First-Year Experience

The 'what' is even easier to answer.

• develop a deep and lasting relationship with the faculty member teaching the Scribner Seminar that you select, a faculty member who will also serve as your mentor and advisor until you declare a major;
• build an intellectual and social relationship with other members of your Seminar, with whom you’ll live in close proximity—thus ensuring that these relationships extend beyond the classroom;
• gain an introduction to how Skidmore thinks about the liberal arts and encourage your own critical and interdisciplinary inquiry;
• enhance your writing and communication skills;
• take advantage of the assistance of peer mentors — upperclass students who function as informal advisors and role models, and often live nearby in the residence halls;
• and benefit from an in-depth and coordinated program of residential-life activities and events, many focused on themes introduced in the Seminars.