Welcome to Pierson College, Class of 2029!

Welcome To the Newly Anointed Pierson Knight,

The gates have opened. The hour is come.

From among the multitude, you have been chosen to dwell within the hallowed walls of Pierson College—a place of story and of spirit, where generations have walked before you and where your name shall now be written into the living scroll of Yale’s long and noble saga. You are the Class of 2029. Yours is the dawn.

Long ago, in the year 1933, Pierson College rose upon this earth, its tower reaching skyward to ring out the hours of both study and celebration. It took its name from Abraham Pierson, a founder of the Collegiate School—a man whose vision would become Yale University. Today, Pierson stands as one of the mightiest of Yale’s fourteen great colleges, rooted in tradition, yet alive with innovation.

You will not walk alone.

You enter not only a college, but the best college at Yale. A fellowship and loving community. A house of learning and of laughter. Here, you will find a double-tiered gymnasium for the testing of the body, a music room and studio for the quickening of the soul, a press and potter’s wheel where creation is shaped by hand, and a theater where truths are spoken aloud. Within Pierson’s domain, you shall find the Buttery for late-night hungers, a library that watches over your hours of thought, and a green courtyard that bears witness to every season of your becoming.

You will dwell for your first year in Vanderbilt Hall, located on Old Campus. There, among ancient arches and whispering elm trees, you shall meet your suitemates. Among them will walk your First-Year Counselor—your FroCo—a seasoned Pierson Knight who has crossed the trials you now face and returns bearing wisdom and mirth in equal measure.

Soon, a Faculty Fellow shall also be appointed to your path, joining Dean Tasha Hawthorne, guardian of your academic journey, and Professor Crystal Feimster, Head of College, who watches over Pierson’s heart and hearth and keeps the college running. Professor Daniel Botsman, Associate Head, shall walk beside her, and together, they shall guide the rhythm of this community. In the house of Leitner they reside, a beacon to all Pierson Knights.

The stewards of your journey are many: Tamelia, keeper of operations; Taunya and Kirsten, the voices who will steady your way; June, who prepares the feast and keeps the flame of welcome alive; and your peer aides, FroCos, and counselors—your circle of counsel as you cross into this new life.

Whether you are a first-year, a transfer student, or an Eli Whitney scholar, Pierson is your sanctuary. Your stronghold. Your harbor in the fog. Even if you dwell beyond its walls, the spirit of Pierson shall claim you, welcome you, and lift you into its fold.

In the coming days, check your messages. Awaken your Yale email. Watch for the signs. You will receive sacred knowledge: your suite assignment, your companions’ names, the rites of orientation, and the academic scrolls to prepare.

We look ahead to August, when you shall cross our threshold and the rite shall be complete. You will kneel in tradition—and rise in belonging—as a true Knight of Pierson.

Until then, guard your spirit, and walk with anticipation. The time is near. The tower awaits.

As Always,

Professor Crystal Feimster Head of Pierson College

Meet your First Year Counselors (FroCos) here!
Meet your Dean and Head and Associate Head of College!

First-Year and New Student Resources

From Pre-orientation programs to peer and academic advising to the Calendar for Opening Days, Yale College has resources in place to ease the transition to life on campus.

About Pierson College

Pierson was founded and built in 1933, and was extensively renovated in 2004. Today, it is  one of the largest residential college at Yale with approximately 500 students. Pierson’s spacious courtyard, lined with red bricks and white columns, can take on many different functions, including makeshift sports arena, dance floor, and tanning station. Pierson and its unofficial rival, Davenport, share many wonderful basement facilities, including a three room and double level gym, a dance studio, a music room, a printing press, a basketball gym, and a movie theater. Pierson also has its own set of facilities, including a laundry room, two game rooms with air hockey, ping pong, and pool tables, a buttery, a kitchen, and a seminar room.