Academic Skills

Sarah Lazare: Assoc. Dean for Student Academic Resources

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Sarah Lazare, the associate dean for student academic resources, works in several capacities to help students achieve academic success at Wesleyan. She administers Disabilities Services, oversees the Student Academic Resource Network (SARN) and SARN Peer Advisors, and works with the Class Deans to provide academic support to Wes students of all class years. There are so many academic resources available to students that when students find themselves stumbling, all they have to do is ask. The Deans’ Office or any other SARN program can help them find a solution.

Dean Sarah started working at Wesleyan in December 2006. She holds a bachelor’s degree in religion from Smith s-lazare1College; a master’s degree in higher education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst; and a law degree from CUNY School of Law. She worked at Smith College until 2000, where she also provided academic support services to students among her other responsibilities.  After graduating from CUNY School of Law, she served as their coordinator of Student Activities and Events for one year before practicing public interest law in Springfield, MA for two years. She found that she did not like courtroom trial work and missed working with students. After her two year appointment practicing law was up, she returned to higher education where she is again able to help students attain their dreams.

Come visit Dean Sarah on the garden level of North College (okay, the basement, really) in room 021.  You can drop by or make an appointment by writing to slazare@wesleyan.edu or calling x2332.

Student Academic Resource Network (SARN)

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You should know by now that people who reach out and ask for help are the most successful. But where should you go to ask for help when you are at Wesleyan? Mosey on over to Student Academic Resources Network (SARN). The network is a virtual space for you to ask for help.  At the website, you will find links to programs that can help you find scholarships, organize your time, improve your paper-writing skills, learn how to use the on-line library resources, find internships or grants, and explore study abroad programs. Will you be looking for academic help with math, statistics, biology and chemistry, or might you simply want to improve your studying skills and habits? Explore the links at the SARN Web site. You will find these programs and more!

Peer Advisors

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pasfa03Dean Sarah blogging here! I supervise the SARN peer advisors. Here is what one student thought about the peer advisors and they helped her succeed during her first year at Wesleyan:

The SARN Peer Advisors are the single most helpful academic resource we have on campus. Peer advisors have advice for their students about anything study-related; a few I can think of right now are reading habits, [and] note taking…. My peer advisor helped me shape my notebook to be neater and easier for organization, [and] taught me how to read an extensive amount while retaining the information…. I have adopted several strategies from my sessions with my peer advisor: I started using the Cornell method for note taking and I have consulted the Writer’s Workshop as per her advice. In short, my peer advisor has been a tremendous help to me and my grades.

Peer advisors can show you how to stay on track and prioritize your activities so that you can enjoy and complete your coursework while making sure you participate in co-curricular activities, too! Check them out at the Peer Advisor, a blog written by peer advisors to help address your questions about coming to Wesleyan.

Academic Skills Assessment Survey

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The Academic Skills Assessment Survey is an opportunity for you to take stock of your study habits before hitting the books this fall at Wesleyan.  Not only does this survey ask you about your academic behavior, but, in many cases, it also gives you ideas of ways that you could, for example, better manage or track your time.  Done honestly and openly (you’ve already been accepted to Wes), your responses will enable us to refer you to particular workshops or make study suggestions that will facilitate and support your academic success at Wesleyan.  And hey, who doesn’t want academic success?

So among the other things you get to do this summer as you prepare for your arrival at Wes, login to your e-portfolio to make sure you complete the Academic Skills Assessment Survey.