Outdoor orientation programming as a means for orientating students to college has experienced significant growth and expanded use over the past decade. An increase in rigorous research has accompanied this growth as colleges and universities seek to understand and meet the needs of young adults in transition. In this study, two research questions were asked regarding the transition into college: Does involvement in outdoor orientation programs (OOPs) improve adaptation to college (Research Question 1), and are there differences in adaptation between different types of OOPs (e.g., wilderness-, camp-, and urban-based; Research Question 2). In this study, 455 incoming students (168 OOP participants and 287 non-OOP) completed measures of adaptation to college after the first 8 weeks of their collegiate experience. Results indicate significant differences between OOP and non-OOP students in overall adaptation to college, social adaptation, and attachment to institution, but found few differences between various types of OOP options.
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