For many incoming freshmen, going to college can bring on a sense of nervousness. The First Year Experience Program at San Diego City College aims to ease those nerves by providing students with the necessary resources to succeed during their first year in college.

The program aims to help those students who may have a difficult time in their first year in college. One main requirement is that the student be enrolled in a remedial level math or English class, below 100-level.

City College began taking applications in early summer and recently completed the application process with one-on-one interviews, something they had not done previously.

“This year we tried something different with the interviews,” said Marilyn Harvey, program director for FYE. “It was exciting to see the response we had from students. We still had students coming in up to the last minute, interested in interviewing.”

“The program has been very successful,” said Harvey. “We have been able to carry most of our [classes] from beginning to end of the program. Our student evaluations have been extremely positive as well.”

A large part of the program’s success is due to the counselors who are assigned a class of 25-30 students each year, according to Harvey.

“Each student enrolled in the program takes a success class first semester with their counselor. This teaches them time management skills, motivation and how the entire system works,” said Harvey. “The second semester they take a career exploration class. This helps them to choose a major and helps them set career goals.”

Even after completion of the program, many students continue to consult with their counselors to keep them on track for graduation or for transfer to a four-year university.

The program offers many perks, including priority registration, which allows those enrolled in the program the opportunity to register for classes early.

However, recent budget turmoil has affected the program, allowing the availability of four 30-student classes as opposed to five.

“There have been some challenges due to the budget cuts,” said Harvey. “The ultimate goal in the long term is to grow the program so that everyone in their first year at City will be enrolled in it.”