The Start of Your Wheaton College Journey

After you check in, our team of Thundermovers will be there to help make your move easy. Then, together with your parents you’ll be welcomed by President Ryken, administrators, faculty and other students at an opening event and learn about the mission and commitment of Wheaton College.  Students and Parents will attend several on-campus orientation sessions before students head to their Passage site.  

Next, you’ll begin your small group experience off-campus in an inspiring place. The locations of each experience vary. You could be on your way to a premier midwestern adventure destination, Wheaton's HoneyRock Center for Leadership Development in northern Wisconsin, or the multicultural metropolis of Chicago. 

Finally, you’ll return to campus to experience radical hospitality as your fellow Wheaties welcome you to your new home. You’ll hang out with your new classmates while sampling Chicago deep dish, attend Residence Hall events, play an epic evening of rec and games under the lights on the soccer field and join the rest of the student body for your first all-campus worship, which Wheaties affectionately call “All-School”.

At Wheaton, 60+ full time faculty participate in our orientation program to help students set a vision for how they can build their faith—not lose it—through the pursuit of rigorous academic study. Through classroom dialogue and experiential learning activities, professors become trusted guides to help new students transition to college.

While all students participate in Passage, they have choice in what their experience will entail. From Chicago to the Northwoods of Wisconsin and various locations between, students can choose the location and activities that best fit their interests.

College can be a big place. Instead of throwing students into a massive group, we start small. Once students depart for their site, they begin to form communities within their small group of students, led by an upper-class student.