The Elite Ivy Leaguers: Yale University Students

Students at Yale University are called 'Yalies' or 'Elis'. Yalies is a term used in the Yale Alumni Magazine as shorthand for any Yale student, alumnus, or alumna. The term Yalie may have started as an insult, as it was used in the 1950s in New Haven to refer to a WASP, blue blood, biased, ancient, with a hyper social thyroid and not particularly intellectual. However, the term is now commonly and freely used by and for any and all Yale students and alumni. The term 'Elis' comes from Elihu Yale, the namesake of the university in the early 1700s.

Students at Yale University are called 'Yalies'

The term 'Yalie' is used by students to refer to themselves when they are away from the Yale campus and among students from other universities. For example, a student from Yale recounting a visit to Harvard University said: "...I was at Harvard, of course. It was The Game 2018, my first year, and my friends and I were so excited to hike up to Cambridge to watch... When you're at Yale, all of the other students around you also go to Yale, so being a Yalie isn't exactly an identifying factor. But at Harvard, of course, it was different. I was on Yale's team. I was a Yalie!".

Yale undergraduates have also developed many unique colloquial references to certain elements of life at Yale. For example, 'bluebooking' is the process of researching courses to take, and a 'buttery' is a late-night cafe with inexpensive food and games such as foosball and ping-pong.

Yale has a rich history and has produced many distinguished alumni in various fields, including five US presidents, ten Founding Fathers, 31 living billionaires, 96 MacArthur Fellows, 263 Rhodes Scholars, and hundreds of members of Congress.

Yalies can also be referred to as 'Elis'

Students of Yale University are commonly referred to as 'Yalies'. However, the nickname 'Elis' is also used, dating back to the early 1700s when the university was renamed after Welsh merchant Elihu Yale, who made a generous donation to the school. 'Eli' is a shortened version of Elihu, and the name was adapted as a nickname for students.

Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut, was founded in 1701 as the Collegiate School. It was renamed in 1718 after Elihu Yale, in gratitude for his financial contribution. The university is comprised of three academic components: the undergraduate Yale College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and professional schools such as Law, Medical, and Music.

Yale's athletic teams also have a unique nickname: the 'Bulldogs'. This moniker is represented by a live bulldog mascot, with nearly 20 living bulldogs part of this lineage. The first bulldog, named Harper, was introduced in 1890, followed by the more famous Handsome Dan in 1892. The current mascot, Handsome Dan XVIII, took up his role in 2016.

The term 'Yalie' is a source of pride for students, who are part of a diverse and supportive community. Yale students come from a variety of backgrounds, and the university has a need-blind admission policy, demonstrating its commitment to accessibility.

'Yalie' may have started as an insult

Students at Yale University are commonly referred to as "Yalies". While the term is now used as a catch-all to refer to any Yale student or graduate, it may have started as an insult.

Before the term "Yalie" came into use, students and graduates of the university were referred to as "Yale men", as in "the love that Yale men feel for their alma mater" (1899). The first printed use of the term "Yalie" that I could find was in the Harvard Crimson in 1941, which was condescending in tone: "When we were much younger we had the enlightening experience of reading a book about a Yalie named Frank Merriwell."

In the 1950s, "Yalie" was used as an insult by high school boys in New Haven, who would shout things like, "If you can't get a girl, get a Yalie!" at Yale students. There was also a homophobic slur sung to the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel": "I used to chase the girls around, but that's quite contrary / Now I chase the boys around. Whoops, I'm a Yalie."

The term "Yalie" also reflected class differences and was used to describe a "preppy who is too preppy". As one person recalled, the term brought to mind an "empty-headed blue-eyed blonde alternately cramming and boozing".

However, as Yale evolved from a college for prep school-educated Easterners to an international research university, the negative connotations of the term "Yalie" began to fade. By the mid-1970s, it had become a regular part of the Yale Daily News diction and was used increasingly in the Yale Alumni Magazine.

Yale University was founded in 1701

Students who attend Yale University are called "Yalies".

The founding of Yale can be traced back to the 1640s when colonial clergymen first attempted to establish a college in the tradition of European liberal education. In 1701, the Connecticut legislature adopted a charter "to erect a Collegiate School", and its mission was to instruct youth in the arts and sciences to prepare them for public employment in the church and civil state.

The Collegiate School was first opened in the home of its first rector, Abraham Pierson, in Killingworth, Connecticut. The school moved to Saybrook in 1703, and then to New Haven in 1716. In 1718, the school was renamed Yale College after Welsh merchant Elihu Yale, who had made a significant donation of books and goods.

Over the next few centuries, Yale continued to grow and evolve, adding new schools and programs and expanding its curriculum. It became a leader in graduate and specialized school education and was the first university in the US to award Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Today, Yale is a prestigious Ivy League research university with a rich history and a commitment to excellence in undergraduate education.

Yale is an Ivy League research university

Students who attend Yale University are called "Yalies". Yale is an Ivy League research university, one of the eight private Northeastern schools considered the most sought-after institutions of higher learning in the country and around the world. Yale is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, founded in 1701. It is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution.

Yale was established as the Collegiate School in 1701 by Congregationalist clergy of the Connecticut Colony. The school's original purpose was to train ministers in theology and sacred languages, but its curriculum soon expanded to incorporate the humanities and sciences by the time of the American Revolution. In the 19th century, Yale began offering graduate and professional instruction, awarding the first PhD in the United States in 1861 and organizing as a university in 1887. The university is organized into fourteen constituent schools, including the original undergraduate college, the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and Yale Law School.

Yale's library system, serving all constituent schools, holds more than 15 million volumes and is the third-largest academic library in the United States. The university has produced numerous notable alumni, including U.S. presidents, Nobel laureates, Supreme Court justices, billionaires, heads of state, and founders of successful companies. Yale's current faculty include members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Yale is known for its well-regarded drama and music programs at the Yale School of Drama. In addition to Yale College and the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the university has 13 professional schools, including the country's top-ranked law school and highly ranked schools of medicine, management, art, and nursing. Yale is also recognized for its athletic programs, with student athletes competing in intercollegiate sports as the Yale Bulldogs in the NCAA Division I Ivy League conference.

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