Dear Parents and Families of Students in the Class of 2026,
Across campus offices are abuzz preparing for the arrival of our new and returning students. University housing opens for returning students at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, 9/1 and classes begin Monday 9/4. Fall Break takes place from the end of the day on Friday 10/20 through Tuesday 10/24. Wesleyan will host Homecoming/Family Weekend from Friday 10/27 – Sunday 10/29. For more important dates, be sure to consult the academic calendar.
The sophomore year is an interesting time for college students. Though no longer new to the college experience, there is still much for sophomores to learn as they continue to develop their college identity. Students will soon settle into the routines of campus life and make preparations for the major declaration process, which takes place in early Spring. Declaring a major means finding an academic home and exploring more deeply a field of intellectual interest. While some students have known what they want to major in since high school, others seem to change their minds every other month. Beginning in the fall semester, Wesleyan will host a series of department open houses for sophomores to meet with faculty to learn about the academic requirements and curricular pathways for each major.
If your student is considering studying abroad during their junior year, they should begin exploring options and researching program requirements as soon as possible as some study abroad programs for the fall of 2024 have early spring application deadlines. Wesleyan strongly encourages students to participate in study abroad, regardless of major, and believes that immersion in a foreign culture is a transformative personal experience that can resonate in a student’s intellectual work in profound and unexpected ways. While knowledge of a foreign language is required for some programs, there are other programs for which English alone is sufficient. Please encourage your student to visit the Study Abroad Office to learn more.
Please feel free to call or write if you have any questions. If you plan to attend Homecoming/Family Weekend, please know I will host drop-in hours for families on Saturday, 10/28 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in North College (2nd floor), so be sure to drop in if you have the time.
Take care,
Laura Patey
Dean for Academic Advancement
860-685-5581
lpatey@wesleyan.edu
Across campus offices are abuzz preparing for the arrival of our new and returning students. University housing opens for returning students at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, 9/1 and classes begin Monday 9/4. Fall Break takes place from the end of the day on Friday 10/20 through Tuesday 10/24. Wesleyan will host Homecoming/Family Weekend from Friday 10/27 – Sunday 10/29. For more important dates, be sure to consult the academic calendar.
The sophomore year is an interesting time for college students. Though no longer new to the college experience, there is still much for sophomores to learn as they continue to develop their college identity. Students will soon settle into the routines of campus life and make preparations for the major declaration process, which takes place in early Spring. Declaring a major means finding an academic home and exploring more deeply a field of intellectual interest. While some students have known what they want to major in since high school, others seem to change their minds every other month. Beginning in the fall semester, Wesleyan will host a series of department open houses for sophomores to meet with faculty to learn about the academic requirements and curricular pathways for each major.
If your student is considering studying abroad during their junior year, they should begin exploring options and researching program requirements as soon as possible as some study abroad programs for the fall of 2024 have early spring application deadlines. Wesleyan strongly encourages students to participate in study abroad, regardless of major, and believes that immersion in a foreign culture is a transformative personal experience that can resonate in a student’s intellectual work in profound and unexpected ways. While knowledge of a foreign language is required for some programs, there are other programs for which English alone is sufficient. Please encourage your student to visit the Study Abroad Office to learn more.
Please feel free to call or write if you have any questions. If you plan to attend Homecoming/Family Weekend, please know I will host drop-in hours for families on Saturday, 10/28 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in North College (2nd floor), so be sure to drop in if you have the time.
Take care,
Laura Patey
Dean for Academic Advancement
860-685-5581
lpatey@wesleyan.edu