Field Guide for Admitted Students

Sterling College » Field Guide for Admitted Students

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Submit your Spring 2023 or Fall 2023 Application Today! | Read More

1. Confirm Your Enrollment

Reserve your space and send your deposit
2. Complete the Required Forms

Fill out all the required forms
3. How to Get Here, What to Bring & When to Arrive

How to get here, what to bring & when to arrive
4. A Sense of Place: Expedition 1

For students entering in the Fall semester
6. Meet Your Field Guides

Get connected to the people and resources here to help you
7. Policies & Guidelines

Come prepared to thrive!
8. Make the Most of Your Time Here!

Make the most of your time in Vermont

Portal Quicklinks

Begin your journey!

Choose Sterling!

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” – Audre Lorde

Congratulations. We see the honor and courage in you, and we know that you have what it takes to do the critical work necessary to rebuild humanity’s relationship with the natural world. We believe in your abilities, trust in your creativity and can’t wait to co-create a sustainable future with you on our team.

This Field Guide is the portal we use to guide Admitted Students through the enrollment process. Navigating through this guide will ensure that you provide all the info you need to Sterling so that we can reserve your space and look forward to your arrival!

We’re here for you and so looking forward to your presence in our community and your contributions to our mission of ecological thinking and action.

Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and dig in?

Let's get started!

You are here.

Home Field Guide

Step 1: Confirm You're Coming

Step 2: Required Forms

Step 3: Packing List & Arrival Day

Step 4: A Sense of Place: Expedition 1

Step 5: Helpful Resources

Step 6: Policies & Guidelines

Step 7: Nourish Yourself

Finish Line:You're Ready!

If you follow the path through this Field Guide, we trust that you will get the information, contacts and details that you need to feel ready to arrive here. That said, we’re here – every day – and happy to guide you on this journey! Please feel free to reach out to us for any support you might need as you navigate this process!

Moxie Mehegan

Dean of Admission & Financial Aid
Barb Stuart

Director of Financial Aid
Weylin Garnett

Admission Counselor

Regardless of your flock - at Sterling College we look out for each other! That's what being part of the community is all about! #WhereSmallisBetter

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The Ecology Essentials for Everyone course is essential for anyone looking to understand how the world really works – with or without us humans. You'll develop a strong understanding of ecological principles, scientific thinking, and how to live more lightly on the Earth. Register today! Link on bio.

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These days, it seems that everyone has a better, purportedly more sustainable way to farm: organic agriculture, carbon-farming, regenerative agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, permaculture, and sustainable intensification. As alternatives to synthetic and extractive forms of industrial agriculture abound, it can be tough to tell which have real promise and which are green-washed nonsense (or worse).

Agroecology – an approach that blends natural and traditional science with a set of farming practices and a social movement – stands out among the alternatives. It fundamentally trusts farmers to work with nature to develop their own approaches that produce food while maintaining ecosystem integrity and avoiding depletion.

Our self-paced online course in agroecology is designed to empower farmers, gardeners and agriculture professionals alike - providing an invaluable understanding of agricultural sustainability and food movements for those who strive for social justice.

Link on bio.

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The present climate and ecological emergencies are a global problem that requires immediate action. We must work together to find solutions that will help to mitigate these crises. Enroll into Climate + Change self-paced and online. Starting at $49! Link on bio.

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Ivy Manner's Senior Year Research Project was entitled 'Ecological Building & Design' where she designed and built an outhouse from scratch, including felling, extraction, sawing, and building.

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New issue of our annual publication, Terrain, has dropped. Take a read, link on bio.

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Sterling offers more than just undergraduate degrees. We are quickly building a host of online curriculum for learners of all ages and levels. Co-created by communities, consulting scholars, and Sterling College educators, EcoGather intersects community, practitioner, and academic insights without privileging any one over the others. The resulting courses are accessible to and enriching for varied learners at all stages of adult life. Check it out at : http://ce.sterlingcollege.edu . EcoGather - education that makes sense in a world that does not.

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Countdown is on until our Southwest Field Semester starts! February 6th!

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Scenes from this year's Winter Expedition ❄️

photo credit: Ryan Conners

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These days, it seems that everyone has a better, purportedly more sustainable way to farm: organic agriculture, carbon-farming, regenerative agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, permaculture, sustainable intensification. As alternatives to synthetic and extractive forms of industrial agriculture abound, it can be tough to tell which have real promise and which are green-washed nonsense (or worse).

Agroecology – an approach that blends natural and traditional science with a set of farming practices and a social movement – stands out among the alternatives. It fundamentally trusts farmers to work with nature to develop their own approaches that produce food while maintaining ecosystem integrity and avoiding depletion.

Developed by conservation leader and applied researcher Britt Basel, this Agroecology course provides learners with a nuanced understanding of agroecology’s many facets. The course materials, which include carefully selected readings, resources, and recorded lectures, are enriched with practitioner interviews and exercises that encourage immediate application.

This course is designed for learners of all ages and backgrounds and is priced at $249. Link on bio.

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Anonymous online review: "Sterling is an experience. It is not like your normal college where you get a bunch of textbook work. Being a work college, you have the opportunity to learn work ethics and skills through the work program and through some classes. It is for those who want to put the work in. The college is off the beaten track and thus relies on its student body to be there for each other be it for keeping paths open or picking potatoes. Also being such a small school, you can step into classes that help broaden your overall knowledge and help you become a better steward of the environment you live in.

From my time there I learned how to work and that from hard work comes celebration. I found my passion for outdoor education and made life long friends. I learned skills that are older than me, that help me in my daily life.

All in all, Sterling gave me a challenge that led to me becoming a well rounded person both in work and education."

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The kitchen is the keystone of Sterling College. All students are part of Sterling’s sustainable food systems, through farming, cooking, and eating. The curricular system and the kitchen are inextricably linked. So when we say that at Sterling everyone has a seat at the table, we mean it literally.

There is nothing institutional about cooking or eating at Sterling College. The College prides itself on local, healthy food made with love. Everyone at Sterling is part of that equation. The kitchen is cooperative and collaborative, students have a say, and dialog is welcome.

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