INFOGRAPHIC: First Year Seminar Success

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Most don’t think much of the courses they took as freshman, perhaps because most of us spent that first year exploring rather than specializing. For many, being a freshman is about getting a wealth of new experiences under your belt so you can begin to understand where your interests lie, declare a major, and ultimately focus on something you’re passionate about.

While exciting, new environments, new friends, and new courses can also overwhelm a freshman, and as a result, student retention between first and second year continues to be an issue for many institutions. To help ease the college transition, many institutions have begun offering First Year Seminars–introductory level courses designed specifically for freshmen, to help new students adjust to their new environments while giving them the tools to succeed in their four years on campus. Our infographic below takes a closer look at FYS programs, sussing out just how effective they are at improving both the freshman experience and student retention rates.

Our thoughts? If offered at your school, FYS is one course you should make sure you add to your schedule.