Review the Fall Welcome schedule for each day and make note of the required events and the optional events you would like to attend.
Look out for any Teams messages or reminders from your WUSA.
Make sure you have a reusable water bottle with you.
Wear your Fall Welcome nametag.
SUNDAY,
AUGUST 18
Download the WashU mobile app and WashU Safe app.
Add important numbers to your phone:
- WUPD: (314) 935-5555
- Habif: (314) 935-6666
- Uncle Joe’s: (314) 935-5099
- SARAH: (314) 935-5050
Follow @washutransitions on Instagram for tips, events, and deadline reminders alongside opportunities to engage with the Class of 2028.
Sign up for an In the Lou excursion for Friday or Saturday.
Sunday, August 18
Welcome to WashU
Who is my WUSA? How can I contact my WUSA?
INTRODUCTIONS
Share the following with your group:
• Name
• Pronouns
• Where home is for you
• Academic division
• Something you are passionate about
GROUND RULES FOR SMALL GROUP
• Confidentiality.
We want to create an atmosphere for open, honest exchange. We ask that things shared in this space stay in this space.
• Our primary commitment is to learn from each other. We will listen to each other and not simply talk at each other. We acknowledge differences amongst us in backgrounds, skills, interests, and values. We realize that it is these very differences that will increase our awareness and understanding through this process.
• We will not demean, devalue, or “put down” people for their experiences, lack of experiences, or difference in interpretation of those experiences.
• We will trust that people are always doing the best they can. We will give each other the benefit of the doubt. We will assume we are all trying our hardest and that our intentions are good even when the impact is not.
• Challenge the idea and not the person.
If we wish to challenge something that has been said, we will challenge the idea or the practice referred to, not the individual sharing this idea or practice.
• Speak your discomfort.
If something is bothering you, please share this with the group. Often our emotional reactions to this process offer the most valuable learning opportunities.
• Shift or pivot your role.
Be mindful of taking up much more space than others. On the same note, empower yourself to speak up when others are dominating the conversation.
• Don’t freeze people in time.
We are all a work in progress. We will not assume that one comment or one opinion made at one time captures the whole of a person’s character.
Adapted from: The Program on Intergroup Relations, University of Michigan With acknowledgement to Melanie Morrison of Allies for Change & Shayla Griffin, 2012.
REFLECTING ON MY VALUES
Below is a list of values. Circle ones that strongly resonate with you. If you have a personal value not on this list, write it down.
Values List
Abundance
Acceptance
Accountability
Achievement
Advancement
Adventure
Advocacy
Ambition
Appreciation
Attractiveness
Autonomy
Balance
Being the Best
Benevolence
Boldness
Brilliance
Calmness
Caring
Challenge
Charity
Cheerfullness
Cleverness
Community
Commitment
Compassion
Cooperation
Collaboration
Consistency
Contribution
Creativity
Credibility
Curiousity
Daring
Decisiveness
Dedication
Dependability
Diversity
Empathy
Encouragement
Enthusiasm
Ethics
Excellence
Expressiveness
Fairness
Family
Friendships
Flexibility
Freedom
Fun
Generosity
Grace
Growth
Flexibility
Happiness
Honesty
Humility
Humor
Inclusiveness
Independence
Individuality
Innovation
Inspiration
Intelligence
Intuition
Joy
Kindness
Knowledge
Leadership
Learning
Love
Loyalty
Making a Difference
Mindfulness
Motivation
Optimism
Open-Mindedness
Originality
Passion
Peace
Perfection
Performance
Personal Development
Playfulness
Popularity
Power
Professionalism
Preparedness
Proactivity
Punctuality
Quality
Recognition
Safety
Security
Service
Spirituality
Stability
Relationships
Reliability
Resourcefulness
Responsibility
Responsiveness
Self-Control
Selflessness
Simplicity
Success
Teamwork
Thankfulness
Thoughtfulness
Understanding
Uniqueness
Usefulness
Versatility
Vision
Warmth
Wealth
Well-Being
Wisdom
Zeal
Looking at my circled values, are there any themes that I am seeing?
What are my core values?
What do I perceive as WashU’s Values?
Why did I choose these core values?
How do my core values influence my actions?
SMALL GROUP REFLECTION QUESTIONS
• How did you feel during this activity?
• Why did you choose those core values?
• How do or should our core values influence our actions?
I AM FROM...
An exercise for surfacing cultural identity
I AM FROM… (familiar lands, neighborhoods, places you grew up)
I AM FROM… ( ancestors, past and current family members)
I AM FROM… (foods, taste, sights)
I AM FROM… (familiar sayings and stories heard from family and friends while growing up)
I AM FROM… (favorite songs, tv shows, movies, dance moves when you were growing up)
I AM FROM… (historical moments that mean something to you)
I AM FROM… (challenges that shaped your identity)
I AM FROM… (accomplishments and wins that shaped your identity)
I AM FROM… (who you aspire to be)
I AM FROM… (defining statement(s) of you who are)
MONDAY - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19-21
Locate the space(s) on campus you may use as a regular study spot outside of your room. Common study areas are:
• Bear’s Den (BD)
• East Asian Library
• Holmes Lounge
• Law School Café
• Olin Library
• Parkside Café at Schnuck Pavilion
• Simon Hall study rooms
• Tisch Commons in the DUC
Set up your study space in your room. Be sure to consider lighting and charging needs.
Learn how to find the menu and ingredients for on-campus dining.
Learn how to request a digital or physical book through WashU library.
Do a tour of your class schedule!
• Find your buildings and classrooms. When doing so, make note of nearby restrooms and water bottle filling stations to plan your days.
• Locate the dining options near your classes and determine where you may eat your meals.
• Do a tour of your route to class each day.
Monday - Wednesday August 19 - 21
EXPLORING ACADEMICS WITH MY ACADEMIC DIVISION
What are some academic goals you want to accomplish?
What are your academic areas of interest?
What questions do you have for your adviser?
Adviser Contact Information
SELF-CARE CIRCLE
Self-Care Strategies:
Overcoming Stress:
• What self-care strategies have you used in the past?
• What worked for you?
• What didn’t work for you?
• From our circle activity, what would you be interested in trying this year?
SENSE OF BELONGING SURVEY
SAMPLE SYLLABUS
168 HOURS ACTIVITY
Wednesday, August 21
6 HABITS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
1. Maintain a detailed planner or calendar
• College is a busy time, and WashU students have a lot going on between classes, exams, quizzes, reviews and critiques, case studies and group work, lab work, homework, papers…and that’s only the stuff that happens in person! Don’t rely on your brain to just remember everything. A typical WashU student will be juggling a number of schedules including class due dates, co-curricular events or programming dates, and personal calendars. Do yourself a favor and write it down!
2. Make daily assignment goals
• As a general statement, in high school, you engage with material every day. Additionally, regular homework was more structured with small goals set for you. In college, sometimes you’re meeting in class 2 or 3 times a week. Sometimes only once a week. The onus is now on you to engage with material regularly. Daily assignments are a great way to practice course material. Take full advantage of this by taking daily assignments seriously.
3. Proactively utilize THE RIGHT academic support resources for you
• Seeking academic help is normal. Start trying out various resources early to figure out what works best for you!
• Resources that you can start using right away include:
• Office hours
• Help sessions
• Peer Led Team Learning (PLTL) for Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics
• The Learning Center’s drop-in help hours for various courses such as Physics, Computer Science, Organic Chemistry, Spanish, Art History, and a few other courses. They also offer coaching in the areas of time management, procrastination, learning skills, etc.
• The Writing Center and The Speaking Studio
4. Adaptive problem-solving
• Sometimes things don’t go according to plan. This is a normal part of learning and growing! When this happens, you can re-evaluate and re-route so that you can achieve a more desirable outcome in the future. Spend some time considering what went wrong and then start brainstorming strategies from there. It’s easy to be discouraged by these instances but know that they can be used to your advantage by helping you to develop your own best practices!
5. Attend all of your classes
• Motivating yourself to go to class can be difficult sometimes, especially in the context of online instruction. With that said, it is important to show up. Going to class is crucial in keeping up with course material, and is an active choice. Students who make it a habit of attending classes are happier overall with their academic experience. If there is an emergency, reach out ahead of time to let your professor know. Be aware of what the course syllabus says about absences. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your professors should you need help, that is what they are there for!
6. Get to know your professors
• Your professors are an extremely helpful resource for all things academic- from course content, to study strategies, to exploring a subject area. They can also be helpful for letters of recommendation and for connecting you with research, internship, or post-graduate opportunities. It can be daunting to think ahead but your professors can help you to do so!
• You can get to know your instructors by attending office hours (virtual or in person), or by emailing them to set up a meeting. STFP will email you about additional opportunities to interact with your professors.
FIRST WEEK PRIORITIES
PRIORITIES
Locate the restrooms in the buildings where you are taking classes.
Identify study spots or locations to test out during your first week.
Find a group of peers in each of your classes to sit with and potentially study with.
Transfer the due dates and materials from your course syllabus to your planner or calendar.
Make a plan for what to do to introduce yourself and engage with your professor either in class or at their first office hours.
Explore the academic resource options available for you for each of your classes.
Identify your meal locations before, between, and after classes.
Familiarize yourself with the Canvas courses for all of your classes.
Buy your books and materials for your courses.
Locate important resources on campus including your academic adviser’s office, Habif Health and Wellness, the Recreation Center, etc.
YOUR RANKING GROUP RANKING
What are some strategies or organizational tools that haven’t worked for you in the past? Try to identify why this might have been.
What are some of the strategies and organizational tools that HAVE worked well for you in the past?
What are a few strategies you will implement this year?
How will you hold yourself accountable to this plan?
LETTER TO SELF
Welcome to college! This week marks the beginning of a new chapter in your life. You have the choice to pick up this new chapter where the last one left off, or you can create an entirely new plot. Where will your story go?
Take some time to draft a letter to yourself that outlines your goals for your first semester at WashU.
Write down what you hope to accomplish in your classes, social life, and co-curricular activities. What will you do to maintain your health and well-being? How would you like to be able to describe your first semester? What are your perceptions of WashU right now? How do you think they will change?
We encourage you to put some thought and effort into this exercise. While it may seem a bit awkward right now, from past experience we have found that students who take the time to write their thoughts and goals today have a more meaningful reflection in January.
THURSDAY - FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 - 23
Prepare for your courses:
• Read through each class syllabus to determine what school supplies you will need (textbooks, lab manuals, notebooks, supplemental materials, etc).
• Set up your planner and/or calendar.
• Add your classes to your calendar or planner.
• Visit Canvas to determine information about your courses.
• Find your professor and TA office hours on your syllabi and add them to your calendar or planner.
Explore campus spaces.
• Find an outdoor space you’d like to spend time at on-campus or in Forest Park.
• Find the Mail Room on the South 40. You will receive an email when there’s a package or letter to pick up.
• Explore transportation options available on the WashU mobile app.
• Make sure you know how to get to the Habif Health and Wellness Center on the South 40.
Reach out to someone in your WUSA small group for a meet-up.
Register to vote with WashU Votes!
• We invite all incoming students to learn more about US voter registration process and upcoming elections at the Stix House.
Bring your laptop with you to Thursday’s careers and leadership programming.
SATURDAY - SUNDAY, AUGUST 24 - 25
Identify some academic resources you may utilize this year. Revisit Get Your Bearings online orientation for a list of available academic resources.
Identify how you will practice well-being, such as exercise or relaxation! Check out Habif Health and Wellness or Sumers Recreation Center for some online and in-person options. Identify or set up a space that is conducive to exercise or relaxation.
Make a list of things you need to bring with you daily to your classes. Remember to include all academic needs, chargers, snacks, etc.
Update your support systems! Find a time to update your parents, family members, and friends about your first week.
Do a mental walk through of your first day of class. Ask any last questions to your WUSA!
What is one thing you learned or reflected on during Fall Welcome that you will put into practice to support your success at WashU?
What questions do you still have?
YOUR NAME:
Write your name on the line above, then pass this page to members of your WUSA group. Share your appreciation for each of your group members by writing an affirming message on their pages.
OUR WASHINGTON
Share one sentence about what your experience has been here at WashU.
Share one sentence about what you hope your legacy will be here at WashU.
● University Registrar - registrar.wustl.edu - (314) 935-5959 This book was created by Student Transitions & Family Programs MSC 1136-332-LL One Brookings Drive St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 newstudents.wustl.edu (314)935-5040 For a list of other university contacts, visit
