Trans-
ition to college
Meet Four First – Year Students
Read about first-year students who learn who they are in their first year. Find the story at www.plu.edu/freshmanprofiles.
Aaron Ledesma
says he’s more conservative than many of his peers, but he’s proud he left his shyness back in Brewster, Wash.
Kristina Ufer
found she can be independent, even though she moved across town, and her family attends church near PLU.
Asha Ajmani
of Los Gatos, Calif., planned to study science but decided she might be more interested in art and languages.
Ronan Rooney
came to PLU from the tiny Alaskan town of Wrangell and developed a passion for helping the less fortunate.
The First-Year Experience consists of courses, seminars, excursions and retreats that will help you make the transition to college-level study. The two main required classes are the Writing Seminar and the First-Year Inquiry Seminar. The program is structured to provide a nurturing, supportive learning environment to help students adjust to the rigors of college and find direction in life. And, as is always the case at PLU, the classes are small, providing maximum interaction with professors and classmates.
The First-Year Program trains students to analyze thought-provoking issues and to communicate more effectively as writers, speakers and listeners.
The First-Year Writing Seminars are focused on compelling themes – such as “Dreams,” “Animal Rights” and “Understanding Evolution.” The Inquiry Seminars will help you transfer the skills you’ve developed into a specific academic discipline, such as history, chemistry or communication.
Most universities don’t place this much emphasis on educating the whole student. That’s just one of the many ways PLU is different – we know that it is not enough to train you for a job, we want to prepare you for life.
