Welcome First Year Falcons!
As a first-year student, you’re bound to have questions about your new life at Felician University. You know you’re an accepted student — so where do you go from here?
Here, you will find goals, action items and resources that will help you navigate your first year at Felician and beyond. Our goals are not for you alone – they are for your faculty, staff and community members too!
No matter how you define success, we are here to support your journey and guide you every step of the way. With the right tools, unwavering support, and expert guidance, we’ll help you embark on your path, navigate challenges, stay on track, achieve your unique goals and help you transform from a student to a success story!
If you have any questions, please reach out to us at FYE@felician.edu.
Goals
- To cultivate a sense of belonging, purpose, and connection for first-year students and their families by creating opportunities for engagement through both academic and co-curricular activities, while also promoting family involvement and support.
- Develop a comprehensive success plan by combining effective academic strategies, faith-based reflections, and active community involvement.
- Facilitate a seamless transition into university life, promoting both intellectual and spiritual development throughout the entirety of the students’ academic journey.
Learning Outcomes
- Build community and ease the transition to college through engaging and inclusive support services, programs, and events
- Develop effective study habits, time management and academic strategies for college success.
- Develop foundational skills for students to help students utilize career resources, begin career exploration, and understand the career requirement of experiential learning in Gen Ed
- Identify and utilize University resources to empower self-advocacy
- Understand and apply the Felician Franciscan mission through participation in academic and co-curricular activities.
- Demonstrate an understanding of their academic advising resources, including how to effectively communicate with their advisors, locate degree requirements, and develop a plan for academic success.
1. Give Yourself Time!
Everything is new – your classes, your friends, your room, your environment. Settling in and feeling comfortable will take time. Give yourself the time and space you need to feel comfortable with your new schedule and surroundings. We will support you every step of the way.
2. Explore
Exploring is exciting! Join a club, sign up for an activity, walk the downtown area, get to know your way around both campuses. Embrace the free time to explore your new home away from home and discover what it has to offer you as a student and as a member of the community!
3. Embrace Your Individuality
Everyone is in the same boat as you – trying to find their way and learn more about themselves, but everyone is also different. Embrace what makes you unique and our Falcon community so special!
4. Find ‘Home’
Comfort is different for everyone. Take time to find the spaces, places and people that support you, surround you and interest you. It’s okay to leave things behind and build a new ‘nest’ as you grow into this exciting stage of your life.
5. Mingle
With new friends, faculty and staff. Create the foundation to build long-term relationships with your advisor, your professors and your classmates that will serve to help you navigate through your journey here at Felician. We cannot stress this one enough and will provide the tools you need to build and strengthen your foundation.
6. Self Care
Just saying, “take care of yourself” is an understatement. Being a student is stressful. To perform at your best, you need to be rested and healthy. Exercise, eat well, rest and seek help if you are not well. Pushing yourself too hard won’t do anything but knock you down, so listen to your body and take care of yourself both physically and mentally.
7. Ask For Help
Ask for it often and ask for it from everyone. This is a big change from high school, so don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself if you need help on an assignment, need an extension, are dealing with a personal issue. There are support systems all around you that are ready and willing to lend a helping hand. That’s why we are here!
8. Make an Effort
Invest in yourself and your success every day. Showing up for yourself is the most important and satisfying thing you can add to your to do list. Booker T. Washington once said, “Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” So embrace the hard work and be proud of the effort you make every day, even the small things.
9. Be Flexible and Open to Change
You came here with a plan, but sometimes, things don’t go as planned. Being adaptable and open to change will be one of your most valuable assets in life and in your career. You may want to switch your major, change your schedule, find a job, or even just change your study habits. Be open to new pathways that will allow you to get on the path to success.
10. Review Your To Do List
Take the first step that will help you grow from a student to a success story.
Use this QR code to visit our First Year Student Experience page online and find out more about the goals and learning outcomes we have created just for you and what you need to know about new student orientation. We are committed to setting you up for success from your first year here and beyond!
Resources
Check out these links to find out more about your placement tests, on-campus resources, and steps you need to take if you are an admitted student!
Contact Information
Student Accounts
Phone: 201.559.6045
Email: studentaccounts@felician.edu
Financial Aid
Phone: 201.559-6010
Email: finaid@felician.edu