Congratulations to all those who had late high school graduations in the past couple of weeks! Congrats too to those whose graduations were much earlier and have been “alums” for the last month or so! It’s a big deal finishing up 13 years (more or less) of schooling and you all accomplished much during that time. I’m sure you are taking the summer to work or volunteer, to hang out with friends and family, and are making the most of this time as you gear up for your move to Wesleyan. We are thrilled that you have chosen Wesleyan as the place to spend your next four years, but we also recognize that thinking about leaving the familiar for something new can bring on a mix of feelings.
As exciting as it is to think about the new people you’ll meet, the new material you’ll be learning, the new activities in which you’ll be engaged, the new opportunities available to you, you also may find this “newness” (or the thought of it) to be a little overwhelming. At such a time, it can be helpful to think about balance—finding the balance that’s right for you between nurturing your relationships with family and friends from home and cultivating new friendships at Wes; taking a course in a subject you love at the same time that you are exploring a new area of inquiry; continuing your involvement in an activity you really care about while trying out a new one. Wesleyan too will soon become a familiar place as you begin to make it your own and build a life for yourself on campus.
Again, congratulations to all you graduates as you turn to become Wesleyan’s Class of 2013.