Center for Academic Excellence (CAE)
College of Letters & Science

CAE Early Arrival

We look forward to welcoming all new CAE Scholars to campus soon! Students will move into their residence halls on Sunday, August 27 and participate in a week-long series of activities prior to the start of classes. The schedule includes an official welcome to CAE and to campus as well as activities to connect you with staff, faculty, peer mentors and other new students. The programming is designed to be useful and fun!

CAE students are expected to participate and attend all Early Arrival activities unless otherwise noted. Please familiarize yourself with the schedule and email your CAE advisor if you have any questions, concerns, or any potential scheduling conflicts.

Incoming scholars are also encouraged to participate in Wisconsin Welcome events of interest.

The university continues to support the public health of our campus community. While there are no COVID-19-specific requirements for mask use, testing, or vaccination, everyone on campus is strongly encouraged to use these tools as needed to limit the spread of the virus.  Updated details and additional resources related to COVID-19 can be found here. Please note that the early arrival schedule may change or be adjusted to accommodate any change in the public-health situation. If you have any health and/or safety concerns, speak with your CAE advisor so we can accommodate you. Keep an eye on your email for updates and information.

Move-in Questions?

UW Housing should have communicated instructions for move-in to you. If you have any Housing concerns or about your residence hall move-in, please contact them directly at:

Email: info@housing.wisc.edu

Phone: 608-262-2522

Early Arrival Schedule

All CAE Scholars should arrive 15 minutes before the start of each session to allow for checking in and getting settled. The map for Gordon Dining and Event Center and the CAE offices are on the right; for all other locations, try using the UW-Madison campus map. By the end of the week, you will have been in some of the main classroom buildings on campus!

We will raffle off CAE or UW swag each day! Winners MUST be present to win.

Monday, August 28 (all activities in Gordon Dining and Event Center, Overture room)

  • 11:00-11:45 am  CAE Scholars Welcome  CAE advisor (and alum!) Hernan Rodriguez, CAE Director Karen Stroud-Phillips, L&S Dean Eric Wilcots
  • 11:45 am-12:15 pm  Lunch (provided)
  • 12:15-1:00 pm  Student Panel  Current CAE students
  • 1:00-2:00 pm  Cultivating Student Well-being  Tony Chambers, Center for Healthy Minds
  • 2:00-??? pm  Scavenger Hunt with peer mentors (start in GDEC, Overture room)

Tuesday, August 29: Wear closed-toe shoes today for the afternoon activities!

  • 9:30-10:30 am  Financial aid and financial wellness Joselyn Diaz-Valdes (1111 Mosse Humanities Building)
  • 11:00 am-12:30 pm  Peer Mentor Connections (GDEC, Overture Room)
  • 12:30-1:00 pm  Lunch with Sandra Becerra from University Health Services (GDEC, Overture Room)
  • 1:00-2:00 pm  Learning Support Workshop Amihan Huesmann and Curtis Feldner (GDEC, Overture Room)
  • 2:00-TBD  Adventure Learning Program workshop–outside GDEC if weather is good, in GDEC, Overture room if weather is bad

Wednesday, August 30

  • 9:30-4:00 pm  STEM Immersion (for STEM-focused Scholars)
  • 11:00 am-noon  Welcome to College Writing Larry Edgerton, CAE writing instructor (104 Van Hise Hall):

    This workshop will introduce you to college writing. Learn the ONE common denominator of all successful college essays: how to argue a point. And what, exactly, makes a good thesis?

    Further topics: evaluating and using online sources. Plagiarism. MLA, APA, Chicago–or what? Formatting. How much do grammar and punctuation matter?

    Please bring your writing questions!

    The instructor, Larry Edgerton, has taught a variety of English/writing courses for many years. His most recent textbook, The Less-Is-More Handbook: A Guide to College Writing, will come out this year in its third edition.

  • noon-1:30 pm  Lunch  (CAE space, B47 Bascom Hall; see map at right)
  • 1:30-2:30 pm  Connecting Skills to Job Search  Seng Thao of SuccessWorks (104 Van Hise Hall):Learn to recognize and understand your transferable skills and make connections to your experiences. This presentation will also help you articulate and highlight your skills on a resume along with helping you highlight your skills and abilities during an interview.
  • 3:15 pm-???  “Choose your own adventure” activities: hiking to Picnic Point, Walk down State Street to Capitol, crafting in the CAE space (gather in B47 Bascom Hall)

Thursday, August 31: Breakout sessions. You’ll want a laptop for at least one session today!

  • 10:00-10:50 am  Self-Care, Debunked with Sandra Becerra from UHS (B107 Van Vleck Hall). How to manage adjusting to our new environment, college as we navigate many firsts. Let’s learn to take care of us with self-care.
  • OR 10:00-10:50 am  McBurney Disability Resource Center Caitlin Farrell Haven (214 Ingraham Hall)
  • 11:00-11:50 am  What You Need to be a Successful Student (no matter what you study) Jessica DeKuiper and Curtis Feldner (120 Ingraham Hall). What are:
    • My school and college options outside of L&S?
    • The components of my degree?
    • The strategies needed to be a successful student?
  • OR 11:00-11:50 am  Time Management Workshop (please bring a laptop if you’re able!)  Priscilla Contreras and Curtis Feldner (B107 Van Vleck Hall) OR
  • 11:00-11:50 am  How to Choose a Major with Ryan Bouchard of the Career Exploration Center (CEC) (214 Ingraham Hall)
    • UW has so many majors; how do I choose?
    • I am good at many different things, which path is for me?
    • I have this strong interest, but I’m not sure if it is a logical career.

If you have these questions or more, the Career Exploration Center can help! Our workshop will explore these topics and get you connected to our staff.

  • noon-1:00 pm  Lunch  Pick up your lunch in B107 Van Vleck Hall, then go to the room for your advising conversation (see below)
  • 1:00-2:30 pm  Advising conversations (please bring a laptop if you’re able!):
  • 2:30-??? pm  “Choose your own adventure” activities: hiking to Picnic Point, Walk down State Street to Capitol, crafting in the CAE space (gather in B107 Van Vleck Hall)

Friday, September 1 

  • 10:00-11:30 am  Academic, Career, and Student Life resource fair CAE space (B47 Bascom Hall)
  • 11:30 am-12:30 pm  Meet (some of) your professors: panel (we will use some of your questions from the Early Arrival survey!) (B10 Ingraham Hall)
  • 12:30-1:00 pm  Eat lunch with (some of) your professors! Grab your lunch in the CAE space (B47 Bascom) and eat in Bascom Hall or on Bascom Hill (weather permitting)
  • Complete the Early Arrival survey to help us make next year’s Early Arrival even better!

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Gordon Dining and Event Center map

CAE map

The office is located on the west side of Bascom Hall. The entrance is between Ingraham and Bascom Hall; go down the steps and enter the door with “College of Letters and Science / Center for Academic Excellence” above it.