Welcoming in the 2024-25 Academic Year

To: GSAS Students
Copied to: Directors of Graduate Studies; Departmental Registrars

August 27, 2024

Dear Graduate School Students,

As we start a new academic year, it is my pleasure to extend a warm welcome to continuing and new students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Yale is a special place to pursue graduate education, offering you exceptional faculty, collections, and facilities to develop your intellectual pursuits. Yale graduate students are scholars in training of the highest caliber – you will produce unique discoveries and have innovative ideas to improve the world.

We know that graduate school is not easy – your academic program is designed to be rigorous and many of you will be making important life decisions at the same time, adding to the challenges. Long nights and setbacks are a normal part of the path ahead. To weather the ups and downs, it’s vital to build a community of friends, mentors, and advocates from within and beyond your academic studies. The friendships and professional networks you build here can support you through the challenges of graduate school and can even become enduring connections that enrich your personal and professional lives long after you leave Yale.

Your success is a shared goal, and we are here to support you in achieving it. The Graduate School offers a variety of financial, academic, and student support resources to help you navigate this journey, as well as professional and career development opportunities to set you up for your future after Yale. Remember to reach out when you need help. Whether it’s a fellow student, a faculty member, or a member of the Graduate School staff, there is always someone willing to listen and offer guidance.

Your time here is an opportunity to grow not just as a scholar, but also as a person. By embracing the challenges, celebrating the triumphs, and relying on the community around you, you will emerge from this experience wiser, more resilient, and ready to make a meaningful impact in the world.

I look forward to another year with you, and to hearing about the many wonderful discoveries you are making.

Warm regards,

Lynn Cooley
Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Vice Provost for Postdoctoral Affairs
C.N.H. Long Professor of Genetics
Professor of Cell Biology and of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology