canela

Amherst offers some wonderful options for new students during orientation.
I am curious about the OFF-CAMPUS THREE-DAY TRIPS. There is the
FIRST-YEAR ORIENTATION OUTING TRIPS (FOOT) and the The COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ORIENTATION TRIP (CEOT).

Both sound great! How do students tend to select? For those of you who are Amherst students, any suggestions?

Orientation offers opportunities to build friendships. Should individuals select based on what they are likelyto pursue at Amherst? And might that mean that one should try something 'new' during orientation or begin to establish a relationship with other like minded people?

Any suggestions?
Thanks

Lemonjello

Orientation's about having fun and making friends, so do whatever trip you think will be the most enjoyable. I really enjoyed FOOT, both as a tripper as a freshman, and as a leader this year (I'll be leading again in the fall). It was a great way to get to know a small group of people, and make some close friends right away. I've heard great things about CEOT as well, so you can't really go wrong. A lot of people (though not all of them) do a trip. I definitely recommend doing one because it's a fun way to have some new experiences, and really get to know a bunch of your future classmates.

TianXia

Hell, I just spent my Orientation chilling in the dorm and finding the best places for video games. Orientation actually isn't a bad time just to look around campus, although I suppose you'd have plenty of time for that sort of thing before or after the trips.

rhcp07

I would suggest you do a FOOT trip. I did one of the 3-day canoeing ones and met my best friend. It's a great way to meet and get close with a small group of people, especially upperclassmen whom you would otherwise never meet.

lavendercloud

I loved my FOOT canoeing trip last year and I'll be a leader this year. Some of my friends like CEOT, while others thought it was too big (it was supposed to be 35, but they took everyone so I think it was around 50). We went to the Adirondacks for the FOOT trip and it was absolutely gorgeous out there. I STRONGLY advise going on one!

rhcp, which one were you on? I was in BC2.

checkrdshoelace

I'm thinking about the rock climbing FOOT program... any thoughts? My family and I do rock walls in gyms all the time and went up to New Paltz to try the real rocks last summer and it was tons of fun. Would it be too intense? Conversely, which FOOT is most fun?