First College Year programs integrate students into the College community as engaged learners and participants in campus life and facilitates the transition to college. Students are challenged to reflect critically on the educational process and are encouraged to understand and value the meaningful connections between the liberal arts and their career aspirations. A coherent program of curricular
and co-curricular engagement, guided by the ten common goals of the Core Curriculum and Student Affairs, strengthens the academic, personal, and civic skills that will set students on a successful path to graduation. The Freshman Common Reading provides a shared intellectual experience around a text that students read over the summer and discuss with full-time faculty or senior administrators during Orientation. Early in the first semester, the author comes to campus to discuss his or her process of writing the book at the same time that students are using the text as a springboard for their first college writing course. Connections are made to the common reading across an array of first-year courses where it is relevant to the course topic. The First College Year includes comprehensive and ongoing student orientation and advisement programs implemented by peer/faculty teams prior to first semester registration and continued through TOP (The Orientation Project) and CAASS (Center for Academic Advisement and Student Success). A set of benchmarks guide first and second year students through a curricular and co-curricular path leading to declaration of major, internships, and roles in campus leadership and service. First-year students are encouraged to enroll in Learning Communities, which strengthen bonds among new students and between students and faculty and create opportunities for integrated and experiential teaching and learning. Coursework in the communities, which includes required courses in English composition and the landmark Core Curriculum, is coordinated with the College's Learning Center, where students are offered one-on-one and small-group tutoring and computer-assisted instruction. We aim to make the transition as smooth as possible and to keep students on target as they progress in their academic, professional, and civic career at Brooklyn College.
