As a freshman, Nataly Zuniga quickly found her place in the ACU community, joining in time-honored traditions like Freshman Follies and kicking off new traditions like tailgating and football at Wildcat Stadium. She joined other freshmen in Cornerstone, a first-year seminar class that sets the foundation for their education at ACU.

“I especially enjoyed my involvement in Ethnos and Freshman Follies, where I met most of my best friends,” said Zuniga, a multimedia major from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. “They were unforgettable experiences and created friendships I still hold very near and dear to my heart.” 

 Zuniga’s experience is not unique. And those in charge of college rankings at U.S. News & World Report recognized that when it came time to select schools for a national ranking focused on student success.

For the sixth year in a row, ACU was among the highest-ranking universities in the nation in the U.S. News “Academic Programs to Look For” benchmarks on student experience and success. ACU placed in six of eight categories for 2025 – including first-year experience –  and in the top 25 in five of them.  

ACU’s innovative approach to student orientation ensures all new Wildcats and their families begin their journey with a comprehensive introduction to college life. They learn about campus through an online series leading up to a two-day on-campus summer orientation.

Just before school starts, Wildcat Week immerses them in the academic, social and spiritual life of ACU, and connects them with student mentors.

All new students are enrolled in Cornerstone with their mentor groups from Wildcat Week. This one-semester class, as the name implies, provides a foundation for the rest of their liberal arts education at ACU.

Group gatherings such as daily Chapel and one-on-one interactions with Christian faculty and fellow students create an environment that inspires spiritual growth.

“I love how ACU is Christ-centered, and that they don’t hide the presence of the Lord,” said Savannah Mora, communication disorders major from Frisco, Texas. “I also think ACU really tries to give all students the opportunity to get involved with the school and that there is always something for everyone.  

Like Zuniga and Mora, Keith Gray, a Bible major from Houston, jumped right into the many first-year activities. “I immediately got involved in Follies as a member of the leadership team,” he said. “I led a book club through the Honors College. I was an active member of TRIO, a federally funded grant program designed to assist first-generation students and ones of other backgrounds. I also have been able to practice servant leadership through LYNAY. 

“ACU has simply been amazing,” he added. “Opportunities are everywhere.”

Semilola (Semi) Akindebe, nursing major from Lavon, Texas, found her place sharing her musical talent as part of Freshman Follies, A Cappella Choir, Gospel Choir, and as a Chapel worship leader. She is also a Sing Song co-director for her freshman class, and started a Bible study and worship group in her residence hall. 

“The best part of my experience here is all of the friendships and relationships I have been able to make,” she said. “I am grateful for everyone I have met here, and I truly have found people who are my family.”

That kind of first-year experience is the goal of employees such as Shannon Kaczmarek, dean of community living and wellness. A part of her department’s mission is to create a sense of home for new students.

It starts with the official move-in day at the beginning of the fall semester. New students and their parents are in for the surprise of their lives when they drive up to a residence hall and see hundreds of volunteers eager to help them lug all their boxes and luggage into their new room.

“It’s been a really positive thing,” Kaczmarek said.

Throughout that experience and Wildcat Week, students are immersed in an atmosphere of being served, cared for and welcomed. And it doesn’t end there. Freshmen and sophomores live on campus in residence halls, where they can quickly immerse themselves in the vibrant campus community.

Each residence hall is served by residence advisors who each take 24 to 30 students under their wing. The residence advisor/student relationship is based on being engaged in a meaningful way through conversation.

“Our goal,” Kaczmarek said, “is to be in conversation with every single student living in our buildings.”

Those conversations often lead to mentoring relationships that extend beyond graduation and are just one of the carefully crafted components that make ACU’s first-year experience so impactful.

Elements of ACU’s First-Year Experience:

• Every first-year and transfer student attends a two-day new student orientation before their first semester begins.
• Students meet their academic advisors to forge a relationship and begin setting expectations for their entire college career. They also meet faculty, residence life staff and others who can help familiarize them with college life.
• New students make long-lasting connections during Wildcat Week, a weeklong program that immerses them into the academic, social and spiritual life of ACU.
• All new students are enrolled in Cornerstone, a seminar class, with their mentor groups from Wildcat Week. Their same peer leaders serve as mentors throughout the course.
• Early in the semester, ACU hosts Family Weekend for families of first-year students to experience life at the university. Families and students attend Chapel, sporting events and mixers together. The main feature of the weekend is Freshman Follies, a music variety show performed by first-year students with other students from their respective residence halls.

– Robin Saylor

Jan. 10, 2025