Do You Think You’ll Want to Go Abroad?

Wesleyan considers study abroad to be an essential part of a liberal arts education for students majoring in any subject. And while we are uncertain as to all of the programs that may be available at the time you may wish to go abroad for academic study, you still have an opportunity to plan based on your current interests. It might seem really far off, but many of the non-English speaking programs require 2 or more years of language, so if you want to go abroad during junior year, you should consider taking the language for the country you want to study in your first year.

Note that many languages require that you begin a language during fall semesters. We encourage you to explore existing study abroad programs, and you may contact studyabroad@wesleyan.edu with any questions that come up.

Submit Your Academic Interest Questionnaire by 7/6

Please submit the Academic Interest Questionnaire (AIQ) by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 6.

WesPortal > New Student Checklist & Resources > Academic Interest Questionnaire

The information you provide will help us assign you to a faculty advisor, and will also provide valuable information about your academic interests to your class dean.

Based upon your responses, we will do our best to assign you to a faculty advisor who shares an academic interest with you, or who will be teaching one of your courses in the Fall. If you have any questions, please contact Dean Leathers.

Placement Tests at Wes

All new students who are interested in taking math or language courses should take the appropriate placement exams by July 6.  To access the exams, go to

WesPortal > New Student Checklist & Resources > Placement Tests

You will then be redirected to Moodle, where you can choose the exams you wish to take.

This video on placement tests from Rubye Peyser, former Academic Peer Advisor, offers some helpful advice on the placement exam process.

Preferred Names and Pronouns

Some members of the Wesleyan community are known by a name that is different from their legal name. Students who wish to be identified by a preferred name can enter that name in the Personal Information section of their WesPortal. You may access more information about preferred names through the Registrar’s Office. In the same section of WesPortal there is also an option to input your personal pronouns.

Language at Wes

Studying a language other than English at Wesleyan is nothing like what you experienced in high school! Wesleyan students begin speaking in their target language from their very first class and are guaranteed to pursue or continue their linguistic and cultural interests at a rigorous level. 

With 15 languages taught at Wesleyan, you can start learning a new language or continue a language you have already studied. To continue your language studies, you can use your AP or IB score or take an online Placement Test, which is available to you on WesPortal, to be placed at the right level. You can even start or continue languages not taught at Wesleyan through our alternative language study options, available through the Fries Center for Global Studies.

Want to study abroad? Make sure to plan ahead as Wesleyan has rigorous language prerequisites, with many of our non-English speaking programs requiring one to two years of language study prior to departure. Want to hear about students’ experiences? Check out these Wes students’ reflections about their motivations for learning a language on campus and studying abroad.

Many programs require students to begin language studies during Fall semesters so, even if you don’t know if you want to study abroad, our advice is to keep the door open. As you plan for July course registration, start thinking about how to include language study in your academic plan from your first semester at Wes!

Have questions about language study at Wes? Come join Professor Camilla Zamboni and Natalia Román Alicea for drop-in hours next month (see below). You are also welcome to email nromanalicea@wesleyan.edu with any questions about pursuing language study.

Language at Wes Drop-in Hours

Tuesday, July 13, at 9am EST

Wednesday, July 14, 7pm EST

Thursday July 15, 12pm EST

Join Zoom Meeting: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/95582238875?pwd=NFBlaFZmWE4yT1NGTG5Md0V6MktNUT09

Meeting ID: 955 8223 8875

Passcode: 616158

Notes from International Student Orientation – 6/18

The ISO Registration form is live since Wednesday, June 16, 2021. The deadline to fill it out is Thursday, July 15, 2021. You can find the form on your WesPortal under your checklist. If you have any questions, email them to iso@wesleyan.edu.

We have extended the registration for the International Buddy Program from Sunday, June 20, 2021 to Sunday, June 27, 2021. Please make sure to fill out the sign up form so you can be matched with current international students who can help answer all your questions about the Wesleyan experience.

First-Year Housing Options at Wes!

A video (with closed captions) about some of the first-year housing options at Wesleyan

Check out the videos that last year’s interns made of the myriad and wonderful housing options available at Wesleyan!

Remember, your Housing Preference Form is due July 6. Residential Life will not be able to assign students who have not submitted the form.

Annual Health Insurance Requirement

Wesleyan requires all students to have health insurance.

  • You must show proof annually of private insurance (with a waiver) or enroll in the university-sponsored plan before August 12, 2021. The only acceptable way to comply with university insurance requirements is by completing the necessary forms online, through the Gallagher Student Health and Special Risk website at www.gallagherstudent.com/wesleyan; the online form is available now. Please note: You must use your Wesleyan email credentials to log in, and once logged in you will be taken directly to the Gallagher site; no need to create a new user account.
  • If you know you want the university insurance plan please complete the online enrollment form at www.gallagherstudent.com/wesleyan. Enrolling early will ensure there is no delay in coverage, which begins on August 12, and you will have access to your ID card promptly. If you enroll in the university plan, we recommend using your campus address/PO Box to ensure your insurance statements arrive to your campus mailbox.

If you have any questions, please send an email to healthforms@wesleyan.edu.

Optional Dental Insurance Enrollment Information

Dental insurance is available for all enrolled students of Wesleyan University.

ELIGIBILITY:

Any enrolled student of Wesleyan University is eligible to enroll in the sponsored dental insurance plan outlined below.

THE PLAN OPTIONS:

This is a standalone dental plan that utilizes a national network of providers and offers in and out of network benefits. Please see the flyer (at the bottom of this post) outlining the High, Medium and Low plan options. Pricing is on the flyer as well as a synopsis of the coverage offered. This is dental insurance. It is not a dental discount plan.

ENROLLMENT:

Enrollment is open continuously throughout the policy year.  The Wesleyan University policy year is September 1 to September 1.  

It’s not too late to enroll!

The plan uses a rolling open enrollment. Enrollments received before the 20th of any month would set the effective date as the 1st of the following month. (I.e. 10/15 enrollment=11/1 effective coverage) The premium cost is prorated based on the effective date selected.

Enrollment is completed on-line at http://Wesleyan.dental-enroll.com.   The system accepts credit card or bank draft information as payment. Please note: there is no early cancellation. Once enrolled each student is committed to the plan through to the end of the current policy period. The student can opt to not renew.

ID CARDS/POLICY DOCUMENTS:

When the online transaction is finalized a confirmation email will instantly be sent to you. In that email will be included links to print out your ID cards and policy documents. It is important that you save this email confirmation, as this is the only way to access your ID cards. The email would come from Morgan White Administrators

THE PROVIDER NETWORK:

The provider network is United Healthcare.  To search for in-network UHC providers go to: www.mwgdental.com 

1. Select: “Find a Dentist” (right hand side/green tab on screen) 

2. Click: “Find a Dentist” (right hand side orange “Links & Tools”) 

3. Click: “National PPO Options” (center of screen) There is no need to log-in to search for providers.  At this point you can enter your criteria for your search.

It is advised that you follow up with a call to the provider office to confirm that the in-network status is still valid, as contracts are subject to change.

RENEWAL/CONTINUOUS COVERAGE:

Those students that elect to enroll in this student dental insurance plan will be automatically renewed for coverage upon the expiration of the current policy year.  The system is set up to post the renewal premium charge to whichever payment source was used at the time of enrollment, about two weeks before the current policy year expires. Notification will be sent to you via email when this will take place. That notice will include steps to take should you not wish to renew.

As long as the renewal premium has been paid, this dental insurance plan can continue indefinitely even if you should no longer be connected to Wesleyan University.  

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. 

Katie Kruszewski
860-430-3338 Email: KKruszewski@SmithBrothersUSA.com
Smith Brothers Insurance
377 Main Street, Niantic CT 06357