Frequently Asked Questions

Q:What is FOP?
Q:Why participate in a Pre-Orientation Program?
Q:Why participate in FOP?
Q:What is FOP's mission?
Q:What is important to FOP?
Q:What makes FOP run?

Q: What is FOP?

A: FOP is the oldest and largest pre-orientation program for freshmen and transfer students at Harvard. Every year, FOP sends approximately 18% of the incoming first-years on six-day backpacking, canoeing, and camping trips at the beginning of the school year. Housed within the Freshman Dean’s Office, FOP was developed in 1979 by the Dean to provide students with a stronger support network upon entrance to college. Since then, over five-thousand students have begun their Harvard experience by living with 8-10 peers in the backcountry, under the leadership of 2-3 trained upperclassmen leaders. In 2000, the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) granted the program accreditation, a professional certification shared by only nine other college outdoor programs in the country.

Q: Why participate in a Pre-Orientation Program?

A: A significant body of research indicates that the first six weeks of the college experience constitute the most important period in adjusting to college life in the long-term. In a survey performed at Harvard in 2005, students indicated that an involvement in a pre-orientation program significantly improved their introductions to Harvard.

Q: Why participate in FOP?

A: Research has demonstrated that, among Harvard orientation programs, the First-Year Outdoor Program is the most successful at providing social support networks to students upon entry to Harvard. Research has also documented the positive impact of college outdoor orientation programs well beyond college. Other studies have found that college outdoor pre-orientation experiences are correlated with higher academic achievement throughout college.

Q: What is FOP's mission?

A: The First Year Outdoor Program’s mission is to provide group adventure-based experiences that promote the development of social support and self-awareness for first-year students and leadership development for members of the Harvard community.

Q: What is important to FOP?

A: Some of the Central Values that FOP and FOP leaders hold as fundamental to any FOP trip include:
• Compassion
• The equality and intrinsic worth of all people regardless of gender, age, race, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic or socio-economic background
• Responsibility to community
• Care and responsibility to the environment

Q: What makes FOP run?

A: FOP leaders - Our diverse and extensive leader pool of about 90 sophomores, juniors and seniors complete a comprehensive training curriculum throughout the Spring semester, culminating in a an intensive 7-day training trip experience after finals period. All of our leaders are certified in Wilderness First Aid by SOLO, and many have additional training as Wilderness First Responders, EMTs, and Wilderness EMTs. Click here to see the leader training dates.
Our leaders are among the most active, capable students at Harvard. They typically hold leadership positions in other student groups on campus, and we have a strong representation every year of thesis prize winners and Senior Class Marshalls. View the leader facebook here.
Steering Committee - The Steering Committee comprises a group of 8 students and our Director, who are responsible for making FOP run during the school year. They fundraise in the Fall, and then select Training Trip leaders in early Spring. Additionally, they interview, select, and devise the training curriculum for the new class of leader-trainees throughout the Spring semester, as well as act as Training Trip leaders after finals. Steering Committee also, in conjunction with Summer Staff, runs the 3-day review and preparation period known as Pre-FOP in late August.
Summer Staff -Summer Staff works from late May all the way through FOP trips in September, and takes care of all the logistical items that need to happen for trips to go into the woods, including equipment, medical forms, food, routes, databasing, and the list goes on!
Training Trip Leaders - These are current FOP leaders who have already led at least one FOP trip and who lead the FOP leader trainees on a 7 day backpacking or canoeing training trip. These trips are designed to teach trainees to become leaders by developing their technical and interpersonal skills, their judgment, and their self- and group-awareness.
Basecamp Support Staff - Basecamp is made up of former FOP leaders and experienced outdoor leaders in the industry, who act as support staff throughout the entire period of FOP. Basecamp is our link to the frontcountry, and they support trips, provide transportation for Switch trips and route changes, and in general act as gurus and as a safety net.
Director - Jessica Ross has been the director of FOP since 2005. As an undergraduate, Jess was a FOP leader ('00, '01', '02), a training trip leader ('01, '02), a Steering Committee Member ('01, '02), and a Basecamp Support Staff ('03, '04, '05). She received her BA in Earth & Planetary Sciences from Harvard College '03. She will graduate this year '08 with a Masters of Education (Ed.M) from Harvard University. Jess is a certified Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician, Lifeguard, American Heart Association Healthcare Provider, and Leave No Trace Trainer. Jess has extensive experience creating policies, designing curriculum, leading orientation and leadership training trips, facilitating meetings, managing staff in the office and in the field, organizing and directing risk management, and making FOP trips a safe, exciting, fun, and growing experience.
jlross@post.harvard.edu.

For additional questions or information on financial aid, storage, and coming to Cambridge for FOP please click here.

If you have any questions, please contact us!