peer advisor

June 17, 2015 by Rubye Peyser

Like many of you, I took a few AP courses and exams in high school and did fairly well. The Wesleyan website says that—for someone with qualifying AP scores—taking placement exams is, “strongly encouraged,” but not required. Let’s be honest: it was June; I had just finished my senior year and taking another test did not seem ideal. Plus, Wes didn’t require the exam, so why take it, right?
I was wrong. When I arrived on campus I discovered that to qualify for the language course I wanted to take, I needed to have a certain placement exam score. There are some exceptions to this rule, but in general, professors and departments want to see your current proficiency level in a subject, not just how well you did two years ago when you took the AP.
Needless to say, the first night of orientation I was frazzled (over the placement exams and the fact that I was in my first week of college), took the exam, and did not do as well as expected. My haste in taking the test certainly played into my performance. MORAL NUMBER ONE: Take the test now, even if you think you don’t need to. If you are worried about going down a level, take a load off and (MORAL NUMBER TWO) trust the test. In truth, my Spanish was not as strong as when I graduated high school, so the class I qualified for turned out to be the right fit.
I know these exams are intimidating, but the bottom line is that you’ll be attending a top school so even if the university ultimately places you in the introductory level, the course will still be engaging and challenging.
To access the placement tests, log on to your portfolio, click on Moodle in the top left corner, and the placement tests will be listed under “My Courses.” As always, if you have questions don’t hesitate to email the Peer Advisors at peeradvisors@wesleyan.edu

Enjoy your summer!