Sophomore Ignatian Residential College

As a sophomore, you’ll have the option to choose from one of three tracks in Leadership, Creative Life, or Service for Justice, and will be given the chance to explore fundamental questions of identity, community, and purpose with a group of peers and mentors.

Through a series of retreats, communal dinners, academic courses, and service projects, you and your classmates will acquire the tools and experience to become leaders, creators, and agents of change.

Getting Started

Interested in becoming part of this unique sophomore experience? Explore the application process and discover how to begin your ignatian journey.

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Goals of the Program

Students applying to the Ignatian Residential College program have the opportunity to explore fundamental questions of identity, community and purpose in any of the three tracks—Leadership, Creative Life, or Service for Justice. Each track examines these questions, bringing their own unique lens to the process, and students can choose the experience that resonates with them.

The intentionality of the Ignatian Residential College Program allows students opportunities through classes, mentor communities, and residential programming to explore the enduring questions:

Who am I?

Understanding of academic excellence, completeness and truth through diverse experiences, integrative thinking, personal excellence, and social responsibility.

Whose am I?

Reflect on understanding, imagination, and feelings to grasp essential meaning and value of whom they would like to become based on context and experience.

Who am I called to be?

Engage in opportunities to challenge thinking and exercise the will to choose the best possible course of action.

Service for Justice

The Service for Justice track is a community rooted in social justice and service that explores the questions of identity development, positive sense of self and social responsibility.
Leadership

The Leadership track provides a distinct opportunity for students to examine different dimensions of their lives from a variety of perspectives and leadership roles inside and outside of the classroom.
Creative Life

The Creative Life track embraces creativity as an essential element of learning and developing one’s worldview.

Academic Experience

The academic courses are a fundamental component of the Ignatian Residential College Program experience. The courses provide students the opportunity to integrate their lived experiences with their academic learning, as they take one course per semester with other students in their residence halls. The courses are from a variety of disciplines and are not additional to a student’s regular schedule—they fulfill major, required core, or elective credit. Each course addresses one or more of the guiding questions and therefore relates to the mentoring and residential experience. Courses’ special elements might include field trips to events on or off campus, study sessions or lectures within the residence hall, or special guest speakers.

For questions regarding the Academic portion of the Ignatian Residential College Program, please contact John Miecznikowski, Faculty Chair of the Program.

Connect classroom learning with their lived experiences.
Be challenged intellectually to expand their perspectives, beliefs, values.
Learn the value of critical and personal reflection.
Enjoy course-related events and conversation with peers and faculty outside of the classroom.

Mentoring Community

An integral part of the Ignatian Residential College Program experience is the Mentoring Community program, which offers our sophomores an exciting, unique opportunity to partner with caring and committed mentors during this year of exploration and self-discovery. Faculty, staff, University alumni, and local community members across a wide population of vocations and backgrounds serve as companions to students. Using the Ignatian lens of reflection and discernment to spark discussion and share ideas, mentors and students explore the Frederick Beuchner concept to find “the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s hunger.”

Explore one’s sense of vocation and purpose in an intentional setting.
Be given opportunities for student-centered conversations on one’s identity and shared experiences with peers and adults.
Examine and challenge one’s beliefs, attitudes and actions in a safe, supported environment.
Develop an awareness for the value of Ignatian reflection and discernment in daily life.
Identify and participate in community engagement experiences, further developing an ability to serve our world as leaders, creators and agents of change.
Build a diverse community of friends.

Going through the res college program was an invaluable experience that can never be replicated anywhere else. It brought me experiences that I would have never had in another program. From being the diversity specialist of Langguth’s RHA, to all the great people that I met, which I now call my friends. Being able to learn and embody the Jesuit values of caring for the whole person and people for others challenged my sophomore year in a way that allowed me to grow. I'm grateful for everything that the res college program has taught me.

- Carlos Castillo, ‘26

Residential Experience

The students’ living environment is the heart of the Ignatian Residential College Program, providing students with meaningful experiences that integrate the theme of each college. Students have the opportunity to live with their peers and friends who share similar interests and diverse passions. Students participate in an abundance of programs, events, and activities put on by the Residence Life staff, Residence Hall Association and each other.

Below are examples of programs, activities, and services of Ignatian Residential College Program in which students can engage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Fairfield University's Ignatian Residential Colleges provide students a special opportunity to explore their sense of vocation by connecting with faculty, mentors, staff and other students in a variety of ways. Residential colleges offer a fun and engaging community experience to consider some big, meaning of life questions and make connections between classroom learning and their lived experience. At Fairfield, we call this the integration of living and learning.

Fairfield University’s Ignatian Residential College program provide students a special opportunity to explore their sense of purpose in the world by connecting with faculty, mentors, staff and other students in a variety of ways. Residential Colleges offer a fun and engaging community experience to help students learn more about themselves, determine how they want their lives to make a difference and discover their callings by aligning their gifts and passions.

Sophomores can choose among three Residential College experiences. Each College has three major components (Academic, Mentoring, Residential) in common, but each has a particular focus.

Benefits include:

Living in a fun and engaging community
Developing some incredible friendships
Taking incredible courses specifically designed for the Residential Colleges
Early registration for your Residential College course
Connecting some of your coursework with your living experience
Enjoying some great dinners and conversations with faculty and staff right in your own building
Discussion with peers about real life issues
Being supported by a mentor and peers in a Mentoring Community
Opportunities to get off campus with peers to reflect on major life questions

While the overall time commitment is not very much, students who are accepted will need to sign a program Commitment form indicating their agreement to fully participate in the major components of the college. Components include the following:

Taking a Residential College course (no additional time, and not an additional course, but one from your regular course load that has been redesigned to address the Residential College questions or themes)
Attending an orientation session at the beginning of each semester (much shorter than your First Year Orientation!)
Participating in your Mentoring Community--an an hour-and-a-half-per-month gathering with 6-8 students
Attending a retreat once per semester (a 24-hour overnight once per semester)
Participating in service/direct-action projects or academic seminars as scheduled.

Students will also be invited to many other fun events, such as dinners or talks, and other programs both on and off campus. You choose which ones of those you want to attend.

Although all three of the Sophomore Residential Colleges focus on the question of allow students to look at their identity and their purpose in the world and have the same major components, each has a different focus.

Students in Creative Life Residential College look at the question of vocation through a creative lens. Students will examine various definitions of creativity and how they relate to their identity and passions.

The Ignatian Leadership Residential College offers students a year of communal and self-reflection, guided by the Jesuit values. While gaining a knowledge of their passions, students practice and enhance leadership skills that call them towards the service of a greater good within society.

The Service for Justice Residential College is rooted in social justice, service, and allows students to explore their various identities. By intentionally examining social justice issues, students are pushed to think about how they are called to use their privileges to help those who are oppressed.

All three tracks are located in 42 Langguth. In order to build community, students are encouraged to keep their doors open and get to know other students in the building.

There will be two separate housing lotteries for residential colleges and non-residential college students In order to participate in the residential college housing lottery for 42 Langguth, you must be accepted into one of the three tracks.

A real gift that mentors provide is creating and holding a space for students to come together and safely share their lives with one another. The Mentor’s role is to help facilitate a discussion among everyone in the group, encouraging all to share their experiences, insights, and reflections.

Mentoring Community meetings are student centered. The mentor’s role is not to be the sole leader or authority. The Mentoring Communities have value only if all in the group contribute meaningfully. No one individual is the only guide, but rather individuals accompany each other on the journey of mentorship, community, and trust.

Each semester, students must take at least one Residential College course, specifically designed for the program. Residential College courses are a fundamental component of the overall Residential College experience. The courses provide opportunity for students to integrate their lived experiences with their formal academic learning as they explore their deepest desires, passions, and sense of vocation.

In the fall semester, Residential College courses focus on the question of Who am I?. Spring semester, courses focus on the theme of each individual Residential College: creativity, leadership and social justice. Courses are not intended to be an additional course, but one that will fit into a student’s core or major requirements. Courses are offered in areas such as History, Philosophy, Religion, History, English, Nursing, Business, Visual Arts and many others.

Students interested in participating in a Residential College their Sophomore year at Fairfield University must fill out a short online application, available in late November. The application is the common application for all three of the Residential Colleges. Applicants can rank order one, two, or all three residential colleges they wish to apply for. Students can apply alone or with a friend. Students who wish to apply together do not need to apply for the same track.

Organizational review teams for each of the Residential Colleges review the applications. If a student is not accepted for their first choice, they will then be considered for their second or third choice if one was designated. Acceptance letters will be sent to students via email at the end of February beginning of March.

Please know that acceptance into one of Fairfield's Residential College tracks is a privilege that comes with responsibility. Students who wish to live in a residential college must make a commitment to attend and actively participate in the major components of the college and be open to investing themselves in these experiences throughout the year. Failure to participate (without prior arrangements/correspondence or staff approval) may result in the loss of living in this community.

Sophomore Ignatian Residential College

Getting Started