Academic Year Programs
During your first year at Rochester, you will have an abundance of opportunities to help you shape your experience at Rochester and beyond.
Ever Better Beginnings
The choices for both academic and co-curricular programs at the University are endless. Ever Better Beginnings introduces you to University resources through relevant and timely events and activities and provides guidance on how to navigate the many opportunities available, both on- and off-campus.
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First-year exploratory courses
There is a wide range of courses, especially designed for first-year students, to help you explore a wide breadth of academic interests and expose you to thoughts, ideas, and disciplines you may not have considered. They include:
CASC 104: Designing Your Life
Don't know what you want to do with your life? Or maybe you do but don't know how to get there? No matter what stage you are at or what interests you have, CASC 104 shows you all the exploratory tools available at Rochester and teaches you how to make use of them to test out your interests and meet your aspirations! Join career center advisors in this fun and relaxed eight-week course that can be applied to your academics, career, and many other aspects of your life. Open to all class years. Exact start and end dates, as well as course location will be communicated in advance by the instructor.
CASC 142: Strategies for Academic Success
This workshop-style course will help you establish good study habits and hone your study skills. It is designed to help you sharpen your time management, note-taking, exam-preparation, and other skills and strategies, as well as work on increasing motivation and dealing with stress, so that you get the most out of your college career.
CASC 170: International Student Success Seminar
Through this course, you will explore campus, community, and American culture, enhance your intercultural competence, and build academic skills to improve your success in the American classroom. You will compare cultures through a variety of readings, in class discussions, blogs and outside class activities. Topics include verbal and non-verbal communication, education systems, ethics, relationships, perception, beliefs, values, and norms.
CASC 202: Introduction to Community-Engaged Learning
This course examines the theory, practice, principles, and ethics of community-engaged learning through coursework, community immersion, readings, and guest speakers. You will engage in activities that highlight local community and University relationships and projects, and develop critical reflection methods to enhance learning for local and global impact.
This course is the first of three seminar courses designed for students interested in pursuing the Certificate of Achievement in Community-Engaged Learning. However, this is course is open to all students, even if they are not pursuing the Certificate program.
CASC 350: Rising Leader Class (fall semester only)
This two-credit course for first-year students is more than the study of leadership; it is designed to help you develop your own leadership style. The class involves activities that enhance personal development and the practice of leadership by helping you explore your own college transition process and learn how intentional leadership experiences can support your goals. You will work with upper-class mentors and in small groups to simultaneously help you adjust to campus life and develop leadership skills.
First-Year Fellows
Every first-year residence hall includes upperclass mentors called First-Year Fellows, that live among first-year residents. Fellows are trained to help ensure that the first-year experience is a safe and rewarding one for students, with their primary focus being academic support. They can assist you with your spring course registration, connect you with your personal librarian, and offer advice in general about academics at the University of Rochester. Additionally, they provide academic programs for their respective residence areas.
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