• Mission & Organization
• First Year Experience
  • A Message from the Dean
  • Great Problems Seminars (GPS)
  • Project-based Learning Community
  • Insight Program
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• A Message from the Dean
• Great Problems Seminars (GPS)
• Project-based Learning Community
• Insight Program
• Student Project Gallery
• Resources
• Contacts

First Year Experience

The transition from living at home and attending high school to living on your own and managing college classes is a big one for many students.  This makes the first year of college different from the rest, and WPI's Office of the First Year helps you make the transition successful and enjoyable.  Entering and first-year students participate in several activities and programs:

Before the first year begins

After accepting WPI's offer of admission, but before your first term class meets, you will take part in several activities to get yourself ready for college:

• Great Beginnings:  This is a one day visit to get acquainted with the campus and to begin planning your academic program. Find out more....
• Designs:  An interactive, web-based program guides new students in selecting courses for the fall terms. Find out more...
• New Student Orientation: In the week before classes begin, students settle into the residence halls.  Students meet their Insight Advising team (Faculty Advisor, upper-class Community Advisor and Residence Advisor) to start getting connected to the WPI community. You will participate in activities ranging from the purely social to academic designed to make this an exciting and fun time for new students.

The first year at WPI

During your first year at WPI, and particularly in the fall semester (A and B terms), special programs for first year students assist in the transition to college:

• Insight:  Academic advising at WPI begins in a very personal way with specially chosen and trained faculty and upper-class students working with groups of 20-25 new students in their living groups.  Read more…
• Great Problems Seminars: These provide opportunities to get involved in project work in your first terms at WPI.  Each Great Problems Seminar focuses on a theme of current global importance, ranging from energy to food to healthcare. Read more…
• Project-Based Learning Communities (PLC):  This program replaces traditional-format classes with a learning community of about 25 students and three faculty, all of whom study together for the fall terms of the first year.  Read more…

 

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Last modified: April 15, 2008 09:32:52