As Yale College prepares to admit the largest class in its history, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and student groups are gearing up to host the potentially largest number of prospective students ever to visit campus during the annual spring recruitment programming.
In preparation for the new Bulldog Saturday, which is scheduled for April 15 and is a mini version of the traditional Bulldog Days program, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeremiah Quinlan said that the office would need extra help from the wider Yale community. Student leaders interviewed said they were enthusiastic about the additional chance to showcase their groups and plan to host additional events to accommodate the new Bulldog Saturday.
“This year we’ll be relying on current Yale students more than ever to help out in April, both during the regular Bulldog Days programming and the additional Bulldog Saturday,” Quinlan said.
As a result of the opening of the two new residential colleges in the fall, this recruitment season will feature the new Bulldog Saturday program, modeled after Bulldog Days, the University’s three-day program to showcase Yale to admitted students and their parents. There will also be changes in the date and structure of Yale Engineering and Sciences Weekend, a program designed to recruit STEM students.
Quinlan said his office has received positive feedback from attendees of past Bulldog Days saying that their favorite part of the visit is the interaction with current Yale students. To maintain the same opportunity for interaction among admitted and current students, Quinlan said the office will be tapping into the enthusiasm of Yale’s current students — a source of energy Quinlan characterized as one of the “greatest assets in recruiting new students to Yale” — more than ever.
Director of Recruitment Hannah Mendlowitz ’12 said to make the Bulldog Saturday program an effective recruitment effort, more current Yalies need to step up to accommodate the additional visitors.
“We want our admitted students to get to know the real Yale when they visit campus — not just the special programming that we set up for them, but the authentic experience of staying up late chatting with suitemates or the dining hall meal that goes much longer than planned,” Mendlowitz said.
She added that the best way for current students to get involved with helping recruit the class of 2021 is by hosting prefrosh in their on-campus suites.
While the office is still working on the details of Bulldog Saturday, Mendlowitz said the packed one-day schedule of the program will offer many of the same panels, classes and student group events as Bulldog Days. She added that although the office expected Bulldog Saturday to be more popular among local admitted students, current registration shows interests from students spreading across a large geographical range.
According to an email from the Admissions Office sent to the undergraduate student body on Feb. 6, student groups will only be able to host events between 6:30 and 8 p.m. during Bulldog Saturday due to the limited time frame of the programming. Like with Bulldog Days, the Office of Admissions will be offering funding to some groups to host events.
On top of the new Bulldog Saturday program, the Yale Engineering and Sciences Weekend will also be moved to the weekend leading up to Bulldog Days in April. Mendlowitz said the office has already began inviting admitted students to this year’s YES weekend.
Many student groups interviewed said they plan to host events during Bulldogs Saturday to attract more interested prefrosh.
Anthony D’Ambrosio ’18, senior co-coordinator of Dwight Hall, said the organization will host events for all prefrosh events this semester, including Bulldog Saturday, adding that Dwight Hall “always tries to capitalize on opportunities to reach prospective Yalies interested in service.”
Similarly, Sara Speller ’19, publicity chair of the Yale Glee Club, said the group was considering a showcase during Bulldog Saturday.
Speller praised the new recruitment program as a great idea, especially since some admitted students could be put off by Bulldog Days due to the overwhelming amount of people and structured activity.
Cindy Xue ’17, president of the Yale Symphony Orchestra, said the group does not currently have an event prepared for Bulldog Saturday, but is considering replicating a popular Bulldog Days event, a screening of past YSO Halloween shows.
“We’re always eager to recruit classical instrumental musicians to Yale; this often includes welcoming prospective students to sit in on our rehearsals or chat with YSO members outside of the official [Bulldog Days] events,” Xue said in an email to the News.
The preliminary schedules for both Bulldog Days and Bulldog Saturday are available online at https://admissions.yale.edu/bulldogdays.