Orientation
On-Campus Undergraduate Programs
"An afternoon thunderstorm rolls in. The buzz of cicadas fill the air. It’s orientation time." – Professor Julie Munro
Each fall, nearly two hundred new Prescott College students find themselves in “the classroom,” the breathtaking, sometimes raw, always diverse terrains and environments of the Southwest.
New Prescott students learn about themselves, nature and the ways of Prescott College in Orientation, the most revered of the College’s traditions, thus beginning the journey of developing the relationships with self, each other, faculty, and the natural world underlying so much of the learning at Prescott College.
For most students, orientation will mean, as it has for thousands before them, a three-week Desert, Mountain and Canyon Expedition (aka Wilderness Orientation).
For other new students Wilderness Stewardship and one base-camp option, Life- Centering and Health-Based Practices, offer a range of learning experiences which best reflect the needs of incoming classes.
These field-based programs allow students of varying needs, interests and abilities to successfully complete orientation in the format that has the most personal relevance for them and that introduces them to the College’s experiential, field-based curriculum.
Students engaged in Life-Centering and Health-Based Practices explore the integration of nature, yoga, Qi gong, meditation, and reflection in actualizing human potential.
Throughout these courses students will learn about community living, Prescott College educational philosophies, and the desert southwest. Additionally, students participate in a solo experience and leadership training which will provide them with a strong introduction to the liberal arts educational experience.
