Personally, I know when I was an incoming freshman one of the things that I was most worried about was arriving on campus and not knowing anyone. It is a scary thing even if you are excited for the adventures that the next four years will bring. Personally, being from somewhere not close to Furman in which very few students from my state attend, I was looking for an opportunity to get to meet some of my fellow incoming freshmen even before the semester started. And that is where POP trips come in!
The Paladins Outdoor Program or POP for short offers new students the opportunity to experience Furman's home state’s natural beauty and a chance to meet your new classmates in a fun environment. These trips take place during the days right before fall orientation starts which means you get to move in early too! Trips range from sea kayaking in Charleston, to zip-lining through the forest and rafting down river rapids at either the Chattooga or Nantahala river, and backpacking through the Carolina foothills.
Not only do you get to meet some of your fellow incoming freshmen but each trip is lead by a couple of upperclassmen students as well as Furman faculty members or professors. I elected to go on the backpacking trip which was lead by Dr. Ranson and Dr. Suresh who both are members of the Environmental Science department at Furman. For two days we hiked miles through the picturesque scenery of the rugged Appalachian Mountains. From waterfalls to the native wildlife I was able to experience the beauty of Furman's surroundings.
While the trip was a bit of a rude awakening to what August is like in the south, it could not have been any better. Not only did we have two amazing professors who were able to point out and tell us any fact that we could ever want to know for all that plants and animals that we passed along the way but it was honestly just so much fun too. My favorite part of the entire experience was after we spent the entire first-day hiking we finally reached the place that we were going to set up camp for the night. Our campsite was right on the bank of a creek and after we set up our tents we spent the rest of the night swimming, sitting around a campfire, and making dinner over it.
I had a blast on my POP trip and would definitely recommend going to any incoming freshmen in the future. While it may seem that you need to be super outdoorsy to go on these trips that can not be further from the truth. While I would say that some trips may be better suited for some people, for example the backpacking trip probably would not be something that is enjoyable unless that is something that you enjoy, there is a trip for everyone looking for a fun way to meet some other students before freshman year begins. I've attached some pictures below to showcase my experience!
Josh
