Welcome to the First Year Urban Program (FUP)!
Source: https://fup.fas.harvard.edu/ Parent: https://dso.college.harvard.edu/pre-orientation
FUP Leaders at Move-In posing in front of the Phillips Brooks House
Mission Statement
\ The First-Year Urban Program (FUP) is an immersive pre-orientation experience that engages and inspires incoming first-year students to pursue civic paths by orienting them to campus civic offices and community partners while helping them find their public purpose at Harvard College.
FUP’s mission is rooted in three key goals:
- Help students form meaningful relationships with faculty, staff, campus partners, and community partners in the civic space
- Create welcoming social spaces for current student leaders and incoming students to share experiences and learn from one another
- Assist students with goal setting and mapping out their first-year civic experience
Service!
Worksite groups engage in up to 10 hours of hands-on public service projects with local community-based organizations. These projects are designed in close collaboration with our 13 community partners to ensure that they addressed the partners' expressed needs. FUPpies (FUP participants) are assigned worksites according to a skills and interest form, matching project needs with student experience. Service work ranges from beautification efforts and environmental cleanups to more specialized projects like curriculum design and marketing plan development. This structure allows FUPpies to meaningfully contribute to the Cambridge and Boston communities while learning about the diverse ways civic engagement can take shape.
FUPpies and their FUP Leaders stand in front of their worksite, Daily Table Cambridge
Campus Civic Connections
During the FUP experience, students will be introduced to an array of campus-based civic organizations. These organizations focus on improving access to education, housing, public health, legal aid, voting, and supporting student leadership development.
Panelists smile in front of FUPpies
Discussion!
All FUPpies are placed into Discussion Groups— a tight-knit group of 10 FUPpies and two to three Upperclassmen. These evening discussion groups provide students the opportunity to reflect on their experiences during their first days on campus and learn from their peers. One of the most memorable parts of FUP, these nightly discussion sessions introduce FUPpies into a welcoming community.
FUN!
You can't build community without a little fun. Throughout FUP week, FUPpies participate in evening activities like karaoke, friendship bracelet making, and hide and seek in Harvard Yard. In collaboration with another pre-orientation program, First-Year Retreat and Experience (FYRE), FUPpies can dance the night away at Silent Disco. Got dance moves? Show them off at the highly anticipated Lip Sync Battle, where discussion groups compete for bragging rights.
FUP Leaders dressed as Bouncers in front of Silent Disco
Applications open now for FUP 2025!
Applications for Pre-Orientation Programs are now open until June 16! After applications are reviewed, students will be notified of the status of their application on June 25. If you are selected for a program, you have until July 9 to confirm your placement.