Orientation Explore!

Start your Washington College experience the best way. The Explore! orientation program is an opportunity to begin connecting with a small group of incoming students, learn about our home region on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and begin to settle in and get to know the College. Orientation starts on campus to help you get to know the lay of the land, understand where to go for various needs, and learn more about your Explore group and Peer Mentor.  
 
Washington College's signature orientation program, Explore! gives you the opportunity to make close friends and learn more about campus and the local region. Each experience is designed around a special interest area and offers dynamic, experiential activities to help you acclimate to your new environment and connect with a small group of like-minded peers. These shared experiences often become the most fond and memorable moments students have of Washington College, and can be the foundation for a core group of friends to kick off your college career. Each experience is unique. Some groups are based on campus, some stay off-campus. All groups do a mix of on and off campus adventures. Selections are designed to appeal to many different interests and accommodate individual needs (dietary, mobility, stamina . . .).  

The Great Outdoors 

  • Paddle the Chester
  • The Campus Garden Experience
  • Sail the Sultana: History on the Water
  • Paws, Claws, and River Jaws

Games & Sports

  • Set Sail for College
  • Goose on the Loose! Running Around Chestertown
  • Everything Sports!
  • Ready, Set, Row!

Arts & Interests

  • Making History: Making Museums 
  • The Great Eastern Shore Bake Off
  • RiverArts
  • Play in a Day

Families, want to know where you fit in?

Check out our Information for Parents and Families page for information about how you can support your first-year student. 

What families need to know

Students listening to presentation
Students in tall grass with butterfly nets
Female student holding tiny crab in her hand
Students gathered around a large table working on a craft project
Group of students at Foreman’s Branch Bird Observatory
Students clap and take a bow on theatre stage
Two girls kneel on a dock inspecting shells
Students walk through tables set up for open house in Hodson
Candid photo of 4 students decorating slices of cake

Families, want to know where you fit in?

Check out our Information for Parents and Families page for information about how you can support your first-year student. 

What families need to know