A Final Message from the Freshman Dean

Dear Members of the Class of 2016,

Congratulations on nearing completion of your first year at Stanford!  I know that the past nine months have flown by, and it has been a pleasure to serve as your Freshman Dean this year.  I have been delighted to talk with so many of you over the course of the year about your experiences at Stanford.  I have learned a great deal, and I look forward to continuing those conversations in the years ahead.

When I wrote to you earlier this quarter, I encouraged you to think about how you could use your spring quarter meeting with your Pre-Major Advisor as an opportunity to reflect on your first year at Stanford, as well as to start thinking about things you did not get a chance to try, in or out of the classroom, as well as things that you would like to try as a sophomore, junior, or senior.  I hope those conversations have been useful as you continue to shape your Stanford education.

Thanks, too, to all of you who participated in our Freshman Survey, as well as our Frosh Focus Groups this spring.  Your input will help us make the freshman experience even better for our soon to arrive members of the Class of 2017.  Many of your classmates were winners in our four drawings for gift cards.  Their names appear below. Congratulations to all the winners!

We will be writing to you later in the summer to remind you of the official Sophomore Celebration to welcome the Class of 2016 back to Stanford on Sunday afternoon, September 22.  This will be a chance for all of you to re-connect with one another, catch-up on what you did over the summer, and have some freshman dorm reunions.

Finally, the exam period can often be a stressful time. Please take good care of yourselves and each other in the coming days by making time to take some breaks. Take a walk or a swim, go to the gym, listen to your favorite music, treat yourself to a popsicle or frozen yogurt--something to give yourself a lift.  If you need additional support or assistance, please know that your residence staff and advisors, as well as the professionals at Vaden Health Center and CAPS, (vaden.stanford.edu), are always here to help.

As the academic year comes to an end, and as all of you spread out across the country and the world for the summer, I hope that each of you will be able to take some time to relax and spend time with friends and family, but also to reflect on your first year at Stanford.  

All of us in Undergraduate Advising and Research, as well as all of our campus partners, stand ready to help you, and we look forward to working with you when you return in September.  We'll be here all summer, though, so please come by the first floor of Sweet Hall anytime and let us know how you're doing.  We love hearing from you.

With all my best for a great summer.  See you in September!

Rob Urstein

Robert Urstein, PhD
Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Director of Undergraduate Advising and Research & Dean of Freshmen