About

What We Do

The programs and activities that are part of your First Year Experience are designed to help you grow, learn and develop as a student.

We promote new student engagement and success at UofL by providing enriching curricular and co-curricular opportunities that help students develop fundamental skills, knowledge and personal connections essential from their first year through graduation.

Why We Do It

If you haven’t already discovered it, you will soon: you have almost endless opportunities and choices ahead of you here at UofL. The experience truly is what you make of it, and First Year Experience is all about helping you make it a great one. A fantastic college experience happens inside and outside of the classroom, and there are elements to each that are different from your previous high school or university.

To assist new students with the transition to UofL and through the first year as you grow and develop civically, academically, personally, and socially, First Year Experience provides programs and services centered on these five key aspects of your UofL experience: Community, Academics, Responsibility, Diversity and Service (CARDS).

Community
Facilitate each student’s connection and contribution to the richly diverse University of Louisville and surrounding communities.

Academics
Acclimate each student to the traditions, expectations and opportunities that boost academic experiences and promote key linkages from classrooms to real-world applications.

Responsibility
Provide programs and resources that support students in taking ownership of their wellbeing, personal development and collegiate experiences to increase their capacity for resilience.

Diversity
Introduce students to the wide array of opportunities available for involvement, support, exploration and understanding of individual ways of thinking and being.

Service
Enhance students’ ability to give back to the university, the community at large and their academic and career fields through service, leadership and research.