On his first day at William Paterson, Tyler Polachek sat in a classroom of unfamiliar faces. He had just learned what FAFSA was and wasn’t sure where to find his professor’s office. But one class, Will Power 101, promised to change that. 

“I feel it gave me the resources that could help me,” Polachek said. 

Launched in 2018, the required first-year course teaches students how to navigate class work and identify resources they may have access to, like the Academic Success Center or the Accessibility Resource Center. It also helps students register for classes and complete financial aid applications. 

Polachek’s experience reflects the university’s effort to improve student retention, a challenge that President Richard Helldobler faced when he arrived at William Paterson in 2018, and the first-year retention rate was 67%. 

Today, the rate has risen to more than 74%. Helldobler and other university officials credit this increase in part to the implementation of Will Power. 

The two-semester course allows students with similar majors to create a support system. 

“Teaching them how to do college, while they were doing college, was key to student success,” President Helldobler told a Beacon reporter during his digital office hours in January. 

Similar first-year courses exist at many universities nationwide. In the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s mandatory first-year seminar program in Newark, students are connected with faculty, staff, and campus resources to help their transition to university life, and for first-year students they have a 91% retention rate. 

Meanwhile, at Ramapo College in Mahwah, which has an 87% retention rate, a mandatory course for first-year students aims to enhance critical thinking skills through discussion, reading, writing, and experiential learning. 

The first-year retention at these two colleges, within one hour of William Paterson, has the same overarching goal as Will Power: to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for academic success.

“One of the biggest perks of Will Power is getting to know the students, having that continuity of care, and providing the support that students may need in real-time,” said Carmen Ortiz, who oversees Will Power as part of her role as the executive director of the Educational Opportunity Fund Program and Academic Advising. 

The first-semester course, Will Power 101, focuses mainly on studying habits, time management, financial aid, and understanding the university’s resources, such as WPConnect. 

The second-semester course, Will Power 102, covers student engagement in the classroom. It brings guest speakers from across campus, presents what resources the campus offers, and helps students in real time with resumes, cover letters, Pioneer Life club registrations, navigating the Handshake app, and more. 

While the retention rate suggests that Will Power has a positive impact, student opinions on the class vary. Some view it as an essential guide to college life, while others feel it becomes repetitive in the second semester.

In a survey conducted by the Beacon via QR code in late February, 75% of the 68 students who responded said that Will Power should be one semester, while 25% supported the full-year format. The survey included responses from students across multiple majors, including science, business, and arts. 

“I believe it should be one semester, because after the first semester you have a good understanding of the college experience,” Maher Alidina, a sophomore accounting major, told The Beacon in the survey. 

Students feel the second semester offers little new material, “The first semester is always the most important,” Matt Soto, a senior biology major, wrote in the survey. “The second semester feels like clutter that can be used for more important classes.”

Sophomore John Tucker, a sports management major, agreed the course could be condensed into a single semester. “The second semester is very simple, and it does not offer nearly as much as the first semester,” he said in an interview. 

Still, some students think Will Power should remain the way it is. 

“Will Power was a very flexible course in my opinion,” Polachek said. “It offered experiences around your major, made you familiar with resources on campus, and helped get an understanding of William Paterson as a whole. Therefore, I feel that Will Power being a two-semester course is very beneficial.” 

Linda Refsland, who helps Ortiz run Will Power as the executive director of Academic Success Services, defended the repetition of course material across two semesters because “Repetition really does help, even if students do not realize it in the moment,” She said. “The second semester is not just a repeat: —it builds on what they learned in the fall. It is a gradual transition from structured guidance to real-world experience.” 

Still, the university continues to re-evaluate the course. 

“Every year, we step back and look at Will Power to see what is working and what needs to be adjusted,” Ortiz said. “We always tweak and refine the program based on student feedback to make sure it is meeting their needs.”