The Freshman Counselor Program was established in 1938 and has been ever since an intrinsic and essential component of Yale’s advising system for freshmen. The program has evolved in many ways over the years, but the general purpose of the program has remained the same: to help ease the transition of incoming freshmen to the academic, social, and cultural life of Yale College.
Freshman counselors are expected to be responsible and mature students who can draw upon their own experiences and the training they receive to respond appropriately to the wide range of questions and issues that first-year college students encounter. Prospective applicants should therefore be able to demonstrate a strong record of academic success, personal maturity, and commitment to serving others.
Serving as a freshman counselor is a major responsibility and time commitment, and it is expected to be a student’s primary extra-curricular activity. A counselor may not accept any other term-time employment beyond ten hours per week without prior permission from the dean of freshman affairs and the counselor’s supervisor(s). The same restriction holds for any other significant extracurricular commitment that would demand more than ten hours per week.
Applicants are urged to read this information carefully and seriously consider how serving as a freshman counselor fits into their plans and obligations for senior year. They are also encouraged to discuss the prospect of applying for a position with their residential college dean. Masters of residential colleges, cultural center directors, and current freshman counselors may also be useful to consult.
While the responsibilities of freshman counselors are heavy, and the demands made on their time and energy are great, the opportunity to support students encountering Yale for the first time is profoundly important and uniquely rewarding. In the eyes of many freshmen, no position at Yale is more significant; and for many counselors, no other job is more satisfying.
Given the nature of the position and the often unpredictable needs of freshmen, it is impossible to anticipate all the duties that a freshman counselor might be expected to perform, but the primary responsibilities are listed below. If you have any concerns or reservations about your ability to fulfill these duties, be sure to contact your residential college dean, or the dean of freshman affairs before you apply.
All counselors are required to attend a series of one-hour training sessions soon after they are selected. The first series of sessions begins immediately after spring break and includes eight meetings; the second series of sessions is a week-long training program the week before the freshmen arrive in August. These sessions provide an opportunity for counselors to familiarize themselves with the nature and extent of their duties, discuss common counseling concerns, and meet various members of the university community who will be sources of information and support for them throughout the year. It also allows counselors to analyze typical student-related problems with the assistance of mental health professionals from University Health Services. Attendance at every meeting is mandatory.
The sessions in April will be offered more than once, so counselors will have multiple opportunities to attend each session. The sessions will be recorded for students who are abroad for the spring term.
The major responsibility of freshman counselors is to be a nearby and ready resource for their counselees. To be effective, counselors need to get to know their freshmen sufficiently to understand their specific needs and interests and be able to connect them to the appropriate resources on campus. Such familiarity requires the counselor to spend considerable time with his or her counselees, which is why living and eating with freshmen are essential components of the program.
Freshman counselors are expected to be in residence by the beginning of freshman counselor training until the end of each term, including reading period and final examination period. Permission to leave campus overnight during the term must be approved by the counselor’s supervisor(s) and cannot ordinarily be granted during the first month of the fall term. Counselors should be in the company of their counselees frequently, and their availability is particularly important in the evenings, especially during the times of midterm tests and final examinations.
Freshman counselors form an integral part of Yale’s freshman advising system. They are therefore expected to be thoroughly familiar with Chapters I, II, and III of the Yale College Programs of Study, which explain in detail the undergraduate curriculum and academic regulations of Yale College, and the Freshman Handbook, which emphasizes information most relevant to freshmen.
Freshman counselors are also expected to assist the college dean and master in overseeing the health and safety of freshmen and in promoting the values of a residential academic community. They should therefore be thoroughly familiar with the undergraduate regulations and must assume reasonable responsibility for seeing that their freshmen honor the regulations contained therein, particularly the rules concerning social functions, alcoholic beverages, noise, fire extinguishers, and fire alarms. Counselors are expected to address immediately any violations they encounter and report them to the residential college dean or master. They are also expected to report promptly any custodial or security concerns they notice to the dean, master, or other appropriate person.
It is critical that some freshman counselors be present in the dormitories during the evening on weekend nights (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). To ensure such presence, each counselor team develops a rotating duty schedule, and each counselor is typically “on duty” one weekend night every week. While the counselor is on duty, he or she is expected to be in the dormitory and readily available to the freshmen, other counselors, and to the dean and master throughout the evening.
As counselors carry out their duties, it is critically important for them to recognize that they do not—and cannot—carry out their responsibilities alone; they are expected to work in concert with a team of people who collectively help freshmen adjust to college life. Counselors are expected to stay in regular contact with the other members of their counselor team and with their residential college dean, and with other center directors (as appropriate). All counselor teams meet weekly with their residential college dean and are frequently in touch throughout the week by email and phone. In addition, the head counselor from each team also meets independently with the representatives of other teams to discuss matters that affect more than one college. All counselors must post their photos on the Yale Facebook so that the master or dean can readily remind him or herself of the student in this role, as need be.
Inasmuch as freshman counselors are expected to assist Yale College in upholding the undergraduate regulations, it is assumed that counselors will themselves be exemplary in their conduct. A counselor who violates one of these regulations, and is thereby subject to censure from the Executive Committee, may be immediately dismissed from the freshman counselor program at the discretion of the dean of freshman affairs.
It is very important for all counselors to understand that they are more than just students; they are also employees of the Yale College Dean’s Office, and they assume positions of professional responsibility. All counselors are therefore expected to relate to members of the freshman class in a manner that is appropriate to their status as representatives of the dean’s office. They should be particularly careful to allow freshmen to hold their own opinions and form their own judgments about the academic and social life at Yale. And in keeping with University expectations of propriety and professionalism, counselors must resist romantic attachments and strictly refrain from sexual contact with any freshman. Counselors who violate this expectation will be immediately dismissed from the freshman counselor program.
Applicants must be seniors in good academic standing during both terms of the academic year 2012-2013. Freshman counselors are expected to be responsible and mature students who can draw upon their own experiences and the training they receive to respond appropriately to the wide range of questions and issues that first-year college students encounter. Prospective applicants should therefore be able to demonstrate a strong record of academic success, personal maturity, and commitment to serving others.
Students who have overcome significant academic and/or personal challenges during their Yale Careers may have points of view that are unique and valuable for incoming freshman, and such applicants should consult the residential college dean and/or the Dean of Freshman Affairs before applying.
Freshman Counselor applicants must have the skills and/or experience to work with a diverse student population, including but not limited to ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religion, students with disabilities, international students, and other communities.
Candidates with experience working with the cultural centers, OISS, Chaplain's Office, LGBT-Q community, and others are highly encouraged to apply.
Freshman counselors receive free housing and a reduced rate on a full meal contract. Counselors in Timothy Dwight and Silliman Colleges have a different counselor ratio and should consult their college dean for information about the terms of their compensation.
Roughly 300 students apply each year for approximately 101 openings.
The link to the online application form is above. In addition to this online application, students should submit a one-page resume in hard copy form to their residential college dean. The final deadline for application materials is 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 3rd, 2012.
Interviews are arranged by the residential college dean and ordinarily take place in February. Applicants will be notified just before the spring recess so that they may make appropriate plans for the following year. The dean of each of the residential colleges will announce results for the counselor positions. Final appointments are made by the dean of freshman affairs, and the Yale College Dean’s Office will send contract forms to selected applicants.
NOTE: Students who are not in residence during the spring-term application season may submit an online application before they depart campus and should consult their college dean about alternative interview arrangements.
