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 15 – Tuesday, June 16, 2026
• Monday, June 23 – Tuesday, June 24, 2026
• Wednesday, July 15 – Thursday, July 16, 2026

Register for Counseling Psychology 115: CeO Educational Effectiveness This is a course specifically for CeO First Years. It is a one-credit seminar course taken both fall and spring semesters. It is designed to help you acclimate to campus, adjust to the rigor of college academics, and to build belonging among the first years. 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 four sections of this CP 115 course that are reserved for CeO Scholars, 41, 42, 43, and 45
• 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 for students who are the first in their family to attend a four-year institution. 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 both fall and spring semesters.
  • Check out the URS Prospective Student page and the URS Scholars: Meeting the Moment  video for additional info.
• Learning Communities (this must be submitted when you completer your housing applicaiton.) 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
  • Explore perspectives related to human flourishing from the sciences and humanities; investigate themes such as transformation, resilience, compassion, diversity, gratitude, community; expand self-awareness, enhanced social connectivity, and ability to change; formulate a sense of what it means to lead a flourishing life that sustains meaningful and fulfilling engagement with studies, relationships, community, and career.
• Environmental Studies 255 – Introduction to Sustainability Science
  • Labs 302, 303, and 304 are open to all students and are honors optional.
• History 100: Freedom Seekers
  • The topic of this course is “Freedom Seekers” — enslaved Americans who struck out to free themselves during the revolutionary era. This is a small, seminar course that is taught by Dr. Isaac Lee. Dr. Lee teaches it with the needs of first year, first generation students in mind.
• Service Learning Courses
  • Counseling Psychology 395 – BASES
    • 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 about receiving permission to enroll.
  • Integrated Science 240 – Exploring Service with Youth in STEM
    • Students will need to email the instructor Anna Courtier, PhD, (anna.courtier@wisc.edu) to receive permission to enroll in the course.
  • Rehab Psych & Special Education 300 – Individuals with Disabilities

As CeO requires all First Year CeO Scholars to complete a HIP course during the first year, there is the option to take the HIP class during the summer before your fall semester. Either of the following two summer options fulfill your HIP requirement.

• Summer STEM Catalyst Program
  • This 4-week paid summer research program for incoming CeO first-years give scholars  the opportunity to connect with STEM faculty, meet other STEM-focused students, and conduct world-class research on the UW-Madison Campus. Applications close soon!
• 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. Applications close soon!

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 2026 will be Sunday, August 23rd (for early move-in) – Friday, August 28th
• Scholars will be sent an email to register for SFS 2026 beginning in June 2026

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

• SFS formally begins the morning after 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), 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.

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

Throughout the fall and spring semesters, CeO Scholars meet in their PLCs and in large group events on regular schedule. Attendance to the PLCs are mandatory and are linked to participation in CP 115: CeO Educational Effectiveness.

The summer before the fall semester, PNs will reach out to their new peer learners to start to get to know each other.