S.A.I.L. Week occurs at the beginning of Fall Semester as new students continue their orientation to Longwood. They learn about their academic major, the Honor System, personal responsibility, and campus resources and services. Starting a few days before classes begin, S.A.I.L. Week offers special programs for commuter, minority, and transfer students. Freshmen are assigned to Seminar sections based on their academic interests and are housed in the residence halls according to these academic clusters. Students who have not declared a major will choose an area of academic interest to explore through the Seminar.
Honors students are in separate Seminar sections and are housed together.
Since the course is process oriented in that it focuses on developing the skills needed for success in an academic community, it is important for the students to develop a relationship with the mentor team and their academic adviser. The faculty mentor and the professor of the linked course will collaborate regarding the course content and identify opportunities to coordinate topics and assignments. This would enhance the learning community atmosphere and demonstrate to the students that the various disciplines are all related. Since the students also live in the same residence hall, it could stimulate lively discussions of the subject matter of the classes and move the learning process into the residential experience. Students would have natural opportunities for study and review groups and will have easy access to other students from their classes for group project assignments.