What is LEAP?

LEAP is a year-long learning community that enables new students to transition more confidently to college and to play an active role in their own education. Students work with outstanding faculty in small classes and participate in social and service activities with other students and with Peer Advisors.

The heart of LEAP is a year-long seminar in which students stay with the same classmates and faculty member. The seminar is paired in the fall with writing classes reserved for LEAP students. In the spring, LEAP students are offered optional Linked classes in library research, service learning, and major selection. The year-long seminar fulfills two general education requirements and the University's diversity requirement.

What are Peer Advisors?

Peer Advisors are sophomore or junior-level students assigned to each section, who stay with that section throughout the year. Thus, students, Peer Advisors, and faculty all get to know each other well and are able to form a community within the wider LEAP community.

How big is the LEAP Program?

In academic year 2009-20010, LEAP will have 25 sections taught by 11 faculty members. Enrollment will be between 650 and 700, which means that roughly one out of every four incoming students elects to join the program.

How big are LEAP Classes?

LEAP sections are small. They are never larger than 35, and most are capped at 30. Some sections are even smaller.

How will LEAP benefit me?

LEAP will prepare you to succeed in your future college work by actively engaging you as an individual and in teams to think analytically, creatively, and practically about issues important to the role of the citizen, nationally and globally. You'll benefit in other ways as well:

• You'll improve your writing skills.
• You'll develop sophisticated library research strategies to complete assignments related to your LEAP classes.
• You'll be offered the option of getting credit for a library research strategies course.
• You'll connect with at least one professor. This is an important relationship when you need recommendations for awards, scholarships, internships, or jobs.
• You'll have a chance to get to know your classmates and Peer Advisor, since you'll have a class with them both fall and spring semesters.
• You'll receive expert (and now required) academic advising right in your LEAP classroom and will automatically receive early registration for your second semester.
• You'll be offered special LEAP-only classes that fulfill the lower division writing requirement as well as optional courses in service learning and major selection.
• You'll make progress on your general education requirements: completing two of these, as well as the University's diversity requirement, by taking your fall and spring LEAP seminars.

What are my options within the LEAP Program?

All LEAP courses focus on the themes of diversity and community, and are very similar in content. There are two basic kinds of LEAP courses: LEAP and LEAP PLUS.  

LEAP is a year-long class that is open to all first year students. It comes in many different varieties:

• Exploration LEAP is for students with any major or for those who are still undecided about their majors. These courses explore the themes of community and diversity in different ways.
• Service LEAP incorporates service throughout the year and offers an optional add-on hour of service learning credit.
• Residence Halls LEAP is open to any student living in the Residence Halls. It allows students to take their LEAP seminar next door to the Heritage Center, in the LEAP House and to get better acquainted with other students living in the Residence Halls. A section of Writing 2010 is offered in the Heritage Center immediately before or after the LEAP seminar so that students may conveniently take both classes back-to-back.
• Pre-Professional LEAP is for students who already know their majors. It allows study of diversity and community in the context of a cohort of students with similar interests; there are programs for majors in Architecture, Business, College of Health, Education, Engineering, and Fine Arts.
• LEAP PLUS is a multi-year program for students who are underrepresented in the fields of medicine (or other health professions), law or engineering. Admission to these programs is by application. Browse the links on this website or contact the LEAP office (581-3283 or c.bliss@leap.utah.edu) for more information. There are four LEAP Plus Programs for under­represented students: E-LEAP Plus for future engineers, Health Sciences LEAP for those going into medicine, nursing, pharmacy, College of Health majors, dentistry, medical laboratory sciences, or veterinary medicine,Health Science LEAP for transfer students and Pre-law LEAP for those seeking careers in law. 

How does LEAP differ from Honors?

LEAP is open to all first year students, whereas admission to the Honors College is selective.  LEAP consists of one two-semester course; an Honors degree requires multiple courses.  Students may take both LEAP and Honors at the same time. It is also possible to start in LEAP and move to Honors later. The LEAP seminar counts towards the Honors degree, if students earn A's or A-'s in their LEAP class.   For more information see LEAP and Honors Connection. 

How do I enroll in LEAP?

You enroll in LEAP at Orientation, when you enroll in your other classes. Visit the orientation website at http://www.sa.utah.edu/orientation or call 581-7069 to sign up for your orientation time. LEAP fills on a first-come, first-served basis, so the earlier you attend Orientation, the wider your choice among LEAP options will be.