First-Year Connections

"My FYC seminar classes provided me with a cohesive transition from high school to college as I made connections with other first year students who had similar interests and worked closely with faculty members who continue to provide invaluable guidance in my academic pursuits. My education at Hofstra University has been superior and memorable because of programs like FYC."

-Ashley Rothbart, Class of 2013

Get Connected!

Your first year of college is a time of exciting changes and dramatic transitions. Hofstra's first-year seminars and clusters are designed to get your college experience off to a great start. At the heart of the program are small classes taught by distinguished faculty in areas of interest ranging from art to writing. Not only will these courses introduce you to the intellectual and social life of the University, but — even if you are undecided about a major — nearly all of them will also help you satisfy the general education requirements for all majors. These are regular undergraduate courses, but they are reserved for first-year students only, so once you've looked over this brochure, please log in to the Hofstra portal (My.Hofstra.edu) and give us your preferences.

First-year options: Seminars and Clusters fall 2013

Seminars:
With small class sizes, first-year seminars allow you to interact in a small setting and connect with a faculty member who may become your major advisor, depending on what major you choose. We've tried to design seminars to fit every interest, from jazz to film to legal studies to computing.

Clusters:
First-year clusters are usually three courses grouped around a common theme. For example, cluster F1, "The Psychology of Everyday Life," contains psychology, philosophy and English composition courses; F7, Cluster F7 includes courses in the plays of Shakespeare, English Composition and drama; and so on. By taking a few courses with the same group of students, you'll make friends more quickly, form study groups, and come to feel at home on a large campus.

Living Learning Communities
Several of the first-year clusters and seminars are linked to "Living/Learning Communities" or LLC's. Residential students enrolled in these clusters and seminars may choose to live together in an LLC in the Netherlands First-Year Complex. The LLC's are devoted to particular themes. They allow students to live and study together with students having common interests. Check back in a few months to see more about LLC's. When an LLC icon appears next to a seminar or cluster, it means that offering is linked with a Living Learning Community. Students who choose LLC's are given some priority for Netherlands housing.

It’s All About New York City
When you look over the seminars and clusters, you'll notice that many of them involve activities in New York City. We want all our students — especially our first-year students — to be comfortable getting in and out of the city. To that end, seminar and cluster faculty accompany their students on related events in New York City. Thus, students in music, dance and drama courses attend performances; science students visit museums and laboratories; and politics students attend lectures by expert speakers, visit government offices, etc. In essence, all these courses will help you navigate the city and make it your own.

Why Enroll in a First-Year Seminar or Cluster?
First-year seminars and clusters help you move closer to graduation. The first-year seminars and clusters satisfy general education and liberal arts requirements which all Hofstra students must fulfill. For this reason, they are appropriate for you whether you have a major in mind or are undecided. In fact, even if you switch majors, these courses will still satisfy the same graduation requirements.

Time to Choose!
Please take some time to look over your first-year options. Later on, you'll be able to log into the Hofstra portal (My.Hofstra.edu) and choose your preferences. When you do, you can express your top three choices in any order; for example, two clusters and a seminar, or two seminars and a cluster. We can't always guarantee your first choice of seminar or cluster, but we can generally enroll you in one of the top three you indicate.

Then, when you attend one of the summer orientation sessions, you'll sit down with an advisor and complete the rest of your fall schedule. At that time you're welcome to change to a different first-year seminar or cluster, or choose different courses altogether. If you have questions about fall courses now or at any time, simply call the Center for University Advisement at 516-463-7222 or 516-463-6770.