As a new student at BMCC you likely have some questions, some curiosities, or could be saying, “I don’t know what I don’t know yet. How can you help?” This is what New Student Programs is here to help with. With programs such as F.Y.E and Panther GPS New Student Orientation, we try to address the most common questions, concerns, and curiosities of our newest members of the community.
If you have any questions that are not addressed below please email us at newstudentprograms@bmcc.cuny.edu and be sure to include your full name and CUNY ID #.
What if I don’t know my CUNY/EMPL ID #?
That’s okay! There are a number of ways to find it:
- It is likely posted on your acceptance e-mail. Check there.
- Did you receive an e-mail from the Academic Advisement and Transfer Center? Check there.
- Log into CUNYfirst, click on Self Service, and click on Student Center. You should have your CUNY/EMPL ID # posted in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
Reminder:
- Your CUNY Login should look like this: FIRSTNAME.LASTNAME##@login.cuny.edu (with the ## being the last two digits of your CUNY/EMPL ID #.
- Your CUNY/EMPL ID # is an eight (8) digit number.
- Here is a handy reference guide on the different functions of CUNYfirst.
Online Panther GPS New Student Orientation
What is Online Panther GPS New Student Orientation?
Online Panther GPS New Student Orientation is a program hosted on YouTube and Blackboard. The orientation can be completed at your convenience, anytime, anywhere with an internet connection. Completing Online Panther GPS New Student Orientation is a necessary step in order to register for courses. You can complete orientation before or after meeting with an academic advisor from the Academic Advisement & Transfer Center. Access the Panther GPS New Student Orientation on YouTube.
How long is Online Panther GPS?
On average, students have completed the online orientation within 45 minutes. This length of time all depends on how long it takes you to read, watch, and listen to all of the resources provided.
If I haven’t received an e-mail invitation to attend Online Panther GPS how do I gain access to it?
You can e-mail newstudentprograms@bmcc.cuny.edu and be sure to include your full name and CUNY/EMPL ID #. If you don’t know your CUNY/EMPL ID #, include your date of birth.
After completing Online Panther GPS, how long will it take to remove the ADM hold on my CUNYfirst account?
The ADM hold will be removed within 24-48 hours of completing Panther GPS.
First Year Experience (F.Y.E)
What is F.Y.E?
F.Y.E is a 13-week series of workshops hosted on Blackboard that will be listed on your CUNYfirst as a message course. F.Y.E. carries no cost and is completely free. F.Y.E. does not carry any credit value and will have any effect on your grade point average (GPA).
Is F.Y.E. synchronous or asynchronous?
Great question! Let’s review the difference. Asynchronous means that new information and workshop material will be posted each week. Student do not need to login at a specific day or time to review the material or complete any exercises. Synchronous means that you’ve chosen to meet on the same day at the same time each week with a dedicated F.Y.E. Facilitator.
You have the option to choose between asynchronous and synchronous. Be default, all students are enrolled in the asynchronous section and are able to change to synchronous later.
How do I enroll in F.Y.E?
We take care of that for you as long as you’ve completed Panther GPS you will be automatically enrolled in F.Y.E.
If I am a member of College Discovery, ASAP, or the Learning Academy, do I need to complete F.Y.E.?
That is totally up to you! College Discovery, ASAP, and the Learning Academy all have their own versions of F.Y.E. (sometimes called by a different name). While New Student Programs’ version of F.Y.E. will cover much of what College Discovery, ASAP, and/or the Learning Academy covers, there may be some differences in material. Do you need to do both? No, you should do the version of F.Y.E. that is required by your program (CD, ASAP, LA) and if you have time to add on New Student Programs’ version, you can.
Panther Partners
Panther Partners is for first-generation college students, what does that mean?
First-generation college students come from families where neither parent or guardian has a two-year or higher degree from a college, university or other institution of higher education in the United States. Some students’ parents or guardians may have completed a degree in a country outside of the U.S.A. These students are still considered first-generation college students at BMCC and are welcome to apply to the program.
If I am a member of College Discovery, ASAP, Learning Academy, Degree Under Three or any other special success program at BMCC, can I also be in Panther Partners?
To support as many first-generation college students as possible, students enrolled in the following programs will not be accepted into the Panther Partners Program: Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), BMCC Learning Academy (BLA), College Discovery (CD), CUNYStart or Degree Under Three (DU3). This is to ensure that every first-generation college student at BMCC has the opportunity to engage in at least one cohort experience/program.
I heard Panther Partners is nationally recognized, what does that mean?
The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) is a national organization that works with colleges and universities all over the country. NASPA created the Center for First-generation Student Success. The Center recognized BMCC as one of only a few community colleges in the country to be awarded First-Forward designation in 2019 as a member institution. Due largely to the success of Panther Partners, the Center invited BMCC to participate as an Advisory Institution to help other regional institutions better serve their first-generation college students. Overall, it is a pretty big deal because there are only 205 First-Forward institutions in the country and only 20 Advisory Institutions.
