<p>My daughter, being a veteran hiker and lover of nature, did the outdoor adventure and I think she was very happy she did it. It gave her a few familiar faces to latch onto at meal times and such until she got more established at Smith. She had to miss some team practices, however, to do the preorientation, which wasn’t a problem, but if one is into sports, that might be a consideration. As it was, she simply segued immediately from preorientation to team practices, and then real Orientation happened. Overall, I would say she enjoyed the hiking experience, but felt she would have managed fine without it, so if your D has other commitments, she shouldn’t feel as though she’ll be totally missing out by not doing a preorientation program. (I guess you won’t have the travel issue to deal with if you’re coming from RI.) But if she CAN do it, then by all means take advantage of it. (The hiking, by the way, would be a piece of cake for anyone who has done any peak-bagging in the Whites.)</p>