First and Second Year Experience


The first couple years of college can be daunting (Independence! Time management! Laundry!), so SAU has developed academic and social opportunities to ease the transition and make your college career a life-changing success!

Learning Communities Beecoming Ambrosian

Making a Difference

students volunteering on barge

Our students typically give more than 178,000 service hours each year to volunteer projects here and across the world. And during Welcome Week, First Year students embark on their first service to the community: Urban Plunge.

Urban Plunge

we hit the playbooks harder

#1

Ranked Academic Sports Teams

St. Ambrose ranked #1 Nationally in Scholar Athlete Teams 7 Years in Row! To earn this award, the team must have a minimum 3.0-grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as defined by the institution. Go Brainy Bees!

See SAU's Highlights


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Welcome Parents!


We hope that your student is adjusting well to the college life here at St. Ambrose University.

While your student is away, we would like to offer tips, suggestions, and useful resources to help you adapt to this transition as well.

Click below to the Parents and Family page.

Parents and Family


students working

Service Learning

Providing students with service opportunities at the local, national, and international level

Service Learning provides students opportunities to use the skills and knowledge they acquire in the classroom in real-life settings while contributing to relevant community needs and issues.

Students who engage in service as a part of their academic career develop a sense of caring for others and enrich their academic experience through experiential learning.

For more information on co-curricular service and service learning, please visit Service at St. Ambrose.

Service


Embarking on Your Second Year

Choosing a Major and Much More

Even though you're just one year removed from starting college, your sophomore year experience will be markedly different than the last.

Now that you know the basic expectations for college, during your sophomore year it will be time to select a major that aligns with your interests and talents. From here on out, you start charting a course of discovery to define your future.

The Second Year Experience at SAU is designed to help you progress along your path of self-discovery. Through guided exploration of academic, career, and social interests, you will develop meaningful and deeper connections that lead to success in and out of the classroom.

Ways To Make Your Second Year Count
  • Explore more deeply the subjects you enjoy. Join an academic club, attend a major-specific conference, and start thinking about Study Abroad.
  • Connect to the SAU community. Belonging to a student organization – there are dozens! – adds depth to your college experience than just attending class. Leading, organizing, and influencing your peers all happens when you're part of a group. And, attending campus events such as art exhibits, concerts, theatre productions, sporting events, and academic lectures adds another layer to what you know about the world around you.
  • Launch your career. Truthfully, your career doesn't start after you graduate from college. At SAU, we advocate students begin paving their path to a career during this Second Year. The SAU Academic and Career Planning Office is your destination for career readiness: perfect your resume, polish your interview skills, find at least one internship, and learn how to get the most out of networking.

So, what's next?

Are you ready to take the next step? Click on the visit button below to learn more about our virtual and in-person visit options.