Entering the University of Wisconsin campus as freshmen is like stepping into a new universe. Gone are the days of home cooked meals and small high school classrooms. Instead, students are greeted by massive lecture halls, a sprawling campus community and the challenging college courses they were warned about in high school.
At UW, Counseling Psychology 125: The Wisconsin Experience eases first-year students into college life, offering a one-credit class with a small, 20-student maximum per section.
The idea of a first-year experience course is not unique to UW — 77% of universities offer first-year seminar courses, according to Inside Higher Ed. Of them, 47% require their freshmen to take a first-year experience course as a part of their graduation requirements. These courses most commonly focus on academic success strategies, awareness of campus resources and creating a sense of belonging, according to the report.
This data prompts a deep dive into what UW’s own first-year experience course entails. It is important to reflect on whether UW’s course is sufficient in promoting student success. The question of whether the university should require the course as a graduation requirement must also be considered.
A high impact seminar provides structured opportunities for reflection of self-regulated learning that takes place over the course of the semester in effort to help students discover more about their personal and professional identities, according to the Department of Education.
For UW senior Katie Kortbein, CP 125 fostered her interest in social justice and helped her find her voice on campus.
Engagement in political issues is a component of one’s civic duty and the opportunity for students to discover and use their voice in the midst of tumultuous state and campus politics is invaluable.
In CP 125, students engage in reflective learning through assignments like writing letters about their identities, beliefs and concerns. Throughout the semester, social justice and career exploration activities lead up to a final “My Wisconsin Experience” presentation.
Kortbein feels as though these components have helped her find her place on the UW campus. CP 125 helped her craft her resume, which landed her a research position and an internship in academic engagement.
A sense of belonging on the UW campus is both essential and not easy to come by. With the average Wisconsin high school class size of 514, enrolling in a college class size of over 8,000 students is undoubtedly overwhelming. Students accustomed to close-knit relationships with their teachers in small high school classrooms can easily lose themselves in lecture halls filled with hundreds of unfamiliar faces.
CP 125 offers students the chance to build close faculty relationships through one-on-one meetings, private letters, and a small 20-student class size, providing a supportive safety net. CP 125 instructor Caitlin Schaer said she has guided many students through personal crises by fostering strong trust.
CP 125 offers tailored sections for indigenous, international and minority students, providing a space to build community and explore campus life through their unique perspectives. With American Indian or Alaska Natives making up only 0.245% of the UW student population and facing a retention rate nearly 20% lower than non-underrepresented minorities, these sections offer vital support for underrepresented students.
Retention is also an issue that colleges are tackling for freshmen throughout the nation with their 15 to Finish campaign. At the UW campuses, 45% of freshmen do not complete enough credits their freshman year to graduate on time, according to the Universities of Wisconsin.
CP 125 supports freshman retention by offering emotional and community support along with practical skills like time management. Schaer also holds one-on-one meetings to help students explore professional goals and choose a major.
Ultimately, the university should continue to invest in and protect first-year safety networks such as CP 125. There have been many financial and political attacks on the UW System in past years. It is the university’s responsibility to its newest students to prioritize and protect the first-year seminar in the face of drastic budget cuts.
But, making CP 125 a graduation requirement may not be feasible. With over 8,000 freshmen, requiring it for all students would be logistically challenging. Prioritizing enrollment and retention for minority students is a more pressing need than a universal CP 125 mandate.
Instead, the university’s existing support channels, which are personalized to student interests and identities, should be areas of focus and investment. For instance, UW’s learning communities — such as the BioHouse Learning Community in Cole Residence Hall and the Multicultural Learning Community in Witte Residence Hall — offer first-year students a personalized academic experience right in their living space.
Theme communities are more focused on connecting students’ with similar backgrounds. Examples include Essence Theme Community in Witte Residence Hall, which connects students of the Black diaspora and pathway and students from lower-income households that are attending UW on scholarship programs.
The various modes — academic or residential — through which students can engage in first-year enrichment programs is unique and critical to building community and promoting retention.
UW must ensure that first-year students are made aware of these opportunities and have equitable access to them.
Aanika Parikh ([email protected]) is a junior studying molecular and cell biology and health policy.
