Programs

Who We Are

A classroom of first-year students participating in the FYSEP pre-orientation program, seated at desks with laptops open, attentively facing two presenters at the front of the room.

Kicking off the college journey with the FYSEP pre-orientation program!

  • Established in the fall of 2009 as a student-led year-long mentorship program
  • Connects first-year students with trained upper-level mentors and campus resources
  • Currently comprised of students, mentors and mentees, friends and peers, staff, faculty, and even alumni, who come together to enrich each other's Dartmouth experience
  • Thanks to alumni funding, currently exists as a four-week summer program before the fall of students' first year

Program Details

FYSEP provides a rigorous, dynamic, and transformative experience that puts participants in a position to thrive at Dartmouth academically and socially. 

The program offers:

  • sample classes with Dartmouth faculty 
  • workshops
  • activities
  • seminars

all designed to simulate life at Dartmouth and to prepare participants to handle some of the challenges they may face during the course of their first year. Through a four-week pre-orientation program and ongoing support, FYSEP students gain a broad array of understandings and skills designed to help them make the most of their experiences inside and outside of the classroom.
 

27fysepmarsh

Marshmallow challenge! 
Photo by Jay Davis

FG/LI students receive invitations in the late spring to participate at the end of the summer, prior to the required New Student Orientation for all incoming students. We encourage students who are not invited to the program to take full advantage of New Student Orientation and utilize the Undergraduate Deans' Office, the Office of Pluralism and Leadership, the Academic Skills Center, and Dartmouth's many peer-mentoring programs.

Students Learn: 

  • To thrive in Dartmouth's academic landscape.
  • To use campus resources to support them in their personal lives.
  • To utilize the unique support network of their FYSEP cohort and mentors.
  • To better understand their own inner strengths, affinities, and areas for growth.
FYSEP mentors smiling brightly and dressed in matching green shirts, radiating enthusiasm and warmth.

Dressed in green and full of energy, these 2024 FYSEP mentors were the heart of support and guidance for our first-gen students during pre-orientation!

FYSEP Expansion

In 2020, we announced a dramatically expanded program supported by a $13 million gift in alumni donations. Historically, FYSEP was a five-day pre-orientation session; now it is a four-week long program. Students have valued the strong connection to the community,  establishment of healthy habits, and valuable exposure to a range of campus resources designed to help them thrive. 

FYSEP students transition into their undergraduate careers better prepared for Dartmouth's academics and more solidly grounded in a nurturing and supportive community. 

Liz Agosto '01

A floral memorial of Liz Agosto, a smiling FYSEP alum.

 

It is with broken hearts that we share the news of the passing of the remarkable Liz Agosto. An FGLI '01 graduate of Dartmouth, Liz was a miraculous force of nature, bringing joy and solace and support and laughter to all fortunate enough to know her, and she was a driving force behind the initial creation of the FYSEP program Literally thousands of students (at Dartmouth, at Amherst College, at St. Marks Academy, in college access programs she supported) had their lives positively changed by Liz, and her influence will go on for generations to come. 

"The process of finding new clubs, places to study, where to socialize has helped with the process of belonging at Dartmouth. I now know where things are, how to get places, and when to be there, which are all important aspects of belonging. The new information I have has been incredibly helpful to me and finding my sense of belonging."

- FYSEP Student, Class of '25

"FYSEP provided the tools I needed to settle into life in college. My first, and closest friends are also mostly from FYSEP, so it has been a supporting community for me."

 

- FYSEP Student, Class of '23

"I truly experienced what many people in my community warned me of: a culture shock. I felt this urgency to change who I was to best 'best fit' in into spaces that weren't built for people like me... Now, and in part because of FYSEP, I feel extremely comfortable on campus and am thankful that I had the chance to be a part of it."

- FYSEP Student, Class of '23

  • Two girls smiling and posed in front of the camera while one of them hold up a donut.

    28s enjoying FYSEP!

  • A group of mentors gathered on a set of steps, smiling warmly for a group photo. They are arranged in rows.

    FYSEP 2024 Mentors and Staff!

  • A group of students are smiling together in front of a flowing waterfall surrounded by rocks.

    28 FYSEP Mentors and Students!