UPDATE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret that this year’s Outdoors Club Pre-Orientation has been canceled.
Looking for a bit of adventure as you begin your Kenyon experience? The Kenyon College Outdoors Club invites you to participate in a wilderness program for first-year students.
Connect with your classmates and upperclass student leaders in a fun yet challenging program hosted by the Outdoors Club. Travel to Dolly Sods Wilderness in the Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia for five days of backpacking, camping, and whitewater rafting.
Participants will backpack in four groups each composed of eight first-year students and two upperclass leaders, for approximately seven to ten hours a day (five to ten miles). Students choosing to participate in the program should be at a moderate level of physical fitness and should be able to swim. Experience in the outdoors is a plus, though not required.
The Outdoors Club program aims to provide incoming first-year students with a smooth transition into the Kenyon community by introducing them to classmates, peers, and upperclass student leaders in a fun yet challenging environment. Wilderness experiences create bonds among the participants, giving them a solid group of friends and supporters during their first year at Kenyon and beyond.
"The camaraderie we all shared at the end was the best part of the trip, because we all came away with friendships and good memories."
"The trip really set such a positive pace to start the year at Kenyon, especially in terms of making great friends and having a great experience."
"It was a great bonding experience as well as a confidence-building adventure. I felt like I had a solid community of friends when school started."
- Remarks from previous Outdoors Club Pre-Orientation Program participants
Applications for the Outdoors Club Program will be open until June 1, 2020. The application process is competitive, so applicants should be as detailed as possible in their responses to the questions. Applicants will be notified if they have been selected to participate by June 15 and should NOT make travel arrangements prior to that notification.
Enrollment: 32
Cost: $650
Scholarships: Available for financial aid recipients
Applications Due: June 1, 2020