FYI from FYE - July 2024
Dear Members of the Class of 2028,
I hope you are enjoying your summer and preparing to join us this fall. You are making plans to come to Skidmore College from all over the U.S. and the world, and you are doing so knowing that great adventures and challenges await. Below I will highlight three aspects of the First-Year Experience that you should be thinking about during the month of July.
First, make sure you have registered for a schedule of at least 12 credit hours, including your 4-credit Scribner Seminar. Most students will be registered for 15-16 credits, which is the mean number of credits needed each semester to complete the required 120 credits to graduate in four years. With the exception of your Scribner Seminar, you are able to make changes to your schedule through the College’s drop/add period which ends early in the fall semester. While not encouraged, you are able to make changes to your Scribner Seminar until Friday, July 12. If you have questions about your course registration or your schedule, please reach out to the Office of Academic Advising, the Registrar’s Office, or the FYE Office.
Second, you should have or will soon receive your summer reading text, Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad. London FYE students have been assigned a different text and will read the Jaouad selection over the winter break. The Summer Reading program is one way to start your Skidmore education before you even set foot on campus. We hope that discussions, reflections, and aspirations prompted by Between Two Kingdoms will be among the fond memories you make at Skidmore in your first days and weeks of college. Check out this page for ways to engage with Jaouad’s Between Two Kingdoms and to connect with Skidmore faculty, staff, and fellow students in this process. We’ll be adding additional content to the page over the summer, so check back to see what’s new.
Finally, we invite you to formally reflect on your educational goals. To that end, one task in your FYE Checklist is a Reflection and Projection (RAP) exercise. We want you to consider why you value a liberal arts education, what you hope to gain from your college experiences in the coming years, and what topics interest you the most. Your responses can be viewed by your Scribner Seminar instructor and may form the basis of your first conversation. You will be able to add to your RAP throughout your time at Skidmore. Please make sure to enter your first set of comments prior to Friday, August 30.
We look forward to seeing you in a few months!
Sincerely,
Rachel Roe-Dale, Ph.D.
Director of the First-Year Experience
Professor of Mathematics and Statistics
Additional helpful information
Orientation schedules are being updated and posted online this month. Please visit the FYE Orientation page for details.
Your ID is essential for your first day at Skidmore. It is not just for the dining hall and library; your ID is also the key to your residence hall, your room, and a declining balance card. (You will not be able to move into your room without your ID.) Before August 15, we ask you to upload a photo for your ID. Once approved, your photo will be processed and your ID will be available when you check in.
Students who do not submit appropriate photos (or never submit photos) will face unnecessary delays when they arrive on campus.
Any questions or concerns should be directed to the Card Office at 518-580-5854.
If you haven't already, we hope you'll begin to read Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad, the FYE Summer Reading selection. It was selected for the Class of 2028 as an important story of self-discovery, with a powerful message that is relevant in many contexts.
Many Skidmore faculty and staff are also reading alongside you and we've invited them to share reflections on the Summer Reading website. We hope you'll enjoy their perspectives as you read and begin to experience the diverse conversations that are possible at Skidmore.
First-year housing assignments will be released on Monday, July 15. To find your housing assignment, go to the Residential Life Housing Portal found on your Okta page. Once you are logged into your housing portal, scroll to the bottom of the screen and you will be able to see your room assignment and roommate(s).
IMPORTANT: Students missing Health Forms will not have accesss to their room assignments.
Move-in is less than 2 months away! Do you need help figuring out what to bring to campus? Curious what the essentials are? Look no further! Residential Life has created a packing list to use as a guide. The page also lists items that are NOT to be brought to campus for fire safety/policy reasons.
Want to keep up to date with Residence Life news? Follow us on Instagram @skidmorereslife where you'll find important information about housing, dates, and upcoming events.
Student Academic Services assists Skidmore students interested in improving their academic performance/skills with our Peer Academic Coaching (PAC) program and by offering academic support through our weekly walk-in programs. SAS collaborates with other campus offices and faculty to support all Skidmore students — with specific focus on international students, students of color, student-athletes, and students with disabilities.
Student Academic Services and Accommodations
Skidmore College cultivates an inclusive and supportive learning community that values the diverse learning styles of our students. In pursuit of this effort, we provide individualized accommodations for students necessary to ensure full and meaningful access to all academic programs and activities.
Qualified students are encouraged to submit an application for accommodation along with supporting documentation by August 1. While accommodation requests are reviewed throughout the academic year, the August 1 deadline will allow time for accommodation plans to be in place by the start of the semester. Early application allows time to foster an interactive process of accommodation, to familiarize students with the Skidmore community, and to enable students to be fully informed about Skidmore's disability services policies and procedures prior to their first semester on campus. All accommodations must be approved by the Coordinator for Student Access Services and are never applied retroactively.
For more information regarding access services, the process for applying for accomodations, and documentation requirements, please refer to our website. Our FAQ page also contains helpful information for parents. Students are encouraged to reach our Coordinator for Student Access Services, Meg Hegener, with any questions at (518) 580-8150.
Skidmore is deeply committed to the health, wellbeing, and happiness of its community members. In an effort to prepare you for the unique challenges and responsibilities of college, we require each incoming student to complete the following online courses.
1. Alcohol-Wise
This is an alcohol education class. Whether you drink or not, Alcohol-Wise will empower
you to make well-informed decisions and will help you cope with the drinking behavior
of peers.
2. Cannabis-Wise
This is a cannabis education course that provides you with accurate information about
cannabis, including its effects.
3. Consent & Respect
This is a comprehensive course addressing intimate partner violence, healthy relationships,
bystander empowerment, and consent.
The courses will become available to you on August 1. The deadline for completion is August 28. Failure to complete the course may result in a referral to the Student Conduct Office. Instructions and access link for the courses will be sent to your Skidmore email address.
If you have questions, please contact Kim Golemboski, director of health promotion, by email or at 518-580-5484.
Please note: A second part of these courses will be sent approximately 30 days after the completion of part one. Additional information and instructions will be sent to your Skidmore email account as it becomes available.
join the Class of 2028 on discord
The Class of 2028 server is a great space to jump into conversations about everything from academics to pets. Student moderators will be online all summer to help answer your questions. Click here to join the server.
Storage Scholars (Partner Organization)
Move-in day is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that should be memorable and stress-free. Storage Scholars is a partner organization that allows you to ship items to their facility over the summer. They will receive your packages, notify you, and deliver everything to your room before you arrive on campus. You don't have to lift a finger!