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First-Year Summer Experience Programs

First-Year Summer Experience (FSE) programs are designed to help incoming students feel confident and prepared as they enroll at Elon. The FSE programs embrace the university’s commitment to experiential learning, and use this guiding philosophy to help students develop self-awareness, enhance relationships, and define community in preparation for their Elon experience.

To find out more information about the five FSE programs offered by Elon University, please navigate to individual program websites via links provided below.

To register for a 2013 FSE Program download the FSE Brochure. At this time there is no online registration system.  Registration must occur through the mail.

Fill out the registration form and mail it with your deposit to: 
First-Year Summer Experiences
2990 Campus Box
Elon, NC 27244
Attn: Program you're requesting

 

Need based scholarships available. Deposit deadline is May 3, 2013.  Please contact Katie Hight, Director of New Student Programs, via email (fse@elon.edu) or phone (336.278.5323) for more information. Upon trip acceptance, participants will receive further information, including the balance deadline.


Quest

Quest is an opportunity for interfaith exploration, dialogue, and engagement.  Students will stay on Elon’s campus and visit diverse places of worship in Burlington and the surrounding communities.  The group will learn the history, practices, and beliefs of several world religions and participate in worship and service opportunities.  Quest participants will gain a deeper understanding of diverse religious traditions and become familiar with the wealth of resources on Elon’s campus and the surrounding community for interfaith exploration.  Quest is offered by the Truitt center for Religious and Spiritual Life.   

Dates: July 17 -23, 2013

Program Cost: $325
Deposit: $150


Adventures in Leadership  

Adventures in Leadership is an outdoor experience of camping, hiking, climbing, rappelling and white-water rafting. The program will aid in your development of leadership skills, understanding of community and your ability to work in teams. Past participants say the most valuable outcome is the lasting friendships they have built.

Accompanied by returning students, faculty and staff, participants will begin the adventure with group initiatives at the Elon Challenge course and conclude in the Appalachian Mountains of scenic West Virginia.

Dates: June 21- 26, 2013 (Group 1); June 28 - July 3, 2013 (Group 2)

  • Program Cost: $650
  • Deposit: $325

Discovery

Discovery is a week-long adventure in the outdoors that will enable you to discover new friendships while building your teamwork and leadership skills. The trip is designed for students with little to no camping experience and those who have been camping for years. 

The program begins by familiarizing you with campus and then moves to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where new friendships begin and outdoor skills are developed. During Discovery, you will hike the Appalachian Trail, spend two days serving the community of Luray, canoe the white water of the Shenandoah River and tour local natural attractions. 

Dates: June 23-29, 2013

  • Program Cost: $320
  • Deposit: $160

Pre-SERVE

Pre-SERVE is a summer volunteer experience offered to new Elon students by the Kernodle Center for Service Learning. Participants in the Pre-SERVE program learn about the important social issues facing our county and how service can be used as a tool for personal growth and community building.

This program will allow you to meet other incoming students who share an enthusiasm for service. You will spend a week living on campus and working within the nearby Burlington community. Build a home with Habitat, play with youth in a summer day camp and connect with older adults at an assisted living facility. With Pre-SERVE, you will learn about the community you will be a part of for the next four years.

Dates: June 23-28, 2013

  • Program Cost: $300
  • Deposit: $125 

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Live the Maroon Life

Live the Maroon Life is a weeklong experience that allows participants to learn what being an Elon student is all about!  Participants live on campus, discuss Elon values, meet faculty, staff, and administrators, and explore the surrounding community through side trips, service opportunities, and fun activities.  Students will travel off campus and explore issues of sustainability, service and diversity while building relationships with one another and learning how to "live the maroon life" when they return to Elon in the fall.  In Live the Maroon Life, you will learn about the great traditions and values that make Elon the place we bELONg.

Dates: July 7-12, 2013

  • Program Cost: $325
  • Deposit: $160

For more information on any of the First-Year Summer Experience programs, please e-mail fse@elon.edu or call (336) 278-5323. To learn more about New Student Orientation, click here.