Dean’s Note
We’re getting closer to First Things First, International Students Orientation and New Student Orientation! We are looking forward to welcoming you to Wesleyan.
Please make sure that you pay particular attention to the interns’ note this week, as it explains how to access the electronic New Student Orientation information and schedule.
As we begin to approach Arrival Day, I thought this would be a good week to share my Top Ten Recommendations for First Year and Beyond:
- Make Wesleyan yours: Find or create your spaces at Wesleyan, whether playing ultimate frisbee or by loving your Physics lab. We have over two hundred student groups and there will be a Student Activities fair after your arrival to campus so that you can sign up for different groups. There are also jobs on campus.
- 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!
- 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.
- Locate your resources and ask for help: Wesleyan has an abundance of resources, whether the Writing Workshop, Stem Zone, Academic Peer Advisors, Peer Tutors or the Math Workshop, 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.
- Wesleyan has its own culture with its own language: I have built a list of acronyms that might be helpful to you.
- Use your time wisely: You will suddenly have lots of unstructured 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.
- Make sure that you’re having fun! Schedule in time to join friends for a movie or just pause. Practice mindfulness.
- 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.
- 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.
- Know that I’m here: I’m available to you via email this summer and in person when you arrive on campus, and I have daily drop-in hours. We can also make an appointment outside of those hours.
Common Reading
We’re only a week away from the Common Reading deadline. Be sure to submit your response here by 5:00 p.m. on August 16. Interestingly, The Guardian is doing a series of articles and videos regarding SHOFCO (Shining Hope for Communities), the program built by Kennedy Odede ’12 and Jessica Posner ’09. The organization’s own site might also complement your reading quite well.
Religious and Spiritual Life Survey
Finally, please fill out the Religious and Spiritual Life survey that is located in your WesPortal; the deadline to do so is August 24.
Best,
Dean Wood
Message from the Orientation Interns
Howdy New Students!
Before you arrive on campus, check out the Orientation Schedule available via Guidebook: mobile – desktop. There will NOT be printed handbooks. If you do not have access to a smart device, computer or tablet, contact orientation@wesleyan.edu to discuss alternatives. Remember that Orientation is required for all students, and Guidebook is necessary to keep on top of the requisite activities! Get the guide to access the most up-to-date information about our event, including schedules, maps, and much more.
Click here to find instructions on how to download the mobile app. Once you download the app onto your mobile device, note that there is no passphrase. Simply click on the magnifying glass, search “Wesleyan New Student Orientation 2019-2020” then click Guides. Click here to download the desktop version.
Please feel free to browse, explore and of course send us any feedback you think could make the app better for the Orientation experience. Note that the Orientation Schedule is subject to change. Always check Guidebook for the most up to date information prior to attending an event.
Good luck with everything! GO WES!
The Orientation Interns
Naraa Altai ‘22
Ivanie Cedeño ‘22
Michelle Lei ‘21
Ariana Baez ‘22
Anya Kisicki ‘22
orientation@wesleyan.edu
(860) 685 5666
Summer Sendoffs
Thursday, August 8, 6-8pm: Boston, MA
Thursday, August 8, 7-9pm: Mumbai
Sunday, August 11, 5:30-7:30pm: Chicago, IL
Thursday, August 15, 6-8pm: Seattle, WA
More information is available here.