dphillips

Transitioning to College

by

College life can be exciting, but it will differ significantly from your past experiences. New environments, new friends, new classes, new ideas, new experiences are yours for the taking.  And there is familiarity with being a student since that’s what you’ve been doing for most of your life. At the same time, you may need to adapt your study habits to fit into a less structured and more demanding academic environment. And you may be living on your own for the first time, responsible for everything from getting up on time for class to doing your own laundry to budgeting your money. A few suggestions for managing the transition:

  • Talk with friends and family members who have recently attended college about their experiences transitioning to campus life — the challenges, the joys, the things they wish they knew starting out. You may be able to glean some words of wisdom!
  • Make a plan with your parents/guardians for how frequently you will talk and email. Strive for regular, but not daily, contact. It will help you concentrate on adjusting to Wesleyan while still reducing the likelihood of feeling homesick.
  • Once on campus, seek out opportunities to get involved in one or two activities outside the classroom. Focus on quality, not quantity. You have plenty of time over the next four years to try out everything!
  • Being a college student does not have to equal being unhealthy. Strive for balanced eating habits, a regular sleep pattern and a manageable workload.
  • Keep up your exercise routine. Physical activity greatly helps with reducing stress levels and with mental acuity.
  • Ask for help if you need it academically or personally. We want to help you succeed!

Student Academic Resources

by

Student Academic Resources coordinates programs for intellectual enrichment and academic support. The goals are to foster a community culture that recognizes the relationship between intellectual growth and personal development; to ensure that students know about and are encouraged to seek out appropriate services; and to share information among programs and constituents to ensure the provision of high quality and accessible services that facilitate academic achievement for all students.

Faculty and Student Advising Handbook

by

As you make plans for the Fall, please review the Faculty and Student Advising Handbook. The Handbook is designed to help you achieve your educational goals by providing advice on how to get the most out of your relationship with your faculty advisor as you build your program of study over the course of your Wesleyan career. The Handbook also provides information about academic departments and programs, graduation requirements, study abroad, the major declaration process, academic support services for students, and the procedures of the Honor Board and the Community Standards Board.

Meet your Class Dean

by

Dean Phillips spends much of his time advising students – discussing academic, social, and personal challenges and how to achieve personal goals. He works with individual students, professors and parents, to support students in their pursuit of a positive learning experience.

Dean Phillips provides guidance and support to all students in the Class of 2024. He’s a source of information on academic standing, choosing a major, graduation requirements, university policies and procedures, and opportunities and resources available at the university and in the surrounding Middletown community.

“What I like about my job is that I get to work with the whole student rather than just a particular aspect of a student’s life,” Phillips says. “That’s my mission as a class dean. My goal is to get to know each student I work with on an academic and personal level.”

Dean Phillips was born in New Haven, CT, but has a special bond with the international community.  The son of a Foreign Service Officer, Dean Phillips grew up around the world and attended schools in Peru, Mexico, the Philippines, New Zealand, and India before finally returning to the United States to attend college the University of California, Santa Cruz where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art (photography and printmaking) and a master’s degree in Comparative Social History.

Dean Phillips earned his Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University, where he wrote a dissertation entitled “Art for Industry’s Sake: Halftone Technology, Mass Photography, and the Social Transformation of American Print Culture 1880-1920.”  Prior to Wesleyan, Dean Phillips was an assistant professor at Bennington College, where he taught a variety of courses in American history. With wide-ranging academic interests in social history, cultural studies, studio art, and the history of science and technology, Dean Phillips is well-suited to advise students across the breadth and depth of Wesleyan’s liberal arts curriculum.

When he’s not in the office, Dean Phillips enjoys cooking, photography, duplicate bridge, playing guitar, working on home improvement projects, and taking his dog for walks at the Portland reservoir.

Welcome Class of 2024

by

Any day now the Office of New Student Orientation will be contacting you with important information to prepare for your first semester at Wesleyan, including information about course registration, academic planning, placement testing, registering with Disabilities Services, housing, and more. Many of these items require a response from you, so be sure to review this information thoroughly and be mindful of deadlines.

This year’s New Student Orientation program will provide you with multiple opportunities to interact with faculty, staff and other students and learn about Wesleyan and its many resources. If you have any questions, you should contact the student interns in the Office of New Student Orientation at orientation@wesleyan.edu.