Second Half of Fall Semester

Hello, Class of 2025

I hope you had a chance to rest and reboot during fall break. As we enter the second half of the fall semester, continue to utilize resources on campus that can support your success. This includes but is not limited to speaking directly with faculty, meeting with teaching and course assistants and utilizing student academic resources. If you haven’t used any of these resources yet and want assistance figuring out where to begin, schedule an appointment with me to chat or stop by my office hours in North College 202 (listed below).

Monday 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Tuesday 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Wednesday 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 – 11:00 am
Friday 9:00 – 10:00 am

You are also likely aware that spring course registration has started. Be sure to meet with your faculty advisor to discuss what courses you hope to take in the spring. Your faculty advisor, as well as our Academic Peer Advisors (APAs), can help you map out your course schedule.

Additionally, our APAs will host drop-in hours to assist with course registration on Thursday 11/11 from 4 – 6pm at the Exley tables in front of the fishbowl. If these drop-in hours do not work with your schedule, email the APAs directly at peeradvisors@wesleyan.edu.

Flyer outlining drop-in APA hours (information on flyer listed above image).

Choosing Majors and Careers for F-1 Visa Holders

Thursday, November 4, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EDT

Zoom link: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/4831393485

Intended Audience: Classes of 2024 and 2025 F-1 visa holders

Session Description: In this virtual session, you will learn about important factors (personal interests, career prospects, immigration-related benefits/regulations) to consider when choosing a major as an F-1 visa holder. Class Deans from the Office of Academic Advancement and staff members from the Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) and Gordon Career Center will lead this informational workshop, which will include an overview of the major selection process, post-completion employment as an F-1 visa holder, and STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) Extension-eligible programs of study at Wesleyan. There will be time for Questions and Answers (Q&A) in the second half of the session.  

Please RSVP through this link.

Winter Session Aid Applications Now Open

Winter Session aid application is now available in the Courses/Winter Session bucket of your Portal. It will be open through noon, Wed, Nov 3. If you are thinking about a Winter Session course, please apply for aid now. Applying for aid does not obligate you to take a class.

Please note: Winter Session courses will be available online and in-person this year.

Resources to Consider

Good morning, Class of 2025!

I hope this communication finds you well. Some items that may be of interest to you:

  1. Employment. Interested in obtaining a part-time job? Be sure to utilize Handshake or visit the Gordon Career Center to learn about employment opportunities.
  1. SHAPE: The Office of Support, Healing, Activism, and Prevention Education (SHAPE) has created a series of events in October to raise awareness about dating violence in our community and beyond. See their blog to learn more.
  1. Department Open Houses: Though you will not declare your major until second semester of your sophomore year, some of you may already have an idea of what you want to study. Visiting a department open house can provide a lot of insight into various majors. See the schedule for department open houses that run in October and November here.

I’ve enjoyed meeting with many of you over the past couple of weeks. Don’t forget to check out your class photo. As a reminder, those who visit my office and show me where they are in the photo will get a small takeaway for stopping by. Get that Wes swag!

Dean Dunn

How to Study On Campus Workshop TOMORROW 9/30 12pm

Class of 2025! Be sure to attend the workshop How to Study On Campus provided by the Academic Peer Advisors:

  • Thursday, 9/30 at 12pm in Usdan 108
  • Learn about:
    • Best spots to study on campus – some you may not know about yet!
    • Essential study tips
    • Time management strategies
    • Credit/Unsatisfactory and A-F Course Grading (grading options due Friday 10/1 at 5pm for courses with student grading option on WesPortal)
  • And don’t forget, free Wesleyan swag!

Feel free to bring your lunch or a snack and eat while you learn!

Welcome Class of 2025!

Hello Class of 2025 –

I hope your first week of classes has been enjoyable! There is so much excitement in the air as I watch many of you head to classes, stop by various administrative offices and interact with each other on the green outside my office (North College 202).

As I shared with many of you during our Giving Good Advice session hosted by the Academic Peer Advisors during orientation, I want you to consider three challenges this year:

  1. Be Engaged
  2. Be Open-Minded
  3. Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Continue to be engaged by participating in class discussions. Introduce yourself to your classmates and to other community members you see in the dining halls. Participate in all that Wesleyan has to offer academically and co-curricularly including the Student Involvement Fair this Friday 9/10 from 2pm – 5pm in the tent behind Usdan.

Be open-minded to new experiences both in and out of the classroom. Wesleyan’s open curriculum is perfect to explore courses in so many disciplines including disciplines that may not be your eventual major. You faculty advisor is an incredible resources for you. For peer support, our Academic Peer Advisors are also a great resource to help you explore various course options; they will host a series of workshops this fall focused on supporting you in your first year – more information to follow soon.

Be comfortable being uncomfortable. You are experiencing so much right now in your transition to Wesleyan; naturally, change can sometimes cause some discomfort. It’s important to recognize you are not alone in feeling this way. There are many resources on campus to support you in this transition including me as your Class Dean. While the transition may not be perfect or may not look like you expected it to, we grow significantly as individuals when we face challenges such as this one – you’re a Wesleyan student now and I am confident you will see much success during your time here and beyond!

I will send you emails and post blogs from time to time to check in. Some upcoming dates to keep in mind:

  • Writing at Wesleyan Workshop: Friday, 9/10 from 1pm – 2pm (Shapiro Center Patio)
  • Involvement Fest: Friday, 9/10 from 2pm to 5pm (tent behind Usdan)
  • Career Checklist – What To Know as A First Year: Tuesday 9/14 12 – 1pm (Olson Commons)
  • End of Drop/Add Period: Friday, 9/17
  • Grading Mode Decision: Friday, 10/1 by 5pm
  • Last day to withdraw from 1st quarter classes: Friday, 10/15
  • Fall Break: Saturday 10/23 – Tuesday 10/26
  • Homecoming & Family Weekend: Friday 10/29 – Sunday 10/31

Click here to review my contact information, schedule an appointment or to visit my in-person or zoom drop-in hours. I look forward to joining you on your Wesleyan journey!

Preparing to Meet Your Faculty Advisor

The objective of the pre-major advising program is to help first-year students and sophomores think seriously about their educational objectives in the context of the liberal arts education offered at Wesleyan. Together with your faculty advisor, you should develop a challenging and coherent educational plan for the first two years, one that achieves curricular breadth while preparing for the depth that the major will bring in the last two years.

Here are some things to think about as you plan for your first meeting with your faculty advisor:

  • Breaking the ice. A good way to introduce yourself to your advisor is to tell them about your high school experience. A good way to get to know your advisor is to ask them how they became a college professor.
  • Know the curriculum. Familiarize yourself with WesMaps and with the websites of departments in which you plan to pursue coursework. What was the logic behind your course pre-registration strategy?  Be receptive to questions and suggestions.
  • Have goals in mind. What are your academic strengths?  What are your academic weaknesses and how do you plan to address them?  How do you plan to pursue breadth? How do you plan to pursue depth? Share concerns that may affect your success in the upcoming semester.  Be sure to make arrangements to schedule your next meeting.

For more information, please see the Faculty and Student Advising Handbook.

Enrolling in the University and Resolving Action Items

Starting on Monday, August 30, at 8:30 a.m. EDT you will be required to enroll in the University. To enroll, login to WesPortal, click through the yellow alert banner at the top of the page, then click on the “Enroll Me” button.  Please be aware that you will not be able to participate in drop/add until you have enrolled in the University.  You must enroll in the University by Friday, September 17, at 11:59 p.m.

In addition to enrolling, you must resolve any holds in your list of Action Items.  To access your list, go to:

Portal > Enrollment Checklist & Addresses > Hold/Enroll

Instructions on how to resolve each action item are provided on the page.  Many action items can be resolved with a simple click of the mouse!

All action items must be resolved by Friday, September 10, at 5:00 p.m. EDT.  Please be aware that you will still be able to participate in drop/add even if you have unresolved action items (as long as you have already enrolled in the University using the “Enroll Me” button).

Top 10 Recommendations for the First Year and Beyond

  1. Make Wesleyan yours: Find or create your spaces at Wesleyan, whether by joining an a cappella group or by loving your Physics lab. We have over two hundred student groups that you can sign up for. There are also jobs on campus.
  2. Build relationships: Seek out your instructors during office hours. This can be intimidating, but it is how you build a relationship and come to understand the course material better. Get to know your faculty advisor, work supervisor, your class dean, etc., as it’s important for you to know people; it’s also very important for them to know you!
  3. Learn from your classmates and try new things: Your peers have had a vast array of experiences, so make sure you’re supporting one another and growing together. Upperclassmen will be an invaluable resource as you transition to Wes. Also, make sure you try new things! Explore a new language, study abroad in a different part of the world, select a course with a topic that is completely new to you.
  4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help: Wesleyan has an abundance of resources, whether the Writing Workshop, Academic Peer Advisors or Peer Tutors, as well as your Faculty Advisor, instructors and teaching assistants. Asking for help is hard, because it means being vulnerable, but it is essential to your success. First-year students sometimes see asking for help as a sign of weakness, but it is not. Asking for help is really a sign that you can make savvy use of your resources that will enable you to thrive.
  5. Wesleyan has its own culture with its own language: I have built a list of acronyms that might be helpful to you.
  6. Use your time wisely: You will suddenly have lots of unstructured time. Given the COVID situation and the need to practice social distancing, it will be challenging to to find ways to manage your time. High school is extremely structured, down to the minute, which is not the case in college. Now it’s up to you to be mindful of how you’re using your time, whether studying for a test, writing a paper, doing homework, getting to class, etc. Most students use a planner, whether electronic or paper. For example, once you have all of your courses set, you should look over all of your syllabi and then plan out all of the assignments across the semester, as you’ll know when your intense weeks will be. If those weeks include papers as well as tests, try to get those papers done earlier so that you can focus on just the tests during that week.
  7. Make sure that you’re having fun! Find ways to connect with friends.  It’s hard to be social when practicing social distancing, but with a little bit of imagination and determination it can be done. Practice mindfulness.
  8. Take care of yourself. Sleeping and eating well, avoiding as much stress as possible, all of these are important aspects of self-care. WesWell offers self-care education, programs and workshops, as does CAPS. We have at Wesleyan the Rule of 7, a guideline that recommends that you can pursue four courses and three activities, but really no more than that.
  9. Don’t let a disappointing grade derail you. If you don’t do as well on something as you had hoped, go see your instructor and discuss where you went wrong in order to improve your performance on the next assignment. A disappointing grade does not mean that you aren’t capable or that the Admissions Office made a mistake (they do not make mistakes!). Make sure that you’re reaching out for help in this moment rather than pulling back, as this has happened to countless students before. Check out the Wesleyan Resilience Project for stories of students who have gained from their moments of challenge.
  10. Your dean is here to help: Dean Leathers is available to you via email or zoom this summer and once the semester is underway.  You can schedule a drop-in appointment with her through her Google Calendar, or you can an email her at tleathers@wesleyan.edu to schedule a meeting if drop-in hours don’t fit your schedule.

Additional Information about English Coursework and Medical School Requirements

Any course that fits the classification shown below (taken from the AMCAS Guide) and entails writing at least 3 or more short papers or critiques will be considered an ENGL course for medical schools and other health professions programs. As I mentioned during the overview, you will find these courses under other course prefixes as well. For example, the First Year Seminar—August Wilson (ENGL 176), which is cross-listed with Theater and African American Studies, includes assignments such as “Short Papers, Writing Assignments, and a Final Research Essay.” Another example is the “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible” which is listed as a Religious Studies (201) and as a Medieval Studies Course, requires weekly written responses and three papers and is described as:

“the Hebrew Bible within its historical context while considering its literary, philosophical, and artistic legacy. Students will be exposed to the main historical strands of biblical criticism, while also engaging with the challenges of interpreting the Bible as modern readers: How and when did the Hebrew Bible come to be, and what relevance might it hold for us today? By beginning at the beginning and proceeding systematically through the Hebrew Bible, students will hone their skills as readers and interpreters of the Bible as a canon. Students will consider questions of the texts’ function, universality, and authority, and will be encouraged to explore the wide range of biblical interpretations in literature, music, and the fine arts from antiquity to the present day.”

Another example is ENGL 216: Techniques of Poetry, which is a creative writing course and requires writing throughout the semester. Just find something that you will enjoy and that fulfills the AMCAS ENGL classification.

Image of English Language and Literature (ENGL) Categories: Composition and Rhetoric, Creative Writing, and Literature

Questions? Please contact Dr. Mildred Rodríguez (mrodriguez01@wesleyan.edu) for pre-health professions advising.