Dear incoming students,
You have several tasks to complete by July 1. Submit these materials now so that you can turn your attention to course selection and registration.
I wanted to emphasize two in particular this week: the Learning & Living program and the Academic Interest Questionnaire.
The Learning & Living Program
The Learning and Living program is designed for first-year students to live with their seminar classmates in the same residence hall. Living together creates a community built on both intellectual and social engagement. Check out this video featuring past Orientation Intern Virginia Sciolino discussing her experience with the course.
Academic Interest Questionnaire
This questionnaire will help you to articulate and define your intellectual interests, while also enabling you to think about where you have been–and where you would like to go–with your education. Please take some time to reflect upon the prompt and write a thoughtful response. There are no right or wrong answers; the exercise is purposely open-ended to encourage freedom of thought and diversity of expression. We will use the information you provide to learn more about your academic interests, needs and preferences in order to assign your faculty advisor.
Also, please be sure to select your meal plan selection; information is available here.
Academic Highlights
We will be entering into the pre-registration period in July, so it is a good idea to start thinking about your possible course selections now.
Students typically welcome Wesleyan’s feast of course offerings with great enthusiasm. Some even imagine a scenario in which they may immerse themselves in the endless study or performance of their scholarly or artistic interests. Your goal should be to create a manageable course of study that offers intellectual challenge as well as flexibility for you to explore the curriculum and discover new interests as you pursue your educational goals.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “prior preparation prevents poor performance”? This applies well to selecting courses in college too. Visit the Academic Planning & Course Registration section of the landing page for entering students to get started. The Advising Guidelines, Wesvising, and WesMaps combine to form a powerful trio of services through video and text that will facilitate your exploration of Wesleyan’s diverse liberal arts curriculum. You will get advice from faculty and students as they discuss different academic disciplines, pathways, and the General Education Expectations, among many other things so that you can create a balanced, challenging and interesting course of study for your first semester at Wes.
Message from the Orientation Interns
Hello to all incoming Wesleyan Students!
First and foremost: make sure you are staying connected with the orientation team! The best way to do this is by following our Instagram. Here is a link to our account. We post helpful information about preparing for Wes and are a great resource for those of you who want to learn more about the first-year experience on Wesleyan’s campus.
This week, you should focus on completing your Orientation Checklist items whose July 1st deadline looms before you, namely the Academic Interest Questionnaire, Emergency Contacts, Placement Tests, Transfer Connections Form – and first-years, don’t forget to register for the Learning & Living Seminar, Great Books Unbound: How to Live Forever; more information about this program is available on our Instagram page.
Your Housing Preference Form is also due July 1st. Check out the videos that last year’s interns made of the myriad and wonderful housing options available at Wesleyan! Lastly, here is a message from the First Things First Intern: Ivanie Cedeño ’22:
First Things First program is a pre-orientation program that is designed to familiarize first-generation and/or low-income (FGLI) students with transitioning into college life and the Wesleyan community. As of right now, FTF is in a pilot stage and we do not have sufficient funds to support every student who may benefit the most from this program with their transition to Wesleyan. Because of this fiscal constraint, the program is only accepting students by invitation.
While all FGLI students could benefit from the FTF program, due to our constraints, invitations were only sent to those FGLI students who may be most in need due to a variety of factors such as postsecondary high school experience and enrollment in other bridge and college prep programming. If you have not received an invitation to apply to the FTF program through your Wesleyan email account, then you currently are not eligible to participate in this year’s program; but please know there is still a place for you at Wesleyan and there are resources you can use!
Since FTF cannot admit all first-generation and/or low-income students, here is some advice. When you arrive to campus, there will be many resources that can help you with your transition to college life. I highly recommend learning about the Resource Center when you get to campus. You can also browse Wesleyan’s website for more programs/departments/people to reach out to during your first year. I also recommend familiarizing yourself with your pre-major advisor’s office, the Davison Health Center, the Office of Study Abroad, the Resource Center Guide, the Resource Center, and your class dean Jennifer Wood as the first few.
If you have any follow-up questions or concerns about applying to the FTF program, please contact email orientation@wesleyan.edu or call 860-685-2232.
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 Sendoff Schedule
Sunday, July 21: Bay Area, CA
Tuesday, July 23: West Hartford, CT
Wednesday, July 31: Mamaroneck, NY
Sunday, August 4: Los Angeles, CA
Thursday, August 8: Boston, MA
Sunday, August 11: Chicago, IL
Thursday, August 15: Seattle, WA
More information is available here.
July 1 will be here soon, so make sure that you’re completing the checklist items.
If you have any questions, please be in touch.
Best,
Dean Wood