C83 - Catskills

Group C83 - Catskills, NY

More than 15,580 Princetonians can't be wrong!



Thursday November 26, 2009  

Start your College Adventure with an Outdoor Action adventure!

The Outdoor Action Frosh Trip program is a Princeton University orientation program that gives incoming freshmen the opportunity to start college on a six-day backpacking trip with their future friends and peers. Outdoor Action has always been aware of its unique opportunity to influence Princeton’s students, since it is responsible for giving more than half of each incoming class one of its first Princeton experiences. For this reason, Outdoor Action provides an ideal situation not only for students to make friends and start settling into college, but also to discuss issues that will invariably crop up over the next four years, such as alcohol and diversity. Outdoor Action also provides a unique opportunity for learning about sustainability, since the experience of living in the backcountry naturally encourages students to be mindful of their impact on the environment. We hope to give students not only a memorable Frosh Trip experience, but also a new perspective on their relationship with the environment that will stay with them long after they’ve returned to Princeton.

Dates for Frosh Trip 2010 for the Princeton Class of 2014

Application materials will be mailed out to all incoming students in early June. All the materials will also be available online.

  • Late May 2010 - Information and application materials for the Frosh Trip mailed to all incoming sudents.
  • Around June 4 , 2010 - Applications available online through the Outdoor Action Web Site.The trip is filled on a first-come, first-served basis based on postmark or Web application date.
  • Mid-July 2010 - Acceptance information letter and equipment list mailed to all accepted participants.
  • Saturday, September 4, 2010 - Arrive at Princeton - students can move into their dorm rooms. The Housing Office will be from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM for students to get their room keys.
  • Sunday,September 5, 2010 - Frosh Trip Departs
  • Friday, September 10, 2010 - 4:00 - 8:00 PM - Frosh Trip Returns
  • Saturday, September 11, 2010 - Orientation Week Begins

Outdoor Action Sustainability Initiative

video by Evelyn Tu - Office of Communications

Participants in Outdoor Action not only make new friends and learn about Princeton but also learn about how Princeton is making sustainability a ciritical part of campus life.With support from the High Meadows Foundation, Outdoor Action has launched a new initiative to become as sustainable as possible, both on and off the trail. The goals behind this initiative are twofold: first, to evaluate and reduce the program’s carbon footprint by reducing packaging, post-trip waste, and the distance our food and gear have to travel in order to reach us; and second, to use the Frosh Trip itself as a way of prompting students to think about the importance and fragility of the environment and their role in present-day environmental issues. Students return to campus with new information about how they can act more sustainably on campus and at home. Find out more about the Outdoor Action Sustainability Initiative.


Frosh Trip 20009 Photo Contest Winners

 

H4

Best Group Shot
H4, Harriman, NY

G17

Best Action Shot
G17 - Delaware Water Gap, NJ

C19

Best Nature Shot -
C19 - Catskills, NY

LH96

Silliest Shot
"Some people take Commando too seriously"
LH96 - Laurel Highlands, PA

C84

Best Food Shot
C84 - Catskills, NY

VA89

Best Small Group Shot
VA89 - Shenandoah National Park, VA

MA49

Best Leader Shot -
MA49 - Massachusetts Appalachian Trail

 

Over 800 members of the Class of 2013 from 40 countries applied to be part of this year's Outdoor Action Frosh Trip Program

The Outdoor Action Frosh Trip Program is without a doubt one of the best ways to start college. Over the past 35 years more than 15,580 new students have started at Princeton by making new friends before school starts and learning about life at Princeton on a fun-filled week with Outdoor Action, Princeton’s oldest and largest pre-orientation program. For many students it was one of the best parts of their first year at Princeton and one of the most memorable of their entire four years.

University Announces Expanded Program Opportunities for International Students

Princeton University is committed to making the Outdoor Action Frosh Trip available to all incoming students. Incoming international students can opt to participate in both the International Pre-orientation program run by the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students and participate in the Outdoor Action Frosh Trip or the Community Action program. Numerous international students now participate in the

Financial Aid Support for Frosh Trip

Princeton University is committed to ensuring that all students can participate in the Outdoor Action Frosh Trip and has a significant financial aid program in place for this purpose. Students receiving need-based financial aid from Princeton will have the full cost of the trip covered completely by the University.

Application Materials

The materials for the Class of 2014 will be mailed to all members of the incoming class in late May.

Here is what some participants have had to say about the Frosh Trip.

“I cannot tell you how glad I am that I participated in OA. I’ve made some really good friendships. It was a wonderful way to be introduced to Princeton, and I would strongly recommend it to everyone!”

 “I had never camped before, and I had a fantastic time on the trip. It was a great way to get to know other frosh. It turned out to be just the thing I needed to start my adjustment to Princeton.”

“I think it is a great program. I got to know my group really well, and the leaders were great. It was the perfect way for me to start off Princeton life.”

 “The trip was a wonderful experience. My group was a conglomerate of very diverse people. Had we all not been thrown together in the wilderness for six days, I probably wouldn’t have met and become friends with them. It was a great way to begin Princeton.”

OAWe anticipate that over 600 members of the Class of ’11 will participate this year. With that many students you can imagine that we get a wonderful cross-section of the diversity of the Class of 2011, including students of all backgrounds from across the U.S. as well as international students from around the globe. Princeton values diversity and that is one of the things that makes an OA trip so special. You’ll get a chance to make friends with an incredible range of people.

The Frosh Trips are fun six-day camping trips. You’ll be part of a small group of 8-10 freshmen and 2-3 OA leaders, current Princeton sophomores through seniors, who will help introduce you to life at Princeton. We offer a variety of different trip activities, from hiking or canoeing trips to base camp trips that stay at our summer camp in northern New Jersey. There are a range of trip levels, so you can find a trip that’s right for you. Students make lifelong friends on the trip, and many students continue to participate in other OA activities throughout the school year including training to become OA Leaders. The fact that over 200 Princeton students come back each year to help run the program for the incoming class tells you how popular it is on campus.

Princeton’s Frosh Trip Program is one of the oldest and largest wilderness orientation programs in the country (and we helped to start a number of the programs at other Ivy League Schools). Last year over 577 first-year students (46 percent of the Class of ’10) participated in 65 different trips to areas such as the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut and Massachusetts, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in New Jersey, the Catskills Mountains in New York, and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

No previous outdoor or camping experience is necessary. In fact, most of the participants on the Frosh Trip have never been camping before. We’ll teach you all the skills you’ll need to be comfortable in the outdoors and Outdoor Action can provide any special equipment you will need (e.g., backpack and sleeping bag). You’ll just need to bring personal clothing items.

OAThe program is open to all members of Class of ’10. Students with special needs or physical disabilities can often be accommodated. Please contact the OA office directly to talk with us about your specific needs so we can help you find an appropriate trip. For observant Jewish students, we can arrange to have you back on campus before sundown on Friday.

The cost covers all trip expenses (food, transportation during the trip, and equipment). Any student receiving financial aid from the University can apply to Outdoor Action for additional aid to participate. Application materials and detailed program information will be mailed to all entering students in late May, and on line applications will be available on the Web starting June 1. Participants are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis based on postmark or Web application date. The application deadline is June 30. Note: The program often fills before that date. For more information including videos, photos, and stories from past trips, please visit the OA Frosh Trip Program Web.

Find Out More

A first year student talks about her Frosh Trip Experience

FT GroupI was extremely scared about beginning college and the OA trip really helped to allay my fears. I got to become really close with a group of 10 people, all of whom I’ve remained friendly with on campus. In the wilderness atmosphere you get the chance to learn so much about these people who all seemed so strange and different. I learned that all ten of us had the same fears and insecurities about starting college; making new friends, handling schoolwork, becoming small fish in an incredibly large pond. The OA trip really taught me that first impressions mean absolutely nothing, that I should place more faith in my physical abilities (I never thought I could survive a backpacking trip), and interpersonal abilities (I usually consider myself shy and reserved, but my group members didn’t see me that way at all), and that no matter how alone I may feel sometimes, everyone is really feeling just as scared and unsure of themselves as I am.

One of the most valuable aspects of the trip for me was the nightly debriefings. These really gave our group a chance to reflect on the challenges and triumphs of the day and observe how our relationships with each other and with ourselves were changing. Our final night debriefing on the trail, during which we all went around saying things we liked/admired about each other, was especially valuable. So much of your self-view depends on how you think others view you, and hearing positive feedback from the people you’ve opened up and exposed your vulnerabilities to was just so incredible.

The most incredible part of my trip though, had to have been my fearless leaders, Andrew and Erin. I have so much respect for them and for the way they handled themselves throughout the trip. I really feel like we all became good friends with them, we joked around on the trail and genuinely had a good time. But both knew when and how to appropriately assume the role of leaders. They carried far more than their share of weight on the trail, responded to our complaints, motivated us, made sure we ate and drank enough, mediated small disputes that arose....What really amazed me about these two was how they fit perfectly into the dual roles of friend and leader, and could transition effortlessly between the two without compromising either. Erin and Andrew were also invaluable resources for everything we wanted to know about Princeton. They tirelessly fielded all our questions answering honestly and helpfully.

In conclusion, I want to reiterate what an absolutely incredible experience OA was for me. I am so glad I decided to participate in the program. The trip exceeded my highest expectations in every way. Thank you for facilitating such a wonderful program here at Princeton.

Read on to find out more information about Frosh Trip.

OA Frosh Trip Participation

Year Participants Leaders Total # of Trips
2008 688 183 881 83
2007 643 164 807 74
2006 577 145 726 67
2005 556 156 712 66
2004 548 183 731 69
2003 599 202 801 75
2002 603 189 792 71
2001 613 163 776 68
2000 583 143 726 63
1999 605 153 758 66
1998 603 156 759 67
1997 612 165 777 72
1996 592 181 773 72
1995 581 150 731 67
1994 558 135 693 56
1993 530 130 660 53
1992 456 119 575 46
1991 430 106 536 43
1990 396 110 506 40
1989 388 105 493 39
1988 350 105 455 35
1987 290 80 370 29
1986 350 80 430 35
1985 390 90 480 39
1984 350 80 430 35
1983 320 70 390 32
1982 230 45 275 23
1981 220 44 264 22
1980 220 44 264 22
1979 200 40 240 20
1978 200 40 240 20
1977 180 36 216 18
1976 150 30 180 15
1975 120 25 145 12
1974 100 15 115 10
  Participants Leaders Total # of Trips
TOTAL = 14,841 3,864 18,705 1,624