Looking back on 10 Years of EdOdyssey: Making an Impact with FYE
Making the jump from secondary school to college or university is exciting, but it’s also overwhelming for many students.
Enter the First Year Experience (FYE).
FYEs can help turn what could be a daunting transition into an empowering one. We’ve seen the impact of these programs in practice over the past five years. We’ve seen—and research has shown—how they have the potential to transform both students and the campuses that offer them. FYEs have proven to yield students who are not only better prepared academically and culturally, but are also more engaged with their universities and communities. It’s a win-win-win for all involved.
ADDRESSING UNIVERSITY CHALLENGES WITH FYES
Reflecting on the past decade of EdOdyssey, FYEs really stand out in more recent years as one of the most exciting ways that we’ve been able to make an impact as well as speak to some of the biggest challenges first-year students and their universities face today—including admissions, retention, and fostering community.
As they consider enrollment options, FYEs help attract new students—and the family members supporting them—with an appealing and highly supportive bridge opportunity. In this way, FYEs have been shown to help boost university admissions. These programs then give students a solid foundation for this sometimes-rocky transition to college or university, equipping them not only with essential academic tools but also with a sense of belonging from the start. This positively impacts retention rates, from matriculation to graduation. FYEs make an effort to tackle loneliness and isolation in first-year students by incorporating activities that are specifically designed to build an inclusive community before friend groups have already been established.
We prioritize cultural preparedness and inclusion in every FYE. These students are stepping into a world where understanding and respecting diverse perspectives is not only important but essential—perhaps now more than ever in a society that feels increasingly divided. The kind of immersive experiences and thoughtful activities on our itineraries help students develop the kind of cultural awareness that will serve them well beyond their first year.
While some FYEs were initially created with the purpose of addressing housing (and other) challenges, their value is so apparent and has extended so far beyond this that they have become a core academic and student experience component for a lot of leading colleges and universities—small and large, private and public.
BRIDGING SECONDARY AND HIGHER EDUCATION
Our experience as international educators, classroom teachers, and study abroad experts allows us to create truly meaningful programs during a critical transitional period, supporting students in ways that are both impactful and scalable.
In fact, we are ideally positioned to contribute our knowledge and skillset to FYEs as these programs bridge the two worlds where we have worked for a decade: secondary and higher education. Both of these are areas in which we have award-winning and extensive experience developing programs. “This dual experience has been a major advantage and benefit when creating these programs as we can lean into our unique expertise,” said EdOdyssey President and Founder, Peter McGovern.
Each program looks different, tailored to meet the needs and expectations of our institutional partners, but they share a common thread: as opportunities for students to explore their academic interests, create social connections within their peer group, and build local ties through community engagement activities.
Participating in an FYE can help students feel grounded, more confident, and supported in this new stage of their academic—and life—journey.
A DOMESTIC EXAMPLE
One recent example that we’re proud of is our work with Northeastern University’s Global Scholars program. We’ve collaborated with their team since 2019/2020, building itineraries that connect academics with real-world experiences that are facilitated by our team of excursion leaders on both US coasts.
Whether students are visiting California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium to learn more about local marine life or sampling maple syrup products during a tasting at Shelburn Sugarworks in Burlington, Vermont, our aim is the same: to tap into the power of place. We want to help them settle in and carve out a—however temporary—sense of home and belonging by connecting them with the people and industries nearby and showing them around the location where they chose to attend university. We love watching them learn so much through these adventures.
Most recently, we led a series of day trips and weekend excursions around the Bay Area in California from Northeastern’s Oakland campus, including a high ropes course team-building activity in Lake Tahoe, a day of engagement with locals in San Francisco to better understand how artists are playing a role in the city’s post-Covid revival, and a guided walking tour of San Francisco’s Castro District to better understand local LGBTQ+ culture and history.
Northeastern’s Boston-based Global Scholars enjoy activities like a weekend in Vermont, checking out art in Providence, taking a coastal ecology lesson on a beach in Cape Cod, walking the Rabbit Run trail to Odiorne Point State Park in Portsmouth, and touring a working cranberry bog.
“As an EdOdyssey Excursion Leader, I have had many conversations with students who are so curious and eager to explore beyond their campus,” said EdOdyssey Excursion Leader Theresa Condon, who has experienced the impact of this program on students firsthand. “That sense of adventure is an important quality for these Global Scholars to nurture throughout their lives. I believe the EdOdyssey/Northeastern programs are very effective in providing opportunities to do so.”
CREATING AN FYE PROGRAM WITH US
Beyond our domestic opportunities in the US, we also build both long-term and short-term FYE opportunities for US students in all our destinations—Canada, Peru, Chile, Spain, Italy, Ireland, the UK (England and Scotland), Japan, and China.
We can work with you to create one of two program types for freshmen. Choose from:
FY Abroad. The “First Year Abroad” model is comparable to a “traditional” study abroad semester, but it’s designed specifically for students in their freshmen year. We can accommodate a group of anywhere from 15-150+ students.
Short-Term Programs. These are similar to faculty-led programs, but specific to freshmen. They are shorter and more flexible in terms of timing. They can take place during the summer as part of an orientation, right before classes begin, or any time that is convenient during the first year. These can be stand-alone experiences, but they also make a great experiential option as part of a first-year seminar program, for example.
Partnering with us means we’ll handle all classroom rentals and academic experiences with our local host institution, thoughtfully designed around learning objectives for first-year students. You’ll be able to hire faculty from the host institution to teach your students, send a designated faculty member from your own university, or lean into a combination of both. We also have dedicated EdOdyssey staff members on the ground with your students to ensure a successful program unfolds.
FYE PROGRAMS: A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH
Over the years, FYEs have created so many opportunities to collaborate with different university teams, from international education and study abroad, to first-year staff, orientation teams, professors, deans, admissions, alumni offices, and more. This collaboration allows us to build experiences that reflect the unique culture of each campus as well as expanding the conversation around international education at the university.
“This kind of cross-departmental collaboration is not only fun but also underscores the importance of international education, helping it get the recognition it deserves from areas of the university that may not typically focus on it,” Peter said.
We custom design every FYE for your institution and your students, and as an EdOdyssey program, you can be sure it will be educational, authentic, human-centered, and ethical from start to finish.
REFLECTING ON IMPACT & LOOKING AHEAD
It’s clear that FYE has been a game-changer—not just for students but for our institutional partners; we give them the avenues, tools, and support they need to bring learning alive through mobility. This has many benefits for all involved.
The higher education community understands the impact of experiential learning, and we’ve seen firsthand how powerful educational travel—domestic or international—can be as a way to help freshmen start their first year with a bang, full of confidence. Research shows that students who begin university feeling connected and engaged are more likely to continue to be more engaged throughout, joining in on clubs and activities and dedicating greater focus to their academics. Alumni who were engaged as students are also more likely to support their alma mater after graduation through donations and other actions.
"FYEs are more than just a transition tool,” Peter said. “They're an investment in the future of education. They connect students, build communities, and help institutions tackle critical challenges head-on.”
Life-long learning is one of EdOdyssey’s core values. To make sure we’re able to provide our university partners with the highest quality FYE programs, each year, we look forward to attending the University of South Carolina’s Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience. USC is widely recognized as the founder and leader of the first-year experience movement, and this conference is a wonderful learning and networking opportunity. Last year in particular, we were moved by the incredible work and effort that colleges and universities of all shapes and sizes are investing in the first-year experience. This year’s event—the 44th—will be held this month in New Orleans.
With universities demonstrating a keen interest in expanding and evolving their FYE offerings, we can’t wait to see how these programs continue to shape the next generation of students and campuses alike.
