Everything you need for life outside the classroom
Design Your UB Experience!
Arrive early this fall and join an overnight camping retreat to make connections and jumpstart your college experience.
When: August 19-21, 2025, immediately before Welcome Weekend
Note: If you’re planning to live on campus, you will move in on August 18, before attending Design Your UB Experience
Where: Off campus at an overnight camp in Gainesville, NY (Camp Weona)
Who: This program is for U.S. first-year students new to UB.
Note: Due to conflicting requirements, new international students, Honors College students, and members of the Marching Band are not eligible to attend.
What to Expect: Connect with a community of new UB students and discover opportunities available during your college journey in preparation for your first year. With help from the Career Design Center, you will explore resources available to you at UB, then design a vision of your UB journey. There will also be time for camp activities such as kayaking, horseback riding, campfires and more!
Participation in the Design Your UB Experience is free and includes transportation, overnight accommodations, meals, UB swag and recreational activities. You will arrive back to campus with plenty of time to join all other new student for Welcome Weekend.
Why Participate? During the retreat, you can connect with fellow students, build problem-solving skills and try adventurous camp activities.
Design Thinking is a process for creative problem-solving that uses a human-centered approach to tackle life’s big questions. Using the Standford Life Design Lab’s process, you will apply design thinking practices to explore your UB college experience. Learn more from Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, authors of “Designing Your Life.”
Camp Weona, located just one-hour from UB’s campus, offers beautiful views of Western New York’s great outdoors while also providing access to adventure programming. Be ready to make lifelong memories with your new UB friends!
Following the camp experience, participants will be offered exclusive access to Design Thinking events and a private community group in Connect-a-Bull to continue connecting with like-minded students and alumni.
On This Page
Please reach out to Lauren Khoury at lakhoury@buffalo.edu for any questions regarding the program or registration.
Day One – Intro to Design Thinking
Team Building
Build a College Philosophy
Horseback Riding
College Myth-Busting
Rock Climbing
UB Bucket List
Campfire + S’mores!
Day Two – Solo Reflection
Practice Problem-Solving
Kayaking
Envision Your UB Experience
High & Low Ropes Course
Campfire & S’mores!
Day Three – Travel back to UB
Stay Connected!
For more opportunities like this:
Student Life
University at Buffalo
259 Capen Hall, North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260
Phone: 716-645-2231