The mission of ASUA’s Bear Down Camp is to provide a supplemental and integrative introduction to the University of Arizona for incoming freshmen students in order to improve their connection, retention, and overall success. BDC gives incoming freshmen the opportunity to learn about the heritage, traditions, and history of the UA. Campers are also taught about things to do on and off campus, how t
o get involved, and how to have a successful first year at the University. The workshops included at camp teach students about the plethora of clubs and organizations on campus as well as where to go and who to talk to for any kind of help. Furthermore, campers are given the opportunity to become familiar with the University and its prestigious facilities before stepping foot in a classroom. Through Bear Down Camp, campers will have the opportunity to meet over 100 students before the first week of school, giving them a family to kick start their college careers. One student wrote, “I gained a group of close friends with which to start school and a familiarity with the school's songs and traditions that I would never have [obtained] otherwise. Essentially, I got the perfect preparation for starting college in a new state.”
Bear Down Camp is a wonderful and unique experience for freshmen at the University of Arizona. Campers can currently be seen throughout the UA community and are truly making a difference on and off campus because of the techniques and friendships that were made during BDC. One camper comments on receiving “friends and memories that will last a lifetime. Bear Down Camp helped me break out of my ‘bubble’ and get connected with campus life through amazing school pride and spirit.”
