First Year Experience
As a new Franklin student, you will join the First Year Experience, a transition program designed to help you adjust to life at Franklin University Switzerland. This program introduces you to the University and supports your transition from secondary school or another institution.
The First Year Experience includes a variety of activities reflecting Franklin's liberal arts foundation and its multicultural, international academic environment. The specific components of the program vary based on your student profile (freshman, transfer student, or study abroad) and include the following:
New Student Orientation
Life at Franklin is a distinctive blend of American and European culture, and during Orientation, you will see what you need to succeed as a student while getting the most out of the experience of living in Europe.
Participation in all components of Orientation is mandatory. During Orientation, you will have the opportunity to meet other students, learn more about Franklin and what it means to live here, discuss your academic options with University advisors, and discover the services and resources that Franklin offers. Orientation information and activities are crucial to your success at Franklin.
The Undergraduate Spring Orientation will take place on campus between Wednesday, January 14 and Saturday, January 17. Throughout Orientation, students will meet other new students, get to know some of the people and resources that will be part of their Franklin experience, and register for courses. New students will be greeted by staff members and student leaders who work together to help make sure you have a strong start. We aim to help students feel prepared and informed and give them as solid of a start as possible!
First Year Seminars
New first-year students and transfer students with fewer than 30 credits are assigned a First Year Seminar, a three-credit, semester-long course that reflects the specific research interests of the Franklin faculty members who lead it. First-Year Seminars cultivate the fundamental critical and academic skills necessary for university success.
The instructor of your First Year Seminar will also serve as your Academic Advisor, and the seminar provides an opportunity for you and your classmates to get to know them. A student with expertise in the subject matter of your First Year Seminar is appointed by the faculty member as an Academic Mentor for the course. An Academic Mentor participates in each section of the First Year Seminar to help new students manage the opportunities and challenges of university-level coursework.
Academic Advising
If you are an incoming first-year student, your First-Year Seminar professor will also be your Academic Advisor. You will be able to work with your Academic Advisor both in and out of the classroom. Your Academic Advisor helps you choose courses and develop a full educational plan compatible with your academic and life goals.
Assignments in the First Year Seminars introduce you to academic resources, such as campus libraries, information technology (IT), and the Writing and Learning Center.
Academic Mentoring
Every first-year student enjoys the support of an Academic Mentor, a third—or fourth-year student who follows your First Year Seminar and provides academic assistance to the class. Professor Kate Roy coordinates the Academic Mentor program and provides students with direct support from their peers.