The goals of this program include: 

• Introduce students to scholarly and academic life at MSU; 
• Help students develop confidence related to the college transition;
• Expose students to global learning and opportunities at MSU;
• Introduce global problem-solving in preparation for integrative studies coursework; and
• Introduce students to multiple ways of knowing and problem-solving.

The learning outcomes of the course include (See Academic Goals and Model for detailed outcomes): 

• Transition to college
• Analytical thinking
• Cultural Understanding
• Integrative reasoning

For more information, including a list of current programs and the application process, please visit the Office of Education Abroad website. Please email any inquiries you may have about first-year seminar abroad programs to fsabroad@msu.edu or contact Dr. Sheila Marquardt at 517-884-8977 or marqua36@msu.edu.

1. Create an academic success plan that includes strategies, campus resources, and support systems that are relevant to achieving your goals. Includes emphasis on self-awareness and self-advocacy in the following areas:
1. Organizing for learning 
2. Seeking help 
3. Building relationships 
4. Careers & majors 
2. Create a social engagement plan to help facilitate your involvement in the university community, expand your network, and enhance your sense of belonging at MSU. Includes emphasis on self-awareness and self-advocacy in the following areas:
1. Sense of belonging
2. Building relationships 
3. Getting involved 
4. Expanding your cultural horizons 
3. Create a plan for using strategies and campus resources to further develop awareness of, to promote, and to maintain your health and wellness in college. Includes emphasis on self-awareness and self-advocacy in the following areas:
1. Time management 
2. Stress management 
3. Financial management / literacy 
4. Mental health 
5. Physical health 
6. Other health and wellness areas as individually relevant

At one point in time, distance learning in higher education included sets of cassette tapes with recorded lectures, assignments submitted and returned through the postal service, and exams proctored by a local liberation. Learning outside of the physical classroom takes shape very differently in the age of the internet and amidst new sets of challenges, a pandemic included. The transition from a physical classroom to learning in an online environment is not just a matter of sitting in front of a computer instead of sitting at a desk in a classroom. This course will address the complex academic, personal, and professional components of learning in online environments.

This course provides opportunities for engaged learning in which students come together across differences to develop critical consciousness and experience vibrant community building. Participating in this course will assist you in (1) reflection: contemplating who you are, where you come from, and how that influences your perspectives; (2) perspective taking: engaging with people with different experiences than yours; (3) relationship building through critical consciousness: building friendships with diverse peers through socio-cultural conversation that matter; and (4)institutional navigation: working collaboratively to identify and use campus-based resources, services, and systems that support your success in college and beyond.

This seminar is for second-year students to engage in self-reflection and focused exploration in order to:

1. evaluate what you have learned about yourself as you consider the larger questions of “Who am I?” and “What do I want my life to be?”
2. evaluate your academic engagement, social engagement, and involvement in college;
3. create plans for making new or developing deeper levels of social engagement and college involvement that align with your values, interests, and aspirations;
4. expand your awareness of career possibilities;
5. narrow your career aspirations and identify pathways that align with them; and
6. begin developing a detailed graduation plan, including curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular experiences.

1. Examine scholarly literature and research related to career myths and the linearity of career paths 
2. Identify and examine career paths that are relevant to your core interests, values, and skills for employment
3. Identify and examine academic pathways that align with your potential career paths 
4. Define the scope of experiences needed to advance toward a career path 
5. Participate in and reflect upon professional development related experiential learning activities (e.g., career fair, employer panel, informational interview) 
6. Create and begin making measurable progress on a professional development plan, which could include experiences like: 
1. preparing for successful internship and employment applications (e.g., resume development, social networking, mock interviews) 
2. participating in student-led organizations and activities 
3. securing employment while in college 
4. using a diverse set of resources to research companies and industries of interest 
5. completing an internship 
6. studying abroad or away
7. initiating professional relationships with potential mentors in your prospective career paths 
8. exploring, preparing, and applying to graduate/professional school