Starting college has always been an adventure. Coping with higher academic expectations can be as challenging as scaling a wall of rock, and the prospect of making new friends and handling adult social situations can be as bracing as a plunge down surging rapids.
Today, students at West Virginia University have the option of starting college life by actually participating in these and other challenging wilderness activities. Along the way, they form close friendships before ever setting foot on campus, discover the beauty of West Virginia, and learn skills and attitudes that improve their chances of success in college.
Adventure
West Virginia is a wilderness orientation program that combines
activities such as rock-climbing, white-water rafting, and backpacking
in some of the state's loveliest locations with fireside discussions
on everything from students' reasons for attending college, to
their preconceptions of West Virginia, to strategies for excelling
academically and dealing with alcohol and social situations.
Discussions are led by highly successful WVU students.
At one point in the program, students sit by a stream and write letters outlining their personal goals for college. The letters are mailed back to them near the end of their first semester at WVU. As a group, they also practice goal-setting by deciding whether to spend a day swimming or backpacking to the top of Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia. Each group has chosen the more difficult path.
Adventure West Virginia began in 2003 with 14 students and enrolled 136 students this fall. In 2005, 220 students will participate, said program manager Greg Corio, who earned a master's degree in recreation, parks, and tourism resources at WVU. Eventually, he hopes, the program will involve about ten percent of the freshman class—approximately 500 students.
The students who are attracted to the program are a diverse group, Corio said.
"We
get every type of student, from those who have never had wilderness
experience at all to those who have a lot of outdoor experience,"
he said.
Most of the students who participate are from out of state, and many have heard negative stereotypes of West Virginia. Some even encounter negative attitudes from friends and family members about choosing to study in West Virginia. Adventure West Virginia —which includes activities in such scenic spots as Blackwater Falls, Canaan Valley, and Dolly Sods—opens their eyes to the beauty of the state and the friendliness of its people. Even state residents participating in the program learn new things about West Virginia.
Of
this year's 136 participants, 106 said it changed their attitude
toward West Virginia.
Even more importantly, participation in the program changed students' attitudes about themselves and their ability to succeed in college.
A survey of this year's participants found:
- 80 agreed that the experience changed how they view themselves;
- 100 agreed that it changed how they feel about attending WVU;
- 115 said they were less worried about adjusting to WVU life;
- 128 agreed—110 of them strongly—that they made friends they would keep in touch with at WVU;
- 129 agreed-104 strongly-that they would be able to find weekend activities in Morgantown that don't involve alcohol;
- 120 said they were confident that they would succeed academically at WVU; and
- 126 said they were confident that they would succeed socially at WVU.
Research shows that these students have good reason to be optimistic. Nationwide, students who participate in wilderness orientation programs have higher GPAs and better retention rates than the average.
Students who have participated in the program rave about its impact.
Adventure West Virginia "shaped almost every experience I've had here at WVU," Kara Walton said. "I can link almost all of my friendships here to Adventure also. The program changed my life and gave me a new interest in and appreciation of the outdoors."
"Looking back now," Carie Behe said, "the program prepared me completely for the transition to college. It broke the ice, I think, when it came to making friends, learning about what WVU has to offer, and overcoming the challenges of leaving home."
Corio said he has also heard from many parents who are amazed at the impact the experience has had on their children.
An Innovative Program
Wilderness orientation programs date back to the 1930s at Dartmouth College, and more than 200 such programs exist nationwide today. The fact that several of these programs use West Virginia settings in their sessions inspired the creation of Adventure West Virginia, Corio said.
The WVU program is different than most because it is linked to the University 101 course required of all first-year students. Adventure West Virginia students reunite throughout the school year for classroom lectures, community service projects, and recreational activities.
Brent Bell, who directs Harvard University's wilderness orientation program and researches the effects of such programs, called WVU's program innovative and predicted that more schools will adopt its model. Already, the director of the program at St. Cloud University in Minnesota visited Morgantown to study WVU's program.
In addition to the five-day program, Adventure West Virginia also offered a three-day version for commuter students and a session built around a Habitat for Humanity community service project in Morgantown. Through other community service programs, students worked more than 1,300 hours to improve the Morgantown community even before becoming official members of it.
In the future, Corio hopes to hold sessions targeted to particular groups of students, such as first-generation college students and those with disabilities. He also hopes to create scholarship funds to enable more students to participate.
At the end of the program, Corio said, students often become emotional saying goodbye and refer to their fellow participants as a family. They promise to stay in touch when they arrive on campus.
"The fact that when they arrive on campus, they already know a group of friends, makes the transition to college life so much easier for them," Corio said.
In post-orientation comments, student after student said the same thing.
As one summed up, "I already feel like part of the WVU family, though I am not even on campus yet." For more information, contact Greg Corio at adventurewv@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-5221.
