On-Campus Undergraduate Orientation
An immersive and transformative journey.
We do Orientation Differently at Prescott College…
At its heart, Orientation is about creating connections to community and place. It is designed to immerse you in PC’s experiential education model, foster foundational learning communities, and build your confidence in the skills you’ll use throughout your time here. Orientation is the first four-week class that you take as an on-campus undergraduate student at Prescott College. For over 50 years, every incoming student has participated in Orientation (both first-time and transfer students), and it is a 4-credit course required for graduation.
Additional Information
- We’ll also need a Medical History Form signed by your doctor 10 days before your move-in date.
- Your Success Coach will help you add Orientation to your schedule when registration opens
- You will need to be prepared with your gear for the first day of Orientation (Don’t worry we have scholarships, free gear to borrow, and comprehensive lists and videos – check them out below!)
- Fall Wilderness Orientation Gear List
- Winter Wilderness Orientation Gear List
- Community-Based Orientation Gear List
Wilderness Orientation
- Wilderness Orientation is a three-week backpacking expedition in the remote desert mountains and canyons of Arizona
- BEGINNER’S MINDSET approach to the curriculum – you don’t have to have any experience to be successful!
- Develop an immersive sense of place through backcountry travel and wilderness navigation, field study of natural and cultural history
- Build trust, confidence, and community in small-group living environments.
- Wilderness Orientation satisfies the foundational field prerequisite that students will need for field-based courses
Check out our student created StoryMaps
Community-Based Orientation
- Through the exploration of sustainable communities and food systems, this Orientation course provides students with a rich sense of place, community-building skills, and an introduction to the unique form of experiential and field-based learning we do at Prescott College.
- Based in Prescott in a living/learning format (students will be cooking, working, living, traveling, and learning together), Community-Based Orientation (a.k.a CBO) is an immersive course.
- You will engage in stewardship responsibilities of the school gardens, basic outdoor skills curriculum, and leadership development.
- This course also involves several short overnight field trips and expeditions,such as a four-day flatwater canoeing trip designed for students of all abilities.
This course does not meet the field prerequisites required by many of our field courses. Depending on successful completion of the CBO field trips, students may be eligible for a partial field prerequisite on a case-by-case basis.
Please review our FAQ sheet for more answers to your questions.
Have questions? Reach out any time!
For questions about Wilderness or Community-Based Orientations, please contact Cecil Goodman at [email protected]. All other questions can be sent to the Student Affairs team at [email protected].
Are you interested in being part of our community?
One thing we all have in common is our passion – passion for helping others, passion for the environment, passion for social justice and a passion for a different kind of learning experience.