I have never attended Bulldog Days. Before my first year, it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My equivalent of Bulldog Days was my emailing professors, asking if they would be willing to let me attend their Zoom classes. In my first year, it was online. Last year, I had COVID-19 while the first in-person Bulldog Days was happening (if anyone saw the sign on a window in Arnold Hall that said “Welcome to Yale from students with COVID-19,” that was me). 

Some may think of this inexperience as a weakness; how could I give the guidance necessary to navigate Yale when I haven’t done it through a prefrosh’s eyes? If you are one of these skeptics, I get it. But I would argue that Yale is much more than the experiences that the school will push you to do for a couple of days. The sampler that you will receive will show Yale at its most grand and prestigious: there will be classes with famous professors, you’ll gasp at the thousands of extracurricular groups and talents that thrive in this school and you’ll be living with a student host(s) who will impart knowledge about anything you’d like to know. This article will not be the primary or only resource you consult, and it definitely shouldn’t be. 

I write this encouraging you to deviate (slightly) from the Yale programming. It’s scary, I know. You’ll probably be using Google Maps and looking at posters on bulletin boards wondering “What is WLH? Or SSS?” This is all stuff that you will get accustomed to in your first year should you decide to matriculate here. You’ll be fine. 

These are just a few of the things that have defined my time here and that have influenced my college decisions. Maybe you’ll agree, maybe you won’t. But you’ll probably find things you like along the way.

When you go to breakfast, lunch or dinner, talk with the dining hall staff. This should be obvious, but it’s not something that many people stop to do. Not only are Yale’s dining hall staff incredible people, but they will most likely be the ones that you meet every morning, afternoon, and evening throughout your Yale career. Start with a “Hi, how are you?” Build up to having a conversation. Ask for their name and give yours. 

One of the reasons that I decided to apply to Yale was because of people like Uncle Frank. I had the opportunity to talk with him the summer before I applied, and he remains one of the most influential people that I’ve met here on campus (I could go on about Timothy Dwight’s dining hall staff too, but I think that I’m 100 percent biased there).

As you go on about your day exploring Yale’s campus, search for details. You will be bombarded with posters advertising countless clubs, organizations and publications.

People will tell you that you should talk with this person if you’re interested in this thing, or go to this place if you’re wondering about what goes on inside it. While these things may define your unique experience in the future, there are things that will connect you to Yale’s larger history.

Yale has funny little sculptures in corners you might not expect. In Sterling, there’s an owl with the face of a man. In one of the Trumbull courtyards, there’s a boy sitting on a toilet. In almost every wall, there’s names attached to years and quotes. In hidden areas, you might find old letters belonging to alumni. But if you’re in Franklin and you see someone sitting on a bench at night, it’s most likely Benjamin Franklin (he is not willing to help you out if you need swipe access — he’s a stone-cold jerk).

Sometimes there will be paper cranes sitting on shelves in the libraries. On bulletin boards, there’s always events happening in-and-out of campus and posters bringing awareness to issues that students and New Haveners are passionate about. 

But don’t forget to get out of campus and into New Haven. I initially believed that with the semi-scattered layout of the residential colleges and academic buildings that campus wouldn’t feel so much like a bubble. I was wrong. If you wanted to, you could stay within campus borders and have minimal interaction with the city of New Haven. But this city has a lot to offer besides the apizza and other foods that Yale will promote in its brochures. There are countless opportunities to engage with the city and to explore, and you should walk through the city with as much curiosity as you will have walking through campus. There are countless communities that have been here for decades and centuries, and they have shaped Yale.

And in every place you go to, be respectful of Yale workers, faculty, students and New Haveners. Welcome to Yale. 

ISA DOMINGUEZ ’24 is a junior in Timothy Dwight College. Her fortnightly column “Classroom Banter” is a lively discussion of campus and student life. She can be reached at isa.dominguez@yale.edu.