First-Year Experience
Welcome to the First-Year Experience at San Francisco State University
From the heart of a diverse community, San Francisco State University honors its legacy by promoting social justice and equity, and inspiring the courage to lead and collaborate. In the first-year, students forge and further develop personal, academic and community identities and literacies in dialogue with San Francisco State University’s history of social justice, equity and inclusion.
Successful first-year students enter their second year by:
- Having a foundation of social justice, equity and community inclusion
- Belonging to our campus community
- Connecting with our faculty and staff members
- Engaging with a critical consciousness of themselves and their relations to others.
- Understanding their roles, responsibilities and opportunities as an engaged student
- Building a commitment to community, social and political action
At the core of their first-year experience at San Francisco State University, students will be inspired to take an active role in their education because experience teaches.
Get Involved
Discover unique opportunities at San Francisco State University to get involved, develop networks, and represent SF State! Search. Find Organizations · Attend Events · Track Involvement. GatorXperience is your central resource for all clubs, organizations, activities, and events.
Associated Students serves as the voice of student interests and promotes an enriched co-curricular university life experience.
We are dedicated to the empowerment of SF State’s diverse student body with the combined efforts of various programs and departments throughout campus, providing student services and programs, while encouraging external advocacy efforts.
Student Activities & Events partners with students to support organizations and clubs, facilitate programs and events that create community, develop the whole person, and foster a deep sense of connection to each other and our campus. Welcome to your Student Life Experience at San Francisco State!
Learn more about clubs, organizations, sports clubs, Greek Life, and events at SF State!
There are numerous opportunities for residents to get involved with student organizations while living on campus! Between Residence Hall Association, National Residence Hall Honorary, and nearly a dozen RHA Branches, there is an organization that fits the needs of every student.
Career Services & Leadership Development’s (CSLD) mission is to equip our diverse student and alumni population with modern resources that assist, guide, and foster their leadership, professional and career advancement. Through advances in technology and with staff ready to go the extra mile, CSLD provides students with tools to take initiative and excel in their future endeavors.
Helpful Resources
The Dean of Students Office and especially the Dean-On-Call Program is a means to provide real-time support to students who may be experiencing difficulties in navigating the university environment. Campus administrators provide consistent and comprehensive coverage from Monday through Friday, in Student Services Building (SSB) 403 or via Zoom during remote modalities.
The Dean on Call Program Each comes with a wealth of knowledge, resources, experience and engages in ongoing training to continue to provide the best service to students who are looking for support and guidance.
Sometimes new college students assume they have to figure everything out on their own. That couldn't be further from the truth! College work and navigating a new University is challenging. To help ease the transition, New Student Programs and the First-Year Experience initiative work with a diverse network of current SF State students who dedicate their time and energy to welcome and support students across the University. Peer Mentors are always available and can support a diverse range of needs and questions.
Any new, transfer or current student can get connected with Peer Mentors via the links below!
The Peer2Peer Mentor Collective enhances the student experience by linking students one-on-one with an upper-division peer mentor. Student mentees are paired with someone invested in their success — a person ready to listen, inspire and help navigate many of the challenges that come with being a student, while they share their connections to campus life, resources and opportunities.
San Francisco State provides a wide variety of mental health and emotional well-being services for students. Sometimes life is challenging and it's ok to ask for help. The University provides formal services to support anyone who is in need of counseling and navigating personal stresses. There is a wide range of workshops, resources, and programming that help students manage stress, anxiety, and ways to find balance in everyday activities.
Emergency Services for Suicide Prevention
Sometimes stress or challenges may just seem too big. At those times it may be helpful to reach out to one of these 24-hour support services.
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-TALK (8255)
- San Francisco Crisis Hotline: (415) 781-0500
- Alameda 24 Hour Crisis Line: (800) 273-8255
- Contra Costa 24 Hour Crisis Line: (800) 833-2900
- San Mateo Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center: (650) 579-0350
- Santa Clara County Suicide & Crisis: (855) 278-4204
- Hopeline: (800) 422-HOPE (4673)
- The Trevor Project (LGBTQ): (866) 488-7386
Basic needs are the conditions and resources necessary to survive and thrive. These conditions support students' ability to be active, engaged learners who reach their full potential at San Francisco State University. These conditions and resources can include but are not limited to safety, food, housing, and access to mental health services.
The Tutoring and Academic Support Center (TASC) is a new university-wide center that supports the academic success of all San Francisco State students.
At TASC, you will meet tutors who care about you, and about what and how you learn. Tutors will assist you in completing specific assignments as you strengthen your overall academic skills. Tutors are available to work with you one-on-one and in small groups in sessions tailored to your unique needs and learning styles. They are there to support you in your goal of succeeding at the university.
TASC offers tutoring support for most subjects.
TASC works closely with instructors to support composition and GWAR courses in the form of Embedded Tutors and the Fellowship program respectively.
Academics
The Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC) is the home base for freshmen during their first year and undeclared students at SF State.
First-Year Experience (FYE ) Peer Mentors are integral members of the FYE program and the campus community. Peer Mentors enter first-year classes and collaborate with faculty to make SFSU a welcoming and supportive campus for all first-year students.
FYE Peer Mentors hold multiple roles as a friend, advisor, mentor, and coach to support the academic and social well-being of each first-year student.
First-Year Seminars fulfill Area E general education. They are small, writing-intensive courses in a variety of subjects with a focus on the first-year experience at SF State.
Even though we all may be in different places, First-Year Experience still finds unique and fun ways for you to meet with other students and our Peer Mentors. We host an array of events that help you build community with other SF State students and help in your transition to university life.