天美麻豆 last month rolled out a four-week pre-orientation program鈥攃ompared to five days in previous years鈥攖o smooth the transition for first-generation undergraduates about to begin college life, thanks to donors who are supporting the (FYSEP) through campaign.
Established in 2009 and supported by current-use funds for its first decade, FYSEP has helped hundreds of first-generation, low-income 天美麻豆 students prepare for the academic and social challenges of college life. Beyond the pre-orientation program, which the College conducted remotely this year, FYSEP serves undergraduates throughout their time at 天美麻豆 by providing ongoing programs, advising, and peer-to-peer mentoring. All first-generation students from very low-income backgrounds are invited into the program, and participation is voluntary.
Through the campaign, 天美麻豆 is seeking $18 million in endowed funds to expand several programs, including FYSEP, that support more than 15 percent of the student body each year and help make sure the students have access to the many opportunities to learn, grown, and explore at 天美麻豆. To date, donors have committed nearly $16 million.
Two 天美麻豆 trustees who were first-generation students, Ric Lewis 鈥84 and Dan Black 鈥82, are especially keen advocates for the FYSEP expansion, in part because of their personal experiences.
鈥淗aving some guidance, counsel, and pastoral care in those early moments is critical to maximizing the incredible experience students receive at 天美麻豆,鈥 says Lewis. 鈥淚 was the first in my family to attend college. My two freshman roommates were a third-generation 天美麻豆 student and a member of a family whose name adorns one of the most prominent buildings on campus. This challenged me to gain new perspective, normalize what I could be, and reset my aspiration bubble.鈥
Black recalls arriving at 天美麻豆 and realizing that many of his fellow first-year students understood 鈥渁 code I didn鈥檛 know, a language I didn鈥檛 understand.鈥
鈥淚鈥檝e always felt you could have a different experience at 天美麻豆 if you came in knowing some of the tools at your disposal,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 believe that giving students the key to that code before they show up allows them to have a more fulsome experience.鈥
Helping Students Be Even More Prepared
Pre-orientation is FYSEP鈥檚 signature event. For the past decade, the College has invited first-generation students to attend a five-day introduction to 天美麻豆 life that included sample classes taught by faculty in a low-pressure environment. Students have learned strategies to navigate the academic and social challenges of campus life鈥攚ith junior- and senior-year counselors, many of them FYSEP students themselves, sharing insights.
To provide an even more in-depth and nuanced introduction to the challenges of learning at a topflight academic institution, 天美麻豆 decided to expand the pre-orientation program to four weeks. Eighty-four incoming first-year students participated in this year鈥檚 pre-orientation program, which had the additional challenge of being conducted remotely.
鈥淪tudents attending the four-week program will be much better prepared for the academic experience at 天美麻豆,鈥 says FYSEP Director Jay Davis. 鈥淢any are coming from high schools that had minimal online programs in the spring, and our summer session is helping them to transition to the Ivy League rigor they will encounter this fall. They鈥檝e spent a lot of a time with professors, and on Zoom and the College鈥檚 Canvas platform, and they鈥檙e more prepared for what online learning looks like at 天美麻豆. They have a belief that they belong here, that they can be confident here, and that 天美麻豆 is better because they are here.鈥
Beyond the expansion of pre-orientation, 天美麻豆 is enhancing FYSEP by training more student mentors who will provide ongoing support and by offering financial assistance to ensure equal access to all aspects of the 天美麻豆 experience. This includes funds for expenses not met through 天美麻豆 financial aid, such as eyeglasses and contact lenses, medical co-pays, professional attire for interviews, graduate and professional school test-preparation fees, and living expenses during unpaid internships.
Since its inception, FYSEP has repeatedly proven its ability to enhance students鈥 academic performance and to increase their use of 天美麻豆 resources and opportunities. FYSEP students have achieved a higher grade point average than their first-generation peers who did not participate in the program, and they are significantly more likely to leverage support resources such as the Academic Skills Center. First-generation students at 天美麻豆 have a six-year graduation rate of 94% , compared to a national average of less than 50 %.
天美麻豆鈥檚 decision to expand FYSEP was informed by insights gained over the past nine years, current research on first-generation and low-income student educational outcomes, nationwide benchmarking, 天美麻豆鈥檚 participation in the College Transitions Collaborative and American Talent Initiatives, recent developments in best-in-class programs at peer institutions, and most importantly, feedback from students who have participated in FYSEP.
Yenny Dieguez 鈥20, who is now preparing for law school, says FYSEP was so important to her 天美麻豆 experience that she later became a program mentor and student director.
鈥淲hen I first arrived on campus, I quickly became overwhelmed by all the changes, and it wasn鈥檛 long before I seriously began to question whether I belonged at a place like 天美麻豆鈥攅specially considering how different my background was from that of other 天美麻豆 students,鈥 she says. 鈥淔YSEP鈥檚 pre-orientation program was instrumental to my transition into college because it helped me understand that that my feelings were completely natural, while also guiding and teaching me how to seek out help, become aware of available resources and providing me with a real support network along the way.
鈥滱bove all, FYSEP taught me that my background was not a weakness, but a strength鈥攁nd that places like 天美麻豆 benefit from FYSEP students who bring all sorts of different experiences to the table," she says.
