What Research Shows
The senior year experience refers to the total experience of seniors inside and outside the classroom. This experience is provided by student affairs officers, academic administrators, faculty, and seniors themselves. It brings closure, connectedness, integration, and reflection to the diverse set of activities they have experienced as undergraduates.
John N. Gardner and Gretchen Van der Veer
The Senior Year Experience: The Second Critical Transition
Student input is always included when programs and services are created and enhanced at WVU. A few years ago, the Student Affairs staff heard from seniors that they appreciated all the support they had been given in their first year through the First-Year Experience, but that they also needed support as they finished college.
Student Affairs spent some time researching the services provided to seniors by other schools and colleges throughout the nation. They found a growing understanding of the importance of the senior year in bringing closure, integration, and reflection to the undergraduate experience.
A committee was formed to review the needs of seniors on WVU’s campus. Members included a diverse group of seniors, as well as representatives from several departments across campus.
Through the committee’s efforts, several programs and services have been established as part of the Senior Year Experience.
Today, the Senior Year Experience is further guided by the Experience WVU Advisory Committee, which includes members from Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, and by the Experience WVU Student Council, which includes approximately 75 first-year through graduate school students.
