The University is committed to providing a first-year seminar to aid students in a successful transition to college. All incoming first-year students are expected to take a first-year seminar course during their first semester at FSU. Taking a first-year seminar course (known as a RAMS course) is a valuable part of the transition to college experience. It is a course that is designed to provide a foundation for success for first-year students in their first semester. Regardless of your academic experience in high school, all first-year students will find that being a college student is very different. There are new expectations to meet, policies to understand, resources to know, events to attend, friends to be made, responsibilities to have, living experiences to share, and/or commuting intricacies to learn. First-year seminar courses at FSU help new students balance these elements of college life.
Each first-year seminar course is capped at a maximum of 20 students per course, and pairs first-year students with a dedicated faculty member and a student Peer Mentor.
RAMS courses integrate material related to a successful transition to college with the academic content of the course, resulting in hands-on learning experiences. Each RAMS course has a thought-provoking thematic focus and is taught by a faculty member with expertise in the topic. The seminar style class structure provides an opportunity for students to form a connection with a faculty member during their first semester. These courses are meant to introduce students to the exciting world of academic inquiry while helping them adjust to college through guidance in topics such as study skills as well as an introduction to key terms, processes, and resources on campus. RAMS courses meet 4 hours per week. A student mentor is paired with each course and serves as a resource and guide for the transition to FSU, as well as offering academic assistance to students in the course.
