Wesleyan students must declare a major during the second semester of the sophomore year. As a member of the Class of 2012, this means that you must declare a major–and have it approved by department or interdisciplinary program into which you are seeking admission–by Friday, March 5. Once you have been admitted to a major, you will receive major preference for courses in your department or program when course Pre-Registration takes place in April. Please be aware that each department has its own processes and procedures for admitting students into its major program, so it is important that you consult with an advising expert in your intended department before you initiate the major declaration process.
In any case, you are strongly encouraged to undertake the following before making any final decisions about what to major in:
Once you have decided which major you will be applying for, you must login to your e-portfolio to officially begin the major declaration process. In your student portfolio, navigate to the “Wesleyan Career” bucket and click on the “Major Declaration” link. In the dropdown menu that appears on the next page, select the department you have decided to apply to and click the “Submit Major” button. Clicking the “Submit Major” button sends a message to the department with your request to declare the major; an automated email message to you will then confirm that your request has been received. Clicking on the submit button also provides the department with access to your academic history. Depending on the major you are declaring, it is possible that the department may require you to submit additional information or meet with a member of the department. If the department approves your request to join the major, this approval will noted on the “Major Declaration” page in your portfolio (the same page from which you initiated the declaration process). If you are declaring a second major, simply repeat this process.
An important feature of the major declaration process is the Pre-Major Advising Survey. After submitting your major declaration request, you will be prompted to submit feedback regarding your advising experiences over the past three semesters. Your answers will be kept confidential and will be made available to your former advisor at the beginning of the summer as a tool to improve his or her advising. You must complete the Pre-Major Advising Survey before your major declaration request to be forwarded to the department for review.
Individual departments and programs have different procedures for assigning advisors to students. For this reason, once you have been accepted into your major it is important that you contact the department chair to initiate the process of finding an advisor. Your major advisor will work with you through Course Pre-Registration in April and will help you design your program of study over the next four semesters.
If you are unable to declare your major by the Friday, March 5 deadline because, for example, you are currently completing a prerequisite course, you must submit a Major Deferral form to me so that I will know that you are still in the process of gaining entry into a major. You will be required to communicate your plans with the chair of your intended department or program. You must also identify an alternate major in case you are not accepted into your first choice.
If you have any questions or concerns about the major declaration process, or if you are feeling anxious or unsure about meeting the major declaration deadline, please contact me as soon as possible at dphillips@wesleyan.edu or 860.685.2757. Please keep in mind that while choosing a major is a milestone in your college career, it is not a decision that will affect all aspects of your future in a profound or irreversible way. That may sound like heresy, but it is true. This is not to say that your major is irrelevant or insignificant, but it is important to know that there are many myths surrounding one’s choice of a major. These myths–for example, that only certain majors lead to certain careers–can be the source of a lot of unnecessary anxiety and stress and I would be happy to dispel them for you.
Best wishes for a successful semester!
David Phillips
Dean for the Class of 2012
Can the study of literature not only give you pleasure, but equip you to make visible and question the givens, the language, the form, and the history that have shaped the way we read ourselves and our world? And is this ability valuable? Of course!
While it is often asserted that leaders use foreign policy to domestic advantage as elections approach, the scholarly findings on this subject defy simple characterization. My project examines the extent to which U.S. presidents adjust their foreign policies during an election run. I contend that while elections do affect foreign policy decisions, presidents do not seek political advantage from foreign policy and instead see foreign policy only as a potential threat to their political objectives.
