PRESCOTT COLLEGE ORIENTATION COURSE APPLICATION Logo

  • ORIENTATION APPLICATION 

    Please complete this application with thoughtfulness. It will help us place you in an Orientation Group that is appropriate for you. You will not be allowed to participate in Orientation without a completed (signed by a doctor) Medical Form, a signed Risk Acknowledgement Form, and this completed Orientation Application - in addition to all paperwork and deposits required to enroll in Prescott College. 

     

     

  • General Information

  •  -
  •  -

  • Orientation Course Choice

  • Please indicate your choice between the Orientation options listed below.  If you have questions please visit the Orientation webpage http://www.prescott.edu/academics/undergraduate-orientation/index.php or contact the Orientation Director, Cecil Goodman at  cgoodman@prescott.edu or 928-350-2305.

  • Wilderness Orientation: Desert Mountain & Canyon Backpacking

    Wilderness Orientation is at its heart a three-week backpacking expedition in the remote desert mountains and canyons of Arizona. 

    You don’t need to be an experienced backpacker or extrovert to have a successful Orientation experience; you just need a sense of adventure and a readiness to build an inclusive learning community.   

     Students on Wilderness Orientation develop a sense of place and make connections to the Southwest through backcountry travel, map and wilderness navigation, and by studying the natural and cultural history of their route.  Much of the course is focused on building a foundational community by honing interpersonal communication skills and practicing compassion and respect for each other and the landscapes we travel through. Students will also engage in individual research projects, build a learning portfolio, participate in a solo experience, and engage in leadership training as part of this truly interdisciplinary Liberal Arts course. 

    This is a field-based course and students earn 4 lower-division credits.

    Wilderness Orientation satisfies the foundational field prerequisite that students will need for field-based courses.

  • Community-Based Wilderness Orientation: Canoeing, Community, & Backcountry

    This course is a version of our traditional wilderness orientation but is specifically designed for those who are new to spending time in the outdoors and/or might be intimidated by the length and/or physicality of the traditional WO course.  In this course, we will approach all of the curriculum and experiences with a beginner's mindset. 

    Students will engage in three different "expeditions." The first is a 5-day canoeing experience designed to be a physically accessible introduction to the backcountry.  Students will then come back to Prescott and spend time in the community working on academic projects.  For the final expedition, students will choose to go on a 5-day backpacking expedition that is designed to be accessible to a beginner backpacker.  Or, they will choose to participate in a 5-day outdoor basecamp. 

    Students on this version of Wilderness Orientation will still engage in the WO curriculum.  They will develop a sense of place and make connections to the Southwest, and study the natural and cultural history of the landscapes they interact with. Students will build a foundational community by honing interpersonal communication skills and practicing compassion and respect for each other and the landscapes we travel through. Students will also engage in individual research projects and build a learning portfolio as part of this truly interdisciplinary Liberal Arts course.

    This is a field-based course and students earn 4 lower-division credits.

    This course has limited enrollment.  It will be enrolled on a first-come, first-serve basis.  This course satisfies the foundational field prerequisite that students will need for field-based courses.

  • Community-Based Orientation

    Community-Based Orientation (CBO) is intended to orient new students to the colleges' unique educational philosophy, structure, and community in the context of a Prescott-based course. This year, CBO is an exploration of community through the multifaceted project of Food Justice. Students will engage in a range of experiential and classroom-based activities to investigate such topics as food systems, food insecurity, school and community gardens, agroecology, and nutrition. Coursework will aid students in learning how to analyze the relationships between community and the environment, while cultivating a sense of place and in-depth introduction to the philosophies and practices of Prescott College.  As in other sections of Orientation, student learning activities will include readings, discussions, student delivered presentations, group projects, community building activities, required field trips, and a student-built learning portfolio. This course is based in Prescott and is an interdisciplinary 4 credit lower-division Liberal Arts course.  

    Course Meeting Times: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 8 - 5 pm. Optional field outings on Wednesdays.  There is a required learning expedition to Tucson from 9/5-9/10. 

    This course does not satisfy the requirements for a field prerequisite in Aventure Education or Environmental Science courses. Available for fall; availability for spring is dependent on enrollment interest. 

  • Wilderness Orientation Specific Questions

  • The following questions are included so that we can best support your Orientation experience and to suggest services at Prescott College that may be helpful. Please answer as honestly and clearly as possible.

  • Personal Health

  •  
  •  
  •  

  • Students with ADA questions or qualifications can contact the ADA Coordinator: Christina Fabrey christina.fabrey@prescott.edu 

  • Personal Experience and Background

  • Below, please rank the following skills from 1 to 8 with 1 being where you hold the least confidence and 8 being where you feel most confident.

  •    
  •    
  •    
  •    
  •    
  •    
  •    
  •    

  • Specific Questions for Community Based Orientation (CBO)

  • The following questions are included so that we can best support your Orientation experience and to suggest services at Prescott College that may be helpful. Please answer as honestly and clearly as possible.

  •  

  • Please connect with the Orientation Director (cgoodman@prescott.edu or 928-350-2305) if any of these reasons are holding you back from participating in Wilderness Orientation. We want it to be equitable access and open choice to Wilderness and Community Based Orientation- we can supply you with the gear you need - our routes and itinerary are designed to be accessible to novice backpackers - and around 50% of our students are completely new to backpacking.

  • CBO - Personal Health

  •  
  •  
  •  

  • Students with ADA questions or qualifications can contact the ADA Coordinator: Christina.Fabrey@prescott.edu

     

  • CBO Personal Background

  • Below, please rank the following skills from 1 to 8 with 1 being where you hold the least confidence and 8 being where you feel most confident.

  •    
  •    
  •    
  •    
  •    
  •    
  •    

  • We look forward to having a safe and fun orientation experience with you! If you have any additional questions or information that you want to share, please contact the Director of Orientation, Cecil Goodman, at cgoodman@prescott.edu or 928-350-2305.

  • Should be Empty: