Applying to college can be a daunting task. Students are often presented with many choices and a college’s programs, tuition costs, amenities and even location play a key role in their decision-making process. So how can a school position itself as the best choice for as many students as possible?

This can be achieved in a variety of ways, but promoting unique attributes of a school is one way to stand out. Schools are able to play off of their surroundings, classes, extracurriculars, tuition cost and more. Paul Smith’s College, located in the heart of the Adirondack Park, promotes the tagline, “It’s about the experience,” and has excelled at marketing its distinctive campus setting, making the college more widely known now than ever. The college welcomed one of the largest incoming classes (number of students) in recent years in the fall of 2021, proving what they are doing is working. Paul Smith’s has spent a lot of time looking at ways to be more appealing to future students and they are using their location, hands on learning techniques and unique extracurricular options to their advantage.

As the college’s degree programs are mostly centered around natural sciences and conservation, it makes sense for many classes to be held outside. This is perhaps one of the most unique features of Paul Smith’s. However, students have recognized that even though many courses can be run outside and use field work as one of the key learning components, the campus only has one outdoor classroom. The spring 2022 sustainability capstone class has recognized this as an opportunity to help the campus add more outdoor spaces for learning. The capstone is run by tenured Professor Deb Naybor, who has tasked students with researching the benefits of outdoor learning, where to place new classrooms on campus, the feasibility of adding additional spaces, as well as different designs that could be used.

Professor Naybor is one of the professors at Paul Smith’s that is actively engaged with leading the charge on expanding outdoor learning spaces, providing insightful and impactful information. When asked what benefits Naybor immediately sees when utilizing an outdoor classroom, she noted that “students are more relaxed and attentive.” A student who is relaxed and more attentive is ready to learn when class time arrives. Along with that, students receive a higher sensory stimulation while outside providing easier focusing abilities when in class. She also stated that her own mood is increased when outdoors, making it easier to teach as well as tie lecture into the outdoor space she is teaching in. This is incredibly beneficial to students when they can see real-world effects and examples that can supplement their learning. It is especially useful in when, in recent months, COVID-19 has made it challenging for students to learn. Along with that, the ability to socially distance is easier when outside.

Being a student here at Paul Smith’s college has been an eye-opening experience, an experience that has been rewarding to say the least. The college environment is everything someone would expect when looking to apply here. It is filled with outdoor activities, on and off campus events, field work opportunities and a positive learning environment. In my time at this school, I have been able to experience all of these and have enjoyed doing so. One of the biggest factors that has made my experience here worth while is being able to have class virtually anywhere. Teachers jump on the opportunity to teach outside, especially if they have access to the outdoor classroom. When learning outside many students, including myself, have found it to be more peaceful and easier when taking in information. The ability to be surrounded by the calming thought of nature helps drastically and makes class feel less like class. When something doesn’t feel like class, it makes it easier to learn and retain information. Its like the saying goes, find a job that is fun so you’ll never work a day in your life. Here at Paul Smith’s, classes are fun, especially when outside and in nature, making them better.

An outdoor classroom can provide numerous benefits with few drawbacks. One of the biggest challenges is learning about the feasibility of such a project and what it would take to maintain outdoor spaces on campus. The Adirondacks are known to have unpredictable weather that can turn into a logistical concern when attempting to plan and use the spaces provided. The fall semester typically provides better weather as compared to spring. The outdoor classroom can be used for the majority of the fall semester where in the spring, it can only be used in the latter weeks. Other than weather, Naybor also stated daily use of the campus can provide a distraction occasionally where vehicles and other students may provide some additional noise. Compared to the few challenges presented, the benefits seemingly outweigh them.

At Paul Smith’s College, students have the ability to learn, experience, and thrive in one of the greatest mountain landscapes in the country. Students that choose this institution choose it for many reasons, one being its unmatched learning atmosphere. With the addition of more outdoor classrooms, students and faculty will be able to spend an even greater amount of time outside in the Adirondack Park focusing on experiential learning and research.

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Steven Donnelly is a senior at Paul Smith’s College working on his Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainability. He has completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Conservation Management and Associate Applied Science degree in Natural Resource Conservation Management, Law Enforcement. He lives in Saranac Lake.