St. Lawrence University is a top four-year liberal arts college located in the village of Canton in Saint Lawrence County, New York
The First-Year Program (FYP) at St. Lawrence is one of the oldest living/learning programs for first year students in the country. Over the past 22 years, the program has evolved to help students make a successful transition from high school to college, both academically and socially and is a cornerstone of the St. Lawrence experience. Residential colleges are the heart of the FYP. In their first semester, students live in one of 18 residential colleges with all of the other students enrolled in their FYP course. This interdisciplinary, team-taught course focuses on a topic of broad interest, and is one of the four courses that first year students take in the fall.
In the spring semester of their first year, our students continue to work on developing their communication skills by enrolling in a First-Year Seminar (FYS). Although these seminars are not residentially-based, they are small, thus allowing students to build close relationships with another group of students and with another faculty member. Students who wish to enroll in the seminar taught by their Fall FYP seminar instructor/advisor are guaranteed a spot in this seminar. The spring courses cover a wide range of topics, whether through interdisciplinary or disciplinary study.