Reacting to the Past (RTTP) is an innovative history pedagogy adopted by colleges and universities nationwide, in many cases as part of programming for first-year students. It is a methodology of teaching history that emphasizes active learning and student engagement. In many ways, RTTP is a form of a "flipped classroom," in which students read and prepare ahead of class to engage in activities, with less focus on lecture and whole-class discussion. This study focuses on first-year students' experiences in the RTTP history classroom, on how the course's unique structure impacted student engagement (positively and negatively), and on RTTP's impact on students' ability to think historically. The study concludes with an examination of RTTP's retention outcomes at one institution, with suggestions for future implementation and research.