Location
There's no place like Maine. Located in Orono, Maine, students are surrounded by the great outdoors and ample opportunity to explore everything that Maine has to offer. Orono is nestled between the Stillwater and Penobscot rivers and the campus has a traditional New England feel with ivy-covered brick buildings, towering pines, and beautiful fall foliage that is second to none. Some of the best skiing in the northeast is within easy driving distance. Beautiful tourist attractions such as Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, Baxter State Park, and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail are just a short drive from campus. The University of Maine is also only 10 minutes from the city of Bangor, Maine's third largest city which is consistently ranked as one of the most desirable places to live for its natural beauty, safety, quality of life and affordability.
Campus Facilities & Equipment
The University of Maine is home to state-of-the-art research facilities, classrooms and teaching laboratories.
Fogler Library is the state's largest library and located right in the center of campus. It houses more than 3.6 million print volumes, including government documents, as well as 1.6 million microforms. The library provides access to more than 615,000 e-books, 104,000 online serials, 380 online databases, and 154,000 media titles.
Students will also have access to the Capital Markets Training Laboratory with state-of-the-art technology and 12 Bloomberg Terminals that allow for hands-on learning in financial education.
Engineering students get the opportunity to work alongside professors and research scientists in the internationally recognized, Advanced Structures and Composite Center. Students have assisted on projects for NASA, off shore wind resources, the United States Military and "Bridge in a Backpack." The Advanced Structures and Composite Center has partnered with more than 500 national and international companies and is home to the world's largest 3D printer.
The Virtual Environment and Multimodal Interaction Laboratory (VEMI) is a research facility that combines fully immersive virtual reality with augmented reality technologies in an integrated research and development environment. Students from all interest and majors collaborate in projects in the VEMI Lab on the latest research in areas such as aging research, vision impairment research and virtual realities.
Off-Campus Opportunities
There are also many ways to explore Maine off campus as well. There is outdoor recreation, music and food festivals, museums and much more. Bangor, a 10-minute drive from campus, hosts Waterfront Concerts, the State Fair, and traveling Broadway Shows. Take a trip to Maine's famous Lobster Festival in Rockport or to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor. There are over 120 miles of hiking trails to explore. You don't need to go far for trails, as there are 15 miles of hiking right behind UMaine's campus!
Students at the University of Maine also have many opportunities to travel abroad. Through our study abroad programs, students will be able to explore globally while enhancing their education by taking courses, volunteering, or researching. Students have traveled to China to study emerging financial markets, to Italy to learn about Renaissance art history, to Turkey to study film, and to Brazil to look at our world's diverse ecosystem. Students will have the opportunity to enhance their education and experience at UMaine with fun, enriching, on and off-campus activities.
UMaine Black Bears are a very active bunch, and "sports, especially hockey, [are] a huge part of the...culture." At games, "the student section goes crazy (in the best way)" and "the school spirit is...incredible." Additionally, the school is situated in "such a unique place" that is "super green in the summer and pure white in the winter," providing this outdoorsy student body with miles of "trails for running and biking and a river [where] people often go paddling, kayaking, swimming, and fishing." (Yes, there's an on-campus canoe rental.) Both coastal Arcadia National Park and remote Baxter State Park, where "the Appalachian Trail ends...[atop] pristine Mount Katahdin," are just an hour's drive away. The winter season is popular for cross-country and alpine skiing, snowboarding, and other sports. Other forms of physical activity are available in UMaine's recreation center, which students boast is the "best in New England" and features "tons of equipment and...classes for people of all experience levels." For those who would rather stay inside during the winter, the campus puts on free movies, "drag shows, trivia nights, [and] amazing Collins Center performances." As for nightlife, while there are plenty of parties and drinking at downtown bars on weekends, there is little pressure to partake-students say their peers are "chill and accepting of whatever you do and do not do." While the school may be in a rural environment, that doesn't mean the students are bored or lonely. As one undergrad puts it: "When everyone's in the middle of nowhere, no one is."
