Adjustment from high school to college, from living at home to living on campus, from seven periods a day to concentrated classes, seminars and off campus study can be an overwhelming experience for many. Albion's First-Year Experience helps in that adjustment, and is designed to not just make the first semester or first year bearable for students, but to get the student off on the right foot from first enrollment through graduation. Program director Drew Dunham gives an overview of the Albion First Year Experience. It really has five basic components to it. And our orientation being our opening weekend orientation with the students, where we introduce them to the college and we orient them on campus and give them a snapshot of what things will be like.
Every student is required to take a First Year Seminar.
The Seminars have been piloted for the last four years, but this year we've asked all the students to take them. We have 30 different sections of seminars. They are interdisciplinary. They are writing intensive. They have an emphasis on discussion, so they are discussion-based.