College of the Atlantic @meetmeatthewhaleskull - Tumblr Blog

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I know that you have a policy for no cats or dogs, but does that change if the animals are registered emotional support pets? How would the pet policy change in that scenario? I have 2 cats at home, and I'm really worried about leaving them behind.

Hello, and thanks for your question! We do consider emotional support pets on a case-by-case basis. Here's how that process works: students must petition for an emotional support animal (ESA), which means contacting Ingrid Hill, student life operations manager ([email protected] or 207-801-5674). Ingrid will go over some basics and provide ESA paperwork, which must be completed and submitted by May 1 for consideration. Ingrid states that a key component of a successful petition is a counselor’s letter stating the reason why a student needs to have an ESA on campus. It’s also worth noting that requests are not approved in the middle of term; we only review requests during school breaks based on housing availability.

Hiii<3 One of my biggest dreams is to study at COA, but tbh I'm kinda scared of the application process, still, I'll be applying once I finish high-school. Rn I have some questions: Does taking a gap year negatively affect our eligibility? Are there Mexican students? (I'm Mexican and heard there's this amazing girl called Leslie, but wanna know if there are more), I couldn't get selected to attend an uwc :c what is the biggest scolarship I could get considering this? Is it hard to get accepted?

Hi there, thanks so much for reaching out, and no need to fear -- we try to keep the application process as student-friendly as possible!

As for your questions:

Taking a gap year does NOT negatively affect your eligibility. We have many students who choose to take gap years every year.

We routinely have more than 40 countries represented in our student body, and that includes Mexico. So yes, there are Mexican students here.

Scholarship amounts vary based on a student's financial need and their qualifications. Our general philosophy is that the cost of college should not be a barrier for any student. Nearly all of our students receive some financial aid from the college, and the vast majority of that assistance is in the form of scholarships. For international students who did not attend a UWC, there can be some limitations, so we encourage students to speak directly to financial aid staff to discuss their personal circumstances.

COA’s acceptance rate has been just under 70% recently, which means we've been accepting roughly 70% of the students who have applied. While this number is high, we are still considered a “selective” college because our applicants tend to be very strong and self-selecting. That said, we take a holistic approach to reading applications. Every application is read thoroughly by at least 3 members of our admission committee, which is made up of admission staff, current COA students, and COA faculty. In addition to grades, we look closely at quality and thoughtfulness of writing, engagement in community, and reasons for wanting to attend a unique school like COA.

What is the maximum scholarship offered? (Im not from an UWC college)

Thanks for your question. Scholarship amounts vary based on a student's financial need and their qualifications. Our general philosophy is that the cost of college should not be a barrier for any student. From a practical standpoint, this means nearly all of our students receive some financial aid from the college, and the vast majority of that assistance is in the form of scholarships. Our merit scholarships are designed to cover a portion of college costs, and for students with financial need we offer strong need-based aid packages (primarily in the form of scholarships) to make up the difference. COA is often included on national lists of colleges offering the best financial aid because we do our best to support our students' financial needs.

Given that every student's situation is unique, we always encourage folks to talk directly with our financial aid staff if there are special circumstances to consider, or if the funding we offer isn't going to allow you to attend COA.

i really like the idea of a self designed major, but i am worried that human ecology won't be seen as a "useful" degree. do students/grads usually have a hard time explaining what their degree actually is? do you think someone could design a major that would allow them to go into grad school/research for environmental/marine science? that is my main academic interest rn

Hi there, and thanks for your question! While our overall degree is in human ecology, we encourage students and alumni to show their area of focus/self-designed major on their resume, for instance: B.A. in Human Ecology, with a focus on Marine Science. We have a considerable number of our alumni who go into grad school and careers related to marine science -- it’s one of the areas where our curriculum and course offerings have a good deal of depth, and there are great research and field work opportunities here (for instance with Allied Whale, our marine mammal research group). So, yes: you can absolutely design a major that will allow you to go to grad school for marine science or environmental science, and we can connect you with a number of different alumni who have done just that! For instance:

Here’s Kaitlyn Clark ‘19, currently pursuing a PhD at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at William & Mary.

Another COA alum, Nishad Jayasundara, is a professor at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

And here’s COA alum Nicole Cabana, who’s deputy director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

This blog has some marine studies highlights over the last ten or so years, including student projects, internships, as well as work on our island research stations, Allied Whale, and more!

do you ever offer courses in linguistics? i would love to take some linguistics courses in college cause i think it's a really interesting subject, but i'm not finding too much on your website about it

Hi there! We do offer some courses in applied linguistics, primarily taught by Su Yin Khor, professor in writing and rhetoric. These courses focus on discourse in various ways, e.g., identity, multilingualism, writing, and language variation/diversity. Visit Su Yin’s faculty page to see more about the courses she teaches, and feel free to email her directly if you have more questions!

would it hurt my admissions chances to apply as a transfer in winter or spring instead of fall? also, would it still be possible to do one of the outdoor orientation programs if i start in winter/spring?

Hi there! We encourage you to apply for whichever term will be best for you to start -- the timing doesn’t impact how our admission committee makes decisions. That said, there are a few reasons why you might want to consider starting in a certain term:

Fall term is when the vast majority of students, including transfer students, start at COA. When you arrive in the fall you’re able to participate in our full orientation programming, including the Outdoor Orientation Programs (OOPs) -- this is the best way to get to know other incoming students and build a strong community to start your time here. Approximately 20 transfer students and 85 first-year students start at COA each fall.

Winter term can be a slightly harder time to start at COA: housing options may be more limited, and instead of a multi-day orientation, incoming students have just one day of orientation programming. Typically around 5-10 students start at COA during the winter term. Starting in the winter may require a bit more effort on your part to get to know the COA community and build your social network. While it is possible to participate in the OOPs program the following fall (after a winter start), students would have to talk with the student life staff to make that happen - it’s not typical.

Very few students start at COA during the spring trimester -- perhaps 1-2 in any given year. It can be a harder time to integrate into the community, given that there’s just that one term prior to the summer break. That said, it works best for some!

You can also submit an application for the fall term and then defer your enrollment to winter or spring if that turns out to be the best option for you. Feel free to reach out directly ([email protected]) if you’d like to talk more about when to apply!

Hi, I'm thrilled to have been accepted to COA! As a Black student, I'm interested in learning more about the experiences of other Black students on campus and in Bar Harbor. I'd especially appreciate hearing from anyone who can share their perspectives on community, support, and navigating the area. Thank you!"

Hi there, and congratulations on your admission! We’d love to connect you directly with a current student or recent grad of COA who can best speak to their own experiences as a Black person here. We encourage you to reach out to [email protected] and we can put you in contact. We think you’ll get the most frank and realistic sense of things from speaking directly with another student, rather than having it filtered through us (white admissions folks). As important as it is to us to foster a diverse and welcoming community at COA, we also know that coming to college in a predominantly white institution/town/state can be a big change, and it’s great that you’re doing your research to get a sense of whether it will be the right fit for you.

hi! ive been considering applying to COA this fall, is there anything that would be useful to include in my application or anything i should do that could help my consideration? thank you, and I love that you guys have a tumblr and are still active!!!

Hi there! The materials you submit with your application will give us the opportunity to see your academic background and your involvement, and gives you the opportunity to tell us more about yourself and what's important to you. One of the big things we're looking for is that you are ready for an active, engaged education where you will be in the driver's seat of choosing your own classes and putting your path together. That requires some self-direction and self-motivation, both things we're looking to see. We want students who are active: so that means being part of activities that are meaningful for you, through your school or community. We also like to see that students are challenging themselves academically - taking some higher level courses in areas of interest, for instance. Standardized tests (like SAT, ACT) are fully optional and always have been at COA. Please don't feel the need to take them on our account, and if you don't feel like your test scores are a good indication of your ability, don't submit them.

Interviews, while not at all required, are a great way for us to get to know you a little bit better. An interview also gives you a chance to ask us your questions about COA. The interview is very informal and low-pressure, it's about 30 minutes, and you can do one on Zoom from afar.

Overall: we know the college application process can be stressful, and we don't want to unnecessarily contribute to that stress. Our hope is that you're pursuing the things that interest you, enjoying social and academic pursuits, and looking forward to a dynamic college experience in the near future!

Hi! I got accepted early decision to COA and have committed. I noticed on the admitted students page that there is an accepted students' Instagram that seems inactive. I was wondering if there was any way to connect with other accepted students?

Hi and congratulations! We’ll be launching this year’s admitted students Instagram in January -- that is definitely the best way to connect with other accepted students! Sorry to keep you waiting on that, but we look forward to welcoming you into that group soon.

what is the islands program? is there someone I can reach out to for more info on this?

Hi! COA has field stations on two offshore islands, Mount Desert Rock and Great Duck Island. Students can take part in summer research programs on the islands, taking part in long-term research studies related to marine mammals or seabird populations, and also developing their own research and creative projects to do on the islands. You can learn more on our website here, or reach out to us in admissions and we can put you in touch with a faculty member or student who’s involved in work on the islands: [email protected]. Thanks!

i really appreciate that you guys have a tumblr account!! lots of useful info here :)

Hey, thanks! It’s not so active these days, but we’re glad it’s still helpful.

Hello! I have been doing a lot of research on small, unique, self-directed type colleges and I have noticed that a lot of them seem to be struggling quite a bit financially (eg. Hampshire college, which has basically been on the verge of collapse since about 2019). Should I be concerned at all about the financial stability at COA? Have there been any signs of financial distress in recent times? I would really love to attend this type of institution, but I would also really love to go to a college that will actually still exist in 10 years time. Thanks!

Hi there, this is a great question and an important one.

Here are a few things to hopefully help allay your fears:

1) College of the Atlantic has a very robust endowment, currently around $90 million, which is quite large for a college of just 350 students. By comparison, Green Mountain College had an endowment of less than $3 million when it closed, and Marlboro College had around $23 million when it closed. Hampshire College has an endowment of around $55 million, with more than double the number of students.

2) A big part of the reason for our relative financial stability is that we have a really strong and engaged base of donors. It’s this donor support, along with revenue from our endowment, that allows us to provide such strong financial aid for our students. As one example of our fundraising success, our recent capital campaign raised $55 million in three years, some of which went to the endowment to support scholarships and faculty salaries, and some of which helped us build our new academic building (the Davis Center for Human Ecology) and our new student residence, Collins House.

3) Our small size, our unique academic program, and our lean staffing model mean we don’t have a lot of fluff in our budget: the funds we raise go primarily toward running our academic program and supporting our students. We don’t have sports teams or athletic facilities; we don’t have a multiple academic departments and majors all jockeying for resources and driving up costs. We see our model as a strength in helping us remain flexible and resilient even as other colleges have struggled.

4) Our enrollment has remained strong. When you look at the colleges that have closed or are on the brink of closure, you will typically see multiple years of declining enrollment. That fortunately hasn’t been the case for us. We believe our educational model is increasingly relevant in today’s world, and that has kept our student body vibrant and at our ideal size: 350 students. We’re not aiming to grow our enrollment, we’re aiming to stay where we are, at a size that suits our facilities and that fosters a strong sense of community and close relationships between students and faculty.

So, yes: we’ve been around for 50 years and we aim to be around for at the very least another 50! You won’t get a lazy river or fast food or all the bells and whistles at COA: but we think what you DO get -- a rigorous, experiential and self-designed education, a supportive community, and faculty who will be mentors and guides as you navigate your education, your career, and becoming the best version of yourself -- is incredibly valuable, and relevant, and a reason why COA will continue to thrive.

is there a big lesbian presence on campus? i know this is usually the case for women's colleges, so i was wondering if it is the same for a school that is coed but like 2/3 female. im an nb lesbian and i would love to feel like there is a lesbian community at my college

In our last campus climate survey, conducted in 2020, a majority of the student body identified as LGBTQ+ -- so yes, there is a large queer community at COA! In fact, the Princeton Review has consistently ranked us among the top 10 most LGBTQ-friendly campuses in the country. Reach out to us if you’d like to be put in touch with current students who identify as queer or lesbian, to hear more from on-the-ground sources!

If I choose to live on campus, can I indicate a preference for the age of my roommate? I would be coming in a bit older than most college students, so I would really love to have roommates that are at least in their 20s. I think it might be nice to try living on campus to start, but I really do not want an 18 year old, fresh out of high school roommate

Hi there! You should go ahead and include this information in your housing application, yes. That said, there are many factors to consider with roommate compatibility, including gender identity, personality, study and sleep habits, etc. Ultimately, our housing team will do their best to make compatible roommate assignments, but if your roommate situation really doesn’t work out you can always make a change during the year.

Do the dorms decorate for holidays?

Hi there! Most big holidays happen when students are on break, so there's no coordinated effort to decorate the dorms. The residence life team, including RAs, are responsible for fostering a welcoming, cozy environment in the dorms and for the students who live there. A lot of that is through community meals and activities that bring people together.

Are there laundry rooms? What are they like?

Hi, yes! There are laundry rooms available in most campus residences - sometimes multiple smaller residences will share a laundry facility. Laundry machines are coin-operated as of this posting (2024).

Is there a favored mode of transportation around campus and bar harbor?

Since our campus is relatively small and we're so close (within a mile) of most everything in Bar Harbor, the majority of students get around on foot, by bicycle, and making use of our night bus (year-round) and day bus (available in winter) that have routes between campus and town. Some students do bring their own cars with them to campus - which is very easy to do. There's no fee (as of 2024) to have a parking permit on campus.

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