Resources for Your First-Year
Welcome Class of 2028!
Is your student an incoming first-year in the Class of 2028? Explore information for new students so you can keep track of what's coming next.
Learn more »Living on Campus
Housing
Our four-year residency requirement means students are required to live in F&M-owned or -approved housing for all four years. Your first-year student will live in their College House. They will receive their College House and roommate assignment the summer before they arrive on campus.
Contact Housing
If you need to get in touch with your student’s College House, you can reach out to the assigned faculty mentor (don) and administrative facilitator (dean). If you have questions about F&M housing in general, you can explore our FAQ to learn more or reach out to our housing team at housing@fandm.edu for additional help.
Dining
Great food, honest values, and a comfortable atmosphere can be found in every F&M campus dining location — all conveniently located within walking distance of on-campus housing, labs, and classrooms!
Meal Plans
As a first-year student, you are required to purchase a meal plan unless you are commuting (though you can of course purchase a meal plan if you are!). Meal plan pricing is automatically folded into your tuition details.
Academic Advising
Your first-year student is at a crossroads moment of their life. This might be the first time they’re living away from home, and processing this first step toward adulthood can be complex. In addition, they’ll be adjusting to F&M, learning about the College's resources and networks, and determining how to build the right education for them.
Your first-year’s faculty adviser will support them in assimilating to F&M, guided by a series of first-year milestones that will set them up for success. We value that each student has a diverse set of goals and experiences, so we expect that faculty advisers will adapt this guide to meet your first-year’s individual needs.
Conversations your first-year should be having with their faculty adviser:
- How are you adjusting to college life?
- How are you building and improving your academic skills? What support resources on campus can you take advantage of?
- What challenges did you face this year? What went particularly well? What can you learn from the challenges as well as from the triumphs?
- Which classes sparked your interest the most? Can you see pursuing another course in the same subject next year?
- What kinds of leadership positions at the College can you imagine yourself in?
- What kinds of programs/clubs/leadership opportunities would you want to create for yourself at the College if you could?
Office of Student and Post-Graduate Development (OSPGD)
Beginning early in their F&M experience, OSPGD will guide your first-year in designing a portfolio of experiences that will help them discover and focus their talents, interests, and post-graduate aspirations. Students at other institutions typically don’t begin this self-reflection on the path after college until the spring of their senior year.
Our signature programs for your first-year student include:
- “Authentic Success & Possibility in Reach for Every Student (ASPIRE)” — a first-year program designed to set you up for success early at F&M
- “Understanding and Leveraging Your Strengths and Preferences” workshop
- Career exploration, leadership, and mentorship
- F&M’s True Blue Network, a career network platform exclusive to our community
Your Student’s OSPGD Adviser
If they haven’t done so already, encourage your student to reach out to their OSPGD adviser. Your student’s primary OSPGD adviser is assigned to them based on their College House. Their adviser will work with them one-on-one to help build a trajectory of success. They will help your first-year student explore their career options by talking through strengths, passions, and goals; work with them to develop a customized goal-oriented plan; help them discover and land professional development experiences; perfect their application materials and social media brand; and more.
Do you have any questions? We're happy to help. Feel free to reach out to us at families@fandm.edu or visit our contact page.Get in Touch With F&M