Yale Daily News

With Yale’s annual Bulldog Days event fast approaching, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions is calling upon students to accommodate the record number of attendees.

This year, more than 1,400 admitted students from the class of 2027 registered for Bulldog Days — the most students Yale has ever hosted for the event. 

Nearly 600 hosts are registered to let prospective students sleep in their dorm rooms for the two-night event. But according to an email sent on Monday, the admissions office is still “more than 100 hosts short.” 

“I imagine that, compared with last year, more students are comfortable traveling, and – because these students experienced many COVID-related disruptions during high school years – fewer of them may have had a chance to visit campus before applying,” Mark Dunn, senior associate director for outreach and recruitment, told the News. 

This year’s expected attendance is roughly 400 students larger than last year’s, when around 1,000 students participated in the event. 

In an email sent on Monday, the admissions office urged more students to sign up to host, saying “we are still more than 100 hosts short.” 

But, the office confirmed to the News that they now have a sufficient number of student hosts. 

“Thankfully, we’ve had a great response from students volunteering to host,” Dunn said. “I’ve been gratified to see the swell of Bulldog Days hosts who rose to meet the increased need. “

This year’s expected attendance is roughly 100-150 students larger than last year’s, when nearly 1,300 students participated in the event. 

Jackie Folmar, an assistant director of admissions who is in charge of coordinating Bulldogs Days housing, expressed gratitude for the students who signed up to host.

“The admissions office is grateful that so many students open up their rooms for admitted students, especially at such a busy time in the semester,” she said. “It’s been wonderful to see Yalies answer the call to assist with admitted students, especially when many current students were not able to have a Bulldog Days experience of their own.”

Folmar noted that the class of 2026 is “by far” the class with the most student volunteers. 

“I think that for many first-years, hosting is a way of paying forward the hospitality they appreciated as admitted students last spring.,” she said. 

But not every first-year has the space to house prospective students.

Wolf Boone ’26 says the lack of space in his dorm room is a barrier to hosting.

“I’d love to host a couple of people this year but I live in a small dorm with two beds and no common room, I don’t think it’d be a nice experience for those kids,” Boone said. “Next year, when I’m in a bigger suite, I’m definitely going to host 3 or 4 people.”

Additionally, some students are concerned that they will not have the time to interact with their student guests in a way that makes the event meaningful for them.

Amit Kamma ’26, a student employee for the admissions office, said he would not have time to host a student due to the requirements of his job during Bulldog Days.

“I think it’s generally a hard time for people to host because classes are ending and finals are starting soon,” Kamma added. “Having three kids sleeping on the floor of your room is a big distraction from your daily routine.”

As a token of appreciation, the admissions office is giving away a Yale tote bag — a “surprise hit at last year’s Bulldog Days” — to every student that signs up to host. 

Dunn said that despite the challenges, the admissions department is excited for the large turnout.

“I think Yale’s most valuable asset is its people, and I am grateful to the entire Yale community for the special effort that students, faculty, and staff make during Bulldog Days,” Dunn said. “The admissions office team is excited for the biggest Bulldog Days ever. We also expect it will be the best Bulldog Days ever.”

This year, Bulldog Days will begin on April 24 and end on April 26.

Corrections, April 21: Previously, this headline contained false information about a shortage of Bulldog Day hosts. It has been updated to focus more on the large amount of students who signed up. The article also previously contained a sentence with a tone that indicated “scrambling” in the Admissions Office. The article has been updated to reflect a more neutral tone. The article previously cited an inaccurate statistic of the total people in attendance at last year’s Bulldog Days, as well as presenting information from Monday in the present tense. It has been updated with the correct Bulldog Days attendance number from last year, and also clarifies information regarding the shortage of hosts.