On Monday, Sept. 9th from 11:30 – 1:00, the Shapiro Center for Writing is having a reception to introduce/remind students about our services. We’ll also be signing students up for a Writing Workshop account so that they can access the tutors’ schedule once it comes out.
We encourage you to attend and have a pizza lunch on us!
Friday, September 6th @ 4:30pm
End of Summer Potluck (facebook):
The Resource Center and Long Lane Farm are collaborating to host an end of summer potluck on Friday September 6th from 4:30pm to 7:30pm at Long Lane Farm (243 Long Lane, Middletown, CT 06457). The student staff of Long Lane will host farm hours. Feel free to bring your own bags to harvest vegetables on the farm during the potluck!
During every break, the Resource Center holds a community potluck for faculty, staff, and students who are on campus to share food and good company. You don’t need to bring a dish, but anything you could contribute would be welcome. Feel free to bring family and friends!
Saturday, September 7th @ 12noon,
Resource Center Open House (facebook)
Come by the Resource Center (167 High Street) on Saturday, September 7th from 12noon to 2pm for free bbq (vegan options will also be available), buttons, games, stickers, and t-shirts (shirts provided while supplies last). Learn more about the resources in the RC and how the RC can support any diversity and inclusion initiatives that you may be interested in!
Are you interested in possibly saving 20 percent or more of the total cost of your Wesleyan education?
It takes hard work and careful planning to graduate in three years, but the reward is a significant reduction in the cost of the degree and a head start on life post-Wesleyan. While the Three-Year Option is not for everyone, this more economical path to graduation may be of genuine interest to students who are willing to earn extra credit during winter or summer sessions, or during the academic year.
There are many ways to navigate the Three-Year Option, but all pathways require a carefully thought out plan for completing one’s major and earning the 8.00 additional credits that are needed to reach 32.00 credits by the end of the sixth semester.
If you are seriously thinking about pursuing the Three-Year Option, please schedule an appointment with Dean David Phillips as soon as possible. Dean Phillips will review your academic record and help you design a personalized plan for navigating the next three years, tailored to your educational goals.
Contact Dean Phillips at dphillips@wesleyan.edu or 860.685.2757 to schedule an appointment.
More information about the Three-Year Option can be found at
Dear Class of 2021,
Struggled with your first semester? Want some better study and time management tools to end the school year on a high note? Like pizza? Come join your Academic Peer Advisors, Rubye and Haley, for lunch and a workshop on Friday, Feb. 23 at noon in Boger 111. Please RSVP at: https://goo.gl/forms/xkfjy8NOMOF6NQOd2
We hope to see you all there! Best, Rubye & Haley
Your first semester is not too soon to get to know your professors. Not only will you feel more confident about course material from going to their office hours (really, they schedule them for you!), but also you will learn more about the department, the discipline/field, research opportunities, and the university. Make a point to go to office hours once a week for each of your courses. If you don’t have specific course questions, bring in an article that might be of shared interest. An additional option is to invite your professor or advisor to lunch and bring another classmate or advisee with you. Establishing a good academic relationship will help the faculty member to write you a substantive letter of recommendation should you need one for a summer job or internship.
Check out the piece by former Student Academic Resources Intern, Claire Wright ’16, entitled “How Do I Get to Know My Professors?” She has some good suggestions. Note that while you can still take a professor to lunch, the process is different now. You will be hearing more about it from Dean Mike, the Vice President for Student Affairs, sometime in early September.
Writing can be scary, but let us help you start the new year out strong! Apply for a Writing Mentor! A Writing Mentor will meet with you privately each week to help you with writing in all of your classes. 
Mentors are trained to help you at all stages of the writing process, whether it be brainstorming, structure, grammar, style, or time management. By having a mentor, you will be able to continuously improve your writing throughout the semester. Start out strong, and end even stronger!
We work with students of all writing abilities and in all disciplines, and all services are, of course, free.
Please apply here, by Monday, September 18th at 8:00 AM. We will notify new mentees by the 20th.
We look forward to working with you!
Best, Emery Frick, Ford Fellow in the Writing Programs
307 Shapiro Writing Center, 116 Mt. Vernon St., Middletown, CT 06459 (860) 685-3125 writingworks@wesleyan.edu
So where do you go or who do you call if you need academic support or study resources to help ensure your success in mastering course material, managing your time, or clearing your head to focus on work?
Check out the amazing list on the
Student Academic Resources homepage!
Some resources to highlight include your class dean–Dean Brown–and your faculty advisor (for academic and general advice and referrals), your professors (for each course), peer tutors (for course material, available 
after the drop/add period), the peer advisors (especially for study skills and planning), accessibility services (for a range of accommodations), the dean for international student affairs, the Writing and Math Workshops, the Quantitative Analysis Center, and the Language Resource Center.
There can, at times, be a fine line between academic and personal life, so if 
you need to regain your academic focus and figure out something that has been distracting you from your coursework, don’t hesitate to call Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to set up an appointment with a therapist or contact one of the chaplains in the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL). The Health Center and WesWell are also good resources in this regard as are the Office of Equity and Inclusion and the new Student Equity Resource Center.
We want you to be intellectually engaged, challenged and successful, so take advantage of the resources in place to support you in the process.
Welcome to Wesleyan! One of the most common questions peer advisors get asked is simply, “Will I have time to get all my school work done if I’m also an athlete?” Being a student-athlete at Wesleyan is an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling way to spend you’re time here, but it can also be stressful. But not to worry! There are tons of resources at your fingertips to help you stay on top of your responsibilities on and off the field (or, for me, in and out of the pool).
Going into my freshman year, my greatest anxiety about starting school came from my fear that I simply would not have the time to finish 
homework or study for tests while swimming nearly year-round. I quickly realized that the key to balancing my time was to make a detailed schedule at the start of every week and stick to it. I would write down everything that needed to be done for each of my classes at the start of the week, include all the time I had committed to training, and make sure I had time to myself to have fun and relax. You would be surprised at how helpful laying out your schedule can be, especially when it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.
But not everything has to be done on your own. I asked my swim coach if he had any advice or if he could help me stay on top of everything. Communication was key. Not only did he assure me that I was capable of completing everything and achieving goals in the pool, he made it clear that he was as committed to my success in the classroom as he was to my success as a swimmer. He would have my support if I needed extra time to study and had to sit out a practice or if I needed to leave practice early in order to make it to Biology lab. Though it may not even be necessary to have to miss a practice, it is comforting to know that your professors and coaches are not fighting for your time – they are fighting for your success.
But perhaps you are worried less about staying on top of schoolwork and more worried about having some time to yourself outside of the library or the gym. As I’m sure you know, Wesleyan is full of opportunities to have fun and be free outside of both of those venues. I strongly encourage every student-athlete to try something new! Between theater, music, dance, clubs, and many others, there are definitely ways to divide your time and have fun away from a sports team.
There is no doubt that student-athletes have busy lives. There are times when we have to make sacrifices, but it is always worth it. Not only do we get to be proud of our success in school, but we also have a whole separate part of our life, with a second family, that has our backs. Though having two demanding commitments can be stressful, we (the peer advisors), class deans, our professors, coaches, and are all here to offer support. Our number one goals are to see you achieve and to make sure you’re happy during your time at Wes. I am confident you will do great things as a student and as an athlete! See you soon!
Aidan Winn ’18, Academic Peer Advisor
