Text Only

VSU Directory

Select a VSU Department Academic Affairs Access Office Accounting & Finance Admissions Adult & Career Education Advancement Services Advancement, University African American Studies Air Force ROTC Alcohol & Other Drug Education Alumni Relations Art Arts & Sciences, College of Arts, College of the Arts, Outreach Athletics Auxiliary Services Biology BlazeFM: WVVS (90.9 FM) BlazeNet Board of Regents Bookstore Bursary (Tuition Cost & Fee    Payment) Business Admin. Grad Programs Business Admin., Langdale College    of Business Services Campus Activities Board Campus Alert System Campus Recreation Campus Wellness Career Services Catalogs, Undergraduate &    Graduate Center for Economic Education Chemistry Commencement Communication Arts Communication Disorders Communications Unit Continuing Education Cooperative Education Council on Staff Affairs Council on Undergraduate Research Counseling Center Crime Stats Criminal Justice Curriculum & Instructional    Technology Curriculum, Leadership, and    Technology Department Dance Dean of Students Debate Team Dining Services Disability Services Distance Learning Early Childhood & Special    Education eCore Education, College of Educational Leadership Employee and Organizational    Development Employee Self Service Engineering Engineering Transfer to Georgia    Tech (RETP) English English Language Institute Enterprise Application Services Environmental and Occupational    Safety Environmental Issues Committee Equal Opportunity Programs &    Multicultural Affairs European Council Evening Program Event Services Faculty Development Grants Faculty Research Grants Faculty Senate Finance and Administration Financial Aid Financial Services Food Services Foundation Freshmen Year Experience General Studies GiftLaw Governor's Honors Program Graduate School Graduation Grants & Contracts Greek Life HallNet Health Promotions Health Services Helpdesk, Information Technology HIPAA Policy History Honors Program Hotline Housing & Residence Life HUB Learning Cooperative Human Resources Information Technology Institutional Planning Committee Institutional Review Board for the    Protection of Human    Subjects Internal Audits International Programs International Students IT Helpdesk Journalism Kinesiology & Physical    Education Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base Leadership Programs Legal Affairs Management Marketing & Economics Marriage & Family Therapy Mass Media Master of Library & Info    Science Master of Social Work Program Mathematics & Computer Science Media Center Middle Grades Education Modern & Classical Languages Music Network Services Nursing, College of OASIS Odum Library Off-Campus Credit Program Info One Card Services Organization & Mission Orientation Parent Resource Center Parking & Transportation Peach State Summer Theatre Perspectives Philosophy and Religious Studies Physics, Astronomy, &    Geosciences Planned Giving Planning, Strategic Plant Operations Police Department Political Science President's Office Presidential Search Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Psychology & Counseling Public Administration Public Services Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Records Policy Registrar Religious Studies SACS Accreditation Satellite Services Science Seminar Small Business Development Center Social Work, Division of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminal    Justice South Georgia College Entry Program South Georgia Institute Special Education Special Events Spectator Strategic Planning Strategic Planning Database Strategic Research & Analysis Student Affairs Student Conduct Office Student Development Organization Student Employment Student Government Association Student Handbook Student Life Student Organizations Student Success Center Tech Shop Telecommunications Testing Theatre Training and Development University Advancement University System of Georgia Valdosta Educators Credit Union Vending Services Veteran's Affairs VSU Foundation VSU TV VSU TV Live VSU Undergrad & Grad Catalogs WebCT Wireless Internet for VSU Women's and Gender Studies WVVS 90.9

Prospective Students | Current Students | Faculty & Staff | Alumni & Friends | Parents & Visitors | BlazeNet

Home > OASIS Center For Advising & First Year Programs > The Freshman Year Experience

The Freshman Year Experience

Your freshman year experience at Valdosta State University is critical in laying the groundwork for a successful academic and professional career. Employers view a well rounded successful academic career as evidence that students can be equally successful and productive in their chosen fields. Success begins by mastering the three principal tasks of the first year student:

• Academic Skills Development
• Adjusting to College Life
• Developing Academic & Career Goals

VSU’s Freshman Year Experience (FYE) is an outstanding student development program that assists first-year students accomplish these tasks.  The program is designed primarily for students who have not yet decided on an academic major. 

Program Components

The Center for Advising and First Year Programs (OASIS), located in the University Center, coordinates the Freshman Year Experience Program.   The Freshman Year Experience is a year-long set of courses and projects that focus on helping students achieve excellence in their academics. The major program components are the Freshman Seminar, Learning Communities, and tutoring.

Freshman Seminar - The Freshman Seminar is a two-semester course that students take with an assigned faculty member. All sections of the freshman seminar are taught using the same outline and textbook. The course includes topics such as time management, study skills, academic planning, and test taking strategies. Students enrolled in the Freshman Seminar will have an e-mail address and access to and instruction on the latest technology. In addition, each Freshan Seminar has a peer leader assigned. Peer leaders are successful upperclass students who are involved in campus life and have an outstanding academic track record. They attend all sessions of their assigned Freshman Seminar class and assist in the planning and implementation of the course content. Most importantly, Peer Leaders serve as a bridge between the instructor and students, assist in facilitating class discussions, communicate with students outside of class, provide feedback to the instructor, serve as a guide to campus resources, and serve as role models for academic, co-curricular, and leadership behaviors.

Learning Assistance & Supplemental Instruction - Every student who elects to participate in the Freshman Year Experience is assigned a faculty advisor. In addition, all students receive supplementary help from their Freshman Seminar instructor. Every Freshman Seminar instructor is a full-time VSU faculty member. This additional support and assistance ensures that each student receives personalized contact with VSU faculty. Seminar faculty members serve as out-of-the-classroom resource persons. They work with students one-on-one to help develop study and test-taking skills, and they educate students on the course advisement process and procedures. In addition, they provide accurate information on core curriculum requirements and scheduling and teach students to take an active role in their own advisement. Faculty seminar leaders also explore academic majors and associated career opportunities with program participants. Students will receive additional tutoring and supplemental instruction in core classes. Faculty conduct learning tutorials in math, history, and English for those student who need the extra help.

Learning Community - Students who participate in FYE are members of learning communities. Each learning community has approximately 25 students. This community of peers provides students with a small, knowable group of fellow students. The major advantage of learning communities is that they contribute to a higher level of student participation in learning. In addition to taking several courses together, students in each learning community also take the Freshman Seminar together. The Freshman Seminar allows students to examine the content of their other courses, which provides an intellectually rich interdisciplinary experience. All core courses that are a part of the Freshman Year Experience are taught at prime times by full-time committed faculty. Students in learning community cohorts 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. They also tend to see faculty and student peers as more welcoming and supportive, they find classes as more involving, and they report they are more excited about learning and pursuing an academic career.

What STUDENTS say about the Freshman Year Experience

“Even though our learning styles are different, we all learn together. We help each other in classes by forming study groups; we copy notes for one another for those days we miss, and we often save time by dividing things up.“

“I can’t imagine not being in the Freshman Year Experience. I really can’t. I would feel so lost. “

“In our learning communities, we know each other, we are friends, and we discuss everything from all the classes. We learned our homework assignments very, very well because we discussed it all so much.”

“One of the biggest reasons for joining the Freshman Year Experience was to meet people. And meeting new people has really helped me adjust to college and campus life."

“That’s why the Freshman Year Experience Program is so great.  I’ve made a lot of friends. In another school with different students in every class, it would have been harder.”
 

Frequently Asked Questions about the Freshman Year Experience Program