June 4, 2021

Dear Class of 2025, 

This week, I would like to introduce you to the Undergraduate Education Team. They are here to help you navigate the incredible array of academic opportunities here at Yale, explore new possibilities during your time here, and fully exercise your curiosity. We are thrilled for you to begin your Yale academic journey with us this fall! 

Warmly, 

Dean Peck

Dear Yale College Class of 2025, 
  
Welcome, Class of 2025, from the Office of Undergraduate Education in Yale College. We look forward to your arrival! 
  
Every few weeks throughout the summer, we will write with tips on how to make the most of Yale’s vast array of academic offerings.  With over 1000 courses per term offered through over 80 different programs, you have choices to make, and your time at Yale will go quickly. To help you navigate your first term, we will spotlight different areas of the curriculum in subsequent messages and provide advice on productive ways to explore fields of study and choose courses. We also want to make sure you are aware of things you should do over the summer to receive appropriate placement advice before you begin to sign up for course in the middle of August.  
  
In this first message, however, we want to focus on Yale’s approach to undergraduate education more generally, and we encourage you spend some time reflecting on your own larger educational goals before you dive into the course catalog.

Click on the links below to read more about the principles and structures that shape the liberal arts education that Yale offers, and which, in turn, will shape your own educational experience here.

• Yale’s Philosophy of Education
• Skills Requirements
• Distribution Studies
• International Experience
• Area Requirements

As you read, you will see that this framework provides the rationale for academic requirements, such as our distributional requirements and the need for students to pursue both a general education and a specialized education. Think of them like a basic blueprint for a house, but you get to build it according to your own interests, style, and sensibilities.

Happy building!