Sophomore Fall --
Preparing for Big Decisions

September 30, 2008

Dear Sophomores,

It was great to see many of you at our meeting/ice cream social last week!

As I mentioned then, the three themes of the sophomore year related to the KPlan are:

Fall quarter is an important time for gathering information and moving toward decisions, especially for the first two themes. In this email, I would like to let you know about upcoming informational sessions & deadlines. I have also put together a Sophomore Fall Calendar that shows these events and also suggests when during the quarter you should be talking to faculty, to advisors, to your peers, to the CIP, and to students who have returned from various programs abroad.

Here's a quick preview of some deadlines on that calendar. Note that the first 2 are SECOND WEEK:

  1. TOMORROW there is an information session on "MAJOR Decisions" with the sophomore career advisors; 7pm in the Olmsted Room.
  2. Short-term study abroad applications are due this quarter. (Oaxaca winter program apps due FRIDAY, 10/3; spring programs in Bonn, Mardrid, Strasbourg, Trinidad are due 11/17.)
     
  3. Interest forms for long-term and extended-term programs are due 11/3. (Actual applications will be due SECOND WEEK of Winter quarter.) (See the Center for Internation Programs web page for more information.)
  4. Declaration of Major Day will be in FIFTH WEEK of Winter quarter.

There are also several other valuable events coming up in October. Take advantage of these to learn more about potential majors and study abroad sites, to meet students who have "been there, done that!", to ask about courses to take on study abroad or courses to take for a specific major, etc.

  1. Passion-to-Profession Discussion on Sustainability Careers, next Monday (3rd Week), 10/6, 4:30 - 5:30pm
  2. Sophomore study abroad meeting with Peer Advisors, next Monday (3rd Week), 10/6, 7pm in the Recital Hall (Light Fine Arts)
  3. Workshops on Externships and Internships, next Wednesday (3rd Week), 10/8, 4:00 - 5:00, Dewing 103
  4. Departmental Student Advisor (DSA) Fair, Wednesday of 5th Week, 10/22, 4:00 - 5:00 in Dewing Commons with pizza!
  5. Study Abroad Fair, Thursday of 6th Week, 10/30, 11am - 1pm in the Banquet Hall in Hicks

Some of you may already know where you want to go for study abroad and what you want to major in, and others may still be undecided, weighing your options. If you find the upcoming decisions somewhat overwhelming, remember that you don't have to decide everything at once! Rule out some majors or study abroad sites right away if they don't appeal to you, then narrow your focus to the options that look most interesting. Get an early start, and then take it one step at a time. Remember, too, that you're likely to have more time to gather information and think about your options early in the quarter than later on, when you have more assignments due.

I hope this information is useful to you as you start to define what your own version of the K Plan will be. Have a healthy, productive start of the quarter!

Alyce

Alyce Brady

Alyce Brady
Professor and Computer Science Program Director
Dean of the Sophomore Class

You can find more information for sophomores on the Sophomore Year web page. Go to the Sophomore Calendar for the fall quarter to see the various study abroad and major declaration activities in calendar format.