Who is a First Year Student?

A first year student is any student who is in his or her first year of college, including First Time in Any College (FTIAC) and Freshman Transfer (FT) students.  Freshman Transfer students are those who have successfully completed fewer than 30 college credits at any college prior to transferring to Lawrence Tech.

 The First Year Programs Office supports a number of programs to help first year students successfully complete their first year of college.

First Year Advocacy:  The First Year Programs Coordinator is the advocate for first year students and the point person for both first year students and their parents when there are questions or concerns.  Nearly half of the First-Year students and/or their parents interact with the Coordinator in an average school year.

First Year Advising:  Each first year student is connected to a faculty member for academic advising.  In the first year, the First Year Programs Office handles this process.  Also, all students at LTU are linked to their advisors in an advising Web site.

First Year Mentor Program:  Each first year student is connected to a returning Lawrence Tech student.  Mentors meet the first year students at Discovery, stay in contact with them for the first year and are valuable resources.

Early Feedback:  About the 4th week into the semester first year students receive feedback on their academic progress. Studies have shown that early intervention helps students in their academic success.
Midterm Grades:  Midterm grades are mailed to first year students at their permanent addresses at roughly the 10th week of the fall and spring semesters.  They are also posted on Banner Web, an LTU specific Web site. (Final grades are not mailed home but are available on Banner Web; copies can be requested from the Registrar's Office.)

Parent Communication:  The First Year Student Coordinator communicates with parents of first year students under the age of 21 several times over the course of the first year.  Letter topics include identifying the First Year Programs Office as a resource for parents and notifying the parents that midterm grades have been posted.

University Seminar: This is a freshman seminar course. The goal of this course is to integrate our first year students into the Lawrence Tech community and provide them with the skills needed to succeed and develop as responsible students and citizens.

Other programs that are part of Lawrence Tech's First Year Experience:

• Orientation and Registration (O&R) - held in summer in preparation for the first year.

• Discovery - a welcome program for first year students just prior to the start of classes. Discovery Days take place during the two days before classes start.

Contact Information:

Gladys Avilés, First Year Programs Coordinator (aviles@ltu.edu)
Phone: 248.204.4126
Fax: 248.204.2018
Email: firstyear@ltu.edu