program is a paid activity and many students that surround me have on campuses jobs. Yale is athletic compared to other Ivy Leagues but not that athletic compared to other US schools, so probably 6/10.
New Haven is a city but the closest big cities to Yale University are New York City and Boston (about 2-hour train ride). The temperatures range from about -5°C (in the winter) to 28°C (in the summer). A lot of famous alumni went to school here. Some examples are Meryl Streep, James Franco or Anderson Cooper.
My life at university is better than I expected. I met so many wonderful people, had the chance to have amazing teachers and fantastic opportunities. It is a great place where I believe I have grown a lot personally and academically. The balance between a campus life and a city, as well as the proximity with NYC is also something I greatly enjoy. I think the most important part of your application process is to show that you are a passionate individual. Something that I would have liked to know before I arrived is probably not to get overwhelmed by all the things there are to do. Pick things you enjoy and focus on them as it is impossible to do everything!
This is my first semester doing Zoom University as I was studying abroad last semester. However, classes are normally going back to in person next fall, which I am very excited for!