Freshman Inquiry
What It Is
As a new Portland State University freshman, you're required to take the three-term Freshman Inquiry (FRINQ) sequence of classes, unless you're in the honors program. If you are a transfer student, the number of transfer credits you have will determine whether or not you're required to take FRINQ classes. To learn more about placement for transfer students, visit pdx.edu/advising/unst_placement.html.
Each FRINQ class is organized around exploring a distinctive theme (for example, Sustainability, Power & Imagination, Ways of Knowing) and is team-taught by faculty from multiple departments who use their different disciplinary perspectives to provide a multi-faceted understanding of the topic. FRINQ courses are small, with no more than thirty-six students per class. Faculty-led sessions meet twice weekly and are augmented twice per week by mentored inquiry sessions led by student peer mentors. For more information go topdx.edu/unst/frinq.html .
How to Do It
- Do your homework before registering for classes.
- Ask questions.
- Be prepared to learn the “new” expectations of a FRINQ class.
- Remember, you’ll get out what you put into FRINQ.
- Use the mentor session to your advantage.
Who Can Help
A wide variety of FRINQ courses are offered every year. All FRINQ courses are offered at least once in the fall, and a few begin in the winter. For scheduling information on specific course themes, please refer to the Portland State University schedule of classes at sa.pdx.edu/soc/.
Strategies for Success
Do Your Homework Before Registering for Classes
Learn as much as you can. To find out more about the FRINQ themes go to pdx.edu/unst/frinq_courses, then click on the theme you'd like to know more about from the menu on the left side of that page.
Ask Questions
Attend New Student Orientation, and ask the orientation leader or the adviser about the different theme-based FRINQ sequences that are being offered. If you know anyone who's already attending PSU, ask him or her which FRINQ theme sequence they found most interesting. You will also receive materials at orientation that describe the different FRINQ themes.
Be Prepared to Learn the “New” Expectations of a FRINQ Class
Understand that what is expected of you in FRINQ will be different from what was expected of you in high school or what is expected in many of your discipline-based courses. In FRINQ, there's an emphasis on 
building the foundation of college-level skills that you’ll need to succeed in your major classes. By the time you complete Freshman Inquiry, you’ll be able to apply writing, quantitative literacy, speech, visual/graphic skills, and current information technologies to problems requiring critical analysis and the organized presentation of your work. That is one reason for the wide range of exercises and skill-building activities that you'll experience in FRINQ. Another important difference between FRINQ and many of your other PSU classes is that this is a three-term sequence of courses where you need to successfully complete ALL three courses in order to meet your first-level general education requirement and be able to move on to the next level.
Remember You’ll Get out of FRINQ What You Put into FRINQ
This may sound like the kind of advice you would get from an aunt or uncle, but it's the truth. Successful PSU juniors and seniors acknowledge that working hard to learn college-level skills in FRINQ pays big dividends in upper-division classes. For example, it's a lot easier to write that twenty-five-page term paper in a senior level History or Psychology class if you already know what constitutes a “credible source,” what the differences between properly citing internet versus print sources, and how to effectively use the PSU library resources (all things you learn in FRINQ). Yet, unfortunately, you may encounter other students who say, “I don’t see how this FRINQ assignment fits into what I want to learn at college, so why bother?” The answer is that as a new freshman, you don't know everything that you'll need to know in order to succeed at the university. So work hard, participate in class, don’t cut corners, and you will have a great chance of maximizing the benefits of being a FRINQ student.
Use the Mentor Session to Your Advantage
Your FRINQ mentor is there to help you make the most of your freshman year general education experience. First, the mentor can help you understand the class material from your FRINQ class. The mentor works closely with the faculty to coordinate a fit between what you learn in the regular FRINQ classes and what you work on in the weekly mentor sessions. Second, your FRINQ mentor can help you learn how the university works 
and strategies for successfully navigating the university. She or he is one of those “already successful PSU students” that we keep referring to in these tip sheets. Some of the exercises and discussions you have as part of a mentor session are designed to help you understand what some of key issues are in adjusting to being a college student, as well as practical tips for succeeding at PSU. This is also a safe environment where you can ask questions you may not feel comfortable asking your professor in the regular FRINQ class. And just to repeat the message of the previous point, you will only get out of mentor session what you put into the mentor session.
Check out the FRINQ FAQ by using the pull-down menu at pdx.edu/unst/faqs/2213/.
In summary, take some time to understand FRINQ before you register for classes, approach FRINQ with an open mind, make sure you understand what's expected of you and work hard; you will learn the skills needed to succeed as a college student at PSU.
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