Move In/Out Details
college of the atlantic
Welcome to your new home
Moving In
Resident Advisors
Your Resident Advisor (RA) is your go-to person for any questions you may have about life outside of the classroom. They are students who have been through this before and offer peer support. From adjusting to being away from home to roommate conflicts or finding which building your class is in, the RA team is here to support you. Student Life staff is always available to help, too. You can find them on the 2nd floor of Deering.
Room Furniture
Dorm rooms include basic furnishings: an extra-long twin bed, desk, desk chair, dresser or under-bed drawer unit, and a closet or wardrobe. All items are provided for each student in a space, with the exception of the closet/wardrobe, which may be shared. All furniture provided by the University must remain in the student’s room and cannot be removed.
Kitchen
Each house has its own kitchen with a set of pans, dishes, and basic cooking equipment, but if you like to cook and have favorite kitchen items, you may want to bring them.
What to bring
The following is a list of recommended items that may be useful to you during your time at the college. Download this list as a PDF.
You may want to buy some things after you arrive, rather than bringing them or shipping them from home. There are several shops in Bar Harbor within walking distance as well as a 30-minute drive away in Ellsworth where you can buy more supplies locally.
It might also make sense to pack for one season at a time and switch items when/if you go home during breaks.
You may also want to talk to roommates about sharing some items for the room to avoid duplicates.
Essentials:
- Bedding
- Sheets (extra-long twin) and pillowcase
- Blanket or comforter
- Mattress pad/cover (extra-long twin, optional)
- Note: first-year international students will be provided with sheets and a comforter.
- Pillow(s) for your bed
- Clothing & shoes
- Toiletries & personal care items including soap, shampoo, medications, toothbrush, etc.
- Towels
- Clothes hangers
- Laundry supplies
- Detergent
- Quarters for laundry machines (each wash costs $1, each dry costs $0.75)
- Laundry bag or basket
- School supplies
- Pens/pencils
- Notebooks
- Other supplies you regularly use for your studies
- Water bottle, reusable mug
- Outdoor/weather-appropriate gear
- Sunscreen
- Raincoat
- Hiking shoes/boots
- Warm coat/hat/mittens/socks/boots and layers for winter
- Swimsuit
- Laptop/computer
- Note: this is strongly recommended, but there are public access computer labs for students who do not have their own computer
- Chargers for electronic devices
- Personal identification
- Driver’s license, health insurance card, passport if needed
- Two forms of ID are necessary for work-study employment paperwork
- Bag or backpack for carrying books & essentials
- Optional – The following are additional items you may want to bring for your own comfort or convenience:
Optional
- For your room/house (note that some rooms may already have several of these items)
- Lamp for bedside and/or desk
- Full-length mirror
- Small trash can/recycling bin
- Fan
- Bulletin board or dry-erase board
- Picture hanging supplies (double-sided tape, wall putty, command strips/hooks)
- Storage bins/bags
- Drying rack for laundry (dorms do have dryers and outdoor clotheslines)
- Mini toolkit
- Items from home that will make your room cozy
- Winter clothing/gear
- Many students are new to cold, snowy Maine winters. Some students wait until arrival to acquire winter clothing best suited for Maine. For your first winter, we recommend layers of warm clothes, so you can adjust to warm indoor temperatures and cold outdoor temperatures.
- Layers could include the following:
- A thermal wool or synthetic base layer under regular clothes
- Sweaters and warm outerwear on top
- Layers could include the following:
- Warm mittens and a warm hat that covers your ears
- Insulated winter boots with good traction ice grippers (like Kahtoola), which can be helpful for outdoor activities in icy conditions
- Many students are new to cold, snowy Maine winters. Some students wait until arrival to acquire winter clothing best suited for Maine. For your first winter, we recommend layers of warm clothes, so you can adjust to warm indoor temperatures and cold outdoor temperatures.
- Miscellaneous
- Shower caddy to carry toiletries
- Flashlight or headlamp
- Musical instrument
- Shower shoes (flip-flops)
- Printer (most papers will be submitted electronically, and there are several public printers on campus for student use. Black & white printing is free for students)
- Headphones
- Additional school/study/art supplies as desired
- Tape
- Scissors
- Memory card or flash drive
- Surge protector
- Tablet or other personal electronic devices
- Sports/fitness gear
- Reusable dishes or food containers/tupperware
- For international students Adapters for electronic devices (both a three-prong grounded adapter and a twoprong ungrounded adapter can be useful) Please refer to the international student handbook for more information on what to bring Note: Bedding (sheets and comforter) are provided for first-year international students once they arrive on campus It may be advisable to purchase your winter gear/clothing/boots once you arrive in the US, especially if you are traveling from a warmer country where gear may not be adequate or expensive/not easily accessible. The international student office also has some winter clothing/gear available for first-years.
For international students
- Adapters for electronic devices (both a three-prong grounded adapter and a twoprong ungrounded adapter can be useful)
- Note:
- Bedding (sheets and comforter) are provided for first-year international students once they arrive on campus.
- It may be advisable to purchase your winter gear/clothing/boots once you arrive in the US, especially if you are traveling from a warmer country where gear may not be adequate or expensive/not easily accessible.
- The international student office also has some winter clothing/gear available for first-years.
- Please refer to the international student pre-arrival handbook for more information on what to bring
Room Condition Reports
Students living in on-campus housing must submit a Room Condition Report within 72 hours of moving into their room. It is the responsibility of each resident to report any damages, missing items, and cleaning needs on the Room Condition Report.
Students need to complete a Room Condition Report every time they receive a new housing assignment as part of the room change process.
Maintenance Requests
For routine maintenance requests in on-campus housing, complete the Maintenance Request Form.
Requests are processed Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For urgent matters, such as leaks, power outages, or safety concerns, please contact the COA Emergency Line at 207-288-9001. In the winter, heating concerns, including malfunctioning windows and doors, should also be reported via the Emergency Line.
Moving Out
Your room should be returned to the condition you found it in at move-in. You will not be charged for normal wear and tear, holes in the wall the size of a pin or smaller, larger plaster chips around holes caused by weak plaster, or minimal scuff marks.
Walkthroughs with an RA give you the chance to inform the college of any damages that occurred before you moved in or during your occupancy. If there are no damages to your room or don’t want an RA to walk through your room, you can opt into express checkout. Students who choose the express checkout option forfeit the right to dispute damage charges.
All furniture belonging to COA must remain in the assigned rooms. Any trash in the rooms or housing must be thrown out, and all outdoor spaces must be cleared of residents’ items. This includes bikes, trash, dishes, plants, etc.
Keys
Keys must be returned to the key box on the second floor of Deering. Make sure they are in the key envelope provided by your RA. Extra envelopes will be available next to the key box. Labels on the key envelopes will allow you to opt into express checkout. If the room key is lost, students must fill out the envelope anyway. Residents will be charged $75 for missing or unlabeled keys.
Spring Move Out
Residence Halls close at 12 p.m. on Sunday. All students must vacate their rooms at that time.
If the student has not moved out and/or has belongings in the common spaces and kitchens by the required date, they will be charged a flat rate fee of $100 per day. Any items left behind will be removed by B&G.
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