Tufts Wilderness Orientation (TWO)
Contact Us!
two@tufts.edu | 617-627-0529 | 44 Professor's Row, Medford, MA 02155
Documents for Participants
Tufts Wilderness Orientation (TWO) is a five-day, student-led experience for incoming First-Years. The program includes backpacking, canoeing, hybrid (a combination of backpacking and canoeing), trail crew, and camping trips through which incoming students can experience the great outdoors while creating lasting bonds with upperclass leaders and each other.
We are excited to send out affinity trips, which are composed exclusively of first-year participants and leaders who all share a common identity. The following affinity trips are being offered this year: a POC trip, a women’s trip (for any student who identifies as a woman), a queer trip, a trans/nonbinary trip, and a transfer student trip!
All trips are designed for beginners; no prior outdoor experience is required. Regardless of your background in outdoor activity, we encourage you to register! We recommend that all TWO participants are prepared for a moderate level of physical activity that may include hiking for multiple hours at a time or extended days paddling.
TWO groups are made up of approximately eight incoming students and two student leaders, all of whom have been trained in outdoor living skills and are Wilderness First Aid certified. Groups are completely self-sufficient for the duration of the five-day trip in remote locations in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. This means all trip participants collaborate to carry food and equipment, cook for one another, and set up camp. Leaders will be in contact with program coordinators, while first-year participants will have minimal front-country contact.
You’ll have the opportunity to experience the view from a rocky mountaintop, paddle through a pristine lake, and gaze at the stars in a clear night sky. TWO is a unique opportunity to develop a support system of peers and mentors before beginning your college experience! Even if your favorite place to be outside is your local park, we hope you decide to register for TWO!
While TWO works hard to create trips that are accessible for beginners, some trips are more challenging than others. Once you have a spot in TWO you’ll have the chance to rate your preference for trip type and level of difficulty. Please note that we have a limited number of each type of trip and cannot guarantee you your first choice. Students who do not complete their acceptance packet will be placed at random.
Meet our 2023 Student Coordinators!
Anu McCulloch, 2025
Anu is a rising junior from Philadelphia, PA. She is majoring in biomedical engineering and is an active member of the Tufts Competitive Climbing team. Anu participated in TWO as a first year, got the opportunity to be on TWO Support Staff and lead a trip last year, and is now thrilled to be coordinating the program. In her free time, she enjoys trying new coffee shops in Boston, reading on Pres Lawn, and having movie nights with her friends.
Raga Chilakamarri, 2023
Raga is a senior from Sharon, MA, double majoring in English and Economics with a minor in Film and Media Studies. On campus, she’s written for the arts and features sections of The Tufts Daily and designed graphics for the Tufts University Social Collective. Otherwise, she loves long walks, emailing pen pals, and pretending to read in coffee shops.
Daisy Bonifant, 2023
Daisy is a graduating senior who spent her time at Tufts studying environmental engineering and biology. She hails from the sweet state of North Carolina and, despite spending four years here, has still not acclimated to the Massachusetts climate. In her free time, she likes to read, play soccer, run, and sit in sunny spots on campus.
Program Schedule
| August 24 | Arrival & Check-in! You'll be greeted by our excited Support Staff, checked-in, and have your gear checked by our Leaders. You'll also have an opportunity to move your belongings into your dorm and say goodbye to your families. |
| August 25 - August 29 | Trips Out! |
| August 29 (evening) | Program Closing! Back on campus, you'll have the opportunity to shower, change, and re-join your group for dinner and a closing ceremony with the rest of the TWO program. |
Doing TWO was the perfect bridge into college. It helped me gain confidence in what I was capable of, discover an amazingly supportive, welcoming, and accepting community, and learn about a lot of resources on campus from upperclassmen that helped me so much in my transition into life at Tufts.
Zach Woods, Class of 2023
Tufts Wilderness Orientation was an amazing introduction to essential skills that I needed to get through college. The trip gave me time to practice tackling unfamiliar challenges and asking for help before starting school. TWO informs how I build and sustain community to this day.