Nathan Chen

[SkatingMusic]

I'm going to Stars on Ice. I've never been before - or to any other live skating event. The show is on mother's day and I've already gotten my mom into Nathan - she really likes his Michael Jackson program! My little brother is reluctantly coming as well - I think he's acknowledged that Nathan's programs are 'pretty cool' but he's not quite a fan ... yet. lol

I thought your mother doesn't like Nathan because he doesn't speak ChineseGlad you managed to turn her around.

 

[Mamamiia]

I'm going to Stars on Ice. I've never been before - or to any other live skating event. The show is on mother's day and I've already gotten my mom into Nathan - she really likes his Michael Jackson program! My little brother is reluctantly coming as well - I think he's acknowledged that Nathan's programs are 'pretty cool' but he's not quite a fan ... yet. lol

I thought your mom liked Vincent more, one of the reasons was that Vincent could speak more mandarin lol

 

[Bookworm]

lol, now Yale is known for being more lenient and for softies.
Speaking from personal experience here - getting good grades at Stanford is not extremely challenging for most. I would say there is grade inflation at Stanford - like at Harvard. C's are really rare, unless one completely slacks off.
UC Berkeley has harsher grading (C's are normal), and I think MIT does as well.
I would put the difficulty of grading at Yale on par with Stanford/Harvard.

A lot of top colleges are known for relatively lax grading, in part because good undergrad grades help their student body when it comes time to apply to post-graduate schools and also in part because the student body really is quite strong and deserving of good grades. I recall we made jokes when I was an undergrad at [insert name of elite East coast school here] about a B+ being the equivalent of a failing grade.

Anyhow, I'm getting the sense that some of the people posting less-than-thrilled opinions on Nathan's choice of college are very prideful of their educational background at whatever non-Yale institution at which they excelled, and are perhaps throwing (intentionally or not) some petty shade at what is undeniably one of the best colleges in all of the world.

 

[hhh]

Thanks, all. I think I will go ahead and purchase tickets :agree:.

I had been planning (way in advance!) to go to Four Continents in Anaheim, but will probably now wait to see what Nathan's competition schedule looks like as the 2019 season progresses.

Me too, I’m holding off on 4CC for now.

 

[hhh]

Subject: Buying US SOI tickets “non-Nathan college related” LoL

From experience, those who wish to buy them, go check out Groupon or Living Social for promo rates. I didn’t know they were offering them until too late so don’t be like me. I would recommend checking other sites for Skate America & 4CC tix before making purchase.

 

[discode]

A lot of top colleges are known for relatively lax grading, in part because good undergrad grades help their student body when it comes time to apply to post-graduate schools and also in part because the student body really is quite strong and deserving of good grades. I recall we made jokes when I was an undergrad at [insert name of elite East coast school here] about a B+ being the equivalent of a failing grade.

Anyhow, I'm getting the sense that some of the people posting less-than-thrilled opinions on Nathan's choice of college are very prideful of their educational background at whatever non-Yale institution at which they excelled, and are perhaps throwing (intentionally or not) some petty shade at what is undeniably one of the best colleges in all of the world.

I think it's that and people want him to stay in Cali. Though someone did predict in this thread we'd have a mess when he decided on a school.

Someone on FS another site mentioned Yale does a lot to support athletes. It would be more up to him how he wants to prioritize things, but they aren't going to be so rigid he can't compete and train if he wants to. And yeah, it was also mentioned that students seem to have more freedom when not studying and a high grading curve because they have already proven themselves by getting into the school. We'll see how it goes

 

[SkatingMusic]

I hope Nathan gets all easy As in all his classes so he can spend more time training

 

[hhh]

I called it and have been hiding in the tent. I for one would like to have him in Cali but that doesn’t matter because it’s his life and he’s happy with his choice. I wish him nothing but happiness (like the smile he sported doing a spread eagle at the Worlds FS) that’s precious. Exactly, we’ll see how everything works out after a few Red Bulls LoL

 

[hhh]

He may have a beautiful tutor to travel with him haha ok, don’t want to fan more flames.

 

[skfan]

I think it's that and people want him to stay in Cali. Though someone did predict in this thread we'd have a mess when he decided on a school.

Someone on FS another site mentioned Yale does a lot to support athletes. It would be more up to him how he wants to prioritize things, but they aren't going to be so rigid he can't compete and train if he wants to. And yeah, it was also mentioned that students seem to have more freedom when not studying and a high grading curve because they have already proven themselves by getting into the school. We'll see how it goes

May I ask for a link to this FS another site? I'm curious to read more about the flexibility referenced. Thank you.

 

[discode]

May I ask for a link to this FS another site? I'm curious to read more about the flexibility referenced. Thank you.

They haven't said much, though it's better than some of the comments I've read about how now other people can win easier https://www.another site.com/r/FigureSkating/comments/88vygm/nathan_chen_attending_yale_thoughts/

Someone had a relative go to yale and the classes were all pass/fail for example.

 

[hhh]

Tell me about it, possible hearsay, rumors and distaste... when people invest more than appropriate into another’s life you don’t know what will happen. I’m glad he’s somewhat private and keeps things to himself. He’s imperfectly perfect in my eyes and I’m happy seeing him healthy and living the life he’s made for himself.

 

[hhh]

Someone sent me this -
https://ctl.yale.edu/YaleGrading
They are aware of the grade inflation.

 

[skfan]

They haven't said much, though it's better than some of the comments I've read about how now other people can win easier https://www.another site.com/r/FigureSkating/comments/88vygm/nathan_chen_attending_yale_thoughts/

Someone had a relative go to yale and the classes were all pass/fail for example.

The pass/fail was for yale *law* school though, not for undergrad. I know you weren't giving exact examples, I'm not complaining-- just trying to discourage anyone who might jump on to 'Nathan's going to that easy school of last resort' rhetoric


Thank you for sharing the link so I could see for myself.

 

[alexaa]

They haven't said much, though it's better than some of the comments I've read about how now other people can win easier https://www.another site.com/r/FigureSkating/comments/88vygm/nathan_chen_attending_yale_thoughts/

Someone had a relative go to yale and the classes were all pass/fail for example.

This is Yale Law, which grades by honor, pass or low pass. But it is said that program is very time consuming, intellectually challenging, and competitive.

 

[discode]

The pass/fail was for yale *law* school though, not for undergrad. I know you weren't giving exact examples, I'm not complaining-- just trying to discourage anyone who might jump on to 'Nathan's going to that easy school of last resort' rhetoric


Thank you for sharing the link so I could see for myself.

Of course. Anyone who thinks Yale is a breeze and he's doing an easy thing is foolish. It'll be super difficult without even getting into the logistics of skating and training while remaining among the best in the world.


And I was just giving a (wrong) example which I shouldn't have mentioned. I'm more interested in how much freedom students have and how well athletes are supported.

 

[discode]

Yale being his only option in the whole US is the best. It's the funniest.

Anyway we should probably lay off college talk for awhile lol

 

[Spinning]

He has one of the best support system. His family has been very committed to his career. I ran to them a few times over the years and got a chance to talk to his older brother once, humble, soft spoken and caring. It will be super hard but if anyone can handle it it's Nathan.

Just out of curiosity, the uni studies in the U.K. have so many free time for researches and assignments. My brother who attended Oxford (St Hilda's) had more day off than me. And the undergraduate is only 3 years. Of course the work loads are massive. Nathan has been very good with aced so many activities in the past, I root for him to pull this off!

 

[lowereastside]

As a Yale alum, super excited for Nathan Chen to be joining the ranks! Was a little surprised like a lot of people as it’s not in Cali and I don’t remember it being one of the more flexible undergrad programs, with strict distributional requirements, limits to how many classes you can take pass fail, etc. However I also remember some of my classmates were olympians too, in fencing, skiing, hockey, etc. so I’m sure the school makes some accommodations and that he’s been thoughtful about making this decision.

Am also super amused by some of the more... out there posts about the school. I certainly think it’s not the hardest school out there (mit’s core curriculum sounds terrifying) but it’s also Yale, a top Ivy League schools and certainly not an easy breeze. Grade inflation is such that it’s pretty easy to get a b+ but getting an A took some work because you are surrounded by other brilliant people. FWIW, undergrad major really doesn’t matter when applying for most professional graduate programs like med school and law school so the analysis of the relative strengths of Yale’s graduate science programs is hilarious. I only went to the Whale to watch hockey games but it is totally walkable from cross campus, so can see the appeal.

Yale excels at giving a small liberal arts college feel while having the resources of a major institution and prestige of an Ivy. I always compare it to Harry Potter since we have residential colleges, which are like the houses in HP, so can’t wait to see people obsess over which residential college he’s in. I really do hope he gets a chance to experience college life and enjoy Yale’s traditions. And yes, Handsome Dan is the best mascot!

 

[demarinis5]

Congrats to Nathan! Yale is a wonderful school and Nathan will be an asset to the Yale family!