November 2022
Dear Parents and Families of Students in the Class of 2025:
As we approach the end of the fall semester, students are busy wrapping up group projects, completing final papers, and preparing for exams. The last day of classes is Friday, December 9, which is followed by a period of reading days and final exams ending on Saturday, December 17. University housing closes at 12:00 noon on Sunday, December 18.
Throughout this semester, our sophomores were reminded to continue to explore the curriculum and hone in on the major they intend to declare in the spring semester. Through attendance at Major Open Houses, conversations with staff, faculty and peer leaders, and review of the Major Declaration website, my hope is that your sophomore has decided or is close to deciding their major. I encourage you to inquire with your Cardinal about the academic path they plan to pursue and what resources they have utilized on campus to help them narrow their intent of study. If you believe your student needs guidance on deciding a major, please encourage them to chat with me.
I mentioned Study Abroad in my last letter and would like to make note of it again here. Wesleyan encourages every student to participate in study abroad, regardless of major, and believes immersion in a foreign culture can be 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 many other programs for which English alone is sufficient. If you know that your son or daughter is contemplating study abroad, ask (potentially again) if he or she has paid a visit to the Study Abroad office.
Students will be able to see their fall semester grades by the end of the first week of January. As I suggest every year, I encourage parents and families to inquire with their students about the content of the learning achieved in the fall by utilizing open-ended questions such as “What did you learn?,” “What were your favorite readings?,” or “What was your final paper about?” If this line of inquiry leads you to sense that your sophomore may not have performed as well as they had hoped, it’s always good to ask: “Have you seen your class dean?”
I encourage students to try as much as possible to rest and relax during winter break. Following finals, some students will spend their time off catching up with family and friends, sleeping, volunteering, working a part-time job, or enrolling in a winter session course.
Housing reopens on Monday, January 23 at 10am and spring semester classes begin Thursday, January 26. Every semester, students have three weeks near the start of classes (1/19/23 – 2/8/23) to navigate the drop/add period. This part of course registration allows students to fine-tune their course schedules if they have changed their minds about the courses they want or if space opens up in courses that they could not get into during the November pre-registration period.
Sending you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday season.
Take care,
Kelly Dunn, EdD
Dean for the Class of 2025
T. (860) 685-2757 | kmdunn@wesleyan.edu
Class of 2025 Blog