Welcome, New Students!

About Fall Welcome 2025

Arts & Sciences programming for first-year students will occur during Bear Beginnings: Fall Welcome which takes place on Monday, August 18 - Wednesday, August 20. We will introduce you to the people and groups who will be important to you over the next four years: the College Office, A&S faculty, and advisors. On Sunday, August 17 you will receive an email with event information and personalized links for your small group meetings. Please e-mail the College Office if you didn't receive these instructions or if you have any questions. 

Monday, August 18: Get to Know the College

10:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.: Starting Your Academic Journey: Deans’ Welcome with Dean Hu and Vice Dean McGlothlin

Join the Richard G. Engelsmann Dean of Arts & Sciences Feng Sheng Hu and Vice Dean of Undergraduate Affairs and Gloria M. Goldstein Professor of Holocaust Studies Erin McGlothlin to begin your academic journey in Arts & Sciences. Students will be split into two groups, with 45-minute presentations beginning at 10:00 am and 11:00 am. For your specific session time, please refer to your personalized schedule in an email from the College of Arts & Sciences.

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: What's Your WashU IQ? Introduction to the IQ Curriculum 

Learn the ins and outs of the Arts & Sciences IQ curriculum, including how you can make the most of our diverse course offerings as you begin your Arts & Sciences journey. For your specific session location, please refer to your personalized schedule in an email from the College of Arts & Sciences.

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Four-Year Group Advising Meeting

Meet with your four-year advisor in this group session to review important academic information to start the semester and connect with your advisor. For your specific session location, please refer to your personalized schedule in an email from the College of Arts & Sciences.

Tuesday, August 19: Get to Know the A&S Departments, Programs, and Faculty

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Arts & Sciences Department and Program Open Houses

Visit department and program open houses to explore areas of study in Arts & Sciences. You should plan to visit two or three open houses, but you are welcome to attend as many as you would like. At the open houses, you'll be able to meet department and program faculty and staff, learn more about requirements and academic student organizations, and ask questions about courses. For locations and details, browse the full list of department open houses. If you need additional help, stop by the College Office in Cupples II, Room 104.

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Arts & Sciences Faculty Presentations

Members of the Arts & Sciences faculty will present on areas of their research interest and expertise. These talks showcase a range of ideas and ongoing research in Arts & Sciences and are a great introduction to the breadth and depth of the work of our faculty. Each session will include presentations from faculty in one of the three traditional disciplines: humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Select one spotlight to attend for each session. Find specific information about the faculty spotlights.

  • 2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.: Session 1
  • 3:00 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.: Session 2
  • 4:00 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.: Session 3

Wednesday, August 20: Get to Know Your Resources

10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.: Arts & Sciences Academic Support 

Learn more about the academic resources that are available to support your journey at WashU and the importance of getting connected to those resources early. For your specific session location, please refer to your personalized schedule in an email from the College of Arts & Sciences.

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Arts & Sciences Learning and Engagement Beyond the Classroom

Hear from students and staff about opportunities to deepen your intellectual experience in Arts & Sciences with undergraduate research, study abroad, community-engaged learning, fellowships and scholarships, internships, and more. For your specific session location, please refer to your personalized schedule in an email from the College of Arts & Sciences.

Transfer Students

Please refer to the schedule for Transfer and Exchange Student Welcome

Four Year Group Advising Meetings

Advising Meetings

Four Year Group Advising meetings will happen on Monday, August 18, at 3:00 p.m. Four Year Group Advising Meeting Locations will be posted here once available.

Department Open Houses

African & African-American Studies

McMillan Hall, Room 219

American Culture Studies

McMillan Courtyard
(McMillan 140 rain location)

Anthropology

Wrighton Hall, Room 250

Applied Linguistics

McMillan Hall, Room 259

Art History & Archaeology

Kemper Museum, Room 103
(enter building through south entrance facing Steinberg Hall)

Asian-American Studies

McMillan Courtyard 
(McMillan 140 rain location)

Biology

Jolley Hall, 2nd Floor

Chemistry

Louderman Hall, Room 458

Children's Studies

Ridgley Hall, Room 219

Classics and Ancient Studies

Umrath Hall, Room 224

Comparative Literature and Thought

Ridgley Hall, Room 319

Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences

Rudolph Hall, Room 302

East Asian Languages and Cultures

Busch Hall, Room 117

Economics

Seigle Hall, Room L006

Education

Seigle Hall, Room 107

English

Duncker Hall, Hurst Lounge

Environmental Policy

Seigle Hall, Room 206

Environmental Studies

Schnuck Pavillion, Room 202

Film & Media Studies

Seigle Hall, Room 400

Germanic Languages and Literatures

Ridgley Hall, Room 319

Global Studies

McMillan Cafe

History

Olin Library, Room 142

Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies

Busch Hall, outside table

Latin American Studies

Ridgley Hall, Room 312

Legal Studies

Ridgley Hall, Room 319

Mathematics

Cupples I, Room 222

Medical Humanities

Olin Library, Room 142

Music

Gaylord Music Library

Physics

Compton Hall, Room 340

Political Science

Seigle Hall, Room 207

Psychological & Brain Sciences

Somers Family Hall, Room #216 A/B

Public Health & Society

Hillman Hall, Room 60

Religion & Politics

Umrath, outside table

Religious Studies

Busch Hall, Room 111

Romance Languages & Literatures: French

Ridgley Hall, Room 107

Romance Languages & Literatures: Italian

Ridgley Hall, 310 Conference Room

Romance Languages & Literatures: Spanish

Eads Hall, Room 203

Sociology

Seigle Hall, Suite 213

Speech & Hearing

Seigle Hall, Room 104

Statistics and Data Science

Jolley Hall, 5th floor

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

McMillan Hall, Room 221

Faculty Presentations

Select one spotlight to attend for each session. The building names below are linked to Google Maps, which can provide walking directions to buildings on campus. If you need additional help, stop by the College Office in Cupples II, Room 104.   

Session 1: 2:00 to 2:50 p.m.                               

Rachel Brown, Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Asking Feminist Questions, Doing Feminist Research, Wilson Hall, Room 214

Patrick Burke, Music, American Culture Studies, What is Music?, Crow Hall, Room 201

Erin Finneran, English & American Literature, Turn and Face the Strange: Alienation and Transformation in Modern Literature & Contemporary Music, Duncker Hall, Room 101       

Elinor Harrison, Dance and PNP, From Dancing to Parkinson's Research: How to Turn Your Passion into a Job, Brown Hall, Room 100

Krister Knapp, History, National Security in an Age of Crisis, Busch Hall, Room 100

Joseph Loewenstein, IPH & Comparative Literature, Shakespeare and the Political Theory of Comedy, Brown Hall, Room 118

Tim Parsons, African and African American Studies, Are You Sure that you Really Know What History Is?, McMillan Hall, Room G052

Nancy Reynolds, Middle Eastern Studies, History, Prophet of Sustainability: Hassan Fathy's Natural Energy Architecture, Seigle Hall, Room L006

Martin Riker and David Schuman, Writing—English, The Literary Life: An Introduction, Simon Hall, Room 23

Luis Salas, Classics & Medical Humanities, Greek and Roman Medicine: The Relevance of Past Perspectives to our Present, Rebstock Hall, Room 215

Ignacio Sanchez PradoThe Idea of the Taco. How the Humanities Read the World, Louderman Hall, Room 458

Claire Sommers, Performing Arts—Drama, Adaptation through the Ages: Revision, Revival, and Reflection, Crow Hall, Room 206

Session 2: 3:00 to 3:50 p.m.

Jessica Backman-Levy, Public Health & Society, Unpacking Power: Gender Norms, Rights, and Reproductive JusticeBrown Hall, Room 118

Darwin Baluran, Sociology, How Racism Makes Us Sick: The Link Between Social Factors and Mental and Physical Health., Brown Hall, Room 100

Cindy Brantmeier, Global Studies, Applied Linguistics, Global Health & Language, Wilson Hall, Room 214

Timothy Bono, Psychological & Brain Sciences, What the Science of Happiness can Teach us about Mindset and Resilience, Wrighton Hall, Room 300

Andrew Butler, Education, Learning Effectively and Efficiently: How to Level Up for College, Busch Hall, Room 100

Matthew Gabel, Political Science, Political Science Isn’t Just About Politics: Political Science and Medical Research, Rebstock Hall, Room 215

Amy Heath-Carpentier, Global Studies, Masculinities in International Relations, McMillan Hall, Room G052

Andrew Jordan, Economics, Economics Without Prices: Scrutinizing Decisions in Criminal Justice, Seigle Hall, Room L006

Kathy Kniepmann, American Culture Studies, Disability and Inclusion: Building Community for All!,  Eads Hall, Room 216

Alan Lambert, Psychological & Brain Sciences, Empathy & Open-Mindedness: What Social Scientists Know (and Don't Know), Crow Hall, Room 201

Beth Martin, Environmental Studies, Climate Change and 198 Parties, Louderman Hall, Room 458

Session 3: 4:00 to 4:50 p.m.

Mark Alford, Physics, Faster Than Light: Spooky Action at a Distance in Quantum Mechanics, Rebstock Hall, Room 215

Likai Chen, Statistics & Data Science, Statistics and Data Analysis, Crow Hall, Room 201

Ram Dixit, Biology, Biology and Beyond at WashU, McDonnell Hall, Room 162

Francesc Ferrer, Physics, From Black Holes to the Big Bang, Crow Hall, Room 206

Joe Guinness, Statistics & Data Science, Seigle Hall, Room L006

Eleanor Pardini, Environmental Biology, Finding One's Self in Environmental Problem Solving, Busch Hall, Room 100

E. A. Quinn, Biological Anthropology, Milk, Minds, and Mountains: An Ecology of High-Altitude Infancy, Louderman Hall, Room 458

Zachariah Reagh, Psychological & Brain Sciences, Wilson Hall, Room 214

Anthony Smith, Biology, Washington University Full Circle--From Sharks to Viruses to Cancer, McMillan Hall, Room G052

Jennifer Smith, Earth & Planetary Sciences, Environmental Change Over Geologic Time; Why the Past Matters for the Future, Crow Hall, Room 204

Timothy Wencewicz, Chemistry, Antibiotic Drug Discovery at WashU, Brown Hall, Room 118