<p>My D knows only a guy friend at Princeton this year to tell her what OA was like last year, and he thinks it's funny that she's worried about looking bad the whole time because she can't wash her hair or take a shower. I know the groups go different places, but surely there is a lake or a river where she could clean off? Are there any girls out there who can describe what it's like?</p>
<p>It won’t be a problem. Many of the trips you do go to a lake to swim, but even if you don’t your appearance won’t look bad.</p>
<p>Your daughter should know that her appearance on OA will not define how she is viewed by others in her group (at least in the long run). On the night that the students return to campus from OA, the first thing they do is shower (obviously) and then most groups go out to dinner. Just about every girl was told something along the lines of “Wow you clean up well.”</p>
<p>Thanks, Weasel8488. I’ve viewed many of your comments on this board and they have been quite helpful. My D is beyond excited about coming to Princeton.</p>
<p>There is also a dance held the night everyone returns, which is a lot of fun. Everyone tries to get in but only OA participants and leaders can.</p>
<p>Everyone else on her trip will be in the same boat, so nobody’s going to judge her for not having showered in a few days…I would be more worried about troweling…</p>
<p>So what is troweling (dare I ask)?</p>
<p>troweling = bathroom in the wild (Does anyone know if toilet paper is allowed?)</p>
<p>If OA follows Leave No Trace, which I think it does, then TP would not be allowed. I imagine Weasel would know for sure though…</p>
<p>Actually there is TP. I don’t think I’ll go into any more detail…</p>
<p>Oh, you probably pack it out. I can’t believe they let kids have TP! On Outward Bound we had two options: leaves or snow. </p>
<p>Sorry for the detail.</p>
<p>how formal is the dance after the oa trip? just wondering what to pack since separate OA bags and larger luggage for the on-campus orientation in Sept might make things easier to manage</p>
<p>it’s not formal at all, but i’m sure everyone looks really good what with the shower and all :)</p>
<p>can’t wait :)</p>
<p>I love how the second half of this thread talked about poop.</p>
<p>lol, i hope that isn’t indicative of the most-discussed aspect of the trip…</p>