Month: June 2017

Faculty and Student Advising Handbook

by

June 2017

As you plan for July course registration and your arrival in the Fall, it is important to review the Faculty and Student Advising Handbook. The Handbook is designed to help you achieve your educational goals by providing advice on how to get the most out of your relationship with your faculty advisor as you build your program of study over the course of your Wesleyan career. The Handbook also provides information about academic departments and programs, graduation requirements, each year’s journey through Wes, study abroad, the major declaration process, academic support services for students, and summary procedures of the Honor Board and the Student Judicial Board.  The Common Advising Questions section is also very informative.

University Closed for the July 4th Holiday

by

 

June/July 2017

The University, except for essential services, will be closed from noon on Friday, June 30 through Tuesday, July 4 and will re-open on Wednesday, July 5.

The class blog will continue posting on July 5 as well.

Have a fun and safe Fourth of July holiday!

Transitioning to College

by

June 2017

College life can be exciting, but it will differ significantly from your past experience. New environments, new friends, new classes, new ideas, new experiences are yours for the taking.  And while there is familiarity with being a student, since that’s what you’ve been doing for most of your life, you may need to adapt your study habits to fit into a less structured and more demanding academic environment. And you may be living on your own for the first time, responsible for everything from getting up on time for class to doing your own laundry to budgeting your money.  While it may seem a little early to be thinking about this, keep in mind these few suggestions for managing the transition:

  • Talk with friends and family members who have recently attended college about their experiences transitioning to campus life — the challenges, the joys, the things they wish they knew starting out. You may be able to glean some words of wisdom!
  • Make a plan with your parents/guardians for how frequently you will talk and email. Strive for regular, but not daily, contact. It will help you concentrate on adjusting to Wesleyan while still reducing the likelihood of feeling homesick.
  • Once on campus, seek out opportunities to get involved in one or two activities outside the classroom. Focus on quality, not quantity. You have plenty of time over the next four years to try out everything!
  • Being a college student does not have to equal being unhealthy. Strive for balanced eating habits, a regular sleep pattern and a manageable workload.
  • Keep up your exercise routine at Wesleyan’s great athletic facilities. Physical activity greatly helps with reducing stress levels and with mental acuity.
  • Ask for help if you need it academically or personally. We want to help you succeed!

Deadline to Get a Learning & Living Seminar! Form due tomorrow, June 29

by

June 2017

Catch a Learning & Living Seminar–ENGL150-02, PHIL281-01, RELI230-01–by applying before Thursday, June 29 at 5 p.m.  These are three of the many First Year Seminars offered, but these are the only three where classmates will be housed in the same residential hall.  The living proximity provides the opportunity for greater intellectual community and collaboration outside the classroom, which in turn adds greater depth to the discussions in the classroom and an enriched experience overall.

Enrolling in a L&L seminar is neither an advantage or disadvantage in terms of res hall assignments.  L&L students will learn their housing assignments at the same time all other students do.

The L&L instructors are enthusiastic about the collaborative assignments they have designed and look forward to working with the course members outside the classroom as well as within.  This is a great opportunity to work more closely with one of Wesleyan’s excellent faculty members.

Check out the entire list of FYS to make sure that you are solidly in for an L&L seminar, and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Dean Brown at lsbrown@wesleyan.edu or 860-685-2758.

 

First Year Seminars

by

 

June 2017

First-year seminars are writing intensive courses that introduce students to a variety of topics ranging from Greek myth to neuroscience. Some treat a specific religion (e.g., Islam or Buddhism); others provide a sweeping introduction into an interdisciplinary area of study that may be new to first-year students (e.g., science in society). All of these seminars, however, emphasize the importance of writing at the university level. Students in first-year seminars become familiar with the methods used to collect, interpret, analyze, and present evidence as part of a scholarly argument. Faculty teaching these classes also highlight the type of writing associated with their respective disciplines, and help students develop, compose, organize, and revise their writing. All first-year seminars have assignments totaling at least 20 pages, and feature oral or written feedback on student writing; many also employ peer-mentoring and writing tutors. First-year seminars are limited to 15 students.  Click here for a complete list.

Placement Exams — Let’s go to the video!

by

 

June 2017

All new students who are interested in taking math, music theory or language courses should take the appropriate placement exams by Thursday, June 29 at 5 p.m..  To access the exams, login to your Wesportal and click on “Placement Exams” in the “Orientation News & Checklist” bucket.  You will then be redirected to Moodle, where you can choose the exams you wish to take.  They are nothing to be anxious about as they are only used to help indicate the right level of course content and challenge. Let Dean Brown know if you have any problems or concerns.

Welcome Note from Dean Brown

by

Welcome again to Wesleyan!

Class deans spend much of their time advising their class–discussing academic, social, and personal challenges and strategies to achieve personal goals.  They work with individual students, professors, staff, and even parents to support students in their pursuit of a positive learning experience.  As  your class dean, I am eager to begin working with the Class of 2021!

In providing  guidance and support, I will serve as a source of information on a range of issues, including a balanced course schedule; academic standing; major choices; General Education Expectations; graduation requirements; university policies and procedures; and services, opportunities and resources available at the university and surrounding Middletown community.

I will work with you over your four years at Wesleyan as you move forward on your educational goals (which may shift over time) and move through the University.  I will help you monitor your progress towards degree requirements, celebrate your successes, support you when you are challenged (which I hope you continuously are), and, as noted above, connect you with other resources.

While a central point person, the class dean is one of many people to assist you in Wesleyan’s resource network.  These range from your faculty advisor (FA) to your course professors; from your Academic Peer Advisor (APA) and Residential Advisor (RA); from the Dean for Student Academic Support, who is also the director of accessibility resources, to the Associate Dean for International Student Affairs; from peer tutors for specific courses to those in the Writing Center and Math Workshop; from the chaplains in the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life to the therapists in Counseling and Psychological Services and medical staff in the Health Center; and from coaches to Connections mentors.  There is an abundance of support and lots of good will for your success at Wesleyan.

Check the blog daily and if you have questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact me at lsbrown@wesleyan.edu or at 860-685-2758.  Best, Dean Brown

Meet the Academic Peer Advisors–Pics & Bios

by

Meet the Academic Peer Advisors

Academic Peer Advisors provide students with information about the curriculum and course registration and also serve as a source for academic resource referrals. During New Student Orientation, Peer Advisors will be available in the residence halls, and at different sites throughout campus, to help new students prepare for individual meetings with faculty advisors. Peer Advisors maintain a regular presence in the residence halls during the academic year and can be contacted at peeradvisors@wesleyan.edu to schedule individual advising appointments.

Hi there! I’m Aidan Winn 2018, a rising senior and an Academic Peer Advisor. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with many of you this coming year, and would love to help with anything from scheduling to time management, or simply just to chat. I can help answer almost any question you might have! I’m from Northampton, Massachusetts, only about an hour away from Wesleyan. I have an older brother who graduated from Wes in 2016, and a younger sister in high school (Wesleyan is her top choice!). I am majoring in Science and Society, a program unique to Wesleyan, with concentrations in Biology and Sociology. I am a student athlete and member of the Wesleyan Swimming and Diving team, an active participant in the theater community here at Wes, and an avid musician. Needless to say, I am pretty busy at Wesleyan, but I have found tons of ways to have fun and connect with other students, and cannot wait to get back to Wes in the fall! If you have any questions, please reach out to me any time at awinn@wesleyan.edu.

My name is Haley Brumberger 2020, and I am a prospective English and possibly Mathematics double major. I am from a suburb outside of Philadelphia, PA, and I am a huge Flyers fan (to be honest, I am just a huge hockey fan in general). I took a gap year before coming to Wesleyan, and it was a life-changing experience (please feel free to ask me about my year off; it is something I love to talk about). When I arrived at Wesleyan after my gap year, I was pretty committed to pursuing Physics as a major. However, Wesleyan’s flexible curriculum allowed me to explore all the different areas of study that I am interested in – Studio Art, English, Environmental Science, and Math, to name a few – leading me to realize that I am more excited and passionate about other subjects. Outside of the classroom, and in addition to being an Academic Peer Advisor, I am a Writing Mentor, a member of Wesleyan’s Club Equestrian Team, a member of the Wesleyan Ski and Snowboard team, and a captain of the Wesleyan Club Ice Hockey team. I am also a Brother of the co-ed fraternity on Campus, Psi Upsilon. I would love to answer any questions, address any concerns, or provide some advice on, or insight into, any problems you may have, so please do not hesitate to reach out to me at hbrumberger@wesleyan.edu. I look forward to meeting you in the fall! Welcome to Wes!

Welcome to Wes! My name is Elisa Greenberg 2018, and I am a senior Government and Psychology double-major from San Diego, California. On campus, I participate in a myriad of activities. I have been a varsity coxswain on the Women’s Crew team for three years, I perform in many student-run theater productions, and I am a director of WeShuffle—Wesleyan’s tap-dance group. This year, I will be a teacher for WesBam, Wesleyan’s student-run fitness group, and will be joining the board of a Middletown non-profit. Some of my hobbies include running, challenging myself to eat as much frozen yogurt as possible, and reading the news and trying not to scream. If you have any questions about anything mentioned above, or just want to speak with someone about Wes, I would love to talk to you! Feel free to email me at egreenberg@wesleyan.edu. I can’t wait to meet all of you!

My name is Jackie Leete 2019, and I am a junior from Fairfield, Iowa. I am double majoring in Neuroscience & Behavior and Earth & Environmental Science, but I also love art and have taken a variety of studio art classes, as well as psychology and sociology courses. My favorite extracurricular activity at Wes is Wesleyan Science Outreach, in which I volunteer once a week with a group of Wesleyan students at local elementary schools to teach science lessons. Some of my other interests are cooking pancakes and hiking the national parks. I am excited to be an Academic Peer Advisor this year; I look forward to helping with New Student Orientation, and meeting with students throughout the year. If you have any specific questions about Wesleyan, or any general questions/concerns about your transition to college, please shoot me an email at jleete@wesleyan.edu and I promise to help you to the best of my ability!

Hello! My name is Rubye Peyser 2018, and I am a senior from Boston, MA. The 2017-2018 term will be my third year as an Academic Peer Advisor and my second year as the intern in the office of Student Academic Resources. Aside from Peer Advising, I am a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (MB&B) and Hispanic Studies (HISP) double major. As my majors show, I have pretty diverse/random interests and love taking classes both in and outside of my concentrations. To work toward completing my HISP major, I spent second semester junior year studying abroad in Spain through the Vassar-Wesleyan Madrid Program. This year, I plan on writing a thesis on the gene expression research I am doing in a lab here at Wes. If you have any questions, please reach out to me any time at rpeyser@wesleyan.edu.

My name is Sara Eismont 2018, and I’m a senior from Pittsburgh, PA. I spent my first year at Smith College before transferring to Wesleyan, and I’m so glad that I did! I am a Sociology major and Data Analysis minor, and I love that I am able to take a diverse range of classes across my two areas of study. In addition to working as an Academic Peer Advisor, I also am the Site Director of Let’s Get Ready, a free SAT and college preparation program for local Middletown high school students, and am currently training for my second half marathon in the fall! I think that Wesleyan can be a really special place to spend four (or three!) years if you surround yourself with good friends, exciting classes, and personal projects about which you are truly passionate. Please feel free to reach out to me at seismont@wesleyan.edu if you have any questions, concerns, or excitement that you want to share! Welcome to Wesleyan, we can’t wait to see you in the fall!

My name is Steven Chen 2018, and I’m from San Diego, CA. I’m double majoring in History and Government, and completing a certificate in Environmental Studies. I’m interested in the history of food and farming, and I’m passionate about food justice and sustainability. On campus, I work as a student assistant in the Wesleyan Archaeology and Anthropology Collections, and as a research assistant for the Government department. I’m also a member of the Men’s Tennis Team, so if you have any questions about balancing athletics with academics, feel free to direct them my way! When I’m not in bed watching Netflix, you can catch me cooking for my friends or exploring the wilderness of the Northeast (there’s not a lot of green in California). I encourage you to reach out to any of the peer advisors with any questions you may have about academics, or if you just want to chat! Feel free to email me at slchen@wesleyan.edu.

 

 

Student Academic Resources

by

June 2017

Student Academic Resources coordinates programs for intellectual enrichment and academic support.

The goals are to foster a community culture that recognizes the relationship between intellectual growth and personal development; to ensure that students know about and are encouraged to seek out appropriate services; and to share information among programs and constituents to ensure the provision of high quality and accessible services that facilitate academic achievement for all students.  The office is home to the academic peer advisors, the peer tutoring program for course material, and accessibility resources.  Dean Laura Patey, the Dean of SAR, and Crystal Hill, Technology Specialist, look forward to working with you.

The Academic Peer Advisors–Fabulous Resources!

by

Welcome to Wesleyan!

The Academic Peer Advisors can be a great resource to you throughout your career at Wesleyan. We work one-to-one with students to help develop strategies for studying, time management, organization, course registration, class participation, and pretty much any other academic issue with which you want assistance. While we might not be perfect students ourselves, we have learned some important skills from personal experience and in-depth Academic Peer Advisor training that we would love to share with you and help you hone.

There are seven Academic Peer Advisors this year – three are returners: Steven Chen, Aidan Winn, and myself, Rubye Peyser. In addition, we have four new APAs – Haley Brumberger, Sara Eismont, Elisa Greenberg, and Jacqueline Leete. Check out our bios tomorrow on the class blog!

As APAs, we work with students of all class years during New Student Orientation and throughout the semesters. If an individual meeting is not for you but you still want to use us as a resource, we offer a number of workshops and programs over the course of the school year so look for our emails and future blog posts.

We hope you’ve had a great start to the summer and can’t wait to see you in the fall! As a final note, don’t forget to take your placement tests (even if you’ve taken the AP exam), read Citizen by Claudia Rankine, and get excited for Wes!

If you have any questions, you can reach us at peeradvisors@wesleyan.edu.