These living-learning communities provide an added opportunity for first-year students to connect with others who share your academic interests by placing you in the same on-campus residence hall or residence community. Like our other CAT Communities, about 22 first-year students take a group of classes together, but you'll live, eat, sleep, study, and socialize near each other, too! Your Residential Learning Assistants will also live in the same hall or community. Students enrolled in Residential CAT Communities are also able to select their rooms earlier than other incoming first-year students, in late March.
If you are interested in enrolling in a Residential CAT Community, read through the page below and indicate which Residential CAT Community you would like to be a part of on your Housing contract, or email us atkstatefirst@ksu.edufor help making those changes.For more information about the room styles available within the halls, you can alsoExplore Your Optionson the Housing and Dining site.
You can also work with your advisor during your Advising Appointment to get connected if you aren't sure which option is right for you!
Fall 2025:
Below are the Residential CAT Communities for Fall 2025. Click on the titles for more information about each one.
What can we do to keep animals healthy? Why do we feed them the way we do? How does good health and nutrition impact their growth and longevity? This learning community uses practical examples and hands-on learning to connect Principles of Animal Science with Chemistry I so you can apply fundamental science to your love of animals.
APDesign has a long-standing tradition of providing connection between building a foundation in design through Studio, learning about the rich and varied history of design through History of the Designed Environment, and exploring the diversity of the professions and career paths in Survey of Design Professions for all first-year students. The CAT Community will provide you with additional opportunities to get to know your ENVD classmates better, have dinner with a faculty member each week, and learn strategies to stay focused and motivated in your first year as an APDesign student.
Residence Hall: Kramer Community (Goodnow, Marlatt, Wefald)
In this community, you will explore different engineering degree programs and careers while engaging in learning activities that promote your personal and professional development. You will also develop a solid understanding of how engineers utilize math and science to solve all types of problems. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to get to know other general engineering students and begin building a community of peers.
Do you love movies, comics, novels, or any kind of story? Did you grow up reading Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, and Harry Potter? Maybe you've been inspired by the iconic characters and universes ofStar Wars, Star Trek, or Doctor Who. Or an adventure with friends playing Dungeons & Dragons sounds right up your alley. If so, this learning community is perfect for you! Together, we'll examine the transformative power of stories and the fandoms they inspire.
We'll explore how narratives across media shape our ideas, values, and perspectives - and how they can inspire us to be a force for good in the world.This community also offers a first step towards a Film Studies certificate at K-State. You'll get to dive deep into your favorite stories, make new friends who share your passions, begin to craft your own stories, and develop the critical thinking and creative skills that will serve as a foundation for success in all your college courses. Join in and let the adventure begin!
Residence Hall: Derby Community (West, Haymaker, Ford, Moore)
PSYCH 110 General Psychology - Fulfills K-State Core #5 Social & Behavioral Sciences
ENGL 220 Fiction into Film - Fulfills K-State Core #6 Arts & Humanities
DAS 195 Fandom and Film Studies*
*This course also counts as DAS 101: College of Arts & Sciences Orientation: Discover, Create, Thrive: Navigating Arts & Sciences at Kansas State University credit
What does it take to be a good healthcare provider? This CAT community will help you develop your critical analysis and reasoning skills while exploring public health concepts related to health disparities.
Residence Hall: Derby Community (West, Haymaker, Ford, Moore)
As you prepare for future medical careers you will have the opportunity to explore what it means to be a culturally aware health professional and what healing means for individual patients and different communities around the world.
Residence Hall: Kramer Community (Goodnow, Marlatt, Wefald)
Social media is a powerful medium in our world through which we acquire and share information, share our opinions and perspectives, and connect with others. Social media can be wonderful, uplifting, and conveniently accessible. Social media also can be overwhelming, depressing, and inescapable. This class will discuss what social media is, the advantages and disadvantages it brings, and how we can get the most out of social media for our personal and professional lives.
Residence Hall: Kramer Community (Goodnow, Marlatt, Wefald)
PSYCH 110 General Psychology - Fulfills K-State Core #5 Social & Behavioral Sciences
COMM 106Public Speaking 1 - Fulfills K-State Core #2 Communications
From beekeeping to the transmission of pathogens, we look at the impact of insects and related arthropods on agriculture and health. Discover some of the often-hidden ways insects are impacting us today and what to expect in the future.
Residence Hall:Derby Community (West, Haymaker, Ford, Moore)
K-State is a strengths-based campus. First-year students in this living learning community will transition from strengths identification to strengths development. Discover what you do best and learn how to use those talents to make your college experience rewarding and successful. In this positive and engaging learning community, you will study the importance of exercising leadership through a strengths based perspective. You will bridge the gap between your own leadership education and social environment to make progress on issues you care deeply about.
Residence Hall: Derby Community (West, Haymaker, Ford, Moore)
LEAD 212 Introduction to Leadership Concepts
ANTH 204 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology - Fulfills K-State Core #5 Social & Behavioral Sciences
LEAD 195 Strengths
In a Residential CAT Community, first-year students:
Take two general education courses and a one-credit hour connections course with the same 18-22 students
Are housed in the same Residence Halls or Residence Communities (Kramer, Derby, or Strong)
Have the opportunity to work with an undergraduate Residential Learning Assistant, who lives just down the hall and offers academic and social support
Learn from engaging and empathetic professors
Participate in social and educational activities related to shared interests inside and outside of the classroom
Is a Residential CAT Community for you?
The Residential Community may be a good fit for you if...
You are looking for a first-year college experience that will maximize academic and social opportunities, through both a community of dedicated students and talented faculty
You are interested in the classes and themes of this year’s Residential CAT Community offerings
You wish to reserve a space in one of our popular on campus Residence Halls
Learn more about Residential CAT Communities and how they work within Housing and Dining!
Check out the 2024-2025 Housing Contract Webinar to learn more about how to get connected to Residential CAT Communities!
These living-learning communities provide an added opportunity for first-year students to connect with others who share your academic interests by placing you in the same on-campus residence hall or residence community. Like our other CAT Communities, about 22 first-year students take a group of classes together, but you'll live, eat, sleep, study, and socialize near each other, too! Your Residential Learning Assistants will also live in the same hall or community. Students enrolled in Residential CAT Communities are also able to select their rooms earlier than other incoming first-year students, in late March.