New First Year Scholars

Attend Cohort SOAR As a First Year CeO Scholar, you will need to register and attend one of the Cohort SOAR dates listed below. Once you are admitted to CeO, you will have authorization to attend one of the Cohort SOAR dates. Cohort SOAR dates are specific for incoming first year scholars who are a part of cohort-modeled learning communities and programs at UW-Madison. Please contact your CeO Advisor for questions or concerns about the Cohort SOAR dates.

• Monday, June 23 – Tuesday, June 24, 2025
• Wednesday, June 25 – Thursday, June 26, 2025
• Wednesday, July 16 – Thursday, July 17, 2025

Register for Counseling Psychology 115: CeO Educational Effectiveness This First Year, one-credit seminar course both fall and spring semesters that is designed to help you acclimate to campus, adjust to the rigor of college academics, and to build belonging among the First Year CeO Scholar community. CP 115 is taught by an experienced instructor who will guide you through academics, campus life, and vital resources that will support your first year on campus. CP 115 is limited to First Year CeO Scholars and provides an inclusive, discussion-driven, community-oriented learning environment.

• There are multiple sections of this CP 115 course that are reserved for CeO Scholars
• 1 credit
• Only for First Year CeO Scholars, not Transfer CeO Scholars

Register for a High Impact Practice (HIP) Option All First Year CeO Scholars must select a HIP course for your fall semester or the summer term before your first fall semester. These course options are defined as HIPs, because they are based on evidence of significant educational benefits for students who participate in them—including and especially those from demographic groups historically underserved by higher education. These practices take many different forms, depending on learner characteristics and on institutional priorities and contexts. A HIP course is not required for Transfer CeO Scholars.

As a First Year CeO Scholar you must choose one of the following HIP options of a FIG, Learning Community, Listed & Service Learning Classes, & URS:

• FIGs (First Year Interest Groups) FIGs are clusters of (usually) three UW- Madison courses, linked together to explore a common theme, and offered to incoming first year scholars who attend these classes together as a cohort. You will need to take all the courses included in the FIG.
  • This is a great option if you want to have a the same cohort of First Year students in three to four of your first semester classes.
  • Reach out to your CeO Advisor for the Cohort FIG Reservation Form to reserve a seat in a FIG ahead of SOAR!
• URS (Undergraduate Research Scholars) is an excellent high-impact practice (HIP) at UW-Madison. URS facilitates learning both the skills of your field and acquiring an interdisciplinary perspective on research, and creative practices.
  • URS is for you if you are interested in developing critical thinking skills, communication skills, and growing as an informed well-rounded scholar.
  • CeO Scholars should apply to URS, enroll in Inter-LS 250 at SOAR, and plan on taking this course for two semesters in a row.
  • Check out the URS Prospective Student page and the URS Scholars: Meeting the Moment  video for additional info.
• Learning Communities Embedded within various residence halls, the learning communities are residential spaces that bring together students around a specific focus and help make a large university feel smaller and more intimate. First Year CeO Scholars will need to register with the associated courses/seminars to fulfill CeO’s High Impact Practice requirement.
  • To join a learning community you must prioritize learning communities over residence halls when you submit your hall preferences in My UW Housing. This HIP requirement is not fulfilled by enrolling in a reserved residence hall class section (such as Comm Arts 100 or CHEM 103). The HIP requirement IS fulfilled by joining one of the fifteen learning and theme communities:
• Educational Psychology 120 – Art and Science of Human Flourishing
  • Select the DDEEA & CAE Scholars section (only this will count as a HIP)
• History 100: Recording Latinx History
  • History is not only found in books; it is also found in people. In this hands-on class, History Professor Marla Ramirez guides students in the methods of oral history–which gathers, preserves, and interprets the voices of participants in past events–in order to record the important contributions that Latinx Wisconsinites have made to the state’s history.
  • DDEEA & CAE section – this section of History 100 is a Learning Community course reserved for first-year students in the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), Center for Educational Opportunity (CeO), PEOPLE Program, Posse Program, and All-In Milwaukee.
• Service Learning Courses
  • Counseling Psychology 620 – Supporting Homeless in Schools
    • Work with kids, learn about homelessness, education, mentorship, and make a difference in the life of a child. This HIP course option  is a year-long commitment to UW B.A.S.E.S. Building Academic, Social, and Emotional Supports for children experiencing homelessness. Mentoring commitment is one to two hours a week. Click on the link in the title for info on the application.
  • Integrated Science 240 – Service with Youth in STEM
    • • Open for First Year Scholars and First Semester Transfer Scholars only (LEC 001 is reserved for various FIGS)
  • Rehab Psych & Special Education 300 – Individuals with Disabilities
  • Environmental Studies 255 – Introduction to Sustainability Science

All First Year CeO Scholars must select a HIP course for their fall semester or the summer term before their first fall semester. Either of the following two summer options fulfill your HIP requirement.

• Summer STEM Catalyst Program
  • 4-week paid summer research program for incoming CeO first-years. Scholars will have the opportunity to connect with STEM faculty, meet other STEM-focused students, and conduct world-class research on the UW-Madison Campus.
• Summer Collegiate Experience (SCE)
  • The Summer Collegiate Experience (SCE) is a high-impact, quality-learning, first year experience for students entering the university. As an SCE student, you will take two classes for degree credit, register for fall courses, and learn about UW-Madison resources and campus culture during a six-week, on-campus program.

SFS is a five-day, fun-filled orientation for First Year CeO Scholars where we create community and prepare you for a successful first year at UW-Madison.

• SFS 2025 is from Sunday, August 24th – Thursday, August 28th
• Scholars will be sent an email to register for SFS 2025 beginning in June 2025

First Year CeO Scholars are assigned an early move-in date in late August to attend CeO’s Strategies for Success Orientation (SFS).

• SFS begins the same day as Early Move-In. The early move-in date is on a Sunday and allows for easier access to the residence halls as there are far fewer housing residents moving on campus.

First Year CeO Scholars are required to proactively meet with their CeO Advisor at least three times each semester. These meetings occur during the critical advising weeks of each semester. You are required to meet with your CeO Advisor before the end of:

• The fourth week to reflect on transition, belonging, and academic supports for classes
• The midsemester week to review midsemester grades and you will complete an online academic progress report
• The week of spring and fall enrollment to review class selection and prepare for the following semester or summer term

The Empowering You Career & Internship Conference is a collaborative effort between the College of Letters & Science Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement (DDEEA), and SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science.

Empowering You occurs in the spring semester each year and is designed to help students clarify their academic goals and connect their academic work with post-graduation careers and opportunities.

All CeO First Year Scholars are required to attend Empowering You.

CeO First Year Scholars will be placed into PLCs of five other scholars and have a Peer Navigator (PN) to lead the PLC throughout the entire first year in CeO. Peer Navigator are more experienced CeO Scholars who are hired to lead and serve as mentors to First Years.