New Student Information

Summer Sendoffs 2018

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All members of the Wesleyan community are invited to attend Summer Sendoff gatherings. These casual socials are hosted by alumni and parents and are the perfect opportunity to welcome our newest students and their families to Wesleyan. Sendoffs are currently scheduled for:

Bay Area, CA, July 22nd
Boston, MA, August 2nd
Chicago, IL, August 13th
Fairfield County, CT, August 14th
Los Angeles, CA, July 21st
Mamaroneck, NY, July 25th
New York, NY, July 12th
Philadelphia, PA, August 15th
Ridgewood, NJ, July 25th
Seattle, WA, August 9th
Washington, D.C., July 28th

Added locations and event details can be found on the Summer Sendoff website. REGISTER HERE.

Questions?

Contact Jenna Starr ’15 in University Relations at jstarr@wesleyan.edu.

We hope to see you there!

Transferring to Wesleyan: A Personal Perspective

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Just like many eager high school seniors graduating this month (my younger sister included), I was beyond excited to travel far away from home to the small liberal arts college that I had applied to via Early Decision way back in December of the previous year. Like literally every piece of media ever produced about college, I was sure that I was heading to the place that was a perfect fit for me, where I would truly find myself (and other clichéd ideas). Shockingly, or maybe not given that one out of every three college students transfer at least once, I ended up deciding that my first institution wasn’t for me. This may seem like I was clear and levelheaded throughout the whole process, but I assure you that there were plenty of tears and panicked nights spent questioning whether I was really making the best decision picking up and starting anew someplace else. How could I know that I wouldn’t be just as unhappy at another school? The really scary part is, I couldn’t know, at least not for sure.

I spent a majority of weekends during my spring semester traipsing up and down the East Coast, taking tours filled with fresh-faced high school students, not so subtlety envying the time that they had left to find a school where they hopefully would be happy for a full four years. When the transfer decisions came in at the end of the semester (full disclosure: I ended up applying to eight schools, apparently with the understanding that I really wanted the “full” college admissions process that I had missed the first time around), Wesleyan was my favorite school to which I was accepted, making my decision easy but in no means certain. I anxiously spent the summer making sure that I was totally prepared to make the most of this second chance. I semi-obsessively examined all of the extracurricular activities that I could join, and agonized over picking the best dorm.

Maybe some of you incoming transfer students are doing the same thing, and perhaps there are some more calm and collected people out there (major props to you, my friends). However, as your friendly neighborhood rising senior, let me share some of the life lessons that I have gained in the past two years that will hopefully make your transition to Wesleyan as smooth as possible:

  • Use the transfer network – Wesleyan typically welcomes approximately sixty transfer students in the fall and fifteen students in the spring. This means that that there is a sizable population of transfers here, most of whom love to help connect incoming students with academic and extracurricular opportunities. And even if you manage to find something that none of us seems to be involved with, I’m sure that someone has a friend who is!
  • Though it’s hardly scientific, I would venture to say that transfer students are oftentimes in a disproportionate amount of leadership positions given the relatively small proportion that we make up in the general Wesleyan population. I have friends running the Wesleyan Jewish Community, singing their hearts out in acapella groups, starting on varsity sports teams, and serving in leadership roles on the WSA.
  • On that note, there’s nothing like a second chance to really push you to try new things! When I came to Wes in the fall of 2015, I went to the Students Activities Fair and signed up for a seriously ambitious number of clubs. Though I didn’t end up joining all of them, I tried a whole bunch of new things and met so many great people, many of whom I’m still friends with today!
  • A more logistical piece of advice – try to get your credits and major requirements sorted out as quickly as possible. I have friends who waited until the last minute to do so, please learn from their mistake; these things are much more stressful during your Senior Spring! Dean Phillips (Class of 2020) and Dean Wood (Class of 2019) are great resources and super approachable, so don’t hesitate to meet with them if you need any assistance getting everything completed.
  • Take a second to congratulate yourself on your bravery! Leaving a school, no matter the rationale for transferring, requires a tremendous leap of faith.
  • There are certainly times when having attended two colleges can be frustrating – needing to get two separate transcripts when applying for internships, answering the constant question of why you decided to transfer and the bonus question for those of us coming from women’s colleges, “did you come to Wesleyan for the boys?” (the answer being a hard no). However, I’m so grateful to be a transfer student – it has given me a great deal of perspective and I wouldn’t trade my first year of college at my previous institution for anything.

Not to speak for my fellow transfer students, but I’m sure that they’d all agree that we can’t wait to welcome you to campus in August! In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me at seismont@wesleyan.edu if you have any questions or concerns!

Sara Eismont, Class of 2018

Summer Sendoffs 2017

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Welcome new students and their families to Wesleyan at an upcoming Summer Sendoff in your area! These casual gatherings are a great opportunity to show the new cardinals what makes Wes special: you! So come ready to celebrate the summer, and say hello to the great class of 2021.

Event details and registration can be found on the Summer Sendoff website, and below.

Atlanta, GA, June 20
Austin, TX, July 16
Bay Area, CA, July 16
Boston, MA, July 19
Chicago, IL, August 15
Fairfield County, CT, August 10
Hong Kong, China, July 7
Los Angeles, CA, July 15
Mamaroneck, NY, July 20
New York, NY, August 3
Philadelphia, PA, August 3
Ridgewood, NJ, July 26
Seattle, WA, August 3
Seoul, Korea, July 1
Washington, D.C., TBD
Worcester, MA, July 20

Added locations, event details, and registration can be found on the Summer Sendoff website.

Questions?

Contact Jenna Starr in University Relations at jstarr@wesleyan.edu

We hope to see you there!

Library Tour for New Students 9/2

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New students are invited on a tour of Wesleyan’s library facilities on Friday afternoon, 9/2, at either 1:00 or 4:00.

After meeting in the front lobby of Olin, the tour will take you through the resource-filled mazes in Olin Library and Science Library, pointing out the variety of study spaces, computer and printing resources, unique collections, and much more. But since so much of what we offer is available online, we also invite you to take a quick video tour of our online resources at http://bcove.me/9f5eoe1h, and of our primary search tool (Library OneSearch) at http://bcove.me/v5vuiddc. (You can find those videos and more on the library web site http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/ from the “How-to guides and videos” link in the “Find” box.)

For more information, please contact

Kendall Hobbs
Olin Library
Research Services Department
khobbs@wesleyan.edu
(860)685-3962          

   

Don’t Be Nervous

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By Rachel Earnhardt, Peer Advisor

It was in the Container Store, standing among clearance laundry baskets and desk organizing supplies sometime in early August, that I had a *minor* meltdown about starting college. Somehow, browsing for reasonably priced, but sturdy dorm necessities had made college feel so suddenly imminent and terrifying. If you find yourself having a similar experience, whether it be in Target or Bed Bath & Beyond or anywhere else really, I’m here to say that’s completely normal.

If you are totally chill and prepped and ready for college, then I envy you. Likely though, if you have traversed the internet to find this humble peer advisor blog post titled “Don’t be Nervous,” you are feeling anxious or excited or overwhelmed or some combination about starting college and would like to hear from some “wise” not much older soul who’s been there. I hope you find my personal narrative and unsolicited advice reassuring.

Okay, let’s rewind to the weeks leading up to the Container Store Incident. The summer before my first year at Wesleyan, I had my first real job working as an assistant camp instructor at the natural science museum. For several weeks, I stayed gloriously busy doing bug-themed crafts and making dinosaur footprint cookies and leading nature hikes and deliberating about how long I could avoid washing my staff shirt, but then, abruptly, camp ended. And the whole month of August was empty. It stretched out…a painfully open, unplanned void. This unscheduled month meant that I had four weeks with nothing to do other than think about heading off to college.

Let us rewind a bit more to April of my senior year. I had made an exhaustive spreadsheet, titled “The Decider.” With nearly 25 categories (like food, climate, “do I have to take a math class?”, faculty to student ratio, etc) I had meticulously input data about all the schools to which I had been accepted. I had been blessed with several wonderful options, many very similar to Wesleyan. But after careful analysis, Wes emerged as the clear choice. The last (and most important) category of my spreadsheet was titled “good vibes?” Next to other colleges, I wrote things like “too cold” and “too radical.” By Wesleyan, I had written the succinct, but completely confident: “Yeah.”

Yet still, even though I had penned this definitive assessment and highlighted the Wesleyan column in green on the spreadsheet, sent in my deposit, and bought my “Wesleyan Girls: Making Connecticut Beautiful Everyday” shirt, throughout the month of August, I woke up wondering. Wondering about each of the other schools from my spreadsheet, and even ones that I had not even applied to. For example, I had to remind myself that I crossed colleges in the state of Minnesota off my list for a reason (I’m sure it’s a great state, but I’m from the South and I’ve always just pictured a frozen hellscape). In retrospect, I realize that channeling my energy into my college choice stemmed from a general anxiety about going 900 miles away for school, where I didn’t know anyone.

Side note: It was also in August 2013 that I discovered College Confidential, which is sort of the underbelly of the internet. I stayed up for hours consuming the crowd-sourced anxiety about selecting a school and prepping for college. I also read countless Buzzfeed articles and mediocre blogs about the first year of college. *This was ultimately counterproductive and I do not recommend it.

But back to the story, fast-forwarding a bit to late August. After returning several items purchased in the heat of the moment to the Container Store, I had acquired everything on the packing list (and a bunch of things I didn’t need). We packed the car and began the eleven-hour drive from North Carolina to Connecticut.

I arrived in Middletown the day before move-in and led my parents on a tour of my new home. Draped in the flowers of late summer, the verdant campus was even more welcoming that it had been during our first encounter. (Okay, here comes the corny part): As I stood on the top of Foss hill looking out at College Row under the dome of blue sky, I knew that I would have the incredible opportunity to grow in profound ways over the next four years. I had picked a wonderful place to learn and prepare to make positive impact in the world.

I would be lying if I said that every ounce of anxiety evaporated during the first days or weeks or even months on campus. Eventually, I found my community and I can confidently predict that you will, too. Here is a whole paragraph of encouraging, very sincere reassurance:

If you are wondering if Wesleyan made a mistake admitting you: they didn’t. Or if you made a mistake in choosing it: you didn’t.  You are intelligent and capable. You will be surrounded by 780 interesting, smart, creative, idealistic people in your first year class. You will be able to find common ground with plenty of other people (even if you may not find those souls on your hall). It may take a few days or weeks or months, but you will meet friends and find professors with whom you connect. You may get overwhelmed by the coursework or, on the other end of the spectrum, find that some your courses are not what you expected, but there are plenty of people around to commiserate with and more importantly, to provide support and guidance. You will change your mind and your major and likely your haircut several times…and that’s all expected and celebrated!

Because I didn’t know where else to put it—here it is the obligatory list of unsolicited advice about preparing for college/the first few weeks (in no particular order) that you will probably ignore:

  • Go to different club meetings and activities. It might take a little time, but you will meet people who share your interests. I don’t want to minimize your unique personality, but there are plenty of other folks who are interested in science AND movies!! And yes, there will be at least one other person interested in starting a band.
  • Your hall will likely fuse together for a few days. That’s totally normal. Try to expand a little…Ask people from your classes or activities to lunch or coffee or to the Film Series or a WesBAM class. (Please feel free to contact me for other friend date suggestions.)
  • If you are unsure about ANYTHING, reach out to the peer advisors, the RAs, CAPS, OSRL, the deans, your orientation leaders or any the other groovy resources available.
  • Orientation specific: Go to all the events! Maybe you feel like you met your new bae or best friend and you will never hang out again if you separate to go to the meetings….but more than likely, you will learn something important at the orientation event.
  • Real talk: Across the nation, the first two months of the fall semester see an unsettling spike in alcohol hospitalizations. Please, please take care of each other.
  • Your residential advisors and orientation leaders are so excited to welcome you to campus. Maybe you don’t connect with them on a spiritual level and that’s totally fine.
  • ******Academics don’t happen in a vacuum. Your emotional, physical and mental well-being are all intimately a part of your experience and affect your ability to succeed (whatever success means to you). ******

So let’s wrap up. You’ll recall several paragraphs ago I explained that in my spreadsheet, by Wesleyan I had written: “Yeah.” I will now artfully use that as a nice frame for this post.

Is there an expansive network of resources and people (students, faculty, staff, peer advisors, the list goes on…) to support you throughout your Wesleyan journey so that you can get the most out your time here and go on to be a thoughtful and engaged citizen? Is the entire Wesleyan community so jazzed to have you join us?

Yeah!!!!!!!

The title of the post is “don’t be nervous,” but I had plenty of people tell me that and I didn’t listen. If you’re nervous, there’s not much I can say to change that. Nervous or not, either way, you will arrive in Middletown sometime between August 28th and 31st and more than likely you will thrive here.

So, again, if in the next couple weeks you have any moments of doubt or anxiety or maybe you just get so excited you can’t breath, please feel free to reach out to the peer advisors (or one of the many aforementioned resources).

And of course, I invite you to have a last minute existential crisis in your local dorm supply depot. It can be quite cathartic.

Bicycle Registration

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College campuses across the country are generally safe places for the students attending them and our campus is no different.  In many instances though this leads to a relaxed attitude toward personal safety and security measures and students tend to let their guard down.  A majority of the crimes that occur on campus are crimes of opportunity.  One area we typically see this is in bicycle thefts.  Bicycle thefts have become a growing problem on college campuses and Wesleyan is no exception.  If you bring a bike on campus please keep the following tips in mind:

  • Always secure your bike with a heavy duty U lock.  Cable locks are easily cut.
  • Use indoor bike racks when possible as opposed to outdoor racks.
  • Secure the bike by locking the front tire and frame to the rack.
  • Use a cable lock in addition to a U lock to further thwart the theft of your bike.
  • Register your bike on campus so your serial number is recorded.

Public Safety will be conducting bicycle registration sessions in September.  The first will be held on Thursday September 1st during the Fire Safety/Public Safety Fair in the Huss Courtyard at Usdan.  We hope you will stop by to register your bike and say hello!

We encourage you to visit our website at www.wesleyan.edu/publicsafety where you can register your bike online.  Our site also contains helpful information about our office and important crime prevention tips.

Always remember, “Lock It or Lose It”

Lt. Paul Verrillo
Wesleyan University Office of Public Safety

First Year Matters Reading Response

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For those of you who have not yet submitted your response to the First Year Matters reading prompt (due Monday, August 15), Academic Peer Advisor Michael Ortiz has drafted a sample response:

Reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, I caught myself thinking on the connection between ourselves as individuals and the “law”. We see the Law (capital L) and Justice (capital J) as immutable forces, objective and separate from ourselves, operating beyond the psychic planes of social reality, rejecting the body social we engage in and operating on its own kind of plane of reality. This is often the case when we talk about issues such as Black Lives Matter, where the common refute of “All Lives Matter” relies on the idea that the “particularities of race” act independently of the law, that the law operates blindly in the face of these human-built barriers. But the law does not truly exist independent of our fallacies; we are the Law as much as the Law is us. The law, justice, and crime are informed by the very complexities of life that continue to divide us. We devise the laws and interpret them as such, and the ways of thinking that inform our interpretations are the ones that fuel the flames of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.

As they read and prepare for the discussions they’ll have on campus, I implore students to think critically about their implicit participation in these “objective” structures of thought. We find the law to be “objective” but the reality of it is that we read into the law what we want out of it, and it is in these transactions we make with Justice (with a capital J) that tragic events like the senseless killings of black people across America occur. It is in these transactions that we say things like “well she was incapacitated so was it really assault?” There are many ways the Law, in its removal from the mires of society, becomes merely an extended reality of the horrors of oppression, frightening in its state-sponsored power to imprison and execute, terrifying in its ability to scar. Beyond issues of racism and state-sponsored discrimination, I believe that Alexander’s analysis opens the door to a paradigm that can be applied to various aspects of our lives.

The biggest questions for me going forward will be, how do we work to perpetuate structures of inequality? What does it mean to say “Silence is complicity”? How do we interact with these methods of oppression while remaining separate from them? There are many ways Alexander’s indictment of the prison-industrial complex forces us to reevaluate our interactions with other seemingly “objective” structures of society. These are questions that are frustratingly, maddeningly hard, and I look forward to reading students’ reactions and hearing from them face to face. But I think reading and digesting this wonderful book is an overwhelming and yet necessary first step towards an understanding of how we, as individuals, groups and societies, interact with each other and other things. This question, “How do I participate in this?”, is central to understandings of privilege and the like, and it will be a cornerstone in the path to becoming true cosmopolitan citizens.

The New Jim Crow

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njcOrientation is fast approaching, and there are many things to do during these upcoming weeks. One of those tasks is to read The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander, which was just made available to you via email.

While it may seem daunting to be required to finish a book before orientation, it is very important that you do so.  The common reading and the activities surrounding it will be a large part of the orientation experience, and full participation is key for a fulfilling and exciting introduction to Wesleyan. Be prepared for a day of performances, discussions, and lectures based around this common read on Friday, September 1.

All incoming students should have received a link to an Amazon Whispercast copy of the book. To access the book, you’ll need an Amazon account (which you should be able to create for free) and to download a Kindle app onto any device of your choosing (also for free).

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact orientation@wesleyan.edu or the Peer Advisors!

Learning and Living Seminar Program

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The Learning and Living Seminar program is designed for first-year students who want to live with seminar classmates in the same residential area.  Living in close proximity allows for intellectual discussions and collaborative learning to extend beyond the classroom, facilitating group assignments and projects, and promoting growth of community through daily interaction.  Learning and Living seminars are a subset of the first-year seminar program.  Three L&L seminars are being offered this fall:

Enthusiastic commitment is expected from students who enroll in L&L seminars since both housing and faculty advisor assignments will be based on the L&L seminar choice.  If you wish to enroll in a L&L seminar, you must submit the Learning & Living Seminar Registration Form by 5:00pm on Thursday, June 30.

About the Academic Peer Advisors

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Over the next few weeks and months before you arrive, you’re going to be receiving a lot of emails, and all the information can become confusing. If you have questions, don’t panic. Instead, email the Academic Peer Advisors!

Wesleyan has eight Academic Peer Advisors who work one-on-one with students throughout the year to help with course registration, time management, organization, study skills, note taking, communicating with professors, and more. APAs also lead workshops for dorms and student groups.

The Academic Peer Advisors will be available to meet with you when you arrive on campus to help you finalize your schedules and introduce you to academic life at Wes.  In the meantime, check out their bios, and feel free to email them at peeradvisors@wesleyan.edu if you have any questions.

Summer Sendoffs 2016

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All members of the Wesleyan community are invited to attend Summer Sendoff gatherings.  These casual socials are hosted by alumni and parents and are the perfect opportunity to welcome our newest students and their families to Wesleyan.  Sendoffs are currently scheduled for:

  • Los Angeles, CA, July 30
  • Chicago, IL, August 1
  • West Hartford, CT, August 4
  • Bay Area, CA, August 6
  • Seattle, WA, August 7
  • Atlanta, GA, August 11
  • Mamaroneck, NY, TBD

Added locations, event details, and registration can be found on the Summer Sendoff website.

Placement Exam Information

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All new students who are interested in taking math or language courses should take the appropriate placement exams by June 30.  To access the exams, login to your student portfolio and click on “Placement Exams” in the “Orientation News & Checklist” bucket.  You will then be redirected to Moodle, where you can then choose the exams you wish to take.  

Rubye Peyser, an Academic Peer Advisor, offers some helpful advice on the placement exam process:

Meet the Academic Peer Advisors

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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 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 via email to schedule individual advising appointments.

Screen Shot 2016-05-26 at 12.49.09 PMMy name is Jenne Johnson 2018 and my goal as a peer advisor is to enlighten students in important skills such as metacognitive learning strategies, time management, public speaking and studying and exam preparation strategies. In developing these skills, I hope to solidify the success of Wesleyan students in their years to come.  I am a Psychology major and potential neuroscience double-major on the pre-med track and a part of Wes-Mass, and the Mc.Nair Scholars Program.  In my free time I dance on two dance teams on campus; KALALU and X-tacy and enjoy both drawing and singing.  I look forward to meeting each and every one of you and learning about your unique journeys at Wes!  You can send me an email at jjohnson03@wesleyan.edu.

Screen Shot 2016-05-27 at 9.24.03 AMMy name is Genna Mastellone 2017 and I am a senior Government major concentrating in American politics. I am also getting a certificate in environmental studies. I’m involved with fossil fuel divestment, I am a research assistant in the Sociology Department, and I’ve worked on a Second Stage production. I also studied abroad the fall of my junior year studying climate change in Vietnam, Morocco, and Bolivia. I’m very excited to meet you all. Please get in touch with me if you have any questions about your academic plans at Wesleyan at gmastellone@wesleyan.edu. See you in the fall!

Screen Shot 2016-05-27 at 9.28.02 AMMy name is Steven Chen 2018 and I’m from Rancho Bernardo, CA (slightly north of San Diego). I’m currently triple majoring in History, Government, and American Studies, but my major(s?) change on a daily basis. I’m a member of the Men’s Tennis Team, so if you have any questions about being a student athlete or athletics in general, 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’ve never met a dessert that I didn’t like, I love puppies, and I’m the biggest fan of figure skating you will ever meet. I’m excited and honored to be a Peer Advisor, and I encourage you to reach out to any of the peer advisors with any questions you may have about Wesleyan, or if you just want to chat! Feel free to email me at slchen@wesleyan.edu.

Screen Shot 2016-05-27 at 9.30.32 AMMy name is Michael Ortiz 2017 and I’m from Central New Jersey (right outside Princeton to be exact.) I’m a senior and am a Math, American Studies, and English triple major, so as you can see it’s very easy at Wesleyan to major in completely different things!  As well as being a peer advisor this year, I do a lot of different things on campus; I work with the Sustainability office and have helped run Waste Not! For the past two years. I also work as a Teaching Assistant in the math department (maybe I’ll see some of you in one of my classes!) I’m a member of the Wesleyan Green Fund, which helps fund sustainability-related projects on campus, and am a member of Wesleyan’s Latinx organization, Ajua Campos. This summer, I’ll be working in the city while also beginning work on my thesis!  If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out at mortiz01@wesleyan.edu; I’m always down to answer a question or two. Excited to see y’all in the fall and welcome to Wesleyan!

Screen Shot 2016-05-27 at 9.36.12 AMMy name is Rubye Peyser 2018 and I am a junior from Boston, MA. I applied early decision to Wes and have honestly never made a better choice. I am a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (MB&B) and Spanish double major. As my majors show, I have pretty diverse/random interests. Thankfully, Wes lets me explore a ton of different options. Aside from taking classes (both in and VERY FAR out of my majors), I am involved in a number of activities. I am an Academic Peer Advisor, intern in the office of Student Academic resource, intro biology TA, student researcher in a biology lab, and a sometimes-actress. This coming year I hope to study abroad in Spain.  If you have any questions, please reach out to me any time at rpeyser@wesleyan.edu.

Screen Shot 2016-05-27 at 9.38.47 AMMy name is Rachel Earnhardt 2017 and I am a senior pursuing an Environmental Studies and History linked major. I was born and raised in Raleigh, NC and would be jazzed to talk with anyone anxious about adjusting to New England winters. Here at Wesleyan, I have strengthened my passion for environmental justice, history and writing as well as my enthusiasm for liberal arts education.  On campus, when not in the library, I can be found working at the Writing Workshop; volunteering with WesAGE, the senior center alliance program (a wonderful excuse to play Scrabble with wiser souls); or more likely, power napping. In Spring 2016, I studied away (50 minutes down the road…) at the Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program and returned with a renewed passion for protecting the world’s oceans. This fall, I am looking forward to being a student fellow with the Center for Humanities. This year, I am writing a thesis and will seize any opportunity to prattle on about my topic! After Wesleyan, I intend to spend a little more time in the warm womb of academia pursuing a graduate degree, hopefully focusing on environmental justice issues in the United States, before striking out to work in education. Also, I am a major fan of puns, Dansko clogs (functional & fashionable!), Rachel Carson and reading.  If you have any questions about academics at Wesleyan or finding the perfect length of power nap, or just want to talk about shared interests or a mutual love of puns, please do send me some electronic mail: rearnhardt@wesleyan.edu.  Looking forward to meeting you!

Screen Shot 2016-05-27 at 9.42.06 AMMy name is Selena Gonzalez 2017 and I am a Latina born and raised in New York City! I decided to attend Wesleyan University because of the passion I witnessed from the students who go here. I was and still am in awe of the many ways students on campus get involved in what they feel excited about, whether its social justice or participation in various distinguished dance troupes. Students at Wesleyan are part of an environment that promotes creativity and individuality. When I came to Wesleyan, I had no idea how exactly I would fit into the picture. I had no idea what I wanted to major in, what my career path was going to be or even what all my interests were. Due to the fact that I wanted to experience a wholesome liberal arts education at Wesleyan, I spent my freshman year taking a variety of science and math courses alongside English and AFAM classes such as Intro to Latina/o Literature and Intro to Modern African American History. Soon enough, I found myself on the pre-med academic track and I am currently pursuing a double major in Psychology and Neuroscience & Behavior. On campus, I also conduct research in the underlying mechanisms of temporal lobe epilepsy in Professor Naegele’s lab as a scholar of the Ronald E. McNair program, which provides underrepresented students with research opportunities, academic support and guidance for graduate studies. I am also a Senior Interviewer at the Office of Admission, a senior board member of the Student Judicial Board and a student advocate on the Student Health Advisory Committee. I can’t wait to meet you all and please feel free to email me at smgonzalez@wesleyan.edu.

Screen Shot 2016-05-27 at 9.44.55 AMI’m Aidan Winn 2018, a rising junior 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 just graduated from Wes, and a younger sister in high school (Wes is her top choice!). I have chosen to major in Science and Society, a program unique to Wesleyan, and one I have fallen in love with over the last two years. I am 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.

Transitioning to College

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transitionsCollege 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 there is familiarity with being a student since that’s what you’ve been doing for most of your life. At the same time, 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. A 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!

Student Academic Resources

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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.