The Outdoor Program and the Wilderness Institute at the University of Montana launched a new Freshman Wilderness Experience Program on Aug. 16, 2014. 

Seventy freshmen arrived from all over the country to participate in the new wilderness-based program.

Since then the program has continued to grow. August 2018 marked the fifth year for the FWE program. More than 100 freshmen and student mentors embarked on a wilderness adventure to kick off their undergraduate experience at UM.

Print Media

"Bonding on the Freshman Wilderness Experience" | Montana Kaiman | Sept. 11, 2015
Relaxing by a late night campfire with a Montana sky stretching out above her, Tessa Leake talks with the group of 12 friends sitting around her. They talk of their homes and nerves for the coming weeks, when they start their freshman year at the University of Montana.

"The Freshman Wilderness Experience" | Campus Rec Magazine | Aug. 2, 2016
Going off to college can be a scary time. For most students, they are leaving home for the first time, leaving their family and friends, some even moving across the country. To help make the process a little easier, the University of Montana Campus Recreation Outdoor Program launched the Freshman Wilderness Experience.