College of the Atlantic (COA)

College of the Atlantic only admits a limited number of applicants each year, which allows it to focus on and fully serve the approximately 350 students enrolled. There's an "encouragement to pave our own paths and build our learning to suit ourselves," which can be seen in the way enrollees design their own major and course of study, a format that "attracts a self-selected group of passionate, driven, and deeply curious individuals who are committed to interdisciplinary learning and environmental and social justice." This "adaptability to allow for every student to have an experience that is meaningful to them" is aided by a system of three classes per trimester "so that work never becomes overbearing but gives us many opportunities." A student says: "You can choose to do whatever you want, and if the hyper-specific thing you want isn't offered yet, you can ask a teacher and they'll make it happen for you." The experiential nature of the curriculum means "classes are usually project-based, which allows students to delve into particular subjects of their interest within the topic and gain experience with such things as research design, field methods, analysis, artistic creation, and much more." Students appreciate the hands-on learning opportunities, with one student sharing, "I did my internship on one of our island research stations, monitoring copepod population health for 10 weeks while simultaneously contributing to the college's 40-year-old whale presence dataset."

While there are many different personalities at COA, "everyone holds the same inherent values of kindness, giving back through nature, curiosity, and exploration." Among this "very accepting and diverse, very LGBTQ-friendly" group, "activism and rhetoric [are] extremely well-intentioned among virtually all students, often translating to engaging conversations." On the whole, enrollees "are quite invested in change-making, both at the school and on a national and international scale." There also seems to be less of a digital focus, as students tend to "have very tangible hobbies... (for example, lots of people knit, sew, carve wood, play instruments, make art, that sort of thing." One student describes the potpourri of their peers as a "perfect...mix of art/theater kids and science kids, both extroverted and introverted, down to go hunt for worms in the forest at 2 a.m. or make elaborate costumes for a one-off play written in 12 hours." As one student sums up: "COA students come here each looking for something different...[and] weave their own tapestry of campus culture, which includes a little bit of everything and everyone."

The "campus is beautiful" and "in the fall and spring, there's constantly people hanging out outside, either playing instruments, reading, painting, playing soccer or Frisbee, or just enjoying the weather." Given the school's Maine location, many students also enjoy "the Outing Club (adventures like hiking, stargazing, boogie boarding, and polar plunging)" or activities in nearby Acadia National Park, which "provides endless exploration for both the Outing Club and individuals." You can find people participating "in just about every hobby under the sun. From tincture making to taxidermy, there is a place for all crafts and activities here." There are also plenty of "student activist clubs and college-sponsored outdoor recreation," as well as regularly scheduled activities like "Fireside Friday (crafting club held weekly), Mending Matters (clothing and gear repair club), and COAmmunity Dinner (weekly community dinner club)." The school's small size "means that academic and social life often blend together, with discussions continuing over meals in Take-ABreak [dining hall] or spontaneous gatherings in the library or on the pier." For the students wanting to "make change on campus and in local communities," there is the weekly All College Meeting, in which faculty, staff, and students come together to discuss and vote on large-scale decisions, policies, and community issues, fitting for a population that's "highly committed to curiosity and bettering the planet."

COA has “strong connections to the surrounding community, [which is] extremely beneficial to our student body.” Faculty advisors start helping students shape their curriculum from the start and offer professional advice and connections. Career Services provides further guidance, development activities, labor market information, and access to the alumni mentorship program. The mandatory internship guarantees that students have experience under their belts by graduation (with typical completion during the summer, though opportunities are also available throughout the year), and the senior capstone project is also a nice addition to any portfolio or résumé. Within one year of graduation, 97 percent of students have gone on to graduate school or have secured a job, with more than half studying at the master’s or doctorate level.