St. Bonaventure University

First-Year Programs

You don't start your new life as a Bonnie alone. We partner with you every step of the way with programs and services that ensure your smooth transition to college life.

Freshman Orientation

Freshman & New Student Orientation

Separate Orientation programs are conducted for each of the three groups of new Bonnies arriving on campus each year: Freshmen, fall transfer students, and students arriving at the start of the spring semester in January.

Orientation is an opportunity to learn about everything that St. Bonaventure has to offer  — both in and out of the classroom. All incoming freshmen and their parents are encouraged to attend one of three two-day Orientation sessions held each summer. Separate orientation programs are conducted for transfer students beginning studies in the fall semester, and for new students enrolling for the start of the spring semester in January.

Freshman Orientation

Three two-day Orientation sessions are held over the course of one week each July. All incoming students and their parents are strongly encouraged to attend one of the day-day programs.

Each two-day Orientation session concludes with lunch at 1:30 p.m. on Day 2. Complete schedules for students and parents will be available from this site as the dates near.

Save the dates for summer Orientation 2021
Three two-day Orientation sessions will be held in July 2021 for students planning to enroll as freshmen in fall of 2021:
  • Session 1: July 12-13
  • Session 2: July 15-16
  • Session 3: July 19-20
Additional information, including a link to a registration form, will be available here in the spring 2021 semester. Please check back often.

    • Fall transfer student Orientation

    All incoming transfer students must attend orientation prior to the start of the semester. Participants will have the opportunity explore the academic, social and residential aspects of campus life. Family members are welcome to attend.
    • Covers of books read in the All Bona Reads program

    All Bonaventure Reads

    A reading and writing assignment for first-year students

    The All Bonaventure Reads initiative selects a book for presentation to first-year students at Orientation. As their first official assignment freshman year, students read the book and write a reflective essay. Selected essays are published in a hardcover book. The book is discussed in a first-year seminar course (see SBU 101 below), and the author is invited to campus to meet with students and give a public talk.

    • SBU 101. Community of Learners

    Freshman seminar course emphasizing learning as a communal process

    SBU 101. Community of Learners, is a required two-credit seminar course for first-year students that examines the characteristics and functions of community. By examining healthy and dysfunctional groups, you will evaluate communities at the local, national and global levels.
     
    SBU 101 teaches you about effective learning strategies and campus resources to enhance your academic achievement. By exploring facets of St. Bonaventure University's learning community, you will gain the understanding that learning is often a communal, not an isolated, process. The core text for this course will be the All Bonaventure Reads (see above) text.


    Peer Coaching

    A helping hand from academically achieving upperclass students

    Peer coaches are upperclass students who succeed in the classroom and want to help incoming students do the same by helping them make the transition to college life and encouraging them to get involved in campus activities.
     
    Coaches are empowering, positive, academically savvy, mature, responsible, engaged within the university, open and honest. They are committed to helping all freshmen have a great first year experience by helping them connect with the campus community.
     
    Your peer coach will contact you by e-mail in August to introduce himself or herself and begin to answer any questions you have about starting out at SBU. You will meet your peer coach during Welcome Days activities. (Learn about Welcome Days in First-Year Student FAQ below.)


    CORE: Collegiate Opportunities to Reach Excellence

    Helping students develop college-essential skills

    CORE is a program that helps ensure a smooth transition to college life and academics for St. Bonaventure's Freshman Foundation students — those who need guidance in order to take full advantage of the support services offered by the university.
     

    The CORE program helps Freshman Foundation students learn to:

    • get and stay organized
    • study effectively
    • manage their time and avoid procrastination
    • take advantage of the many campus resources available to help them to achieve success.

    A key offering for CORE students is FRES 100, a seminar that meets once a week during the first semester. It's been demonstrated that students who complete FRES 100 have higher GPAs and are more successful at SBU than those who don't.
     
    The Academic Success Plan for CORE students involves requiring them to meet with their academic advisers during the first few weeks of class and participate in early-in-the-semester orientation to the Teaching and Learning Center. 


    First-Year Student FAQs

    Answers to frequently asked questions from confirmed students

    How do I register for Orientation? What and when are Welcome Days? How do I sign up for classes? Answers to these and many other questions.


    • Contact Us
    Sarah Barnard

    Sarah Barnard
    Assistant Director
    Student Success Center
    Plassmann Hall 102C
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