Supporting Students’ Academic Success Messages Archive

Dear first year students,

Welcome to May and the final weeks of your spring semester, and for most of you the end of your first year in College.

I hope you can take some time to savor the end of classes, use reading period to prepare for your final exams and projects, and spend some down time enjoying the spring weather and beautiful flowers and trees that adorn our campus. Many students have already been visiting the Strategic Learning Center to make schedules for this final period of studying and reflection, but if you haven’t gone by the SLC it isn’t too late! It is also never too late to engage with other academic resources or those dedicated to your overall wellbeing.

As your first year class dean it has been a pleasure getting to know you as scholars, athletes, and leaders. Many of you have found numerous ways to shape our Amherst community. For those of you still looking to find spaces of belonging on campus know that your journey has only just begun, and that there will be future opportunities to meet new people and learn about different ways to engage in the life of the College.

For those of you who will soon be rising sophomores your new Class Dean is Jess Caldwell-O'Keefe – who will be a great resource for you as you return to campus this Fall. I will also be around and excited to welcome you back, as I meet our newest group of Amherst students.

Best wishes for a restful and productive summer,

Kiara M. Vigil
Dean of New Students

Dear First Year Students,

I hope your spring break was restful and kind to you, and that you’re ready to engage fully with all of the learning and extracurricular activities that this month has in store for you. Sometimes academics refer to April as ‘the cruelest month,’ which I think largely has to do with the staggering amount of talks, events, and other academic programs that are planned while faculty, staff, and students continue to do their academic, athletic, cultural, and other important work that make Amherst Colleges such a thriving intellectual and social community. We might reframe April instead as a time of new growth, as early spring flowers emerge from the ground to bring color and joy to our campus, allowing each of us to spend more time enjoying being outside gathering with friends, and sometimes our classes and professors, reconnecting with this place during this new season. The various events you will be able to enjoy also bring color and joy to our campus with new learning opportunities and occasions to make new friends. I hope you can choose a few to attend as you celebrate the culmination of your first year in college.

As your Class Dean, I also hope you’re finding ways to manage your time now that you are nearly done with your first year in College. It is never too late to make use of the various academic resources that we offer, such as the Strategic Learning Center(SLC), the Writing Center, and the Moss Quantitative Center. In fact, this is an ideal time to schedule a meeting at the SLC so you can have a successful and satisfying end of the semester through robust academic planning (i.e. increased time management efforts and carefully mapping out all remaining work in order to go into the finals period with confidence).

Did you know the Loeb Center offers summer funding for unpaid or low-paying internships through the Charles Hamilton Houston Program? Learn more about the eligibility requirements in order to apply by the next deadline, Wednesday, April 24. Students who are in the Meiklejohn Fellows Program, please remember to access your stipend before the Wednesday, May 8 deadline.

Advising week is upon us so if you haven’t already reached out to your academic advisor to set up a meeting to talk about your current classes and what you might like to take for the Fall please do so. Pre-registration, using Workday, for Fall classes takes place over two different weeks. The first is April 8-12 and the second is April 22-26.

Between those two weeks is “Roster Management week” when professors will enforce course enrollment limits, so please do check to be sure you have successfully pre-registered for four full courses by April 26.

I hope you will also enjoy the mini-April break, with no classes being held on Monday and Tuesday, April 15-16. These breaks help us slow down and pay closer attention to our overall well being. In addition to resources for students that focus on well being, whether through individual or group appointments at CCMH, a visit to the Mind Spa, or opportunities to connect with other students through one of the many Offices of Identity and Cultural Resources, I hope you have already found various ways to access tools for building resilience and prioritizing your own self care.

As your Class Dean I am always available to meet with you to talk about how you are navigating your academics as well as the aforementioned resources to make sure you are getting the most out of your Amherst education. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me to schedule such a meeting for any reason.

I look forward to seeing you around campus admiring the flowers,

Dean Vigil

Dear First Year Students,

Happy March Madness and the soon to be spring-time season for all things Amherst. The Thursday before spring break, March 14, I welcome you all to come stop by the First-Year Quad to meet other members of your class, chat with me about how things are going, and make some s’mores (gluten free and vegan supplies will be available)!

March is also the month of midterms. I hope you’re finding ways to hone your study skills as you prepare for exams and papers that are due this month. If you haven’t already visited the Writing Center or the Strategic Learning Center this month would be a great time to make your first appointment. I realize too that there may be additional stress and anxiety that accompanies these busier times in the semester, so be sure you find time to prioritize your own self-care, whether that means visiting the Mind Spa or Makerspace in Keefe, or finding time to get outside, especially as the days become longer and warmer.

By the end of this month we’ll be moving into advising week and soon after that two rounds of pre-registration. Be sure you are proactive about emailing your academic advisor to find a good time to meet with them during advising week to talk about the classes you might like to take for the Fall. Paying attention to your email, for a message from the Registrar’s office, will help you stay on top of when the first and second rounds of pre-registration are taking place to be sure you are fully registered for four classes.

The Admission Office Wants your Input!

The Admission Office is working with a marketing firm, Ologie, to help update and reimagine the admission recruitment materials, both in print and online. Ologie will be on campus on Monday, March 11, and hopes to speak to as many first year students as possible about their journey to Amherst: What kinds of questions did you have during the process? What surprised or delighted you? What stages or elements were frustrating?

The Ologie team will be in the Friedmann Room (with treats!) from 9:30–11 am and 1:30–3:30 pm, and expects conversations to take about 15 minutes. Email Bridget Campolettano, bcampolettano@amherst.edu, with any questions!

Finally, I hope you can each take time away from studying and classes for a real break, so that when you return to your coursework you will be renewed and re-energized for the rest of the semester to come. There will be many academic, co-curricular, artistic and athletics’ events to participate in or attend through the rest of March and throughout the very busy and full month of April. So taking some time to rest over spring break will be important. You might find it a useful time to catch up on plans for the summer between your first and second year at Amherst. The Loeb Center will no doubt offer events and other opportunities to connect with their staff, but this brief article addresses the question: Do Students Need a Summer Internship? Which many of you have met with me about.

Wishing you all a happy almost Spring,

Dean Vigil

Dear first year students,

Welcome to your spring semester at Amherst! Although it feels a lot more like winter. Speaking of which, this coming weekend the town and college will host a Fire & Ice festival that you can all visit and participate in.

I hope this message finds you settling back into college life, excited if also nervous about all the learning opportunities that await you this term and eager to participate in the various co-curricular activities that Amherst has to offer. As your Class Dean, I’m here to provide overall academic support as well as connect you with resources related to your overall wellbeing.

As President Elliott’s recent message to the community noted, there will be a series of events on campus this coming semester to provide more spaces for learning and conversation related to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, which unfortunately persists and is not the only area of the world where there is violence and suffering. I don’t want to pretend that we aren’t starting this semester off outside of these realities, while also highlighting for you that the college will continue to find ways to support all of our students, as learners and also as whole beings and members of various communities. As your class dean I welcome conversations with you to talk about any and all of these topics.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me and book yourself an appointment using this link at any point this semester, so we can check-in about how you are navigating the various social and emotional contours of Amherst as well as the many intellectual events that populate the Amherst calendar.

Speaking of calendars, if you haven’t yet stopped by the Strategic Learning Center to map out how you want to manage your time using an electronic calendar, then the start of a new term is often an ideal time to start inputting all the dates and expectations set forth for by your professors in the syllabi you are collecting this week.

Save the date: This Friday, February 2 from 12-4 Keefe Campus Center staff are hosting an Open House where you can learn about programs, events, and resources for the upcoming semester. Each office in Keefe will be open and sharing their resources, offering snacks, and hosting activities. Visit all the centers to earn a chance to win a MAJOR prize!

Next week there is a unique opportunity to learn more about the Black and Afro-Indigenous families who lived and worked in Amherst from the 18th through the early 20th centuries at the opening reception of the Ancestral Bridges Expanded Exhibit, featuring more photographs, objects and rare documents. Join me as we celebrate the expansion of this unique exhibition at a reception welcoming the descendants of those whose stories are featured, as well as campus and community members. The reception will be held at Frost Library on Tuesday, February 6 from 4:30 - 6 pm and feature cupcakes from Carefree Cakery.  

In addition to enjoying cupcakes I hope many of you will find time to cheer on your fellow Mammoths at one of their upcoming sporting events. It’s a new semester and a new athletics season! Check out the Athletics Department calendar for game times and other opportunities related to club sports and wellness classes, and to celebrate student athletes of the week and month.

A recent donor gift to the sustainability office will fund a new student summer fellows program. The program involves both campus and local community positions focused on sustainability. Details are below. It would be wonderful if you could share these opportunities with students in your department and classes. I am also recruiting for a Green Dean for Sustainability for the 2024–2025 academic year if you have graduating seniors looking for opportunities. The deadline for students to apply is Sunday, February 18.

Finally, I want to remind you all that starting a new semester can be fun and sometimes overwhelming. Please know there are various offices of support at the college, such as the Class and Access Resource Center (CARC) and our Center for Counseling and Mental Health (CCMH). Each of you also has a faculty member assigned to support your academic goals and intellectual growth. Please reach out to your academic advisor as often as you need to check in about how this semester is going. They are here to provide guidance and can also refer you to additional resources that the College has put in place to provide holistic support to all students, but which may prove especially beneficial to those in their first year.

Getting to know your academic advisor and establish an enduring relationship with them is another way to practice cultivating professional development skills with an eye towards your future success. Some of you have already found the Loeb Center useful in this regard as you consider future internship and work experiences.

I look forward to reconnecting with each of you this semester, and wish you happy start to the spring!

Dean Vigil

Dear first year students,

December is upon us! Many of you may already be busy preparing for final papers and exams, and making travel arrangements for the Winter Break. As we move into the final weeks of your first semester at Amherst I hope you can find time to catch your breath and celebrate all the new things you’ve learned, relationships you have formed, and activities that you have participated in.

Your class is wonderful at engaging in the life of this College and I have had the opportunity to meet and chat with many of you. I welcome more conversations, so please do reach out to me at any time to ask for a meeting. We can talk about anything that seems relevant to your intellectual and personal growth that is top of mind.

Below is a list of academic resources that you can turn to as you’re wrapping up your coursework, as well as a few co-curricular events and other resources related to your overall Wellbeing. Getting plenty of sleep and finding ways to “de-stress” at this time of year is often the most important way you can be ready to complete your coursework.

Just for Fun

Revisit Emily Dickinson given your summer viewing and reading assignments and this year’s DeMott Lecture. On Monday December 11 there is a virtual birthday celebration for Emily available here.

Writing Support

With the crunch time of December approaching, it's no secret that Writing Center appointments book fast. Did you know that you can book appointments for writing, reading, and speaking up to 3 weeks in advance?

• Or, try the Walk-In Writers' Workshop for productive co-working and quick consultations with writing associates (no appointment necessary). Available Wed/Fri 8:30-10am and Tues/Thurs 3-5pm.
• It’s never too late to tap into the Writing Center's resources.

STEM Support

Visit the Moss Quantitative Center for tips and tricks related to your final exams and other work for STEM courses this semester.

Organizational Support & Study Habits

The Strategic Learning Center books appointments and has “drop in” hours. It’s not too late to stop by and find out how you “do College” as classes wind down and finals period begins. The staff working in the SLC can help with mapping out end of semester study plans that allow for ample time for writing final papers and best preparing for final exams.

Research Support

Find out more about the amazing Research Librarians at Amherst who can assist you with all kinds of projects.

Wellbeing

Check out the new Mind Spa and tell me all about it! I’m so curious to learn more about this new resource available to students in Keefe.

Athletics

Support your fellow Mammoths at one of the upcoming home games, whether it’s basketball, ice hockey, or squash many Mammoths will be playing hard this coming weekend. Check out the Athletics Calendar to find out more!

Volunteering

Volunteer an hour of your time to package leftover food from Val for the Food Bank of Western MA before the end of the semester! Happening every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoon. Click the link to sign up for a slot (open to everyone on campus!). Email ebyers25@amherst.edu with questions.

As these next few weeks come to an end, I hope each of you can take some time to enjoy breaks from studying by connecting with friends, nature, or whatever brings you the most joy. I look forward to new opportunities to connect with your class during the Spring semester as we begin our second term together.

Best wishes,
Dean Vigil

Dear First Year students,

Is it really November already? By the end of the third week of this month you should be registered for four Spring courses. Hard to believe, but I hope you’re all looking forward to the week-long Thanksgiving break. Ideally that week will allow for some rest and rejuvenation before we head into the final weeks of your first semester at Amherst College!

This is a brief message to remind you to seek some balance between your academic commitments and the many co-curricular and social activities that are flooding the college’s events calendar this month. If you haven’t found your groove in terms of time management and a calendar system of your own, it is not too late! The Strategic Learning Center is a great resource to explore various organizational tools to support your learning at Amherst.

As you navigate preparation for final projects, papers, and exams, please continue to be in regular contact with your Professors. There may be important messages and reminders sent to you via email and/or posted on Moodle. If you haven’t already tried it, it might be useful to build some time into your weekly schedule to pay attention to your email. That way you will not miss out on important communications about your coursework.

Similarly, there may be messages from Student Affairs that highlight opportunities for taking a break from your studies, perhaps outside at Book & Plow Farm or in Keefe at the Makerspace. And, it is never too late to prioritize your mental health and well-being. The Center for Counseling and Mental Health (CCMH) always has openings for first appointments. And if you’re just looking for a little break to reconnect with your body and relax your mind then book a 30 minute appointment at Amherst’s new Mind Spa, which opens this month!

In closing, I wanted to thank all of you who I saw at my “Cider & Donuts with Dean Vigil” event a few weeks ago on the first-year quad. Many left written comments about one thing you have learned so far this term. Others asked me some questions. I’m going to answer a couple of those.

What is your favorite thing about the class of 2027?

This is tough to narrow to one thing, but at present your enthusiastic engagement with learning and being challenged by that process.

Where is your favorite place?

The woods! I love being outside, with my dogs, my kids, or just by myself taking a walk or going for a hike or a run. I find the company of our plant relatives to be both comforting and inspiring.

Do you have any (non-STEM) course recommendations for next semester?

So many! But for one, there is a brand new course cross-listed with Black Studies, SWAGS, and Theater/Dance titled: “Black & Queer Agency in World War II Military Performance” that sounds deeply interdisciplinary and incredibly fascinating to me.

Cheers,
Dean Vigil

Dear Mammoths,

October is here! Soon it will be Fall Break, 10/9-10/10, and then Family weekend, 10/20-1022, followed by Advising week where you’ll be meeting with your faculty advisor to talk about how your academics are going and which courses you would like to take in the Spring. Hard to believe but we are almost at that time of the semester. Pre-registration for next term then happens over two weeks, starting at the end of this month. The Registrar’s website and the Advising Hub web pages both have useful information that can help you prepare for your advising meeting and register for your Spring classes.

This is also a month of midterm projects, papers, and exams. If you haven’t already made an appointment with the Writing Center, Moss Quantitative Center or tried a meeting for additional resources to support your transition into student life here through the Strategic Learning Center it might be time to review your course syllabi and book some appointments well before an assignment comes due.

I’m also always here as a resource to support your academic goals and to offer more holistic advising. Those of you who might already be doing research for your classes or who know you will have a research assignment due at the end of the semester may have had an in-class session with one of our extraordinary Research & Instruction librarians. They are always available to support you with your academic work, so please reach out to them as well whenever you need. Amherst also offers peer tutors to help support your learning, which you can learn more about here.

Keep an eye out for: The Five College Native American and Indigenous Studies Symposium, which happens the Thursday and Friday after Fall break. This “Gathering at the Crossroads: Abya Yala & Activism” is an event open to all students and community partners. This is one of among many programs that students can have access to this month.

Finally, I hope you are each finding time to manage your calendar in ways that make studying and learning both productive and enjoyable. There will continue to be a range of co-curricular activities that you can participate in, so hopefully you are finding ways to connect with other first year students and other members of the Amherst community.

One fun example is that Amherst College will be covering the Registration fee for all students, faculty, and staff who want to participate in the ABC 5K walk/run on Saturday, October 14. Register here and use the coupon code “AmherstCollege2023” when you check out. It’s fun, free, and on campus. So check out the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) website for more details as well as their posts in the Daily Mammoth.

I look forward to seeing any first-years who are available for Cider & Donuts on Thursday October 19 on the First Year Quad to meet and talk about how this semester is going for you. It should be appropriately autumnal and a chance to meet new people in your class.

See you around campus,

Dean Vigil

Dear New students,

It was wonderful to meet you on Zoom during Registration day, and to see you all again in person during Move-in day, Orientation, and at the DeMott Lecture, as well as the regalia-filled Convocation ceremony.

You’ve now completed your first week of classes. This message offers a list of tips for navigating the Amherst classroom and other links and resources that might help you during your first full month on campus. September brings a wonderful mix of energy, the last warmth of summer with whispers of cooler fall days and sometimes swells of nervousness about new curricular and co-curricular opportunities. Throughout your first year I’ll send out a monthly message to highlight important academic deadlines, events, and other opportunities for engaging in the intellectual life of Amherst.

Reminder: For those who may still be finalizing their schedule of courses for the Fall, Add/Drop ends on September 14. The Registrar’s office can assist any of you who are still working to swap courses.

Survey

Please take this 10-minute Intensive Writing Survey, which asks about your writing experience in high school. The Director of Intensive Writing, Prof. Reardon, will connect you with campus writing resources based upon your responses to the survey. She will also let you know whether taking an Intensive Writing class (an introduction to academic writing) could further enhance your success at Amherst. It is useful to remember that all majors ask that you grow and develop as a writer. More about the program here.

Communications

Please do not ignore an email from a professor or your academic advisor. Respond promptly, or send a short message to indicate when you will send a fuller response. Consistent monitoring of your amherst.edu email will be essential as professors and administrators communicate curricular information and promote college-sponsored events.

Managing unscheduled or “free” time

Outside of class, work, and other events, you may find you have a lot of time on your hands. Use Google Calendar or an old-fashioned paper planner to start scheduling school work, and downtime during these open blocks. And, don’t forget to include times for self-care, such as meals, hanging out with friends, checking social media, taking a stroll, laying on the grass watching the clouds float by, and, most importantly, sleep.

A useful starting place for putting together the best schedule for you might start by making an appointment with the staff at the Strategic Learning Center. The SLC aims to enhance student learning through the development of individualized skills and strategies related to time management, focus and productivity, reading and note-taking, test preparation, sleep and stress management, and other learning techniques. One-on-one coaching appointments are available.

You can find the SLC on the second floor of Frost Library in the College’s new Learning and Teaching Commons.  You may schedule an appointment online with a member of the SLC staff.

In addition to the Strategic Learning Center, Frost library also houses The Writing Center where all students turn for support in their development as writers, readers, and public speakers. There, students learn to interpret prompts, brainstorm ideas, develop arguments, practice presentations, and revise written work with individual support. You may schedule consultations with the center’s professional writing and speaking associates at any stage of a project. This fall, the center will introduce drop-in hours and explore other ways to invite you to engage in productive, creative work in this new space. 

The Moss Quantitative Center, or “Q Center” is located in rooms D109, D107, and D111 in the joint Q Center/Science Library space in the science center. The Q Center  staff assist students in quantitative fields, so that students will grow to appreciate the importance of quantitative analysis and learn to apply it to the questions that interest them most. In addition to drop-in hours, you can book individual appointments online here.

Get Involved

In addition to your classes, there will be various athletic events, social programs, and community building opportunities for you to engage in throughout this semester and this year. The Office of Identity & Cultural resources supports student wellbeing, and offers numerous spaces for people to connect in large and small groups. Keep an eye out for events promoted by these centers or stop in to see how you can get more involved in the Amherst community.

Consider joining student government. The Association of Amherst Students (AAS) shapes student life on campus; supports student clubs and organizations; plans campus-wide events; and appoints student reps to important faculty committees. Amherst College faculty and administration take students’ voices seriously. If AAS is to represent the diversity of student voices and experiences, students of all backgrounds need to be involved. To learn more, click here or contact aas@amherst.edu.

In addition to AAS there will be lots of other student-led groups that you can join. Or, you might create your own?

Want to get to know your Class Dean better?

You can schedule a one-on-one appointment with me here. Or, you can stop by one of several afternoon teas that Student Affairs will be hosting in the residence halls later this month and into October. Keep an eye on the Daily Mammoth for more details about these upcoming opportunities.

I look forward to getting to know each of you throughout this year. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Dean Vigil

Dear incoming Amherst students,

August is upon us, which means you should be able to see who your faculty academic advisor is listed in Workday. They should email you as well to set up a zoom meeting to talk about your academic interests and any other questions you might have about learning at Amherst. This meeting is also where you will begin to put together a “saved schedule” using Workday that will include a long list of courses that you can choose from during Registration day, which is Friday August 25. The Registrar’s office will send you an email with a specific zoom appointment time for that day, so please keep an eye out for that message and that time. Below is a FAQ related to advising and registration that should help ease your transition to Amherst.

I have not heard from my advisor yet. What should I do?

Answer: Feel free to initiate contact via email. If you don't hear back right away, don't be concerned. Some faculty are traveling doing research this time of the year with irregular access to their email. That said, if you don't hear back from them by a day or two before the advising period, please reach out again.

The advising time proposed by my advisor conflicts with pre-orientation events or athletic practice. What should I do?

Answer: Academics must always come first at Amherst College. If an alternative advising time cannot be found easily, then you should skip the pre-orientation event or athletic practice in order to focus on academic advising.

I was assigned to one faculty member as my advisor, but now the registrar or Workday is telling me I have a different advisor. What's going on?

Answer: Some faculty who initially were going to do academic advising in the fall have had a change of plans, and they will not be available to advise, after all. As these cases emerge, we are matching you with a new academic advisor. This is a rare occurrence, and we hope to have it all sorted out very soon.

I will be traveling on registration day. What should I do?

Answer: In order to assure fairness in the process, all registration times are randomly assigned (the registrar will make those times available to you prior to registration day). You cannot register earlier than your assigned time. However, if you are unable to register at your assigned time, you are welcome to show up at a later registration time that might coincide with an airport layover, or after your arrival to campus. You should arrive on time for your appointed Zoom time with Workday open on your computer. Finally, if you are unable to register on August 25 you will still be able to register after this date and should reach out to me and the Registrar’s office.

There are also lots of resources available to you through the Advising Hub and the Registrar’s pages on the Amherst College website. Please consult these if additional questions arise.

I hope you all are enjoying the final weeks of summer and I look forward to seeing each of you on Registration Day,

Dean Vigil