First-Year Experience Promoting Student Success Contact Us Home ... Departments First Year Experience Menu Our Mission We meet students where they are in the learning process and empower them to achieve academic success. Join a University 1101 Course Incoming freshmen who have been accepted to Honors College. Honors Incoming freshmen who plan to attend law school. Pre-Law Open to ALL incoming freshmen and transfer students with less than 60 hours. University 1101 General Information Incoming freshmen who have been awarded a Smith-Hutson scholarship. Smith-Hutson Incoming freshmen who live in Belvin-Buchanan Hall. CAM Find Support in One of Our Programs A learning community is simply a group of students with the same interests who take classes together. First-Year Learning Communities Alpha Lambda Delta, also known as ALD, is a national honor society for first-year college students. NHS for First-Year Success Seasoned Bearkats who help students navigate campus to take advantage of university resources and services. Peer Mentoring Please join us as Dr. Alisa White, president of Sam Houston State University, along with faculty and staff welcome our newest Bearkats! New Student Convocation The SHSU Common Reader program supports faculty and staff with a robust framework of options to bring the book to life for students. Common Reader Program Empowering former foster youth, orphans, and wards of the court or homeless students to transition smoothly through college. FORWARD Program