First Year and UK Study Abroad

2009 retreat team member James Hyde climbs a 60-foot tower as the final element of the 2009 NSP New Scholar Retreat.

New Scholars are welcomed to the NSP family with a retreat before classes begin that is planned and executed entirely by a team of upperclassmen National Scholars, all of whom volunteer to lead this experience. The retreat includes a variety of group experiences designed to help the "newbies" get to know each other and the expectations of the NSP. Past retreats have included whitewater rafting, a high ropes course, a Myer-Briggs Type Indicator workshop and a book discussion. Past retreat books have been:

• Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing

• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell

• The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki

• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Malcolm Gladwell

• Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
  

Once the Fall semester begins, new Scholars participate in a nationally recognized freshman seminar that sets the stage for the NSP experience with an intellectually rigorous exploration of issues related to knowledge, liberty, class, power and leadership. This Calhoun Scholars Colloquium is designed as a graduate-style seminar: Scholars complete readings prior to class (ranging from classic works by Rousseau and Machiavelli to Arendt and Ehrenreich) and lead lively discussions on the ideas from the readings.

In the Spring semester of their first year, Scholars enroll in a second course taught by a top Clemson historian that focuses on British history, politics and culture. This class provides context for the group summer study abroad in Great Britain. In the Summer, Scholars take courses at a British university for several weeks. Once this coursework is complete, Scholars travel as group through Europe; past nations explored include France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This travel provides an opportunity for the Scholars to visit and learn first-hand about the topics, people and places they studied throughout the Spring.