Читать книгу America's Best Colleges for B Students - Tamra B. Orr - Страница 49

105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609

Admissions: 800-528-0025 · Financial Aid: 207-801-5645

Email: inquiry@coa.edu · Website: http://www.coa.edu

From the College

“Located between the Atlantic Ocean and Acadia National Park, College of the Atlantic offers two degrees: a BA and MPhil, both in Human Ecology. In pursuit of this degree, students consider their individual passions to create their own academic trajectories, integrating knowledge from all academic disciplines and personal experience to fulfill the mission of Human Ecology: investigating and improving relationships between humans and our social, natural, built and virtual communities. COA's small size and individualized curriculum encourages tutorials, intensive seminar-style classes and frequent faculty-student interchanges.

“Having one major means that COA has no departments and no departmental requirements; classes are interdisciplinary. Coursework consists of readings, usually from primary sources, as well as active investigation. These efforts culminate in a term-long senior project. As part of coursework and/or senior projects, recent students have participated in international meetings on climate change, investigated the impact of big box stores (resulting in first-in-the-nation legislation for Maine), used GIS maps to educate local towns on impending planning decisions and prepared an emergency system for a California town, and more.

“Beyond this, COA is a democratic institution, with students involved on all levels of governance and a weekly campus meeting to discuss current campus issues and decisions. Major decisions must be brought to this All-College Meeting; committees that filter into the governance structure include participation by students. Opportunities for travel abound; students must complete a one-term internship, which usually takes them off-campus and often abroad. The college offers a residency term in Mexico and another in Quebec. International connections on campus are extensive, as COA has one of the highest percentages of international students of any college.

“COA is the first college to become carbon neutral; new student residences are outfitted with composting toilets; the kitchen serves food from the college's organic farm. Now, COA offers one of the very few undergraduate green and socially responsible business programs and a Food Systems Program that connects COA's organic farm to an organic research center in the United Kingdom and a graduate school in Germany.”

Campus Setting

College of the Atlantic was founded in 1969 on the premise that education should go beyond understanding the world as it is, to enabling students to actively shape its future. Classes focus on understanding the relationships between humans and our environment - and improving those relationships: in policy, the arts, science and a multitude of category-defying fields. According to the college, “We call this Human Ecology. Classes are truly interdisciplinary, learning hands-on and active, relationships are emphasized. Students are expected to shape their own individual path to their degree, and are encouraged to go to the source and do their own creative thinking in the hopes that they may help shape a more sustainable and just future.”

A four-year private institution, College of the Atlantic has an enrollment of 370 students. Campus facilities include: art gallery · natural history museum · GIS laboratory · green graphics lab · applied human ecology center · watershed coalition · media design studio · video editing lab · organic community garden · ceramics studio · equipment for outdoor leadership including kayaks, canoes, cross-country skis, snowshoes and climbing equipment. College of the Atlantic provides on-campus housing with 15 units that can accommodate 150 students. Housing options: coed dorms.

COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC

Highlights

College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor, ME (Pop. 5,235) Location: Rural Four-year private Founded: 1969 Website: http://www.coa.edu

Students Total enrollment: 370 Undergrads: 362 Freshmen: 126 Part-time students: 5% From out-of-state: 86% From public schools: 63% Male/Female: 33%/67% Live on-campus: 42% Off-campus employment rating: Fair Caucasian: 69% African American: 1% Hispanic: 5% Asian: 2% Native American: 1% Mixed (2+ ethnicities): 2% International: 15%

Academics Calendar: Trimester Student/faculty ratio: 10:1 Class size 9 or fewer: 27% Class size 10-29: 73% Class size 30-49: - Class size 50-99: - Class size 100 or more: - Returning freshmen: 81% Six-year graduation rate: 69%

Most Popular Majors Human ecology

Admissions Applicants: 455 Accepted: 333 Acceptance rate: 73.2% Average GPA: 3.6 ACT range: 25-33 SAT Math range: 530-640 SAT Reading range: 580-690 SAT Writing range: 2-58 Top 10% of class: 10% Top 25% of class: 69% Top 50% of class: 95%

Deadlines Early Action: No Early Decision: 12/1 Regular Action: 2/15 (final) Notification of admission by: 4/1 Common Application: Accepted

Financial Aid In-state tuition: $39,942 Out-of-state tuition: $39,942 Room: $6,000 Board: $3,300 Books: $600 Freshmen receiving need-based aid: 91% Undergrads rec. need-based aid: 89% Avg. % of need met by financial aid: 95% Avg. aid package (freshmen): $39,625 Avg. aid package (undergrads): $35,649 Avg. debt upon graduation: $19,285

Prominent Alumni Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, First District Congresswoman from Maine; Greg Stone, Vice President of Conservation International, influential in creating the world's largest marine sanctuary in Kiribati, the Phoenix Islands; Nell Newman, founder, Newman's Own Organics.

School Spirit Mascot: Black Flies

Student Life and Activities

More than half of the students (58 percent) live off campus. A school representative notes, “Acadia National Park is in our backyard, so students often go hiking, kayaking, biking and skiing in the park. We're right on the ocean and a group of students do swim - year-round! There are several musical groups on campus at all times - currently they include a number of rock bands, a bluegrass band, several jazz ensembles and a few classical music groups. All find venues at which to perform during the year.” Popular gathering spots also include the dock and the Shrine, as well as Deering Common, the new campus center. Off-campus gathering spots are usually student homes. Popular campus events include Bar Island Swim, The Nature of Halloween, Annual National Toboggan Championships, Earth Day, Coffeehouse performances, Ultimate Frisbee, 24-hour plays, Film festivals, Aurora Ball-ealis (a staff-created party for students, staff and faculty), cricket, soccer, ice hockey, Fandango (an international cultural show with humor, music, dance; also a philanthropic fundraiser), Faculty-Staff-Senior Tug of War, Winter Carnival and Green Graduation. College of the Atlantic has 14 official student organizations. Popular groups on campus range from SustainUS, to the international cultural organization that creates Fandango, to a meditation group. For those interested in sports, there are intramural teams such as: basketball · bicycling · canoeing · climbing · cricket · hiking · ice hockey · kayaking · rock climbing · sailing · SCUBA diving · skiing/cross-country · snowshoeing · soccer · softball · Ultimate Frisbee · volleyball · water polo.

Academics and Learning Environment

College of the Atlantic has 29 full-time and 13 part-time faculty members, offering a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1. The most common course size is 10 to 19 students. College of the Atlantic offers a single degree, human ecology, although students design their own major among arts and design, environmental sciences and human studies. The school does not have a general core requirement. Cooperative education is available. Other special academic programs that would appeal to a B student include: self-designed majors · pass/fail grading option · independent study · internships.

B Student Support and Success

“At COA, we focus on a student's creativity, desire to do something, as well as their innate interest in learning.”

College of the Atlantic provides dedicated guidance for: academic · career · personal · psychological · minority students · family planning · religious. Annually, 81 percent of freshmen students return for their sophomore year. Approximately 10 percent of students pursue a graduate degree immediately after graduation. One year after graduation, the school reports that 16 percent of graduates have entered graduate school. Among students who enter the workforce, approximately 90 percent enter a field related to their major within six months of graduation. Companies that most frequently hire graduates from College of the Atlantic include: New England Aquarium · Maine State Department of Education · National Park Service.

Support for Students with Learning Disabilities

At College of the Atlantic, learning disabled students may take advantage of additional time to complete their degree or a lightened course load. Credit is given for remedial courses taken. High school foreign language waivers are accepted. Students with learning disabilities will find the following programs at College of the Atlantic useful: remedial English · remedial reading · special classes · tutors · testing accommodations · untimed tests · extended time for tests · take-home exam · oral tests · readers · note-taking services · reading machines · tape recorders · texts on tape · early syllabus · priority registration. Individual or small group tutorials are also available in: time management · organizational skills · learning strategies · specific subject areas · writing labs · math labs · study skills. An advisor/advocate from the LD program is available to students. This member also sits on the admissions committee.

How to Get Admitted

For admissions decisions, non-academic factors considered: interview · extracurricular activities · special talents, interests and abilities · character/personal qualities · volunteer work · work experience · geographical location · minority affiliation · alumni relationship. A high school diploma is required, although a GED is also accepted for admissions consideration. SAT or ACT test scores are considered, if submitted, but are not required. SAT Subject Test scores are considered, if submitted, but are not required. According to the admissions office: Recommended rank in top quarter of secondary school class or minimum 3.0 GPA. Academic units recommended: 4 Math, 3 Science, 5 Social Studies, 2 Foreign Language.

How to Pay for College

To apply for financial aid, students should submit the following: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) · institution's own financial aid forms · Non-custodian (Divorced/Separated) Parent's Statement. College of the Atlantic participates in the Federal Work Study program. Need-based aid programs include: scholarships and grants · general need-based awards · Federal Pell grants · state scholarships and grants · college-based scholarships and grants · private scholarships and grants. Non-need-based aid programs include: scholarships and grants · state scholarships and grants.