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First Year Seminar (FYS)

A safe place to land…and take off.

Welcome to your new adventure! First Year Seminar isn’t your average classroom — it’s a cozy hub where you’ll bond with fellow first-year and transfer students who live right in your residence hall. With supportive professors guiding you, you’ll learn what you need to explore campus like a pro. Also, you and your classmates will directly interact with community organizations from the region surrounding Alma. Plus, the assignments are all about creating a foundation for you to engage in college-level research questions YOU are passionate about.

Simply put: in First Year Seminar, you’ll build lasting friendships on a strong foundation for academic success!

Group of four students walking down the sidewalk on a sunny fall day talking and smiling.

About the course

  • First Year Seminar is a one term course that students take that provides a unique opportunity for all first-year students, designed around topics that spark your interest.
  • You’ll be in class with the peers you live with in your residence hall, giving you the perfect chance to build meaningful connections with your classmates and neighbors. It’s a great way to dive into college life together, both academically and socially!
  • Supportive professors will guide you as you learn how to explore campus like a pro.
  • The assignments are designed around topics that are important to and excite you!
Two students sitting next to each other in class talking and working on a project together.

Benefits

You will learn

  • The needed skills to succeed in college (both social and academic)
  • The importance of mentors and engaging with the campus community
  • Time management
  • Communication skills
  • How to do course work and use a college library to pursue research
A professor smiles and is standing behind a seated student working on a laptop as the professor points towards the screen.

Registration

  • When you meet with an advisor to discuss registering for classes, you will discuss First Year Seminar and available course topics.
  • As an enrolled student, you will automatically be registered for the appropriate sections.

Learn More and Explore


Questions?

Academic Affairs

provost@alma.edu

(989) 463-7176

Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Swanson Academic Center (SAC) 133