Madelyn Kumar

With Bulldog Days set to begin Monday, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions still needs more hosts to house a large cohort of admitted students.

According to an email to the student body from Karen Blake, senior assistant director at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, the admissions office will welcome what will likely be the largest-ever group of visiting prefrosh — over 1,300 as of April 11.

The admissions office did not disclose how many students have signed up to host.

“Things are tracking very consistently from previous years,” said Mark Dunn ’07, senior associate director for outreach and recruitment. “But always from previous years, we find that we need to do a lot of reminding and requesting.”

Bulldog Days, a three-day program that offers admitted students an opportunity to explore life at Yale, will run from April 21 to April 23. With the date fast approaching, the admissions office is encouraging more current students to volunteer.

Skylar Cobbett, assistant director of admissions and director of Bulldog Day, noted that student hosts play a key role in helping admitted students decide whether to enroll.

“We know that the most important factor for many admitted students while making their college decision is the people with whom they make connections,” she said.

Rohil Mohan ’28, who is hosting three students, told the News that Bulldog Days was where he met some of his closest friends and, for the first time, could see himself at Yale. Coming from a high school where very few students went to Yale, the event helped convince him to attend.

In response to recent opposition to hosting, including a YCC-led boycott over changes to lunch menus, Mohan remained critical. 

“Hosting is about helping another person,” he said. “To place your dining experience over a student who’s scared about which college to attend is pretty selfish.”

Dunn added that while the office of undergraduate admissions offers plenty of other opportunities for prospective students to get involved, none compares to Bulldog Days. 

“A student who’s able to visit campus, stay overnight, eat in the residential colleges, and get that full three-day experience is going to have the best exposure to the Yale experience that we would want to make their best-informed decision about the next four years,” he said.

To make Bulldog Days accessible, the admissions team also covers the cost of travel for admitted students with demonstrated financial need.

Dunn added that the financial aid travel program is coordinated with the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid. Once a student’s financial aid award is finalized and meets the eligibility threshold, the admissions team books flights and transportation for the prospective student.

According to Dunn, the admissions team has already invited over 550 students to participate in the Yale Travel Program.

Despite the large number of expected attendees, Dunn expressed confidence that the team would be able to secure enough hosts in time.

“It’s not atypical to need more hosts a week ahead of Bulldog Days,” he said. “I’m always super grateful that so many students open up their suite.”

Dunn also encourages anyone, particularly students who came to Bulldog days themselves, to consider hosting as “a really nice way to pay it forward,” and even a small interaction like letting an admitted student sleep in their room “makes a big difference.”

Registration for Bulldog Days remains open until April 16.