What is the First Year Focus Program?
First Year Focus allows you to enroll in three CORE classes with other residents from your floor or residence hall. Living and learning together provides additional opportunities to study together and build relationships in and out of the classroom.
There are three communities that comprise the First Year Focus in three different residence halls. The students in each community will be enrolled in three CORE classes together. The difference between each community is in the ENGLISH CLASS. All the other classes are the same. You choose your living-learning community based on your English class.
Once you are placed in your residence hall community, you are automatically enrolled in 8 credits; the rest of your class schedule is built when you come to summer orientation.
Why should I participate?
Living together and taking classes together creates so many opportunities to build meaningful relationships with students in class, making it easier to participate in class and getting involved in your learning. Students in these communities talk about the great friendships they have made and how much easier it is to study with other people from class. First Year Focus provides a great residence hall community that transfers into the classroom community.
How do I choose my community?
Each of the three communities is the same except for the English class and the location of the community. Based on the English class that you need, you select your community:
Chaffee Hall
ENGL 102, UNIV 101, SOC 101
You and your roommate will be enrolled in these classes and all 24 students participating will live in A wing on the first, second, and third floors of Chaffee Hall. This community is a little more spread out, but you have a roommate and neighbors throughout the hall that share your classes.
Towers Hall
English 101, UNIV 101, SOC 101
You and your three other students enrolled in these classes and share one common floor with all 24 of these students.
Morrison Hall
English 90, UNIV 101, SOC 101
You will live a single room (limited doubles) within a suite (8 students) with students enrolled in these classes and share a small hall with the other students in these classes.
What if I choose a community and then test into a different English class?
Since there are three communities, you would be transferred, based upon availability, into the appropriate residence hall living-learning community.
For example, let’s say you sign up now for Towers Hall First Year Focus since you anticipate that you will be taking English 101. However, when you take the placement test, you actually need to take English 90. In that case, contact the Housing Office (bsuhousing@boisestate.edu) and let us know. If there is space available, we would transfer you into the Morrison Hall First Year Focus community.
** Note: Since each community is in a different hall, consult the room rate sheet to confirm changes in your room costs.
What if the communities are full and I still want to participate?
These are popular community choices, so apply soon. If all spaces are filled, we will create a waiting list and contact students as spaces become available.