First Year Success

     This program is designed to help you become academically successful, socially integrated into the college environment, and in turn make you career and transfer ready.  

 Overview:

      The first year in college is critical to your academic success. It lays the foundation of your future academic endeavors. The First Year Success (FYS) program at Western Wyoming Community College will guide you through the transition from high school to college, and is fostered through campus involvement and support in academics. FYS connects new students to a community of faculty, professional staff, and peer mentors who will serve as partners in helping navigate the campus and connecting you to the Mustang experience, both academically and socially enabling you to be independent and a lifelong learner.

 The First Year Success class (HMDV 1005) is designed to:

  • Help you evaluate and improve study habits so that you are prepared for the rigors of college requirements
  • Review the ethical guidelines required for college success, including plagiarism and the proper citing of sources.
  • Create an environment where you can explore career choices and the academic requirements and skills necessary to pursue your career path.
  • Challenge you to analyze ideas from multiple perspectives and develop your own well-found opinions.
  • Teach you to identify what factors contribute to your motivation.
  • Outline all Western Wyoming Community College resources available to you on campus to help you along your journey

     Western Wyoming Community College recognizes that students face unique challenges as they begin their college education. Learning to balance a variety of factors is critical to the student's success. This course is designed to teach incoming students how to develop priorities, build organizational and study skills, enhance communication, take responsibility for their learning, understand resources available to them, and learn to positively balance thier commitments. Woven throughout the course are discussions and exercises related to reading, note taking, test taking an other success strategies.

 

 
  • Students meet a wide variety of Western Wyoming Community College instructors who present colloquia
  • Students are exposed to different majors and different career paths so they can make informed choices about their majors and careers
  • Colloquiums discuss current ideas in academia, so students become part of that academic discourse
  • Colloquiums are free and open to the public, so the wider community can be part of this academic discourse (and they make for a cheap date)
Western Wyoming Community College is committed to helping students achieve their goals. Institutions have had this program implemented for many years. Research shows this program increases the likelihood you, as a student, will graduate.  Several students first start college assuming the demands and social life are similar to high school, but they are not. The academic requirements and environment are different. This program provides the foundation and tools to help you be successful throughout your entire college experience, beyond Western Wyoming Community College.
All new, credit-earning students are required to participate in FYS. This includes full-time and part-time students. Also required for outreach students. Online sections are available.
You are considered a new student if you have not previously attended college. This excludes dual/concurrent work. 
 No. Only new students are required to participate in FYS. Transfer students are exempt if they have completed 32 credit hours.
 Lecture, group discussion, guest instructors, articles, and additional mediums will be used. Instruction and reading of assigned material followed by a variety of discussions and activities emphasizing the skills learned will be usual class procedure. Class discussion, group presentation and assignments will be used to allow students to acquire necessary skills and strategies to be successful in all endeavors as a student at Western Wyoming Community College.
 As an ESL student, you will participate in FYS after you complete all levels of ESL.
 If you do not complete one or more of your FYS requirements, then a hold will be placed on your student record, preventing you from registering in the future. Failure to complete FYS will result in your inability to graduate. A “C” or better is required in FYS in order to graduate.  
 The grade for the success seminar is pass/no –pass. If you do not pass the FYS you will receive a registration hold. You must retake the course.
 The FYS class is a one-credit course. Tuition is charged for the class and it is eligible to be covered by federal financial aid.

 

“As a first-year college student I benefited a lot from the first-year success class. I didn’t think it was going to be worth it, but it has taught me a lot about college and we have done interesting activities. Studying is a big skill that students should focus on and master early on in college. Time management is another big one. Creating enough time for homework and studying is very important. Having a good attitude towards school is a good skill I personally think is good to master. It is one I struggle with so I always try to remind myself to have a positive attitude.”

 

“This isn’t high school. Avoid procrastination as much as possible. It’s easy to put work off then become overwhelmed. You need to be open, and ask questions in order to gain knowledge.”
“In this class I learned time management, problem solving, and critical thinking. Study time is essential because tests in class and online, require a lot of new material to be learned. Time management is important because poor timing can ruin your work ethic and class scores. Critical thinking is needed to solve on-the-spot problems when learning new material and for practicing learning abilities.”
“Go to different campus events. You meet a lot of new people and make new friends while having a good time. Reach out to people in your classes and set up study groups to make your school work more enjoyable. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it no matter what it is. There are a ton of people on campus that are happy to help out.
“Do not be afraid to be the last one done. Trust your work and spend a little more time checking your work. Also make friends, because friends may have already taken a subject and can help you, as well as help relieve stress. Finally, do not fall behind. Schedule your week out and plan to get projects and assignments done by a certain point in the week, so that you do not fall behind.”
“Prioritize and make time for studying, and definitely make sure you get enough sleep. Studying will help your grades in the long run, and if you don’t sleep enough, it affects your learning. You also need to be able to communicate with your professors, and be able to know when to ask for help. If you are struggling, it is okay to ask someone. No one will judge you”

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Western is an award-winning college in both our on-campus and distance learning programs. We believe our students come first, and your success is our #1 priority. Our motto says it best: “Enter with passion, leave with purpose”. Let us help you on your path to success!

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