Voice!

A few weeks ago the Senior Interviewers (among others) were granted a tour of the yet-to-be-completed Usdan University Center, and boy do I have a treat for you: pictures!! One caveat: I took these almost three weeks ago (I know, I know, I should have gotten them up sooner), so everything could look entirely different. However, I’m sure that this will give you a good enough idea of what the space will look like once completed (use your imagination!). Shall we begin our virtual tour? Let’s.

We’ll start in the very basement of the building. This, obviously, is the main kitchen. Here is where all the [food] magic happens. Even though this may look like an unfinished Burger King, as Petra’s post about Bon Appetit explains, I’m sure that the food will be far superior.

The ceiling in the ballroom is simply fantastic! Actually, they refurbished the original ceiling. The wooden piece suspended below is there for acoustic reasons, and it also incorporates heating/AC vents.

Here we have the ballroom itself in all of its unfished glory. Since this picture was taken, they have installed the hardwood floor.

Students entered our previous large dining hall, MoConaughy Hall, by walking down into the room. They’ve kept this tradition alive in Usdan (just as the Argus reported) by installing a neato curved stariway connecting the lower and upper dining areas.

There is a really nice patio facing Andrus Field. The builder told us that they plan to put teak dining furniture here, so that students can dine outside.

It may not look like much right now, but this is actually the heart of the beast: the cafeteria, where students will have access to many of the dining options that I mentioned in my previous post about the center.

If you have visited campus, you may have seen these red rafters peeking through the Usdan windows. This room, which I believe is basically complete, will be both a dining room during the day and a multi-purpose space at night.

They really went all out for this building. Yes, these counter tops are marble.

I’ll leave you with this beautiful view of PAC, Olin Library, and Clark Hall!

Hope you’re as excited as I am,
Justin Holzwarth ‘08
Senior Interviewer

We’ve already talked about how Wesleyan doesn’t have a Core, but rather GenEds, expectations that are designed to allow for exploration across the curriculum. But how does our education connect us if we don’t have the same academic experiences? What makes a Wesleyan student a Wesleyan student? Effectively, what you’re asking is “What, exactly, is so special about a Wesleyan education?” – and part of that answer can be found in Wesleyan’s Essential Capabilities.

The Essential Capabilities were designed by the Wesleyan faculty (and are continually updated) to be sure that each and every Wesleyan student graduates as well-educated in as many ways as possible – not only through the GenEds for breadth of study, not only through the major for depth of study, but also through the Essential Capabilities to allow for individual and personal growth – making the student a viable and promising member of the global community. The Essential Capabilities are:

• Writing
• Speaking
• Interpretation
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Logical Reasoning
• Designing, Creating, and Realizing
• Ethical Reasoning
• Intercultural Literacy
• Information Literacy
• Effective Citizenship

These are some of the building blocks that make a Wesleyan student a Wesleyan student. They are not simply expected – they are essential, an integral part of the curriculum. As an incoming freshman, you will do a self-critique, and rate yourself in each of these areas. It is entirely up to you what you do after that. Wesleyan students will develop in these areas over time, even if they never pay any mind to these capabilities at all – every class is designed to enhance at least one, but often many, of these capabilities, and you’ll find yourself improving in each area over time.

Your e-portfolio will keep track of the Essential Capabilities that you are enhancing in class, allowing you to see exactly where you might be lacking, leaving you to make the choice to improve that part of yourself through the courses that you select, if you chose to do so (again, WesMaps provides a search function for these). The faculty recognizes that the Essential Capabilities are embedded in every facet of life, not just in your academics, so the relationships you forge while at Wesleyan –while adding to your education in ways you cannot hope to imagine now– will ultimately add to your mastery of these capabilities, often without your realizing it!

Jacqueline Chapman ‘08
Senior Interviewer

I know this is a little far off (for you at least!), but graduation requirements are just one of the many things that you should be asking about at all of the colleges and universities that you visit. Wesleyan’s graduation requirements are straightforward – complete 32 credits (each class = 1 credit, with some exceptions, like PhysEd) and – I know this is surprising – complete a major (or two!).

Wait… that’s all? Well, yes and no. In an effort to create a standard body of knowledge that becomes synonymous with its graduates, many colleges and universities establish a Core Curriculum, which each and every student is required to fulfill. Wesleyan is not one of them – there is no one class that everyone at Wes has taken. However, there are some guidelines for your course of study while here: they are called the General Education Expectations, or GenEds. Note that GenEds are dubbed expectations not requirements – about 20% of the student body never complete their GenEds. However, GenEd completion is a requirement of being eligible for Phi Beta Kappa, University Honors, as well as for acceptance, completion and/or Honors in some departments – so pay attention!

Okay… so what are these expectations anyway? By the time you graduate from Wesleyan, the University would like to see that you have taken three courses from each of three divisions – Humanities and Arts (HA), Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS), and Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM). Never fear – again, the GenEds are NOT Core! This means that YOU choose the courses that you want to use to fulfill the expectations – no one else. These courses can be Intro courses to other majors, or courses designed by departments specifically with the non-major in mind. Most Wesleyan students complete their GenEds without even thinking about them – if you study across the curriculum, following your varied interests, you’ll get them done in no time and even by accident (as I did). Here are some awesome options for this coming year, for majors and non-majors alike:

HA (Humanities and Arts)

AFAM 129 / ENGL 129 – Resisting the Romance in Black and White and Technicolor
FILM 307 – Western Movies: Myth, Ideology, and Genre

SBS (Social and Behavioral Sciences)

HIST 116 – Education in Society: Universities as Agents of Change, Ivory Towers, or Knowledge Factories
RELI 273 / AFAM 273 / AMST 276 – Vodou in Haiti – Vodou in Hollywood

NSM (Natural Sciences and Mathematics)

BIOL 118 – Reproduction in the 21st Century
CHEM 198 – Forensics: The Science Behind CSI

As Justin H. mentioned earlier, WesMaps is easy to navigate and exciting to peruse! Explore!

Jacqueline Chapman ‘08
Senior Interviewer

A lot of people have been strolling into our office and asking for an updated version of our course catalogue. Well, they haven’t been printed yet! But I can offer you something that’s arguably better: our electronic course catalogue, WesMaps.

Click on any of the majors listed on the site, and you will find links to not only the courses offered this coming year, but also to the department website, requirements for majors, and courses appropriate for first year students (hint, hint). Have a field day! No, seriously, I know a lot of Wes students who spend days browsing WesMaps, especially when it’s newly updated for the upcoming year.

Some courses that jumped out at me, as I was sifting through today:

• History 118, Baroque Rome: I didn’t know it was baro-ken. ZING!
• Theatre 384, Introduction to Puppetry: I believe this is my calling.

I should point out that WesMaps has an excellent search function that allows you to search courses by keyword, time, GenEd, and even key capabilities. Pretty snazzy, huh?

Justin Holzwarth ‘08
Senior Interviewer

The summer is one of the most popular times for high school students to look at colleges.  I remember when I was on the college tour circuit a few years ago, going on week-long trips to see 9 different schools.  It can be difficult to see so many schools in such a short period of time and truly form an opinion on each school.  So here are a few tips I have to get the most out of each college visit.

• Bring a notebook with you. When you get back in the car after each school, it’s a good idea to take a few notes on your opinions of the school, while it’s still fresh in your memory. That way, in a few months, you can look back at all these notes and see what you thought about each school.
• Ask about housing. A lot of schools will have a model dorm room set up to give an example of how a freshman would live, but that doesn’t mean that all students live in rooms like that. Housing is often quite varied based on your class year or even what area of campus you live on, so ask about all the housing options.
• Observe the students on campus. This might be harder to do in the summer, but try to get a feel for the student atmosphere on campus. Do the students seem happy and engaging? Or do they all look like they haven’t left the library for two weeks?
• Picture yourself at the school. Could you see yourself going to the school for the next four years? Do you think you’d be happy there? Keep in mind that you’re not going to college right at the moment, but want a place where you’ll still be happy in four years.
• Think about what feels right for you. You’re going to hear a lot of opinions and suggestions from your parents, friends, teachers, guidance counselors, etc. but ultimately, where you go to college should be your decision. It’s your education and you need to try and find the place where you will be most happy, have the best experience, and learn the most.

Jeff Wong ‘08
Senior Interviewer

One of the questions that you will inevitably ask at every college you visit (and if you haven’t thus far, you definitely should start) is “How is the food?”  Here in Admissions we hear it on a daily basis and decided to give you a brief overview and describe some first hand experiences with our new food service provider, Bon Appétit.

This fall our new food service provider, Bon Appétit, will be taking the reins and we’re all super excited about it. 
Bon Appétit’s commitment to providing fresh, organic, and – whenever possible – locally grown food has everyone buzzing and excited for next fall. In addition to their claim of providing delicious and nutritious food, their socially responsible policies are something that all Wesleyan students, faculty and administration can definitely appreciate.

Providing us with fresh, organic food isn’t all that has us excited for Bon Appétit’s arrival in the fall. In the new Suzanne Lemberg Usdan Campus Center, Bon Appétit will offer a great and varied selection of food options.  Some examples of the types of food stations that will be available to students in the fall are:

• an organic pizza and pasta station
• a grill
• a deli
• vegan, vegetarian, and Kosher options
• soups, chowders, and salads

Not only will we have all these choices, but with the completion of our new Suzanne Lemberg Usdan Center, students can grab food from whichever station they’d like and meet up with friends in one of the many dining areas.  It’s the best of both worlds: delicious, fresh food (many with international flair!) and great company.

All of this delicious, fresh, and international food is what Bon Appétit is describing and hopefully they’ll deliver.  It looks promising based on my own first hand experience with their food last week.  Bon Appétit has opened up Pi Café, our on campus fair-trade, organic coffee shop for the summer and my first taste of their food, a Thai Peanut Sauce wrap with tomatoes, lots of greens, cilantro and a spicy peanut sauce, was absolutely delicious.  A few of the other Senior Interviewers have tried the food and their turkey sandwiches were equally delicious.  If a visit to campus is in your near future, Pi Café is open Monday through Friday from 9am-1pm.  Definitely drop by and have some coffee, a croissant, or try a sandwich to get a feel for what food will be like this fall.

To find out more about Bon Appétit, check out their website, and to find out more about Bon Appétit at Wesleyan check out their Wesleyan dining site or ours.

Petra Groeneveldt ‘08
Senior Interviewer

Welcome! My name is Justin and over these next few weeks I’m going to give you my own personal tour of Wesleyan. But don’t worry, the places and sights you have already seen (or are going to witness in the future) on the official Wesleyan admissions office tour will not be repeated in this series. Instead my focus will be on where the tour doesn’t take you. I’m going to run a two part series of special locations at Wes that I have come to know and love over the past couple of years. The first sequence is going to feature unique places on the Wesleyan campus; the second will highlight locations off campus (all within walking distance) that are frequently visited by the students here.

If you haven’t been on an official tour at Wesleyan, I would really suggest doing so. Although it may not be as exciting and interesting as mine, the tour will get you acquainted with the campus (and what a beautiful campus it is!). It would be in your best interest to come prepared: wear comfortable shoes, bring an umbrella in case of showers, and you might even want to grab your camera.

Stay Tuned!

Justin Mello ‘08
Senior Interviewer

Ok, the interview. For those of you who are seniors this year, you have the option to do an interview as part of the application process. The interview can be done on campus with a Senior Interviewer or in your home town with an alumnus. The on-campus and alumni interviews have the same weight in the application process, but the advantage of an on-campus interview is the chance to talk one-on-one with a current Wesleyan student. Since the senior Interviewers are running this blog, we decided to give you some tips for how to have a successful interview, either with us or with an alumnus.

• First of all, relax. The interview is a very informal conversation. We will not be trying to trick you into saying the wrong thing or asking you questions you would find on an AP test. We simply want to know what you do in and out of school, and more importantly, why?
• Be proud of your accomplishments. The more enthusiastic you are about your activities, the more enthusiastic we will be. This is not a time to be overly modest. If you are captain of your tennis team, tell us. If you made it to a national debate tournament, tell us!
• It will be to your advantage to do a little research about Wesleyan. The more specific your questions are to Wesleyan, the more useful our answers will be. This doesn’t mean you have to know exact statistics. Simply read some of the prospective student literature, look through the admission website, or just read this blog! Another way to know a little bit about Wesleyan is to go on a campus tour or information session before your interview. Again, none of this is required, it is simply to your advantage. Knowing something about Wesleyan will also prove to us that you are enthusiastic and curious about Wesleyan.
• Be honest.
• Reflect on some of the most important experiences you’ve had. Think back on what has had the largest impact on you and why. These experiences often make the most interesting answers to our questions.
• Look presentable. This doesn’t mean wear your prom dress or a tuxedo. Just show us that you aren’t stopping by for an interview after soccer practice. We want to see that you are serious about Wesleyan and about the interview. Skirts are not required for girls, and boys, you don’t need a tie. Just wear clean, presentable clothes and we will be happy.
• Really take advantage of your interview. Remember that this is your chance to fill in your application with any explanations or qualifications you think are important. If your grades suffered during your sophomore year, explain why. Tell us what you think we need to know in order to understand your accomplishments in the context of your high school and personal life.
• Above all, be enthusiastic!

Hope that helps. The interview is really not something to be worried about. However, if you are extremely nervous about interviewing or feel your accomplishments would not be conveyed well in an interview, you don’t have to do one.  The interviews are completely optional. 

If you do decide to do an interview, best of luck.  If you are coming to campus, we look forward to meeting you!

Hannah Junkerman ‘08
Senior Interview

If you’ve visited campus recently, you may have noticed a little construction project across the street from the Office of Admission. Well, that’s an understatement: it’s a HUGE construction project. Slated to open this fall, Wesleyan’s brand spakin’ new Usdan University Center will refocus campus life and bring together many student services all in one 1/2 new, 1/2 historic complex.

Pretty, yes, but what’s inside? Here’s the official list:

Information Desk