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The First-Year Experience curriculum is designed for high school students who are coming in to Western,

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 and we want to help them transition the best way possible.

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We introduce them to resources on campus that will help them succeed,

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not just for their first year, but for their entire time here.

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The way that First-Year Experience works is a student chooses a class based on a theme.

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There are themes like educational living in a multicultural setting, or telling successful habits of a college student.

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Or for instance, in my class we're focusing on blogging for belonging.

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They're learning how to write appropriately for particular audiences.

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They're learning to use writing as a mode of learning and discovery, and those are so important as college students.

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I really enjoyed my FYE writing class

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because it gave me the skills I needed as an education major to become a better teacher and writer.

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I would definitely recommend FYE classes to other freshmen because it was my fun class and I met a lot of really cool

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people, especially my professors who I know will be there for me throughout the rest of my college career.

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At the end of the FYE course, all students participate in the Symposium.

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Our students come together and share their work.

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It's their first time to publicly kind of show the results of 10 weeks of really hard work.

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It's an exciting time for the students. It makes them feel confident.

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It's kind of a nice launching point into the next term.

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Everybody leaves pretty happy.

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I love teaching First-Year Experience because I love working with freshmen.

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We want to make a difference in individuals' lives.

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They're going to feel like they matter.

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They're not a number when they take this course.