First Year Experience: Navigating College Success
Friday, August 28, 2026 12:00 AM
Blog Highlights
- First Year Experience (FYE) is a program designed to help students succeed in their first year of college.
- FYE is a series of modules that give students information about various departments and resources available to them.
Beginning college can be an overwhelming experience for many students. Colleges often offer a variety of resources designed to help students succeed, although many of these resources go unnoticed by new students. At the start of this fall semester, new students at Macomb will be enrolled in a program called First Year Experience (FYE).
“The program is designed to help students transition and be successful in their first year of college, to build their community and toolbox, to take in all that is college because it can be overwhelming,” said Zuhair Issa, manager of First Year Experience.
How does First Year Experience work?
The FYE program is divided into six modules that students will have a year to complete:
- Be Here - Aids students by connecting them to various departments and resources to help them be successful in their college transition.
- Be a Part - Highlights areas like Student Life and Leadership which can help new students find community with fellow classmates.
- Be Well – Shows unique programs that are available, like UWill, a free mental health service offered to Macomb students.
- Be Prepared – Connects students to services through our Academic Success Center and Career Services departments.
- Be Successful – Assists students to find their post-Macomb path, whether that is transferring to another institution or entering the workforce.
- Achieve Your Monarch Mission - The final module of this program is where students declare their plan of study.
Some modules are completed online. For others, students will interact directly with departments throughout the college.
“I’m hoping students are able to get connected and realize that there is so much more than just going to class.” Issa said.
What is the goal of First Year Experience?
By the end of the First Year Experience modules, students should leave with more than just information – they should leave with confidence, connections and a clear sense of what comes next. Whether their next step is transferring to a four-year institution or entering the workforce, the goal is to help students discover the resources, opportunities and support available to them at Macomb, so they feel prepared to move forward.
“I’m hoping students take away at least one great thing. One great tool or experience or office that they’ve interacted with or something new they’ve learned,” Issa said. “My favorite sentence to hear is ‘Wow, I never knew that.’ and so I’m hoping that all our FYE students say ‘Wow! I never knew that!’”