Resources for Academia at Wesleyan

Before You Arrive: Summer Course, the Common Read, and Choosing a First-Year Seminar

Summer Course - Academic Culture and Campus Life: What to Expect at Wes (ACCL)

ACCL is a five-week course that introduces incoming international students to the people who will support them over the next four years, shares information about how to thrive outside of classes, and offers tips for academic success specifically for international students. In addition to the instructors, faculty and staff, many of the videos were produced by current international students sharing their experiences. The course is available on Moodle through your Wesportal account. It opens July 1st and will be available to you throughout your time at Wesleyan. 

The Common Read

Each year, Wesleyan picks a book for incoming students to read before arriving at Wesleyan. The book is chosen to introduce you to issues that you will most likely discuss in your classes. You will also be asked to write a response to the book and during new student orientation, you will have the opportunity to discuss the book with a group of students led by a faculty member. Once you arrive, there will be sessions to discuss it.

First-Year Seminars

All students at Wesleyan are encouraged to take a First-Year Seminar. This is a course that focuses on preparing students for the academic writing standards at Wesleyan. The courses include a variety of content to write about from all three divisions: Natural Sciences and Math, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Humanities. You can pick the course by the content that interests you, or if you are nervous about writing at the university level, there are courses that focus specifically on the process of writing from The Shapiro Center for Writing (the have a WRCT code) such as “Academic Writing for International Students” and “Why I Cant Write.” 

Academic Resources for Once You are Here:

The following resources are available to all Wesleyan students 

Student Academic Resources

The Writing Workshop

Deans’ Peer Tutoring Program