Class of 2011

Welcome back to Wesleyan for your sophomore year! Whereas the first year was one of exploration and acclimation, the second year is the springboard for your academic career. First, this is the year you choose a major. More than that, many of the choices you make this year will shape the remainder of your academic experiences at Wesleyan – Will you write a senior thesis? Will you study abroad? How will you balance major requirements with other academic interests? Will you have time for internships or to work?

At the same time, you are continuing to adjust to Wesleyan’s culture and academic rigor and have already become more responsible for your own decisions. The options available to you – both curricular and co-curricular – are endless, as are the sources of information about those options. So, you must balance the extraordinary choices of Wesleyan’s curriculum and potential major requirements with other opportunities such as doing research with a professor, going abroad, and any number of other possibilities.

The point of this newsletter is to encourage you to be more pro-active. You should be aware that many of the choices you make this year will influence later opportunities. You should make these choices deliberately and knowingly, and minimize the risk that you miss opportunities because you did not know about them, or you did not think to look into them at the right time. This includes opportunities such as enrolling with Wesleyan every semester, adding and dropping classes, withdrawing from classes after the Drop/Add deadline has passed, applying to study abroad, applying for fellowships and scholarships, and yes, dropping or withdrawing from physical education classes within deadlines that apply for all classes in which you are registered. And the list goes on!

So, to help you keep certain deadlines on the radar:

• The deadline for on-campus enrollment in Wesleyan is Tuesday, September 2, at 5:00 p.m. Please make sure to click on the “Enroll Me” button in your e-Portfolio before this time to avoid a fee and the risk of being dis-enrolled!
• Fall semester classes begin on Tuesday, September 2, which is also the day the Drop/Add period begins.
• The Drop/Add period ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 15. No grading mode changes will be permitted after this point.
• The deadline to confirm whether or not your fall schedule is correct is Friday, September 19, at 5:00 p.m. Many students become confused when they receive information from the Registrar regarding this very important deadline. You will need to take one of the following actions by this deadline in order to participate in pre-registration for the spring semester.
  • If your schedule is correct, click the button to confirm that your schedule is correct.
  • If your schedule is not correct, click the button to confirm that your schedule is not correct. This action notifies that Registrar that an error is present in your fall schedule. At the same time, please either make an appointment with your class dean or stop by during drop in times to take the appropriate steps to correct your schedule.
• The last day to withdraw from first quarter classes (e.g., PHED classes) is Wednesday, October 15.
• The last day to withdraw from full semester and second quarter classes is on Thursday, November 13. Any course registration changes after this time will require a petition to be submitted to the Deans’ Office. Please be aware that a petition does not guarantee that a change can be made.

Please keep these important deadlines in mind as the semester moves forward. I am here to help you make your Wesleyan career productive and successful. I have daily office hours: Monday (2:00 – 3:00), Tuesday (3:00 – 4:00), Wednesday (5:00 – 7:00), Thursday (3:00 – 4:00), and Friday (2:00 – 4:00). If these times do not fit into your schedule, please contact me to make an appointment for a more convenient time.

I hope you have had a wonderful summer and have taken the opportunity to reflect on your first year at Wesleyan. Are there things you would have done differently? It’s never too late to make a change!

Welcome back! I hope to see all of you at the Sophomore Sundae Sunday, on Sunday, August 31, from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in Hewitt Lounge.

Noel R. Garrett, Ph.D.

Dean for the Class of 2011
860.685.2774
Email me!