First-Year Experience

What is the First-Year Experience?

We know that college will be life-changing and mind-expanding. As such, Student Affairs staff are dedicated to championing student success. In collaboration with many campus partners, we strive to create meaningful experiences and offerings that expand and deepen our students’ First-Year Experience (FYE).  FYE supports all incoming students, including transfers, both inside and beyond the classroom, throughout their transition and initial year at Hopkins.

Below, you will find the many campus-wide initiatives that comprise FYE at Hopkins.

Hop on Board Summer Webinar Series

The Hop on Board Webinar Series is our pre-arrival onboarding experience for incoming students and their families. This series of webinars was designed to provide helpful context, information, and resources, and to allow new members of the Blue Jay community to ask questions.

New Student Orientation

New Student Orientation, affectionately known to our students as O-Week, is our required multi-day program that prepares new students for the college experience at Hopkins.

Pre-Orientation

Pre-Orientation includes our optional set of programs that take place before New Student Orientation, giving first-year students the opportunity to connect with a small group of peers around a shared area of interest.

First-Year Mentors

First-Year Mentors (FYMs) help our newest Blue Jays feel connected to the Hopkins community, find their people, and engage with resources, while having peer mentor support. FYMs are key in providing new students with insight into being a Hopkins student and the tools needed to thrive during their first year. Through meaningful engagement and activities, FYMs are here to help create a welcoming, inclusive, and robust First-Year Experience.

First-Year Foundation (KSAS only)

First-Year Foundation (Krieger Arts and Sciences students only) is a required two-course sequence—First-Year Seminar in fall and First-Year Writing in spring—delivering a sense of intellectual rigor and community in the first year of college, foundational skills essential to future success, and closer ties between faculty and undergraduate students.