The OOTBlog

Hypebot recently posted a great article about how to effectively brand your music group. Author Hisham Dahud explains the '3 Cs of effective branding': Clarity, Consistency and Constancy. I love this part:

You don't want to be all things to all people, especially when you're just starting out. You do want to be the leader a particular tribe based on what you believe individually, and thus express artistically ... So ask yourself: “What makes me distinctive? And how do I communicate that?"

Branding and marketing is something that a cappella groups (especially collegiate groups) don't think about either because they think it's unimportant, or that it's something icky, but from our experience, it really can make all the difference between obscurity and getting your music out there.

Every residential college has a distinct architectural style, which means that there's an incredible amount of variation in the look of the dorms. For example, there's Saybrook College, which looks like a straight-up stone castle:

And there's also Morse College, which has a more angular, modern feel:

Almost all freshman live on Old Campus, and the different Freshman Halls have their own characteristics. In general, dorms are grouped into suites. Depending on which residential college you were placed in, you could have anywhere from zero to eight other people with whom you share a large suite. 

If you receive just one suitemate or none at all, you will likely have one large room to yourself or to share between the two of you. If you have multiple suitemates, however, then there'll likely be two people per room, and your bedrooms will be connected by a large central Common Room (similar to a living room) where you'll all be able to do work, throw parties and just generally hang out.

So tl;dr

Do you have suitemates?

No --> You have a room all to yourself!

Yes --> How many?

1 --> You and your suitemate have a room all to yourselves!

BLUEBOOKING 101: Yale 2016 Course Selection Intro Guide

Heads up, Yale 2016: OCI (the online course information system) is live, which means that you can start looking through all the amazing classes on offer at Yale next year.

To help you understand the course selection process, we put together this handy info-sheet of things we wish someone had explained to us as freshman. Enjoy!

Love,

Lauren Provini '12 (Former Business Manager):

Favorite things: The most wonderful thing about Saybrook is the sense of family that exists within the college. This family of Saybrugians, led by the warmth and enthusiasm of Master Hudak and Associate Master Van Dyke, can be felt in all places: the dining hall, the library, the courtyards, the basement, and all the way over in Vanderbilt.

Good to know:

Take advantage of the fact that Saybrook is located so close to Old Campus - feel free to use the library, gym, practice rooms, and other college facilities after dinner and into the late hours of the night, with the added convenience of only having to cross High Street to get back to Old Campus.

Sit at the "long table" in the dining hall! The Saybrook dining hall is the only one on campus that has a long table running the length of the entire room. Whether you show up for a meal alone, or simply want to strike up a conversation with new people in the college, you will always be welcomed warmly at the Saybrook long table.

Learn and appreciate the significance of the grapevine as an emblem of Saybrook. How many grapevine motifs can you spot throughout the college? You, as a Saybrugian, will place grapes atop your cap at Commencement!

See the Other Residential College Photosets!

Old Campus

Jonathan Edwards

Trumbull College

Timothy Dwight

Carter Michael CC '15 (Rush Manager), Daniel Reardon CC '14:

Favorite things: The best thing about living in Calhoun is how it's right in the center of things while still keeping a home-like atmosphere. It's one of the smallest colleges area-wise, which means that it always feels cozy, but you'll also end up running into your friends from other colleges all the time as people pass through.

Good to know:

The hammock in the courtyard has a magical property whereby it only stays stable if there are at least two people in it. I think it's trying to suggest something.

Come early for dinner (Between 5:00-6:00). Because Calhoun is a popular dining space for Freshmen, spots fill up really fast. Also, the grill is open Mon-Fri till 7! Then it shuts off! Make sure to take that into consideration if you want a burger.

If you don't want to head back to Bingham, the Calhoun library is literally the best place to grab a quick nap on campus. Particularly in late morning/early afternoon, there's always a couch to stretch out on for a half-hour or so.

Make sure to stop by the buttery in the basement on weeknights! Even if you do most of your studying elsewhere, there's a real camaraderie there and you'll end up having the most interesting 1:00 AM conversations. Plus, the food is awesome and way cheaper than GHeav.

Welcome to the Houn, fellow Hounies!

See the Other Residential College Photosets!

Old Campus

Jonathan Edwards

Trumbull College

Timothy Dwight

Allison Bryant MC '14 (Business Manager), Meg O'Hare '13, Morse 2016 Froco:

Favorite things: Gothic archways and spiral towers? You'll see your fill of those in classes and during meetings. You'll learn the magic of rooms with no right angles, and enjoy the best music practice rooms, residential college gym and library, and food on campus (the wok/grill/brick oven pizza corner is truly a gift from God). We have a loom. We have a walrus skeleton (and the walrus as our mascot). We have a huge group of wonderful students. And now, we have you. <3!

Good to know:

Our Dean's wife is a professional chef and we have study breaks with delicious pastries.

Amy Hungerford is awesome. Like, insanely smart and really nice.

Our dance studio is awesome. As is the Crescent Theater.

We're right next to the Payne Whitney gym and Toad's.

The Morse freshman counselors are the best freshman counselors on campus!  They are funny, nice, intelligent, well informed, and damn good looking!

See the Other Residential College Photosets!

Old Campus

Jonathan Edwards

Trumbull College

Timothy Dwight

Calhoun College

Patrick Verdier, TD '14:

Favorite thing: TD, rather than Old Campus, will be your home from Day 1, so you'll quickly come to know and love the college itself, as well as the people in it. It's a homey and intimate environment - I think that's what I like best about it. From its beautiful dining hall and courtyard, to its great food, to its inhabitants' huge amount of spirit, you'll quickly come to call TD home.

Good to know:

Meet lots of freshmen! There will be about 100, so you'll be able to get to know quite a few. TDers are quick to bond.

Try to get to know some sophomores and upperclassmen, too. They'll want to meet the freshmen, and can be a great source of advice and of friendship.

Hang out in the courtyard! Go on the hammocks, relax under the tree, sit at the tables, play frisbee or volleyball. You'll have tons of fun and meet tons of people.

Eat in TD. Eat outside when you can, for the fresh air, the sun, and the beauty of the courtyard. (It's often a bit cold in the dining hall, so you might wanna wear your TD fleece.) But the food is delicious and the staff is really friendly. Crack jokes with them.

Be proud of your college. Learn the cheer. Love the people in it. Have an amazing year.

See the Other Residential College Photosets!

Old Campus

Jonathan Edwards

Trumbull College

Morse College

Calhoun College

Yuvika Tolani, TC '14:

Favorite things: Our dining hall is the best one. Hands down. Additionally, since it's so small, you get to know your class really well. Finally, our suites are beautiful, AND centrally located (you'll appreciate this when you're coming back from Toad's at 1 am). Basically it's the best. But actually.

Good to know:

You get to live in Bingham--it's the most beautiful building on OC and across the street from Claire's. Also, it has laundry right in the basement.

There is always free ice cream in the chaplain's office in the basement, which is also in the basement. Yes, really. No, seriously.

Take advantage of the common spaces - the cozy library, the buttery. Trumbull has one of the nicest residential college student kitchens and dance studio and they're all easy to get access to.

Get to know your classmates, especially if you live in the Tower. You can't always rely on having lots of people on your floor, so venture out beyond your suite, floor, and entryway to make friends!

See The Other Residential College Photosets (more coming soon)!

Old Campus

Jonathan Edwards

Timothy Dwight

Morse College

Calhoun College

THE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES AT YALE: Jonathan Edwards

Tom Dec JE '13, (Business Manager of Yale OOTB):

Favorite thing: Our libraries! You will discover that the Lower Taft and Upper Taft libraries are gems and hands-down the best residential college libraries at Yale. They are huge, well-lit, and there’s even an entrance to the Art Gallery’s sculpture garden if you would like to study or read there. Curtis & Curtis library is also great, especially if you have to curl up with a book. You will do a lot of studying while at Yale, and the libraries are the best. 24-hour access is a nice quality, too.

Good to know:

Take advantage of family night. I didn’t come to appreciate it as a way to meet and catch up with JE people until late in my Yale career.

Don’t miss out on JE’s culture draw each semester. You get entered into a raffle to go to see a show (musical, dance, theater, film) on JE’s dime, often with a generous dinner included. If you don’t win a chance in the fall semester, you will have a good shot of winning in the spring semester.

Our dining hall atmosphere is great, but the staff can be more authoritarian than their counterparts in Silliman or Branford.

Personally, I’m a big fan of eating breakfast in the dining hall. It’s a great time to read the YDN or, more frequently, catching up on the work you didn’t do the night before.

We are #1 in IMs! JE SUX!!

Learn about the other Houses:

Old Campus

Trumbull College

Timothy Dwight

Morse College

Calhoun College

Hi Yale 2016!

In a few short hours you’ll know which residential college you’ve been placed into, so we created this visual to show you what your new homes actually look like! We’ll be following up with more posts, each focused on a different college. 

Feel free to ask us any questions you might have about life at Yale! We promise to get back to you ASAP :). Hope you enjoy, and we can’t wait to meet you very soon!

Love,

Yale Out of the Blue

See Photosets of the Residential Colleges!

Jonathan Edwards

Trumbull College

Timothy Dwight

Morse College

Calhoun College

Remember how excited we were about UChicago's rendition of Titanium? They've released their single! I just picked up a copy and I'm loving it. Perfect start to summer!

--Allison

OOTB has just returned from our summer tour to Rio di Janeiro and Teresopolis. Some highlights include:

Saying hi to Christ the Redeemer on a beautiful, sunny day.

Hanging out on a gorgeous beach.

Riding horses through the streets of Teresopolis.

Samba-ing and singing with the wonderful girls of Voices of City of God chorus.

We had a fantastic time, and said our goodbyes for the summer. Until we meet again! (Though we'll always be updating our pages on OOTB activity, including the new EP).

--Allison

OOTB hangs out with Amy from Delilah after the show

...as written by someone who competed, after consulting with other biased people.

1. Titanium by UChicago Voices in Your Head. I cannot wait until they record this--their soloist sat on those top notes for eons. Their sound filled the room and they knew exactly how to use the mic system. Actually, just watch the whole set. They have a compelling story arc and make great artistic decisions. Fantastic.

2. Oluwasegun Oluwadele from the SoCal VoCals. His rendition of Tightrope drove the audience wild. And he belted the top notes (falsetto? who needs it!). He scampered all over the stage, and it was just adorable.

3. Vocal Rush, the ICHSA Champions. These girls used to have three additional male members, but the boys couldn't make it to finals. The girls just rearranged some parts and killed it. They're like mini-Delilah and had more balls than many of the all-male groups I know. 

4. Delilah. They shook the room. Enough said. (Also, the photo at the top of this post is a personal highlight).

OOTB had a great time competing, making new friends, and seeing phenomenal a cappella at the ICCA Finals. Also, the show was across the street from the Broadway production of Anything Goes--I was completely overwhelmed by the talent all around! Anyone we met this weekend has an open invitation to come down to Yale. We'll set you up with a performance venue, hosting, and a party! Congratulations to the SoCal VoCals on their third ICCA Championship, the Scattertones on their first runner up, and the charming gentlemen of All the King's Men on their third-place finish!

--Allison

Hey y'all,

After a successful year, OOTB is proud to announce the fearless leadership who will bring us to new heights in the upcoming academic year! 

Pitch: Fiona Vella, Davenport '14.  Fiona is originally from Ireland, and now comes to us from Maine. With a long history of musical addiction, of which humming in her sleep has thus far been the severest symptom, she joins Dre in the traditional OOTB/Glee Club contingent that has existed for aeons and in pitch lineage. 

Assistant Pitch: Sana Sharma, Davenport '14. When she isn't singing in OOTB, Sana can usually be found painting, playing the ukulele, and performing controlled explosions in the name of science. She is an avid aficionado of all things astrophysics, and will attempt to turn you into one too, if given a tin can, a laser, and half a chance. 

Business Manager, Fall Term: Back by popular demand, Tom Dec, Jonathan Edwards '13. Tom’s enthusiasm for OOTB is only matched by his passion for politics (of the Democratic flavor) and he can often be found reading, writing, or talking about it when he’s not singing. He is also an avid twitter user, Meat Loaf fan, and vanilla ice cream aficionado.

Business Manager, Academic Year: Allison Bryant, Morse '14. Your friendly neighborhood OOTBlogger loves primates, lemons, hiking in the mountains, the American West, stories, my family, and OOTB. I'm from Idaho, but I don't care much about potatoes, unless they're ice cream potatoes. 

Rush Managers: Harry VanDusen, Morse '14, will be leading the OOTB flagship into next year's rush! He will be joined by Kate Mighty, Pierson '15, Johnny Shively, Ezra Stiles '15, and Carter Michael, Calhoun '15 in OOTB's quest to find its newest members. 

We can't wait to see what awesome surprises next year brings! 

--Allison