EARLY START RACES AHEAD

CMU’s Early Start Program added specialized course tracks for prospective business, health science and engineering students this year.

The Early Start Program is an opportunity for first-time traditional students to gain college success techniques before stepping into their coursework. Incoming freshmen start class a week earlier than their peers and spend time sharpening their studying, test-taking and time management skills.

“My cousin told me about it last year,” said kinesiology major Mallory Nadel. “That is how she met all of the people she is close with now.”

Previously, all first-time students could take advantage of this opportunity without specialized programming. Unlike business and health sciences, the Engineering Summer Bridge Program was available to engineering majors as a supplemental pre-calculus requirement. However, it shared no formal association with the Early Start Program.

This year, all incoming students were welcome to participate. However, the emphasis on health, business and engineering has drawn in students and offered them an advantage over their peers.

“Being so fresh and new to this whole thing, this kind of program gives you such a jumpstart on everyone else,” said mechanical engineering major Coen McAll.

In a similar vein to their business and engineering counterparts, health science students met with professors and advisors during the Early Start Program. Through an HSCI 196 course, guest speakers, faculty and peers connected with hands-on activities.

“I chose the health sciences Early Start track so I am more prepared for what I am going into with nursing in the future,” said pre-nursing major Asia Autry. “Talking with the Student Wellness Center has been a good resource. I like being able to have a place to seek out future jobs through and know I can get help with my career.”

Nursing is one of the most competitive programs at CMU. Each year, the the traditional BSN pathway welcomes an estimated 50 students, while the practical nursing program welcomes an estimated 23. Despite this, health professions and their related programs comprised 13.7% of the total bachelor’s degrees awarded to students in 2023 and 2024. This is second only to business and marketing at 23.3%.

CMU’s practical nursing program now ranks No. 1 nationwide and the Davis School of Business became Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited last spring. This prestige motivated students to consider their respective Early Start Program tracks.

“I chose to come to CMU because of the amazing programs that it has for nursing specifically,” said Autry. “I’ve been drawn to this campus across all the ones I looked at, from Durango to Boulder to even out-of-state options.”

Additionally, Integrated Resources for Information and Solutions (IRIS) hired embedded advisors for both the business and health science departments in July. New advisors Levi Van Pelt and Abby Palmer were present during the Early Start Program, but their roles will primarily support juniors and seniors who completed their programs’ secondary applications.

Both of these degree paths seek to create specialized concentrations of students with small cohorts. However, due to the newly adopted engineering partnership program between CMU and University of Colorado (CU) Boulder, engineering programs continue to expand.
With both CMU and CU Boulder working together, the Early Start Program became a positive way for engineering students to connect with each other.

“With the partnership program, I thought it was a cool way to go to this school and meet new people. I think being nervous about two schools is just a part of the game. You need to be able to roll with confidence,” said mechanical engineering major Benson White. “It’s awesome because I like the campus and environment here but still get the same degree from a big-name school.”

Whether or not they were a part of the three specialized tracks offered, the majority of Early Start Program participants ended the week excited and ready for the semester to begin.