The First-Year Success Program (FYSP) is required for students admitted on a provisional basis. It features a comprehensive set of support services designed to foster academic and personal success during the first semester of college.
How Does it Work?
Students are notified of their participation in the First-Year Success Program (FYSP) through their acceptance letter from Pitt-Johnstown. During the summer, students receive additional information about the program, including their FYSP contract and fall semester to-do list, and have the opportunity to meet with the Academic Success Center counselors during Academic Planning Days. Throughout the fall semester, students will meet regularly with their academic counselors, who closely monitor progress, provide support, and refer students to campus resources. The academic counselor’s primary goal is to understand the student as an individual and to tap into his or her strengths to develop a plan for success. In most cases, a close relationship is established between the student and academic counselor, who becomes the “go-to” person for the student.
What Are the Program Requirements?
- Participation in CAS 1917: Foundations of Learning
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This 3-credit course examines the academic and psychosocial components of effective college learning. Students will explore their identities as learners and build skills to maximize their academic potential. CAS 1917 is intended for freshmen or sophomores and is a requirement for students participating in FYSP.
- Participation in Bi-Weekly Meetings with ASC Academic Counselor
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Each FYSP Participant will be assigned to and meet with an ASC Academic Counselor at the same time every other week. When scheduling these appointments, we will take into consideration the student’s academic schedule, as well as any other obligations, such as sports practices, work schedules, etc. During these meetings, we will discuss your classes and assignments, as well as ways to utilize your strengths and improve upon your weaknesses to maximize your first-semester performance.
- Participation in Bi-Weekly Meetings with Mentor for Academic and Personal Success (MAPS)
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Each FYSP Participant will also be assigned a peer mentor to meet with every other week, when he/she is not meeting with an academic counselor (the student meets with an academic counselor one week and then a peer mentor the next week). During these meetings, FYSP participants and their peer mentors will discuss strategies to help them succeed in their first semester at Pitt-Johnstown as well as their entire academic career. Students and mentors may discuss topics such as time management, organization, note-taking, mindset, as well as the ins and outs of being a student at Pitt-Johnstown.
- Participation in Minimum of Five Study Hours Per Week
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It is crucial that you develop strong study habits in your first semester of college. By requiring FYSP participants to complete study hall hours outside of their dorm rooms, we hope to introduce students to the various locations on campus that are conducive to deep concentration and healthy study habits. FYSP students can complete study hours in the Academic Success Center or Owen Library.
- Participation in ASC Tutoring Support Services
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All students are required to use some type of Tutoring Support Services. We offer a wide variety of tutoring options for students because every student’s needs are different. FYSP Participants will work with their academic counselors to determine which type(s) of tutoring will most benefit them. This program requirement is completely individualized.
This Program Works!
FYSP participants consistently outperform much of the general first-year student population in the first semester at Pitt-Johnstown. We believe much of the success of our students is linked to the intrusive nature and high level of accountability of the program. Students benefit from the highly structured environment — creating an important bridge from high school to college. In addition, a high correlation exists between program component compliance and academic achievement.