Outdoor Orientation Program
college of the Atlantic
An immersive beginning
You are invited to join our week-long Outdoor Orientation Program (OOPs), a cherished tradition at College of the Atlantic designed specifically to help incoming students transition smoothly into college life. During these wilderness-based trips, you’ll explore some of Maine’s most breathtaking landscapes while forming lasting bonds with peers and mentors in an immersive, community-focused setting. OOPs is not just an orientation—it’s a chance to experience COA’s unique culture of experiential learning, self-directed exploration, and collaborative leadership in the great outdoors.
Recent OOPs Adventures
- Exploring Baxter State Park
- Paddling the Penobscot River West Branch
- Canoeing the Allagash River
- Rock climbing in Acadia National Park
- Sea kayaking in Frenchman Bay
- Backpacking the Appalachian Trail
- Hiking the peaks of Baxter State Park
What Our Students Say
“OOPs offered me the chance to meet people who are now some of my best friends, because we could bond in Baxter State Park for a few days before academic orientation started. I can’t wait to return to beautiful Baxter to lead a new group of incoming students.”
– Abby ’20
“OOPs allowed me to meet some of my dearest friends at COA. OOPs was like building a little COA family. Taking a week to really get to know a group of people mindfully, away from the fast-paced academic life.”
– Jessica ’17
“COA’s OOPs program is the best way to connect to other students, the beautiful Maine landscape, and to yourself. Not all trips are rigorous or require particular skills, but every trip leaves you with more skills and experience than you started with. The friends I made on my OOPs trip are some of the people I am closest to now. If you are debating an OOPs trip, definitely go!”
– Susan ’18
Ready to embrace a new adventure?
Stories from the Field
All-hands effort studies mountaintop mammals
Vertebrate ecologist Dr. Brittany Slabach ’09 is using her Second Century Stewardship to collaborate with COA students, faculty, and alumnx on a study that examines how recreational trail use and sub-alpine management affects mountaintop mammal communities in Acadia National Park. Read More
Community-based research presented at science symposium
College of the Atlantic students share posters and academic research at the annual Acadia Science Symposium, a forum hosted by the National Park Service and the Schoodic Institute to promote networking and learning among regional scientists, educators, students, and others working in a range of fields. Read More
A year in the life of Acadia National Park’s birds [PBS NewsHour]
Catch up with College of the Atlantic ornithology instructor Rich MacDonald on his year-long challenge to identify as many birds by sight or sound as possible. Read More