Off-Campus Orientation Experiences provide a positive start to life at Denison through a memorable shared experience with your new peers. You will leave campus for three days and two nights in order to connect with a smaller group of peers, faculty, staff, and student leaders.

Explore our 17 offerings for 2025! You will rank your top five favorite off-campus experiences in your admitted student portal starting in May. A notification will be sent to you in late June with your trip assignment. 

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Students dancing
Student white water rafting on the river.
Students on a bridge
Students learning new cooking skills.
Students pose for a selfie while out in the community.
Students posing for a selfie on a hike.

Choose Your Adventure

To help you find the perfect fit, off-campus experiences are grouped by the type of accommodations — cabin, tent, or hotel — so you can choose the adventure style that feels just right for you.

Tent Experiences
Cabin Experiences
Hotel Experiences
Tent Experiences
Cabin Experiences
Hotel Experiences

Why do we take you off campus as part of your orientation?

  • To form enduring friendships. Find your people before classes begin by forming meaningful relationships with fellow Denisonians who share your interests and passions.
  • To start your Denison experience with a network of support. Whether it’s a faculty member you can ask for academic advice, an upperclassman who can tell you what is happening on campus this weekend, or a fellow first-year student you can eat lunch with on the first day of classes, the bonds you form with your group will help you to flourish academically and socially in your first semester and beyond.
  • To gain the confidence to tackle your first year on The Hill. Focus on living in a community with fellow students from different backgrounds before you shift your focus to academics. Share your hopes, fears, and goals for your time at Denison with faculty, staff, and upperclass students who can then answer your questions about life at Denison.
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Tent Experiences

From sleeping under the stars to tackling thrilling outdoor challenges like hiking, rock climbing, or kayaking, these programs are made for those who crave adventure and love connecting with nature. Get ready to embrace the wild and create unforgettable memories.

You will sleep on the ground in tents. All belongings and equipment are carried with you in backpacks or dry bags. Denison will provide tents, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, dry bags, and backpacks if you do not have your own.

Denison Canoeing Orientation

Paddle canoes down the Mohican River during this unforgettable wilderness, paddling, and camping experience!

  • Physical Activity Level: Difficult
  • Focus: canoeing, camping, nature, scenic views
  • Location: Mohican River, Perrysville to Coshocton, Ohio

Denison Outdoor Orientation

Take part in a unique and challenging backpack hike through the wilds of the Otter Creek Wilderness Area of the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia.

  • Physical Activity Level: Difficult
  • Focus: hiking, nature, camping, backpacking, scenic views
  • Location: Monongahela National Forest, Otter Creek Wilderness Area, West Virginia

Denison Whitewater Orientation

Led by professional rafting guides, you’ll adventure through the whitewater rapids of the New River in West Virginia and camp along the river bank with your classmates.

  • Physical Activity Level: Difficult
  • Focus: rafting, nature, camping, scenic views
  • Location: New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, West Virginia
Denison students suited up with life jackets and helmets, posing with their oars, before setting out on their white water rafting adventure.
The group prepares meals in a outdoor kitchen.
A group of student pose before setting off on a hike.
A group of students pause on their hike to snap a selfie.
Image of several tents set up at a campsite.
A large group sits around a bonfire at night after a day of rafting.
Four friends pose for a picture while hiking through a small creek.
A group of friends smiles while sitting around a camp fire.

Cabin Experiences

Cabin Experiences

These programs are ideal for students who want to connect with nature while bonding with peers over campfires, group activities, and shared meals. It’s the perfect balance of outdoor exploration and a warm place to call home at the end of the day!

Cabin experiences take place at summer camps in Ohio. You will sleep in twin-sized bunk beds in cabins made for 10-14 people. Restrooms and showers are located in another building a short walk from sleeping quarters. Meals will be eaten in each camp’s main dining hall. Dining Halls will prepare food that accommodates all dietary requirements of our participants.

Ancient Ohio

Explore some of the world’s most amazing archeological sites here in Ohio! Learn to throw atlatls, explore a recreation of an 800-year-old village, and more.

  • Physical Activity Level: Moderate
  • Focus: archaeology, Ohio history, Indigenous peoples, artifacts, summer camp
  • Location: Camp Kern, Oregonia, Ohio

Campfire Connect

Conquer new heights on a high-ropes course, make a splash swimming and canoeing in Pleasant Hill Lake, explore the great outdoors on area hiking trails, and spend the evenings connecting around the campfire.

  • Physical Activity Level: Moderate
  • Focus: nature, summer camp, outdoor recreation, self-reflection, mindfulness
  • Location: Camp Nuhop, Butler, Ohio

Denison Service Orientation

Engage in direct, meaningful service within the community you will call home for the next four years.

  • Physical Activity Level: Moderate
  • Focus: community service, exploring the local community
  • Location: Newark, Ohio

Mammoth Cave Orientation

Experience the surface and subterranean environments of the longest cave system in the world!

  • Physical Activity Level: Moderate
  • Focus: caves, exploring, hiking, geology, biology
  • Location: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

Session Zero

Enter the “theater of the mind” in a series of table-top gaming sessions led by expert game masters.

  • Physical Activity Level: Low
  • Focus: Dungeons & Dragons, tabletop gaming, fantasy, role-playing, nature, summer camp
  • Location: Camp Kern, Oregonia, Ohio

Written in the Stars

Engage with the art of writing, storytelling, and poetry while immersed in the tranquility of nature.

  • Physical Activity Level: Low
  • Focus: writing, nature, summer camp, outdoor recreation, self-reflection.
  • Location: Camp Kern, Oregonia, Ohio

By Invitation of the Lisska Center for Scholarly Engagement 

Exordium

Designed for students joining the Lisska Center’s invitation-only Scholar-Leader program, Exordium (the Beginning) provides team-building, leadership development, and outdoor fun with your new peers.

  • Physical Activity Level: Moderate
  • Focus: leadership development, team-building, outdoor recreation, summer camp
  • Location: Camp Kern, Oregonia, Ohio
A student completing a ropes course high in the trees.
Table-top gamers pause their campaign for a quick photo.
A few students snap a selfie on a bus.
A large group of first-year students pose for a photo in a field.
Enjoying an afternoon in canoes on the lake.
Enjoying lunch outside.

Hotel Experiences

Dive into city adventures, connect with Denison alumni, and explore vibrant communities. Perfect for those who love engaging experiences with the convenience and comfort of a hotel stay.

You will sleep in a hotel room with two queen-sized beds with one other student. The two of you will share the bathroom. Breakfast will be provided at your hotel, and other meals will be at take-out or sit-down restaurants in your area. All hotel trips will include quite a bit of city walking.

Big Red Connections

Choose your path — Pre-Business or Pre-Health — and network with Denison alumni, explore career opportunities in Columbus, and have fun as you kick off your college journey!

  • Physical Activity Level: Low
  • Focus: networking, career exploration, alumni connections, Columbus employers
  • Location: Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Downtown, Columbus, Ohio

Cleveland Rocks!

Explore the sights and sounds of Cleveland, then spend a day at Cedar Point!

  • Physical Activity Level: Moderate
  • Focus: alumni connections, exploring Cleveland, amusement parks
  • Location: Holiday Inn Express Cleveland Downtown, Cleveland, Ohio

Denison Art Orientation

Work with artists in dance, art, music, and theatre as you explore Columbus, Ohio’s vibrant urban arts culture! 

  • Physical Activity Level: Moderate
  • Focus: arts, visual art, music, theatre, dance, exploring Columbus
  • Location: Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Downtown, Columbus, Ohio

Denison by Design

Explore Columbus and learn how to make the most of your Denison experience “by design”

  • Physical Activity Level: Low
  • Focus: design thinking, exploring Columbus, entrepreneurship, Red Frame Lab
  • Location: Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Downtown, Columbus, Ohio

Engage Cincinnati

From team-building activities along the Cincinnati riverfront to shared moments of discovery, this trip promises a perfect blend of fun, learning, and community building.

  • Physical Activity Level: Moderate
  • Focus: exploring Cincinnati, alumni connections, Ohio River
  • Location: Hampton Inn & Suites Cincinnati Downtown, Cincinnati, Ohio

Taste of Denison

Whether you are new to cooking or a pro in the kitchen, take your food knowledge to the next level!

  • Physical Activity Level: Low
  • Focus: cooking, food, local community, farm-to-table
  • Location: Columbus, Ohio

World of Sports

Embrace your passion for sports, tour Columbus stadiums, watch games, and more!

  • Physical Activity Level: Moderate
  • Focus: recreational sports, professional sports, exploring Columbus, broadcasting, data analytics
  • Location: Hampton Inn & Suites University Area, Columbus, Ohio
Students at the entrance to Cedar Point
Students learning culinary techniques
Visiting nearby cities
Students practicing dance moves on a dance floor.
Students in a training kitchen learn how to chop and slice vegetables.

Frequently Asked Questions

Denison University is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible environment.

If you require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact Accessibility & Disability Services at 740-587-6666 or disabilityservices@denison.edu. While advance notice is appreciated, we will do our best to accommodate requests even with short notice.

Need More Info?

The Office of First-Year Experience is here to help!

Email firstyear@denison.edu