Graduating seniors from the William S. Hart Union High School District who have not yet enrolled in the College of the Canyons First Year Experience (FYE) program will have an additional opportunity to do so at the last FYE Cougar Day event, Friday June 18, on the college’s Valencia campus.

The college’s FYE program is designed to help incoming freshmen make the difficult transition from high school to college by preparing students for success during their first year of attendance at College of the Canyons.

According to recent studies, only 29 percent of freshmen attending two-year colleges nationally actually complete their degree within three years. However, many will never proceed past their first year of study.

With those statistics in mind, the college has developed the FYE program in an attempt to help reverse that trend.

“We’re trying to give students all the tools they need early in their college experience to ensure a positive start to their college career and hopefully encourage students to continue their studies,” said Audrey Green, COC associate vice president of academic affairs.

By enrolling in the year-and-half-long FYE program students will have access to helpful pre-entry outreach and orientation services conducted during the summer, a variety of ongoing academic and career exploration opportunities, various skill-building workshops and campus involvement activities, as well as participation in a year-long faculty/student mentor program.

Students enrolled in the program will also have access to a series of FYE designated English and general education courses in the fall semester of their first year. All FYE-designated courses are integrated with additional active learning and collaborative learning techniques used in the classroom, along with other learning techniques that will help students be more successful.

The faculty members assigned to instruct the FYE courses also serve as ongoing mentors to FYE students through the duration of the program.

As the first step to enrolling in the FYE program students should register for and attend the upcoming FYE Cougar Day event from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., Friday June 18.

The FYE program is only open to graduating seniors from the William S. Hart Union High School district, and space is limited.

Students who attend the Cougar Day event June 18, and subsequently enroll in the FYE program will then be invited back for a special FYE summer orientation in July in preparation for the college’s fall 2010 semester.

During the orientation session students will have the chance to meet with faculty, learn about specific majors and academic areas of interest, network with COC peer mentors and become more familiar with the campus and its many operations. A segment of the orientation will include information and tips for parents about how to support an adult student.

“Instead of the traditional online orientation we want the ability to talk with incoming freshmen face-to-face,” Green said. “By educating students and parents about what can be expected in a college classroom and helping them to identify an appropriate academic or career path, it’s our hope that students will go on to be more successful in all that they undertake.”