The First Year Experience (FYE) is a 4-credit academic program designed to introduce traditional first-year students to the academic, cultural, and social life of the college.  This program is designed to help students become more aware of their strengths, promote academic success and campus engagement, and foster meaningful relationships between students, faculty, and staff. 

Components of the First Year Experience

The components of the required First Year Experience are as follows:  First-Year Seminar , College Life (CCC 101) ,and Exploring Your Future (CCC 102).  A First Year Experience Mentor is paired with each section of CCC 101 and 102, and the instructor, mentor and students remain a cohort through both CCC 101 and CCC 102.  Tying the year together are “First-Year Fridays,” which is a set of events that take place on Fridays throughout the academic year, designed to enhance students’ academic success, personal growth, and social engagement. 

The First-Year Seminar is a 3 credit course taken in the fall semester. It introduces students to a variety of topics that illuminate the value of the liberal arts as an approach to thinking about the world and our place within it.  The seminar helps students to develop the ability to think critically and independently and to write, reason and communicate clearly, all essential skills for college success.  First-Year Seminars are taught by faculty across academic disciplines in small class settings, where students can engage with a particular topic, as well as with the professor and their peers.  The FYS provides students with the opportunity to explore important issues, gather and evaluate evidence, and further develop their ideas through writing and discussion

CCC 101 College Life is a .5 credit course taken in the fall semester concurrently with the First Year Seminar. CCC 102 Exploring Your Future is a .5 credit course taken in the spring. Both courses are college success courses designed to increase student engagement with the campus community, support academic success, increase student wellness, and assist with changes in direction and academic difficulty.

Successful completion of the FYE curriculum is required for First-time, First-Year Traditional students who matriculate at Cedar Crest in the Fall semester. Students are required to complete the FYE by the end of their first year at Cedar Crest, which may include opportunities to repeat FYE courses during the first year. To successfully complete the FYE, grades of C- or higher are required in each course. 

FYS, CCC 101, and CCC 102 are assigned grades of A through C, EC (Earned Credit) or NC (No Credit). Grades of EC will be assigned in lieu of C-, D+, or D grades. EC (Earned Credit) grades do not impact the GPA but do count as earned credits. A grade of NC (No Credit) will be assigned in lieu of F grades. NC grades do not impact the GPA and do not count as earned credits.  

Students who do not earn a grade of C- or higher in FYS, CCC 101, or CCC 102 by the end of their first year at Cedar Crest are required to successfully complete CSS 150: Becoming a Master Student with a grade of C- or better in order to graduate. Students who are required to complete CSS 150 are encouraged to do so by the end of their second year.  

Cedar Crest College FYE Core: 1 credit

CCC 101 College Life .5 credits
CCC 102 Exploring Your Future .5 credits

First-Year Seminar: 3 credits

FYS 101 An Introduction to the Psychology of Sleep: A Course for College Students 3 credits
FYS 106 A “Novel” Approach to Science 3 credits
FYS 110 The Psychedelic Sixties 3 credits
FYS 112 The Outsider in Film and Fiction 3 credits
FYS 115 Initiate Through Art 3 credits
FYS 117 Coming of Age in a Complex World 3 credits
FYS 120 Finding our Voice: Women in Politics 3 credits
FYS 126 Age of Protest 3 credits
FYS 127 #LoveYourSelfie 3 credits
FYS 135   Women in Popular Music 3 credits
FYS 140   The Fascinating Role of Epidemics in the History of the United States 3 credits
FYS 141 – Apocalypse and Dystopia in Film and Literature 3 credits
FYS 142 – Science Talk: Science controversy and communication in the misinformation age 3 credits

Alternate Curriculum: 2 credits

CSS 150 Becoming a Master Student 2 credits