Greetings, Class of 2029
Welcome back! It’s hard to believe the summer has passed us by. Whether you traveled, worked, interned, went home, or simply recharged, I hope you return to campus with a little more clarity about who you are and where you’re headed.
There’s Still Time
In both the spring and summer, I sent you some reflection questions to carry into the fall semester. Maybe you sat with them. Maybe they got buried under a to-do list. Either way, it’s not too late. There is still time to reflect on your first year including what worked, what didn’t, and what surprised you about yourself. And there is still time to plan for what’s ahead. September is its own kind of fresh start, and one of the best times to be intentional about the year in front of you.
Here’s something to sit with as you settle back in: you have 996 days left until you graduate. That number can feel enormous or startlingly small depending on the day, but either way, it’s real. You don’t need to have it all figured out this week. But you do have the time, right now, to continue making it count.
This Year’s Focus: Major Declaration
For most of you, you will declare your major in the spring. It’s one of the more significant academic decisions you’ll make at Wesleyan, and my office is building this year’s programming around helping you get there thoughtfully rather than anxiously. Two things to have on your radar now:
- Major Open House Passport Program (October – November) This fall, departments across campus will host major open houses, and my office has created a Major Open House Passport Programto encourage you to attend as many as you can. The idea is simple: show up not just for the departments you already love, but for the ones you’ve never seriously considered. Sit in on a session for something slightly outside your comfort zone. Ask questions. Talk to faculty and current majors. The goal isn’t to make a decision in September; it’s to expand your sense of what’s possible before you narrow it down. You may walk in curious and walk out with a completely different idea of where you’re headed, and that’s exactly the point.
- Chart Your Courses: Choosing Your Major (2/1/2027) In the spring, we’ll again offer our major declaration program to help guide you through the decision itself. And to be clear, this isn’t just for students who are still undecided. Even if you already know your major, or think you do, the information covered is genuinely useful, especially if you’re considering an additional major, a minor, or another credential alongside your primary field. Plan to attend either way.
I’ll send more detailed communication this month about fall Major Open Houses and the spring Chart Your Courses: Choosing Your Major program.
Make September Count
You don’t need to have a five-year plan by Friday. But you do have almost 1,000 days to build something meaningful here. The choices you make this fall, including which open houses you attend, which conversations you have, and which unfamiliar rooms you’re willing to sit in, will shape how confident you feel when declaration time comes.
As always, my door (and inbox) is open if you want to talk through any of this.
Welcome back — I’m glad you’re here!
Take care,
Dean Dunn
Class of 2029 Blog