#weeklywednesdaywisdom: First Year Seminar and CAP leader

Why hello first-years! I'm back to pass down some wisdom. You ready?

In my personal opinion, Coe does fantastic things for our first-years to help make the transition from high school to college as smooth as possible. When people ask me on my tours how high school is different from college, I tell them I can't really compare the two, it's not an apples to apples situation. And at Coe, we understand the transition might not be easy, so we have created programs and resources to make your first semester a memorable one. The two key foundations to your First-Year Experience are without a doubt, your College Adjustment Peer (CAP) and your First Year Seminar (FYS).

When you first get to campus, you'll move in and before you can ring the Victory Bell, you'll meet with your CAP leader and the other students in your FYS. Your CAP leader is an upperclassmen who is your buddy and guide through the first semester. You'll be spending a lot of time with them during Orientation week. They are your go-to person if you have any questions or concerns. During the semester, they will be coordinating CAP events such as seeing the theater production or having a pizza party after your first FYS exam or something like that.

By the looks of the Facebook page, it seems you have discovered your First Year Seminar class is up. And you're wondering what the heck did I get assigned to? Except for two classes, Nature of Science, and Music, Theater and Film from the Harlem Renissance, your class will be about 16-17 students. The two expections are because two faculty members are teaching the class so there will be about 30 students in your class. This will be probably the first group of people you really meet on campus. The topic of the class is a subject the professor(s) is/are really passionate about. I loved my FYS class; it was called a Tempestuous Season taught by Rick Eichhorn (Econ department). It was all about the 2008 finanical crisis. Not only did I learn a lot, I was also finally able to talk shop with my dad (who works in the financial sector) when I went home for breaks. So get ready for an awesome class. Even if the class wasn't your top top choice (believe me, economics was not my first pick) the class ended up being one of the best classes I've taken at Coe and this summer I'm working for Eichhorn. Nice how things work out? Also, by taking an economic class, I was taking advantage of my liberal arts education from day one.

Your FYS class will meet four times a week, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for an hour. You guys will do a variety of things, some stuff in the classroom and some stuff outside the classroom. You might take some field trips to the library, Career Services, or Academic Achievement Program office. You'll also write some papers, three of which will end up in your portfolio that you'll turn in around Thanksgiving. Your FYS is the class that prepares you for the other three classes you will be taking and also helps you familarize yourself with the academic side of Coe.

Keep your eyes out for letters from both your CAP leader and FYS professor in the next couple of weeks. They are excited to meet you and we're excited August is almost here!

#transistionsdreamteam
#firstyearswag
#youarenowincollege