Majors – Class of 2013

Note from Dean Brown–9/2/12

September 3, 2012 by lsbrown

Hey 2013’ers,

Welcome back to your senior year! That “time flies” has never been truer: I can’t believe you’re in your last year, can you? It’s amazing—and wonderful. You all have traveled far over the last three years and have a great year left to go. Make the most of it!

I hope you have had the weekend to get settled into your houses and apartments, and are ready for the start of classes tomorrow. Many of you will start in on your capstone experience this semester—whether that be a thesis, essay, project, research, or performance—while others look forward to it in the spring. Whenever you do it, it’s a great opportunity to dive headlong into focused intellectual and creative exploration and synthesis. Go for it!

Drop/Add also begins tomorrow, and ends on Sept. 14. No grading mode changes or course deletions after that. The ten-week withdrawal period begins on Sept. 15. Make sure you know where you are with your credits and with any oversubscription. Check your credit analysis, check your major certification form. NOW is the time to identify and take care of any problems. You do not want to jeopardize your graduation because you are short of credits/major requirements.

The Watson, Fulbright, Rhodes and several other scholarships/fellowships for next year have early fall deadlines. Check out Scholarships/Fellowships, if interested, and talk with the campus liaison. Speaking of life post-Wes, it is never too late to get into the WCC to explore your options—job? starting your own non-profit/for profit? grad school? professional school? internship? travel? In the U.S.? Abroad? The possibilities are endless, which also can be overwhelming if you’re not sure what you want to do. Contact Persephone Hall (phall@wesleyan.edu) or any other WCC staff member to set up a time to meet to start sorting things out or just wander into the WCC resource library.

The class blog will be up and running as of Monday. Keep an eye out for Celebrating Students columns this week (and write about your great summer experience!!) as well as for info about the Senior Welcome Back event.

I hope you had a great summer, and are looking forward to a great senior year. Make it count! And don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. Best, Dean Brown

Major Certification Form Training Session — Mon., 10/17, noon-1 p.m.

October 14, 2011 by lsbrown

Here’s another chance to learn how to use the major certification form to track major fulfillment and plan your course of study.

Monday, October 17 Noon-1 p.m.

Shanklin 107

Don’t miss it!!

Major Certification Form Training Session — Wed., 10/12 at 4-5 p.m.

October 11, 2011 by lsbrown

Start Tracking Fulfillment of Your Major!!

You can access the new Major Certification Form link in the Wesleyan Career bucket in your portfolio. When you click on the link you will be brought to a landing page where all of your majors are listed. If your particular major has multiple tracks or concentrations, you will see a separate link for each. Since departments/programs do not currently require you to officially identify which track or concentration you are pursuing, you can navigate between them and see how each is progressing.

This tool is designed to directly interface with your individual academic history which means that if you have taken a course that has been pre-identified by your major as satisfying a requirement, that course will automatically pre-populate on the form and a check box will appear next to the course. If you wish to use that particular course to satisfy a requirement, you simply need to check the box, click submit, and the course will be applied.

There is also an “override” feature that allows you to propose a course outside of the pre-approved course list. You can either choose a course already posted to your academic record from a drop-down menu, or type in free-form text explaining what you would like to offer for consideration. Once you submit an override request, your advisor will be prompted to take an action similar to those currently being used in drop/add. Your advisor will be able to “approve,” “disapprove,” or click “see me” in response to your individual request.

There are also “planning text” links built into the form to accommodate departments/programs that require their students to project out and inform their advisor of how they intend to fulfill the major. Once submitted, the planning text boxes become part of the online form until you choose to update or delete them.

We envision the electronic Major Certification Form to be a useful planning tool when registering for courses. Each requirement displayed on the form contains a hyperlink to a complete list of courses that have been pre-approved to satisfy that requirement.

You can begin working with this electronic form from the moment you are accepted into a major. Please consult with your individual department/program for any form-related deadlines. Seniors will be required to submit their final version of the form at the end of Drop/Add in their final semester of their senior year for degree certification. Your department/program will use this form to certify that you have completed the requirements for the major, whereas a committee will certify that you have completed all university requirements.

We will be offering training on the Major Certification Form to juniors and seniors on the following dates:

Wednesday, October 12 from 4:15-5:00pm in SHAN107
Monday, October 17 from 12:00-1:00pm in SHAN107

We have posted documentation and FAQs on the registrar’s website http://www.wesleyan.edu/registrar/general_information/major_certification.html. If you have any questions regarding this new application, please contact Susan Krajewski at x2738 or skrajewski@wesleyan.edu.

New Electronic Major Certification Form Now Available

September 23, 2011 by lsbrown

The Registrar’s Office is pleased to announce the launch of a new electronic Major Certification Form. This online form replaces the old paper Senior Concentration form. The only students still required to use the paper form are University majors and December Completions in the Class of 2012. The link to the new online form is in your portfolio.

You can access the Major Certification Form link in the Wesleyan Career bucket in your portfolio. When you click on the link you will be brought to a landing page where all of your majors are listed. If your particular major has multiple tracks or concentrations, you will see a separate link for each. Since departments/programs do not currently require you to officially identify which track or concentration you are pursuing, you can navigate between them and see how each is progressing.

We will be offering training on the Major Certification Form to juniors and seniors on the following dates:

Wednesday, October 12 from 4:15-5:00pm in SHAN107
Monday, October 17 from 12:00-1:00pm in SHAN107

Major Declaration & Deferral Deadline — 3/4/11

March 3, 2011 by lsbrown

All sophomores must do one of the two things below by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 4:

1) Declare a major by going to the academic career bucket in your student portfolio; or

2) Submit a completed major deferral form, only if you are not able to declare a major because you do not meet entry requirements. Click on “Major Deferral Form” on the right side bar on the blog. Note: Completing this form includes getting the signature of a faculty member in your intended major.

Questions? Contact Dean Brown at lsbrown@wesleyan.edu or at x2758.

Recommendations & Getting to Know Your Profs

February 25, 2011 by lsbrown

As you move into your major, make a point to get to know well at least one or two faculty in your department or program. Don’t hesitate to ask questions in class or get clarification after class about an issue or read additional articles to discuss (articles with which your instructor may or may not be familiar), or visit office hours with questions or just to introduce yourself. Profs often comment that they have office hours, but that sometimes few come for discussion, so take advantage of this time, whether it is to get help or find out more about a point of interest. Be authentic in your interactions, of course, but don’t be shy about taking advantage of this opportunity to get to know these folks who have a wealth of knowledge in what your interested.

YOUR PROFS WANT TO KNOW YOU, SO HELP THEM OUT–LET THEM KNOW YOUR INTERESTS AS YOU TALK TO THEM ABOUT THEIR COURSES & RESEARCH. DISCOVER WHERE YOUR INTERESTS INTERSECT. TAKE THEM OUT TO LUNCH. ASK FOR ACADEMIC ADVICE. That they know you will make a big difference when it is time for you to get recommendations for an internship, a job, graduate school. They will have examples to show what a smart, good, and interesting person you are. Moreover, they’re great people to get to know and can enrich your intellectual lives.