If you clicked on the link to this article, there is a very good chance that you have already at least heard of A&S Wired. There is also a good chance you know that A&S Wired is one of several organizations that the University of Kentucky refers to as “living-learning communities.” At this point, you may think to yourself, “This all sounds good, but what exactly is the point of A&S Wired?” I wondered this very same thing during the college selection process while I was looking at UK and first heard of A&S Wired. After being a part of the program for nearly two years now, I have realized that A&S Wired can be described in detail by looking at the three words that make up its title – “living”, “learning”, and “community.”
When you think about “living” in context with your freshman year of college, your first thoughts are probably directly related to dorm life. Dorm life is a completely new concept for most people, and as such, it can be a bit intimidating. All students in the A&S Wired program live in the same dorm, which means you aren’t the only person having to get used to this new lifestyle. The RAs in the dorm are very aware that the majority of the residents in the halls will be freshmen, so they are always willing and able to help out with anything while you’re trying to transition between college and home life.
Although college is an incredibly exciting experience, especially at the beginning of your freshman year, you must remember the primary reason for college – learning. A&S Wired offers several sections of many freshman-level general education classes in chemistry, and English, just to name a few. In these classes, you will go to the same lecture as everyone else, but your recitation groups will be much smaller and more focused. You will get much more individual attention than in a normal class, which should translate into a better grasp of the subject. As an added bonus, these recitation classes will all meet in the A&S Wired dorm.
That’s right, these classes will come to you, not the other way around.
Outside of class, A&S Wired makes it extremely easy to form study groups with your colleagues. You will never have to look very far to find someone in the same class or classes as you. All of these things are sure to set you up for success during your first semester.
Everything that A&S Wired does for its students make it more than just a simple program; it creates a community of students that are all going through the same experience. You will make friends from everywhere between downtown Lexington to the other side of the country. I have made more connections in my first year in Wired than I have at any other point in my life, and they have all helped in some way at some point. A&S Wired will not only make your transition to college much easier, it will make your first year of college one of the best years of your life and one that you will definitely never forget.
