First Year Experience
First Year Experience is all about getting together with your fellow Vikings, professors, and University staff to prepare for all the transitions ahead.
There will be dozens of First Year Experience activities for you to choose from during your first semester. Most will fall into the categories below:
Threshold and COMPASS: New Student Orientation
Threshold is North Park’s opening-week orientation for new students. You’ll get your bearings on how the campus works, meet new people, and take care of all those final details. This orientation makes sure you get a jump on crossing the threshold as a new member of the North Park community.
COMPASS is an intensive program designed to provide you with additional necessary tools to handle the academic and social challenges of college and adjust to life on campus.
Cornerstone Class
The Cornerstone course series introduces you to the academic culture of the liberal arts by focusing on the question of human and individual identity. You will read classical and contemporary texts on human identity, learn the essential skills of college-level writing and analysis, discuss and debate the “big questions” with your fellow students, and establish an intellectual foundation for your future college work.
Academic Program Outreach
During the first few weeks of the fall semester, academic departments and schools hold formal or informal gatherings to introduce you to their academic field. These sessions, varying in style, are a great opportunity to meet faculty and upperclassmen in the major and to learn more about studying a given subject.
Wellness Opportunities
Your first year at North Park includes a balance of activities. You’ll discover that there are countless health, wellness, and fitness activities offered at the Helwig Recreation Center and throughout campus. Join in, have fun, and be well鈥攚hether it’s through a group fitness class, an intramural sports team, or intercollegiate athletics.