Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the purpose of the Freshmen Year Experience?
A. The Freshmen Year Experience (FYE) is a year-long program designed to maximize every student's potential to achieve academic success and to adjust responsibly to the individual and interpersonal challenges presented by collegiate life. The program is intended primarily for those students who have not decided on a college major.
Q. How do I sign up for the FYE program?
A. When you come to VSU for Summer Orientation & Registration, tell your orientation leader that you want to be a member of the FYE Program your first year of college. Your orientation leader will make sure that you are assigned to the FYE information and registration session.
Q. Is FYE open only to students who have not declared an academic major?
A. FYE is primarily designed for students who are "undecided" on a college major. Almost half of the students that come to VSU will change their academic major at least once during their undergraduate years. For many students, "undecided" is the best choice for the first year of college. During the freshmen year, all students take core courses, so there is little difference in academic course selection for "decided" and "undecided" majors. A student who comes to Orientation with a "declared" major but decides to change to "undecided" for their first year so that they may participate in FYE may do so by informing their orientation leader.
Q. Are there any academic majors that have an FYE Program?
A. Yes, Political Science, Computer Science, and Nursing all have an FYE Program.
Q. What classes will I take if I join FYE?
A. Your first semester of college, you will take the Freshmen Seminar, English 1101, and U.S. History. The second semester, you will take Freshmen Seminar II, English 1102, and American Government. Your academic advisor will help you select additional courses during you first year of college.
Q. What are the advantages of participating in FYE?
A. A major advantage is that your academic advisor is all your professor for the Freshmen Seminar. As a result, students will see the advisor at least twice a week. Advisors also serve as faculty mentors helping students decide on a major and professional career. In addition, peer mentors are assigned to each Freshmen Seminar class to help tutor, organize study groups, and plan social activities. Finally, FYE participants are assigned to learning communities of 25 students. The students in each learning community take at least three courses together. Because the courses are linked, students are afforded an intellectually rich interdisciplinary experience. Students in learning communities report greater personal involvement in a range of academic and social activities and greater perceived developmental gains over the course of the year than do students in regular curriculum classes.
Q. What is the Freshmen Seminar?
A. The Freshmen Seminar is a two-semester course taught by a VSU faculty member. The faculty member also serves as the student's mentor and academic advisor. During the first semester, the Freshmen Seminar I focuses on helping students make the transition to college. Topics covered in the seminar include academic skills development, goal setting, time management, critical thinking, and personal/professional development. During the second semester, students will take Freshmen Seminar II. In this seminar, students attend leadership seminars, construct a career electronic portfolio and web page, participate in service learning projects, and begin to focus on selecting an academic major and pursuing a professional career. Click on one of the Freshmen Seminar links above to see a sample syllabus of the Freshmen Seminar.