Mathey College Class of 2010 Letter August, 2006 To new members of Mathey College: Along with the College Master, Professor Antoine Kahn, we would like to welcome you to Mathey College. You are about to begin four years filled with wonderful intellectual and social opportunities as well as challenges, and we are looking forward to assisting you in getting off to the best possible start. As the Dean and the Director of Studies in your residential college, we oversee the academic progress of Mathey College students, supervise the faculty advising and peer adviser systems, and act as your liaisons with the Offices of the Dean of the College (Dean Nancy Malkiel) and the Dean of Undergraduate Students (Dean Kathleen Deignan). We hope that you will find a moment during the hectic events of Orientation, or during the first few weeks of the term, to introduce yourself to us. Our offices are on the second floor of the newly-renovated Hamilton Hall, directly across from the entrance to the college dining hall. Throughout the year, you will find that it is often possible to see us by simply dropping in or by scheduling an appointment for a time when we are free. We will also often be in the dining hall during lunch or dinner time. While it is customary to seek out Directors of Studies or Deans when specific problems emerge, we also urge you to regard us as one of your many routine sources of information and advice. Princeton will make many resources available to you close at hand: Faculty Advisers, Residential College Advisers, Peer Academic Advisers, the College Master, Assistant Masters, the Director of Studies, the Dean of your residential college -- we are all at your disposal in your first days at Princeton, as well as throughout the year. We encourage you to seek us out and to ask questions. The first days in a new environment (especially one as stimulating as Princeton’s) are inevitably confusing, but they need not be frustrating. In addition to a series of informational meetings and social events (i.e., a college barbecue and a class of 2010 welcome event at the Frist Student Center), you will need to spend some time organizing your academic and extracurricular program for the first semester. If you want a second opinion (e.g., about your placement in a course, or about the academic schedule you have chosen), or if you are simply uncertain about procedural matters, do not hesitate to see us. The letter which was mailed to you in July by Dean Claire Fowler (in the Dean of the College's office) outlines very succinctly the components of the advising process you will encounter during Orientation Week. We therefore take this opportunity simply to highlight a few of the important dates and types of resources that are mentioned in that letter and in the excerpt Dean Fowler sent from the "Orientation Calendar" (you’ll receive a full version of that calendar when you arrive on campus—but all of this information is also on the Class of 2010 website): Over the summer you received a Fall 2006 Course Offerings, which lists fall semester courses; Updated information on specific fall semester courses is also available electronically via the Web site of the Office of the Registrar (http://registrar1.princeton.edu/course/course.cfm) and can be accessed through the Princeton University website; When you arrive on Saturday, September 9, you will receive a 2006-7 Undergraduate Announcement, which has a comprehensive list of courses for the whole academic year as well as the details of undergraduate A.B. and BSE degree requirements, distribution area requirements and the prerequisites and requirements to concentrate in any one of the university’s academic departments. You will also receive a class of 2010 “Academic Guide” and an updated “Advanced Placement Brochure” for A.Y. 2006-7. Monday, September 11, after hearing a general informational talk from the two of us in the afternoon (in McCosh Hall, room 10), each of you will meet in a small group with your faculty adviser and one of the class of 2007 peer advisers. In the evening, our college’s twenty student "peer advisers" (who are seniors, class of 2007) and Mathey residential college advisers will host an "advising mall" to answer any further questions you might have about issues such as suitable workloads, balancing progress in departmental versus elective courses, etc.; Tuesday, September 12 and Wednesday, September 13: Times are set aside for individually-scheduled appointments for each student with his or her faculty adviser. This will be your official selection of your fall semester courses. Simultaneously, there will also be a series of "Open Houses" (general information sessions) that same Tuesday and Wednesday, hosted by faculty and students in the various academic departments and programs; During the first two weeks of the semester (until Wednesday, September 27), students are free to drop and add courses, without any fee or charge. So, even your choices on September 12 or 13 are not fixed in stone. The two of us, Dr. Crown and Dr. Lestition, will be available in the Mathey College office from August 7 until the beginning of the semester. You may write, telephone us (609/258-5717), or e-mail us (kcrown@princeton.edu or sol@princeton.edu) if you have questions or concerns. Do also consult the rest of the Mathey College website which contains much useful information—and pictures! Mathey will soon be your home and we in the college will try to do all we can to make the transition go as smoothly as possible. We wish you a relaxing and rewarding month of August and look forward to welcoming you to Mathey College in September! Sincerely, Steven Lestition Kathleen Crown
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