Undergraduate Blog / Defining Your Babson

The First Year Academic Experience at Babson: What to Expect

A few weeks ago, I took my Business Law final, signifying the official end of my freshman year at Babson. Having made it through the first two semesters of college with my mind (and GPA) still relatively intact, I would like to take this opportunity to describe the highs and lows of my first academic experience beyond high school. I also hope to give a helpful overview of what to expect from first-year courses for incoming students who may be reading this blog.

The Classes

In my first semester at Babson, I took four classes: QTM I (which is similar to statistics), Rhetoric I (which is the fancy business school version of English), Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship (FME), and First-Year Seminar (FYS), which all Babson freshman have to take their first semester. While most students typically take four major classes in addition to FYS, I made the decision to take one fewer class in order to ease the transition from high school to the more academically challenging college environment.

Overall, my first semester was enjoyable academically, particularly FME, where students create and run their own entrepreneurial venture. FYS served as an extension of freshman orientation, but I made friends in the class I was close with throughout the year. The first semester at any college is a time where first-year students are open to meeting new friends and trying to get established in a new place, so I recommend being friendly and getting to know people in your early classes; they could be friends you keep throughout your next four years at Babson.

The Faculty

I had great professors during my first semester, which definitely helped my transition to Babson. For QTM I had Professor Eric Chan, a great instructor who provided extremely detailed PowerPoints that students can use to follow along during lectures–a huge help! I also had Professor Michael Martin for Rhetoric and Professors Sid Vedula and Wendy Murphy for FME, all of whom I enjoyed and would highly recommend for incoming students.

Second semester I took Intro to Accounting, QTM II, Rhetoric II, and continued with FME. Accounting was the most challenging; I had no finance experience, and initially had trouble learning all the arcane vocabulary needed to create balance sheets and income statements. However, I had another great professor in Robert Halsey, and worked one-on-one with a peer tutor; both helped me grasp the material.

Overall, my first-year academic experience at Babson was a good one. I was challenged, gained confidence in my own abilities, and forged relationships with faculty and friends in classes. While the workload at Babson is challenging, by no means is it impossible; anyone can succeed here if they are willing to put in the work and rise to the challenge.