On-Campus Undergraduate Orientation
A special time a make friends, settle in, and prepare for classes
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.
Orientation Schedules
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
- Hybrid 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
Community-Based Wilderness Orientation (aka “The Hybrid”)
- Specifically for students who are new to spending time in the outdoors and/or might be intimidated by the length and/or physicality of the traditional Wilderness Orientation course.
- BEGINNER’S MINDSET approach to the curriculum!
- Participate in three shorter expeditions: canoeing, community, and backcountry.
- Develop trust and community in small-group living environments.
- Gain an immersive sense of place through field study of natural history and cultural history of your route.
- The Hybrid course satisfies the foundational field prerequisite that students will need for field-based courses.
Community-Based Orientation
- Based in Prescott in a non-expeditionary in-town format
- Thematic Curriculum that’s dependent on the expertise and interest of the faculty instructor to explore the concept of Community via interdisciplinary lenses. (Last fall, students studied Food Justice.)
- Develop a rich sense of place and community.
- Depending on the curriculum, you may engage in local field trips.
This course does not meet field prerequisites. Students may have the option to take an additional course to fulfill the necessary prerequisite for field courses. Ask your Success Coach for more information!
Check out our gear videos for more tips
Have questions? Reach out any time!
Cecil Goodman
Director of Orientation Adventure Education Faculty
[email protected]
928.350.2305
Admissions
[email protected]
928.350.2100
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.