Dear Parents and Families of Students in the Class of 2029:
If you can believe it, we are less than a month away from the end of the 2025-2026 academic year! Classes end on May 6 and reading period/finals run through May 15. University housing closes at 1pm on May 16.
As I mentioned in my January letter, the second semester of the first year of college is when students start to focus on plans for this summer and fall. Academically, students just met with their liberal arts advisor to select fall courses. Ask your student which courses they registered for - hopefully they chose courses they enjoy but also considered subjects they've never experienced. This is the beauty of an open curriculum - explore, explore, explore! If your student wasn't able to enroll in certain classes, please remind them that they have another chance to adjust their schedule during drop/add in September.
If your student is still exploring an internship for the summer, encourage them to schedule an appointment at the Gordon Career Center. If your student plans to stay on or near campus this summer, suggest that they learn more about Summer Session at Wes. Summer Session is a good option for students who wish to earn extra credits towards graduation or to explore areas of the curriculum they did not have time to explore during the traditional school year.
For co-curricular life, students start to feel more grounded and ready to expand their experiences beyond the classroom. If your student isn't engaging outside of their classes, you may want to suggest that they visit WesNest. WesNest is the main platform for information about clubs and organizations as well as the best spot for students to find a list of events and activities to join. If your student tells you that there is nothing happening on campus, I implore you to point them towards WesNest.
I want to reiterate again that the transition to college is not linear, and it does not happen automatically in the second semester. Your rising sophomore may be revealing more anxiety now than you noticed in the fall. Or your student may have arrived home for spring break demonstrating so much growth and independence that you didn't recognize them from when you last dropped them off. It is important to remind them that no matter where they are on their journey, there are resources on campus to assist, including me as their Class Dean.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy summer.
Take care,
Kelly Dunn, Ed.D.
Dean for the Class of 2029
https://classof2029.blogs.wesleyan.edu