By: Faith Yoho

To acclimate new students to life at Wesleyan, first-year students are required to enroll in the First Year Experience Program.

The First Year Experience Program, or FYEX, is a program that aids first-year students at WVWC in immersing themselves into campus culture and better acclimating themselves to life at college. The program teaches them valuable skills, concepts, and lessons that they need to best prepare for success in college. Students are taught by a professor and a teacher’s assistant who are both there as resources for the students.

FYEX students are expected to attend classroom lectures twice a week and also attend communal meetings once a week. These communal meetings are intended to introduce students to valuable concepts and resources that will allow them to succeed at a liberal arts college. Communal meetings vary in subject and have covered topics from campus life to studying abroad. 

Students are also heavily encouraged to get involved on campus. FYEX students must complete two service opportunities and are also asked to attend multiple campus events. For example, students in Dr. Clever’s FYEX class and other FYEX classes were required to attend the organization fair to get to know what organizations are available on campus. 

Director of the FYEX program, Dr. Molly Clever, says, “The program addresses a lot of the shortcomings that we’re finding students have coming out of high school and the difficulty in transitioning to college.” She also mentions that post-covid, “students are lacking ‘soft skills,’ such as problem-solving skills, time management, how they approach their assignments, and interacting with their instructors and peers.” She hopes that the program can address these issues and instill these skills among students. 

First-year students have found and are finding the FYEX program to be very helpful to them. Current FYEX student and secretary for the freshman class, Grant Shumaker, says. “FYEX has allowed me to become more involved with the college as I am now a part of the freshman council.”

Former FYEX student, Megan Brozik, says, “I absolutely enjoyed FYEX. It helped me widen my perspective of college and how important my personal choices can be. It allowed me to realize how I need to be social around campus.”

With assignments such as their shared reader, a book that all first-year students are required to read, the FYEX program will continue to provide a common ground between first-year students. It doesn’t matter why they’re here or their background, this program is something that can build a bridge between them. The FYEX program will continue to be a valuable part of West Virginia Wesleyan’s general education program.