Advising

End of Summer Considerations

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Happy August, Class of 2025 – 

I hope you have enjoyed summer so far – in only a few weeks, classes will resume, and we will be back into the swing of the academic semester.  

In preparation for the start of the academic year, I want to remind you of a few resources:

  1. Reflection. If you haven’t had a chance to review the summer reflection I sent you, please be sure to check it out. You’ll benefit from this reflection prior to the start of your next semester. 
  1. Major Certification Form (on WesPortal). This form displays your progression through a declared credential. Though you won’t officially certify your major until the final semester of your senior year, you should use this form now to make sure you are on track to complete your major(s)/minors(s)/certificate(s). More details about this form can be found on the registrar’s website. 
  1. Credit Analysis (on WesPortal): This report allows you to monitor your progress towards meeting graduation requirements. Please review this guide to learn how to read the Credit Analysis Report.
  1. General Education Report (on WesPortal): This report displays the courses you’ve completed to satisfy general education expectations. General education expectations vary by academic department; you can review academic department websites to confirm if general education expectations are required as part of your major. Completion of general education expectations is a requirement for those who wish to pursue University Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, honors in general, and honors in certain departments and for those who wish to pursue more than two majors, minors and/or certificates.
  1. Fellowships. Attend this webinar offered by Dr. Kowsz from the Office of Fellowships to hear about fellowship opportunities for juniors at Wesleyan. 

If you have questions about any of this, please talk with your faculty advisor, schedule an appointment with an Academic Peer Advisor, or reach out to me. 

I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks (if not before). Until then, take care!

Dean Dunn 

Summer Session 2023 – Financial Aid App Open

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The application for Summer Session 2023 aid is currently open. Students who apply before noon March 23 will know what their award is on March 28 – before registration opens on April 4. Classes are both on-campus and online this summer. The form can be found in your Portal/Courses/Summer Session. Applying for aid does not mean that you have to take a Summer Session course.

Please note that Summer Session aid does not meet full need and students should expect to use personal funds or student loans to meet the cost of Summer Session. Tuition is $4,000 per credit. Courses are listed in WesMaps – feel free to take a look at the course offerings!

Summer Session Key Dates:

  • Mon, 3/6: Summer Session financial aid opens
  • Tues, 3/28: Aid award notification (for students who applied by noon, Thurs 3/23)
  • Tues, 4/4: Registration opens (same day planning opens)
  • Thurs, 4/13 at noon: Aid applications close
  • Tues, 4/18: Aid award notification
  • Wed, 5/31: First day class, Session 1
  • Mon, 7/3: First day class, Session 2

Major Declaration Opens 2/9/23

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Greetings, Class of 2025!

I write to share that major declaration will open next week on Thursday 2/9/23. You must declare your major anytime between 2/9/23 and 3/24/23. Please review below a handful of helpful resources that are important for you to utilize at this stage in your Wesleyan degree:

  • Major Declaration Website: this website is a great resource for information about major declaration timelines, strategies, and FAQs. If you have not reviewed this website yet, please do so. Though this website shares lots of information about the process, you will utilize the Major/Minor/Certificate Declaration form on WesPortal to officially declare. Once you declare a major, the academic department of your major will assign you to a faculty advisor. 
  • General Education Report: this report (found in WesPortal) will display the courses you’ve completed to satisfy general education expectations. General education expectations vary by academic department; you can review academic department websites to confirm if general education expectations are required as part of your major. Completion of general education expectations is a requirement for those who wish to pursue University Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, honors in general, and honors in certain departments and for those who wish to pursue more than two majors, minors and/or certificates.
  • Major/Minor/Certificate Certification: this form (found in WesPortal) will display your progression through a declared major. Though you won’t officially certify your major until the final semester of your senior year, you should use this form as soon as you declare to ensure you are on track to complete the major. More details about this form can be found here. 
  • Credit Analysis: this report (found in WesPortal) allows you to monitor your progress towards meeting graduation requirements. A handy guide about how to read the Credit Analysis Report can be found here. 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to chat with your faculty advisor, meet with one of our Academic Peer Advisors, or schedule a meeting with me.

Grading Mode Deadline (9/30)

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This is a reminder that the Grade Mode Change deadline is Friday, Sept. 30. Here is an overview of the policies and key terminology to help with any questions.

The Grade Mode Change deadline is Sept. 30 at 5:00 pm EST. The deadline is firm, so please ask well before the deadline if you have questions. Not all courses are student option. You may view and select your grading mode for student option courses on your class schedule in WesPortal. 

The Grade mode change regulation refers to the “student option” grading option available in some classes. Classes may have one of three grading modes, Graded (A-F), credit/unsatisfactory (CR/U), or Student Option. Student Option-graded courses allow students to choose the A-F or CR/U grading mode, with the default being A-F. Please review your class schedule and the course description for more information.  Please refer to your intended major’s webpage for more information and meet with your liberal arts advisor or me if you have any questions. 

Lastly, once you have reviewed your class schedule and confirmed your classes and grading mode, please click the “Schedule is Correct” button.

Key terminology: 

Student Option: Allows students to choose their grading mode. Students choose either A-F or CR/U. The deadline to select your grading mode is firm, so please be mindful of the deadline each semester.

Graded:  Allows letter grade A-F only, there is not an option to take the class CR/U.

A-F: Classes using letter grades are calculated into your GPA and are evaluated as follows: A, excellent; B, good; C, fair; D, passing but unsatisfactory; E, failure; and F, bad failure. These letter grades (with the exception of the grade of F) may be modified by the use of plus and minus signs. Please click here for more information.  

CR/U:  Credit/Unsatisfactory grading mode is not calculated into your GPA and credit is earned with a passing grade. A “CR” will appear on your transcript as the grade. If a class is not passed, a “U” will be listed as the grade. There is no GPA penalty for receiving a “U”, but an unsatisfactory grade may impact your academic standing.  

Enroll Me and Drop Add (8/29 – 9/16)

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Drop/Add begins Monday, August 29 and closes on Friday, September 16. 

Please review the Drop/Add process information available on the Registrar’s website. You must first click the “Enroll Me” button in WesPortal before you can participate in Drop/Add.

Our Senior Associate Registrar, Karri Van Blarcom, has created a helpful video guide about the Drop/Add process. Check it out to prepare for Drop/Add.

 

August Reflection

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Happy First Day of August, members of the Class of 2025!

My hope is that you are enjoying summer and getting excited to return to campus this fall. I’ve conversed recently with some of your peers about major declaration and career trajectory. If you are a student who knows exactly what you want to major in and what you want to do for a career when you graduate, that’s great! If you are a student who has no idea what you want to major in or what you want to do for a career, that’s great too! Wesleyan’s open-curriculum encourages you to explore courses in many disciplines; this course exploration can often lead students to their passion.

Reflection is an important part of any journey, so I share some questions below you may want to consider now before the hustle and bustle of the fall semester. These questions are intended to evoke personal reflection as you progress through Wesleyan. There are no right or wrong answers; however, take stock of your feelings as you navigate these questions.

Sophomore year can be both exciting and overwhelming as you approach major declaration. I encourage you to share your thoughts with those in available support networks – this may include me, your pre-major liberal arts advisor, a faculty mentor, one of our Academic Peer Advisors, your friends and/or your family.

  1. In what ways have you grown intellectually over the last 12 months?
  2. What are your academic strengths?
  3. Which classes have been most challenging, and how did you handle those challenges?
  4. Are you comfortable sharing your thoughts and ideas with peers in class?
  5. Have you taken advantage of opportunities to learn outside the classroom? What are some examples of this?
  6. Is there a topic on which you might like to do research? How did you become interested in this topic?
  7. What campus resources can you use to navigate the topics addressed in these reflection questions?

If you’d like to chat about these questions with me, I welcome it! Please schedule a zoom meeting with me here to chat more.

Sending you good vibes as we close out the summer – take care! Dean Dunn

Questions borrowed from NACADA, the global community for academic advising.