First-Year Experience (FYE) Program

The First-Year Experience (FYE) Program welcomes first-year students and fosters success as they transition into the Mount Saint Mary College community. In the service of establishing a foundation for academic success in the first semester, the FYE engages students in:

• community-based learning;

• our Dominican heritage;

• service and service learning;

• principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion;

• holistic wellbeing and safety; and

• self-reflection around personal and career development.

All of this prepares first-year students to become active members in the Mount's community of learners. 

The hallmark of the Mount's FYE Program is the Learning Community (LC). Every incoming student will be enrolled in two linked first-year courses with a cohort of their peers. Learning Communities are designed to fulfill general education and/or major requirements while providing opportunities to make connections between their courses and the community and to receive tailored information literacy instruction. Each LC is composed of 20 students, a personal librarian, an academic coach, and two faculty course instructors. 

To complement the Learning Community coursework, each LC also engages in two Community-Based Learning activities, tailored to each LC and designed by its faculty, and participates in six First-Year Connections workshops, designed to foster students' holistic development and support their transition to college. 

Students entering the traditional program will be required to participate in FYE during their first semester of matriculation. Students entering in the spring semester will be required to enroll in FYE in the subsequent fall semester and should consult with their academic coach and the FYE Director to enroll. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs (AVPAA).