Field trips have always been a memorable and important part of academic life in colleges. Not only does it help students de-stress from the hustle-bustle of day-to-day life, but it also strengthens the understanding of course material. Institutions have long combined field trips with academic reasoning, providing a win-win situation for both the teachers and students alike.
Depending on the type of college you attend or major you’ve applied for, you may or may not get to live the college field trip experience. Field trips depend a lot on the major of your course. You must actively participate in making field trips a part of your college life, otherwise, there is a big chance that you might miss out on this experience.
Types of Field Trips in Colleges
College trips are usually limited to 2 types (3 if you’re lucky).
Organizations/Clubs:
- Clubs/ Organizations provide you with a better opportunity at having field trips.
- Clubs usually arrange trips to anywhere related to their niche.
- Some examples are museums, theatres, parks, sports games, etc.
Academic:
- If the class generally needs more academic support in understanding the material at hand, they can push the college to arrange a trip related to the course.
- An example is a visit to a Basic Health Unit arranged by a medical college under the subject of Community Medicine.
- Usually, assignments must be handed over or quizzes are shortly carried out after the trip.
Class Field Trips:
- This is what one may call a leisure trip. It is unrelated to the coursework. It is purely for the students’ entertainment and a form of de-stressing from the mundane college routines.
- This type of field trip may not be available in every college. Many colleges in the U.S may not have this sort of field trip, but it is quite common in some Asian countries and perhaps even other western countries as well.
- They are limited to only 1 or 2 trips per year and usually arranged on weekends or holidays.
How to manage yourself for field trips?
- Field trips can range from a few hours to a day trip and even a few days. If it’s a few hours trip or a day trip, then you don’t need to worry. But in case of long field trips (a few days), you must manage your academic routine accordingly.
- Be sure to discuss and make arrangements with teachers of other classes.
- If you have a set study schedule, you might want to make alterations to it. It’s almost impossible to study during a trip, so be sure to make up for possible missed days before embarking on your journey.
- Usually, colleges receive funding for the trips. But sometimes they do not cover for the whole thing. In that case, you will have to pay for the remaining $100-$150 or nothing.
- Pack as light as possible. You might be forced to carry your bag with you for most of the trip.
School trips vs College trips
- Colleges’ course syllabus is twice (if not more) the load than school course. Colleges pour more academic work and expect it to be done in a small amount of time. With club activities and academic work taking up so much of the student’s time, there is barely any room for going on trips.
- In comparison, schools tend to have more time to spare and can arrange more trips for their students.
And this is the main reason why field trips are limited in college life.
Community college trips vs university trips
- Field trips are usually arranged if the course being taught calls for it. Community colleges tend to have lesser trips in comparison to universities. This is due to the reason being that community colleges have more general classes, and the teachers can present the topics just fine.
- University students select major-specific courses. Lectures alone do not provide the aid that is needed. As university students must prepare themselves for practical life, field trips related to their major benefit them immensely.
Benefits of College Field Trips
Practical Knowledge
- Theoretical knowledge is not enough for college-level students to entirely grasp the academic material.
- To boost their learning capabilities, they must undergo the practical experience.
- By seeing and experiencing theory on your own, an individual’s brain can process everything more efficiently.
Positive Academic Impact
- By experiencing knowledge through trips, students tend to score higher than usual on exams.
- Visual memory and muscle memory play a big role in retaining knowledge rapidly.
Making Connections
- Academic field trips provide students exposure to all sorts of people within the industry of their major.
- They can introduce themselves to important personalities within their major and take quick guidance or inspiration which can help them in their future endeavors.
Conclusion
Field trips prepare a student to tact the real world skillfully. They provide access to knowledge that cannot be attained through books. They provide students to see thing from a different viewpoint. A quality that is in demand among employers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a lack of field trips ruin the college experience?
No, it does not. Colleges offer a lot of on-campus activities every week. They provide much entertainment adding to the college experience. Activities like guest speakers or game nights are just a couple of these examples. Clubs also provide exhilarating activities for the members to carry out to contribute to the college dream experience.
How to go on field trips in colleges?
Immerse yourself in club activities and actively push for field trips. You’ll get more chances to go on trips through clubs and organizations than you normally would. For course-related class trips, get a group of students/friends who can convince the administration in arranging a trip for the class.
Will I have time to explore during college trips?
There is a schedule provided for the trips that must be followed. But often, there will be time allotted for the students to go out and explore on their own.
