First-Year Experience
We start building community before you get to campus.
Starting college is a new and exciting experience, and through this transition, you’ll have an entire support system in place from day one. Whether you need help picking out classes, deciding what to major in, or if you’re missing home, Hopkins meets you where you’re at with a variety of resources.
Student Transitions and Family Engagement (STFE), comprised of New Student Orientation, First-Year Experience, Second-Year Experience, and Family Engagement, helps facilitate a smooth and successful transitional experience for all students and their families to the Homewood campus! This includes First-Year Students, Transfer Students, and family members. Through meaningful newsletters, webinars, programs, and initiatives, STFE serves as your guide in navigating Hopkins’ resources, from academics to campus engagement and beyond.
For the Early Birds: Pre-Orientation
“Pre-O” is a program for students who can’t wait to start meeting other first-years or explore Baltimore. From outdoor expeditions and service trips to programs hosted in Charm City about film or sustainability, you’ll get your fill of new friends and thrills.
Home Sweet Home: Orientation
Community is everything to us, and orientation is when we first come together at Homewood. Whether its bonding with your fellow Blue Jays, learning about the resources and opportunities available to you here, or exploring our great city, we have fun and engaging events planned for you to get to know your new home.
As you’re making the transition to college, so is your family. Please visit Family Engagement for information about our Hop on Board Webinar series for students and families, and the Blue Jay Family Connection, a resource for Hopkins families.
Your Personal Guide: First-Year Mentors
First-Year Mentors (better known as FYMs) support new students in their first semester to provide peer mentorship, community, and smooth integration into campus life.
Transfer student orientation
A warm and welcoming community awaits all our Blue Jays. We have specific programs to connect transfer students with one another and adjust to life at Hopkins.
THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
First-Year Seminars
The First-Year Seminars (FYS) program welcomes students to the campus community and takes them straight to the heart of what we do: discuss big ideas, explore new concepts, and develop novel solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.
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Common Question
Each year, we pose a question that brings first-year students together with peers and faculty to start a dialogue. Through sources from creative, scientific, and humanistic perspectives, the Common Question encourages curiosity, expansive thinking, and open-minded engagement across disciplines.
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Advising Network
Our advisors provide students with the tools and guidance they need to achieve their full academic potential. From drop-in hours to student roadmaps, our resources can help you make the most of your studies at Hopkins.
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Housing & Dining
Learn about where our students live and eat. Our residence halls and on-campus dining program create an environment where students want to socialize, gather, and build community.
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Student Organizations
You can get involved in 430+ student-led organizations with everything from a comedy a cappella group to a blacksmithing club.
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Total Student Support
Your success in all areas—mental, emotional, physical, social, and academic—is important to us. Guidance from trained staff is available as well as peer-to-peer support depending on your level of comfort.
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