Introduction
Like many schools in the United States, Florida National University offers an orientation program to its first-year students. It is held before the beginning of actual studies. Orientation includes a greeting ceremony and instructions. New students are instructed on the university’s policies and procedures, schedule, student services, and the use of resources. Attendance is mandatory. However, no outdoor orientation activities are held. Outdoor orientation implies that new students go on trips together with current students and sometimes staff and faculty members. Normally, students spend at least one-night camping. Such activities were confirmed to positively influence both students and the university. Florida National University should adopt an outdoor orientation program because it will increase new students’ commitment to the university, help them make the transition to university life, and facilitate interpersonal relationships that are important to their further studies.
Commitment to the university
First of all, outdoor orientation programs make freshmen more committed to their university. On a trip with their peers, first-year students become involved in extracurricular activities from the very beginning of their university life. Participant observation of outdoor orientation activities revealed that many students adopt the “I love my university!” attitude before they even attend their first class (Wolfe and Kay 19). The issue of commitment is important because the lack of commitment in students leads to higher rates of attrition. Attrition is a serious problem for many schools across the United States (Wolfe and Kay 20). Achieving commitment to the university in new students should be one of the goals of a university because such commitment facilitates student retention. This emphasizes one of the positive effects of outdoor orientation programs.
Transition to university life
Second, outdoor orientation programs assist new students in their transition to university life. Most freshmen are young people who are taken away from the lives they are used to and placed in a new environment. They have to be involved in a lot of new activities and interactions. It is important to complete this transition successfully because failure to get used to university life may negatively affect the students’ performance. So-called “wilderness trips” were found to promote the transition (Bell, Holmes, and Williams 4). Although they do not represent the actual university environment where new students will interact, such trips still help overcome barriers that a student may experience with various interactions of university life.
Interpersonal relationships
Finally, outdoor orientation programs help students establish interpersonal relationships that will make their years of study easier and more enjoyable. Based on academic studies, Bell, Holmes, and Williams found that outdoor orientation trips “impact positively the attrition variables by deepening peer and staff relationships” (4). First-year students also reported that it was valuable for them to hear about the actualities of university life from older students in an informal setting. Also, the emotional bonding, which is accelerated by being together in challenging environments, causes the “my new family” attitude, which increases retention rates (Wolfe and Kay 19). Also, making new friends contributes to the students’ personal growth and social skills.
Conclusion
Those students who get involved in outdoor orientation programs will reveal many benefits for themselves and their university. Outdoor orientation programs make freshmen more committed to their new university, help them make a successful transition to university life, and strengthen their interpersonal relationships. These positive effects do not only stimulate retention, but also help establish an environment of friendliness, ease, and attachment, which is a favorable setting for learning.
Works Cited
Bell, Brent J., Marion Reid Holmes, and Brady G. Williams. “A Census of Outdoor Orientation Programs at Four-Year Colleges in the United States.” Journal of Experiential Education 33.1 (2010): 1-18. Print.
Wolfe, Brent D., and Gregor Kay. “Perceived Impact of an Outdoor Orientation Program for First-Year University Students.” Journal of Experiential Education 34.1 (2011): 19-34. Print.