Yale University... Making the Grade

Introduction
Yale is a really great place. One of the many things that make it unique, aside from its beautiful, gothic architecture, fabulous and renowned professors, and great student body, is the residential college system (think: Harry Potter) which allows you to have the "small liberal arts college" feel in a larger setting. Besides, you have a Master (who's in charge of social activities) and a Dean (who's in charge of all the academics) who live with you in the residential college and are there for you! Besides them, there's a whole support system that's there for students (which is great because it can be pretty tough to adjust to Yale, its academics, etc.) like writing tutors (that each residential college has), freshman counselors, ethnic counselors and so on. We also have so many exciting traditions, like the Yale-Harvard football game, as well as great opportunities to sit down with famous speakers at Master's teas (think Larry King, Howard Dean, Kurt Vonnegut, and on and on).
But, of course, not everything is so wonderful and it can be pretty hard to adjust everything that is "Yale" - especially having to deal with the ever-so-pretentious people! Especially watch out for some Political Science and Ethics, Politics, and Economics major students, who are known for being extremely pompous and haughty. Minority students might also have a hard time (but there's always the cultural houses like the Asian American Cultural Center and the Af-Am House to turn to), and if you went through public school education, you might find it difficult/frustrating to do everything in what seems to be twice as more time as other students!
Still, at Yale, the goods definitely outweigh the negatives and it makes for a great 4-years!

Campus Life and Social Life
The social life at Yale is really what you make out of it, and there's something for everyone here. There are parties every weekend, and, if that's not your cup of tea, other more casual events in people's suites/rooms, whether that's watching movies or just hanging out (what I've found to be true, is that you can be a dry student here at Yale and still have a great time!). There's also many extracurricular activities/events that people get involved in, which are very social during weekends & throughout the week (i.e. theater productions, art/photo shows, speakers, cultural dinners, performance groups, etc.).
Different student organizations also always have social events, from crazy parties to movie nights to study breaks, hikes, etc.
Also, since you get to be part of the wonderful residential college system here at Yale, you get to have even more events throughout the week that allow for plenty of social interaction with everyone (that'd include stuff like the Date Auctions, Water Days, chocolate fountain nights, trips to NY, ski trips, bowling trips, etc). Really, there's always something to do during the week and in weekends for both students who drink alcohol and those who chose not to. Academics
The academics at Yale are, obviously, top-notch... but everything is HARD. It is true that some people come from being top in their high schools and then sink to the bottom, so it's really important to take advantage of the tutors, deans, etc. there to help you. Other than for being hard, it's also difficult because some of the people who think they are hot-shots and who dominate sections, seminars, and teachers' times.
The professors are generally pretty accessible - although that might not necessarily be the case in a lecture course. The best are the seminars (and they now have both sophomore and freshmen seminars, so it's not only for upperclassmen!), so you should definitely try to enroll in those and take advantage of being so up close and personal with a professor! TAs are generally pretty good also, although they are infamous for not speaking English in the Math department.
The most popular departments (and thus, arguably, the best because they have so many resources and great niches for students) are the history and political science majors. The psychology major is pretty strong as well, with professors who are really world-renowned. The sciences (as would be expected in a liberal arts college like Yale) aren't the strongest, and so it's generally harder for students to get closer to professors in, let's say, the Biochemistry department than it is for a student who's an English major.
The Ethnicity, Race, and Migration double major is really great, new department that students should take advantage of.

Student Body
The typical student at Yale is, undoubtedly, pretty accomplished. And while that may be the cause of many frustration and feelings of being overwhelmed, it is also pretty awesome because you never know who you might bump into and what stories that person might have. Yale students are literally from everywhere, have lived everywhere, have travelled everywhere, and have many experienecs - and that's true for both international and domestic students. Among them, you will find artists and athletes and musicians and quirky geeks, and the whole deal - which makes finding your own niche at Yale pretty great.
There are many students though who get really turned-off by the students (again, being pretentious) and become disenchanted by Yale, and so will take a semester off or go abroad.

In Closing...
Yale is a really accomodating and fun place. It might sometimes be overwhelming, but if you're smart enough to get in, then you're capable of dealing with it and learning to use everything to your advantage.
There are a lot of opportunities out there (from fellowships to advisors to chaplains to student organizations, etc.) and one of the things that many students often don't do, is actually using all these resources - so I would encourage incoming students to definitely keep that in mind! The key is to find your niche, shine in whatever it is that you do, and take all the conceited and future-presidents with a grain of salt!