First-Year Experience

Here,  SUMMIT turns your first-year into an exciting, eye-opening, transformative experience.  

Before Your First Classes Begin 

You will be introduced to your SUMMIT advisor, who will work with you to plan, chart, and navigate your academic journey for the next four years. You will also be connected to your peer advisor, a trained upper-class student that will help you to navigate your first-year academically and socially. 

During Orientation 

You will form connections with your peers and begin cultivating your own leadership style by participating in small-group work and reflective activities through Legacy: The Goizueta Foundation Leadership Immersion Experience.

Some of Your First Courses in the Fall 

During your first semester, you will take LDR: 101 Leadership Prologue, where you will learn about the Agnes Scott approach to leadership and the liberal arts. In the class, you will focus on the five fundamental leadership skills: critical thinking, writing, public speaking, digital literacy, and teamwork. This will serve as your foundation for good leadership.

Also during your first year, you will be introduced to SUMMIT academic and career labs as part of our professional success initiatives, two seven-week, mandatory courses offered in fall and spring with a focus on academic success, professional growth and financial wellness. Beginning with SUM 110: Academic Foundations Lab in the fall, you'll focus on an intellectual transition to college, and gain an understanding of the value of Agnes Scott's unique liberal arts degree.

In the Spring 

After you gain your foundation in leadership and transition to our learning format, you will begin building your intercultural competencies in Global 102: Journeys. As part of this course, you share a cultural immersion experience with your classmates in the Global 103: Global Immersion Experience, completely funded by the college. This eight-day, faculty-led intensive learning experience allows you to engage with global themes and specific places through interactive, hands-on learning.

SUM 120: Career Exploration Launch Lab is introduced in spring as well by Career Coaches and Career Peers to help you learn career preparation skills early on, such as resume building, budgeting and using career research and assessment tools.

Throughout the Year

In your first year you will complement your start into leadership development, global learning and career readiness with relevant general education course work such as non-English language courses and English 110: The Craft of Writing. You can also begin to further explore leadership and global learning paths through specifically designed general education courses in the social sciences, natural sciences, humanities.