Peer Advisors

Peer Academic Group Coaching

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Peer Academic Group Coaching

Peer Academic Group Coaching provides targeted academic support (study strategies & accountability) to enhance your academic readiness and help you get work done! Each group coaching series consists of one planning meeting and three group coaching sessions led by a peer coach. In a small group of 3-5 students, you will:

  • Learn and practice new skills & strategies
  • Apply new skills & strategies to your work and life
  • Receive support from a coach to set goals, boost accountability, and stay on task
  • Connect with other students in your group

Sign up to participate in one or more of the group coaching series below. Once we’ve gathered enough interested students to form a coaching group, a coach will reach out via your Wes email to schedule the sessions.

  • “College 101” & transition to Wes
  • Time management & organizational skills
  • General study skills (note-taking, effective reading, active studying…)
  • Exam prep & test-taking strategies
  • Success in STEM courses
  • Success in Social Sciences/Arts/Humanities
  • Weekly Study Hall: I just want to get my work done!

Additionally, we offer Weekly Drop-in Accountability Sessions posted on Wesnest throughout the semester. It’s a great way to get work done in a supportive environment. Simply meet with one of us to set a timer and goal for the block, do your work in a quiet space, and “check out” with us at the end.

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 

Final Weekly Roundup Email for the 2021-2022 Academic Year

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Good morning, Class of 2025 –

I hope this weekly email finds you well. If you can believe it, there are only 6 more days until the last day of classes! For many of us, this year has been filled with lots of excitement and challenges. I am confident you will continue to experience this fluctuation as you progress through your Wesleyan career; however, my hope is that you are now more aware of resources that can help you during any part of your time here at Wesleyan.

Some upcoming dates and/or events that may be of interest to you:

  • Wellness Resources: End of the semester can cause stress as due dates quickly approach. Make yourself aware of both in and out-of-the-classroom resources to finish the semester strong. This includes but is not limited to meeting with your professors, talking with your course assistants, scheduling an appointment with an Academic Peer Advisor, reviewing resources offered through Student Academic Resources (SAR), meeting with me, visiting CAPS, WesWell and/or the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. If you need assistance navigating resources, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
  • Wes Day (5/5 from 12pm – 5pm): WesDay is a great opportunity to interact with the entire campus community. In addition to free carnival food, we’ll enjoy carnival rides, games, music, therapy dogs, wellness activities and novelties such as stuff-a-bear and pot your own succulent plant. Fried dough, popcorn, ice cream, and cotton candy provided at no charge to the first 1500 attendees. Food Trucks include Los Mariachi’s, Jackie’s Pizza the Pie, and Fryborg. Food truck tickets must be purchased at the Box Office in Usdan for $5 before the event and $10 on the day of the event. More info on Wes Day as well as other end of the year events can be found on WesNest on WesPortal.

You have what it takes to finish this semester strong. Pushing yourself to be successful academically does not have to happen alone. Take stock of the resources shared with you on this weekly email and think about what resources you used this year that worked to your advantage. If you didn’t use any resources, think about ways in which you can utilize resources in the future to get even more out of your courses.

You should be proud of how far you’ve come as you complete your first year of study at Wesleyan. I look forward to supporting you as you continue on this journey. If you’re up to it, feel free to send me an email sharing with me your favorite part about your first year at Wesleyan. I’d be delighted to celebrate with you all of your wins and successes this year.

Take care! Dean Dunn

Weekly Round-Up – Class of 2025

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Welcome back from Spring Break! Whether you took time to rest and relax, meet up with family and friends, or get ahead on work due later in the semester, my hope is that you maximized your time and have returned refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the semester.

Here are some important dates and/or upcoming events that may be of interest to you:

  • Student Leadership Employment Opportunities: Recently the offices of Student Academic Resources (SAR) and Student Involvement and Leadership (SIL) posted open leadership positions. Some positions are academic-year, some are summer positions, and some are both. Visit Handshake on WesPortal to learn more. For positions that require an updated resume, be sure to stop by Gordon Career Center for assistance with resume writing, interview skills, and more.
  • Housing Selection: Housing selection is here! You can explore Program Houses and Community Based Living (CBLV) mission statements here. Apply through your WesPortal by noon on April 1st for these living options. For more information, talk to your RA or attend an information session. Program Houses and CBLVs will be showcased at the Community Housing Fair on March 25th and during House Hopping Day on March 26th.
  • Leadership Awards: Want to celebrate a classmate, a campus organization or even yourself? Check out the leadership awards nominations – submissions due no later than 4/8 by 5pm.
  • Pre-Registration: Pre-registration for Fall 2022 course selection begins on 3/29. Be sure to visit the Registrar’s page to review resources such as the Student User Guide to Pre-Registration and more to help you maximize course selection. If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with your pre-major advisor to discuss your anticipated course load.

As always, feel free to reach out, schedule an appt or drop by my office hours to chat; you can find my contact information here.

Finals Write-In on 12/12

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This semester the Writing Workshop will host a Finals Write-In on Sunday, 12/12 from 4-9pm in Boger. We’ll have a loud working space in the Gordon Career Center and quiet working space in the COL library along with drop-in hours to meet with peer advisors, student ombudspersons, and writing tutors. For every hour spent at the write-in, students will earn a raffle ticket to win a prize! 

Green flyer with white font outlining information about Finals Write-In (information offered via text above flyer)

Approaching the End of Fall Semester

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Hello Class of 2025 – 

If you can believe it, we are in the homestretch of the semester with only two more weeks of classes (ending 12/10) and then reading period (12/11 – 12/14) and finals (12/14 – 12/18). If you have questions about specific course finals, be sure to consult your professor and your course syllabus. The general Wesleyan academic calendar can be found here and the university final exam schedule can be found here. 

It is so important that you continue to work hard to push though these next few weeks. You’ve accomplished so much and you are so close to finishing this semester strong. Be sure to consider all the resources I’ve shared with you throughout the year. Those include but are not limited to:

If you are considering withdrawing from a course, please be sure to talk with your professor and your faculty advisor. As a reminder, the course withdrawal deadline is this Friday 12/3/21. The withdrawal form can be found here. 

Questions? Concerns? Simply want to chat? Feel free to reach out. Stop by my office hours (listed below) or schedule an individual appointment with me here.

You got this, Class of 2025; I’m rooting for you! Keep up the great work!
Dean Dunn 

Weekly Office Hours: 

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

Second Half of Fall Semester

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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).