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July 2009
Greetings to the Class of 2013:
Congratulations, and welcome to Yale! You may think that this is just another letter from Yale, but allow me to assure you that this letter is as just as important as, if not more than, all others. As you say goodbye to your high school life and friends and prepare to begin anew at Yale, know that we are here to make the transition as painless and fun as possible.
My name is Greta Carlson, and I will be a senior this year. More importantly, I am the editor-in-chief of The Yale Banner, Yale College's prestigious yearbook. While you are probably thinking "what use could I possibly have for a yearbook right now", know that The Yale Banner also produces the freshman facebook known as the Old Campus. This publication, created annually for the incoming freshman class, contains all of the photographs, college affiliations, and mailing addresses of your future classmates. Over the next four years, you will come to realize what a precious resource the Old Campus can be.
As a freshman, I used the Old Campus to look up what my suitemates and neighbors looked like and where they came from. It came in pretty handy when I needed to find the room/phone number of someone in one of my classes. Also the Old Campus helped me remember all of the people that I had met in hasty introductions at Bulldog Days. I appeared to have an excellent memory for people’s names and constantly surprised people by knowing specific details about them. Stretch your mind. Use your imagination. The Old Campus is a must have.
The Old Campus also includes a freshman class profile generated from the responses to the enclosed questionnaire. Fill out the questionnaire and return it promptly. Help your classmates find out what kind of people to expect. And above all, don't hold back. Be serious, be funny, be scary, whatever. Just be honest. You don’t want to be the only one who doesn’t put in their two-cents. You'll be happier when in four years from now; you can look back, flip through the pages of the 2013 Old Campus and laugh hysterically over your classmate's responses...or their hair styles.
You have probably received a separate mailing which includes a request for a photo for your Yale ID; we will use the EXACT SAME PHOTO, so make it count. Sadly, if you don’t send in a photo for your Yale ID, your picture will not appear in the Old Campus. I cannot stress how bad that is and how it can only lead to future misfortune. When your hot date scans the Old Campus and finds a picture of a bulldog under your name, he or she might not look forward to meeting you...or just might not show up. And you can't imagine the line you'll be standing in for that ID on the first day of orientation instead of making friends. In fact, not sending in that photo just might end your social life before it even begins. Don't be a victim of misfortune and negligence. Get that picture and the questionnaire in, and let's get the Class of 2013 acquainted!
Also, if you were a member of your high school yearbook staff and are interested in joining The Yale Banner, feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . All positions are currently available, and past experience, while greatly appreciated, is not required because we will show you how to use all of the programs. However, if taking pictures is more your thing, that’s fine too. The Yale Banner is always in need of nice photos.
Thanks for your cooperation, and good luck at Yale!
Seeing you soon,
Greta Carlson ‘10 The Yale Banner Co-Editor-in-Chief |