Monday, July 17, 2023 

Hello, Class of 2027,

Today is the day when you can start selecting your First-Year Seminar or FYS preferences! 

Selection for FYS will open at 10 AM Eastern Time today, July 17, 2023, and it will close at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Friday, July 21, 2023. Registration is NOT first-come-first-served so you have that entire window of time to indicate your FYS preferences on Garnet Gateway. 

The FYS is a core academic component of the First-Year Experience program. Each first-year student is required to take an FYS, which fulfills the W1 requirement of your General Education requirements (it is one of your 3 required W or writing-attentive courses taken over your time at Bates). The FYS is a limited-enrollment course specifically designed for first-year students. Topics vary from year to year, but seminars represent a broad range of interdisciplinary issues and questions addressed within the tradition of the liberal arts.

First-year seminars enable entering students to work with faculty and other students in a small class; they provide engaging opportunities for students to sharpen their abilities in writing, communication, and research; and they foster an attitude of active participation in the educational process. First-year seminars carry course credit toward the baccalaureate degree and are offered only in the fall semester. Your first-year seminar instructor is also your pre-major academic advisor, and you will work with them over your first and into your second year to navigate the curriculum, explore your interests, and select a major area of study (major declaration occurs during a student’s second year at Bates).

Information on how to register for your First-Year Seminar or FYS can be found on your Summer Resources and Orientation Lyceum Page in the section called “Exploring Liberal Arts & Academic Opportunities,” which opened to you on July 10.  

Here is some basic information for reviewing your FYS options:

This link will take you to your Garnet Gateway. Enter your User ID (a 9-digit ID) and your Garnet Gateway PIN. Once you have entered into the Garnet Gateway, take the following steps to explore the FYS offerings for Fall 2023:

1) Click on “Course Schedule” This will take you to a page where you will see a window that says “Fall 2023”

2) Click “Submit.”

3) To search all of the FYS offerings, in the “Subject” window at the top, scroll down and click on “First-Year Seminar.”

4) Once “First-Year Seminar” is highlighted, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Course Search.” Doing so will reveal all of the FYS courses offered in Fall 2023. You can click on each course title to read a brief description of the course.

To enter your FYS selections, please see these instructions from the Bates College Registrar. You can also watch the video on course registration on your Lyceum Summer Resources page. It is located in the first section of the July 10 “Exploring Liberal Arts & Academic Opportunities” tile.

Remember, when you select your FYS course, please be sure to indicate your top choice and 8 UNRANKED alternates. Doing so will ensure that you have the greatest chance of getting into an FYS that aligns with your interest. 

If you experience any challenges registering for your FYS, you can contact the Registrar at registrar@bates.edu.

Finally, tomorrow, July 18, there will be a Zoom webinar on Course Registration and Academic Exploration between 6 PM and 7:15 PM. Join a panel of faculty and the College Registrar to learn more about course registration, explore course offerings, requirements, and more! To access the webinar, click here.

We look forward to working with you throughout the summer and to meeting you during Arrival Day on August 31!

Steve Engel, Professor of Politics and Associate Dean of the Faculty 

Kim Trauceniek, Senior Associate Dean of Students

Meg Hoppe, Coordinator of Residence Life and First-Year Experience