London First-Year Program is Falling Down

The Dean of Academic Affairs office recently announced that the London First-Year Program has been put on “hiatus” for the Fall 2024 semester, leaving its alumni and prospective incoming first-years disappointed.  

Associate Dean of St. Lawrence’s Center of International and Intercultural Studies, Matt Carotenuto, described the appeal of the program to incoming first-year students. “In the incoming first-year class, there’s a lot of interest in off-campus study generally,” stated Carotenuto. “And so for a select number of students, there’s this notion of, ‘Hey, maybe my first semester might be a chance to do it.'”  

Like any other on-campus FYP’s, the London program strives to develop students’ critical thinking skills and other educational competencies. However, these can be better developed by students when immersed in a foreign environment such as London, explained CIIS Coordinator Caitlin Hatz. “I would say, in general, for off-campus study, we look at something called nace competencies, which are part of what Career Excellence talks about and is what employers are looking for in recent graduates,” said Hatz. “And so, what we often find with off-campus study is critical thinking skills, how to navigate public transportation, how to solve complex problems; they develop intercultural communication.”  

Carotenuto’s perspective corresponded with Hatz’s when it came to the importance of the FYP’s role in the skill development of students. “Having an off-campus study experience, whether it’s for a semester or even a short-term program your first year, really does open up a lot of global thinking and experiences and maybe encourages students to do it again or work abroad after graduation, or all the kinds of things we see benefits of,” said Carotenuto.  

Current first-years who participated in the program last semester are disappointed, as incoming students will not be able to have the same enriching experience that they did.  

Max Lang, an alumni of the program, attested to his personal growth throughout the program. “I think it helped me a lot with self-growth and confidence within myself,” said Lang. He compared the program to being “thrown into the deep end of a pool, then being told to swim.”  

First-year Leah Wallace went on the FYP with Lang and shared similar experiences of self-growth and independence. However, Wallace plans on transferring out of SLU by the start of next semester. “During winter break, I was excited to come to campus,” she said. “I was like, ‘Something new, fresh start, more people to meet,’ but it was really like a month into being on campus where I was like, ‘Okay, this isn’t for me.'”  

This past semester, Wallace explained the struggles that came with re-integrating into on-campus life. She stated that the bond of the London FYP was “stronger than other FYP’s here.”  

“I think the London First-Year Program of that first semester can be done well, but I do think that the way SLU does it needs to be reformed,” said Wallace. “I think the way that we were reintroduced was not very good.”  

Lang, like Wallace, believes in the future of the program. “I think if they were to [keep the program going], it would help a lot of kids undergo personal change, and it gives them the opportunity to see a different lifestyle outside of the United States,” he stated.  

Both SLU students and professors are reminiscent of the program’s suspension. Left with an uncertain future, this integral part of the SLU first-year experience will be missed.