Dear Class of 2027,

Thank you for getting your housing, advising, and Camp Yale Program forms in so promptly!

As you know, First Year Affairs will be emailing you regularly to introduce you to people and resources at Yale. We will also share these emails with the family members and guardians whose email addresses you have provided, so please make sure that information is accurate. To add or change an email address, visit the Yale Hub.

This week’s email focuses on information you need to plan your summer. This includes academic summer planning, your arrival to campus, and Camp Yale (our name for first-year orientation). For us, “camp” evokes friends and fun, challenges faced and new skills learned, and—most of all—communities built together.

Academic Summer Planning:

• Beginning next week, we will be sending you several messages in the coming months to introduce you to Yale’s approach to undergraduate education and the many resources available to you as you plan your course selection for the fall term.
• From mid-June to mid-August, you will have opportunities to schedule one-on-one video conferences with a recently graduated first-year counselor (FroCo). They have extensive knowledge of the Yale curriculum, especially courses that first-year students typically take. You will also have opportunities to make an advising appointment with an academic dean about specialized questions. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of these resources.
• We will also offer several webinars in the coming months for those of you tentatively interested in completing a major in fields that have specific requirements in the first year, such as the sciences and engineering programs, or who are planning to apply to medical school.
• Lastly, we will ask you to complete a High School Math and Science Survey, a Writing habits survey, and, where applicable, online placement exams. These are very helpful advising tools to ensure that you enroll in courses at the appropriate level.

Camp Yale overview:

• All new students are expected to arrive on the same day, Sunday, August 20, between 9 am and 2 pm.
•  You will spend your first few days of Camp Yale all together, getting to know your first-year counselor (FroCo) and your residential college community as you participate in shared orientation activities to learn about the opportunities, expectations, and values of Yale College.
• Then, on Tuesday night, you will join a second community in your Camp Yale Program (CYP). These used to be pre-orientation programs that only some students could attend—this is the second year they have been folded into orientation itself, so that everyone can have one of these valuable experiences. The traditional cost of attending these programs has been eliminated.
• On Saturday evening, you will reconnect with your residential college community at Yale’s annual Bulldog Bash, a community wide outdoor celebration to mark the start of the year. Beginning on Sunday, you will resume shared orientation activities. Over the next three days, you will have more time to get to know your new classmates, including upper-level student leaders, as you learn more about Yale resources and prepare for classes to begin on Wednesday morning, August 30.

More details about moving in:

• All new students should arrive on Sunday August 20, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Later this summer, you will be asked to sign up for a specific move-in timeslot.
• Upper-level students from your residential college will be here to welcome you and to help you move into your room.
• Other than your scheduled move-in time, the daytime Sunday events are optional. The first required meeting will be in your residential college at 8 p.m.
• Parents and family members will be welcome at in-person events on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. Most families who come to campus depart by mid-afternoon on Monday, after lunch in the residential colleges.
• Camp Yale will keep you very busy! Avoid making any other plans for this time period. You are expected to remain on campus at least until Labor Day weekend.
• A more detailed schedule will be released later this summer, but you can put the general outline into your calendars now. ​​​
  • Sunday, August 20-Tuesday, August 29: Camp Yale (required)
  • Wednesday, August 30-Friday, September 1: First days of class (required)
  • Saturday, September 2-Monday, September 4: Welcome Weekend (This weekend includes events highlighting the arts, civic engagement, Yale Athletics, and student organizations. It is optional, but strongly encouraged—you won’t want to miss it!)

August 20 may sound far away, but the Camp Yale team is already counting down the days. We are excited to meet you, and of course we have a lot of preparations to make!

Until next week,
The First Year Affairs Team

Hannah Rose Peck
Asst Dean of Student Affairs
Yale College Dean's Office
(she/her)

Please go to New Student Dates and Deadlines for a full list of deadlines.

Please go to New Student Forms & Tasks for first steps and important resources.

Residential college, housing, and First-Year Counselor assignments will be communicated later in the summer.