UC Admission - First Year Experience

New Student Orientation

New students learn about the campus, its services, and the curriculum during New Student Orientation. Activities are scheduled to help students begin to make friends and feel at home in a new environment. The Office of Student Life oversees all activities of the New Student Orientation process, working with faculty to integrate the curricular and co-curricular elements of the experience.

The first day of New Student Orientation is also the first day of classes for First year students. The students will meet faculty and begin the work of meeting the Liberal Learning Outcomes.

During New Student Orientation students take a battery of tests or other assessments to establish baseline achievement levels in the six Liberal Learning areas. Scores on these assessments, as well as scores on ACT or SAT examinations, may result in required participation in skill building sessions or courses designed to increase performance in such core areas as writing, reading, or mathematics.

The Initial College Experience (ICE)

The First Year curriculum at the University of Charleston combines academic coursework with co-curricular and residential life activities to create a rich Initial College Experience (ICE).

The student begins his or her liberal arts education and the work of meeting Liberal Learning Outcomes through participation in two or more ICE classes over two semesters. Students generally participate in one ICE class in the fall semester and one ICE class in the spring semester. The ICE classes examine the foundations of the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Biological Sciences as well as build the student’s communication, and critical thinking skills. They also serve to orient students to the scholarly process.

Assignments in the ICE classes are designed to help students meet foundational requirements for achievement of Liberal Learning Outcomes. For example, writing assignments completed to standard are designed to fulfill the requirements for completion of the COMM 101 and COMM 102 Writing portfolios. Public speaking assignments address the requirements for most of the COMM 103 Fundamentals of Oral Communication portfolio, while a variety of assignments provide instruction and practice in the computer skills necessary for the BITS 101 Microprocessing Computer Skills portfolio and assessment. This course design makes it possible to accumulate a significant number of additional credits towards graduation during the First year, without registering for additional courses.

Mentors and Major Advisors

Incoming students are paired with a faculty mentor, who serves the student as an informed guide, as an advocate, and as a role model as long as he or she is enrolled, providing one continuous point of contact between the student and the institution. The group of incoming students assigned to any particular mentor each year comes together as a Mentoring Group, providing students one more way to capture the sense of belonging that contributes to academic success.

Incoming students who have declared a major are also assigned a major advisor who provides advice on appropriate coursework or other issues associated with a particular academic discipline or major field of study.  The major advisor will change if a student changes his or her major. If the student has not declared a major, the mentor serves as advisor until a choice is made.

University 101 & 102

UNIV 101 and UNIV 102 are one-credit courses designed to help students master the complexities of University life, understand the academic program, and deal with personal and social issues presented by a newly independent living status. Each student meets for one hour each week with his or her mentor, Mentoring Group, and a peer educator. Peer educators are student leaders selected to assist new students adjust to University life and connect with campus programs and co-curricular activities.

Completion of all UNIV 101 and 102 activities and assignments at standard provides students with written, spoken, and other work products that can be used to meet some portfolio requirements for completing Liberal Learning Outcomes.

Living/Learning Communities

Residential First year students live with or near other members of his or her Mentoring Group. This approach cements friendships, creates a support system for students when they have questions about class assignments, and provides a vehicle for students to continue discussions of important topics that begin in the classroom.

Some of the workshops and co-curricular activities required of students take place in the residence halls, moving learning from the classroom to the living space. Non-residential students are integrated into these communities through participation in these activities.

Co-Curricular Activities

The Office of Student Life and various campus organizations offer a variety of experiences that support the academic program. Participation in some of these activities may be required for particular courses or programs of study. In some cases, significant participation may be used as evidence that a student has demonstrated one or all of the competencies for a particular Liberal Learning Outcome.

A Typical First Year Schedule

The First Year’s strong introduction to the liberal arts is accompanied by introductory coursework in the academic discipline or major field. The specific classes will vary from major to major, but a typical schedule will look like the one below.

Fall Semester Credit Spring Semester Credit
ICE Class                 3 or 4               ICE Class              3 or 4
UNIV 101                 1                      UNIV 102               1
Course in Major       3                      Course in Major     3
LLO course              3                      LLO Course            3
Course in Major       3                      Course in Major     3
Total                        13 or 14          Total                       12 or 14

As explained above, the University of Charleston’s curriculum makes it highly probable that students will earn additional credits during the First year without registering for additional coursework. The student can start work on some of these credits before arriving on campus.
Possible Additional First Year Credits

Fall Semester Credit Spring Semester Credit
COMM 101 Portfolio            3         COMM 102 Portfolio            3
BITS 101 Portfolio               3         COMM 103 Portfolio            3
                                                      GNST 102 Ethics Module     1
Total                                   6                   Total                         7

COMM 101 and 102 Portfolios are English composition portfolios.
COMM 103 Portfolio is an oral communication (speech) portfolio.
BITS 101 requires demonstration of computer skills.
GNST 102 is a set of experiences delivered in UNIV 102 that acquaint students with the traditional theories of ethical decision making.

Assignments in all ICE classes and in UNIV 101 & 102 are focused on helping students complete as many portfolios and assessments as possible. It is also possible to use written, spoken, or computing assignments from courses in the major to complete these portfolios. The motivated student has the opportunity to complete up to 44 credits in his or her First year, instead of the 30 credits usual at other institutions.