At UNE, we understand that living on campus is an important part of your college experience, especially during your first year. Between living with a roommate for the first time to deciding what to pack, there’s so much to think about when it comes to your first year at college. We’re here to answer your questions and ease any concerns you may have about the housing process. Let’s dive into what first-year residential life really looks and feels like at UNE!
First-Year Residential Life
UNE reserves six residence halls for first-year students only, which makes it easy for you to get to know your classmates. The first-year residence halls — Assisi, Avila, Padua, Siena, and Featherman — are a mix of track- and traditional-style residence halls with shared bathrooms and common lounges, kitchens, and laundry rooms.
Take a quick virtual tour of our first-year residence halls! Tour Avila here and Featherman here.
The Rooms
Your room might look a bit different depending on which residence hall you live in. Every room will include wireless internet and the following furniture:
- Twin extra-long (XL) bed
- Wardrobe
- Two-drawer dresser
- Desk and desk chair
You can also utilize any shared space in the residence hall such as the kitchen, the lounge, and the laundry room. Bonus: laundry is free for residents — no need to bring your quarters!
Additionally, every residence hall will house a team of Resident Advisors (RAs) and one Area Coordinator (AC). RAs are current UNE students who are there to support their residents, help with roommate mediation, and host floor events. ACs are professional staff members who will monitor the building and handle any larger issues that may arise.
Upperclassmen Housing
UNE has a three-year housing requirement, but after your first year there are upperclassmen halls to choose from. The upperclassmen halls include Champlain, East, West, and Sokokis Halls. These halls are suite-style and provide options to live with groups of four to six people. You can learn more about our upperclassmen residence halls here.
During your senior year, you have the option to move off-campus. Because of UNE’s close proximity to the ocean, many seniors rent homes on the beach. Yep, you read that right — the beach! How many college students do you know who have lived by the ocean?
Current Student Perspectives
You may be curious about what living on campus is really like. We checked in with a couple of UNE students to help provide some insight.
Current sophomore Libby, an Applied Exercise Science major, reflects on her first year living on campus:
I lived in Featherman Hall on the fourth floor. It was definitely a new experience for me, considering I always had my own room at home. That said, I had so much fun decorating the space with my roommates and enjoyed being able to meet lots of new people in my hall. We always had our door open, so we were constantly hanging out with friends or making new ones.
Living with a roommate took some adjustment. I had moved in with two girls I’d never met before; of course it was going to be a bit awkward at moments and confusing at others. Not only did I have to accommodate their individual needs, I also had to tune into my own needs and learn to communicate them effectively. Eventually, I could compare it to living with my siblings back at home: we had formed a bond and begun to understand each others’ preferences and habits. It certainly takes some time to adjust to having a roommate or two, especially if you’ve never lived with a sibling. However, everyone adjusts with time. Once you listen to and advocate for yourself, living with roommates is a breeze!
Moving to college is a big adjustment. Libby thinks about a few worries she first experienced, and how she dealt with them:
Some of my biggest worries were the amount of space I would have and whether or not my roommates and I would get along. Come to find out, I was able to bring nearly twice the amount of clothes I had anticipated and it was easy to create a safe and comfortable space in my room with my roommates.
I wish I hadn’t worried about my roommate situation so much. I was fortunate enough to have roommates that I got along with and became best friends with. However, I do understand that this isn’t the case for everyone. I learned that the Resident Advisors are incredibly helpful and willing to help with any conflict that would arise, including roommates.
If I could give one piece of advice, I would say that your roommates should be the least of your concerns! If it doesn’t go well, there are always alternative solutions to make sure you still have a great experience living on campus.
We also checked in with Brooke, a senior Neuroscience / Pre-Med major with over two years of experience as a Resident Advisor (RA) in the first-year residence halls. We asked her to talk about how RAs support their residents. Here’s what she had to say:
One of the biggest things that RAs do to support residents is connect them to resources. College is a new experience and can be very overwhelming for a lot of students. It’s a new campus — many students have challenging classes and are maybe sharing a room for the first time. RAs are there to get students connected to those resources to make the transition to college a lot easier. Things like the tutoring center, peer mentoring, and counseling can make a big difference in your college experience!
Want to Learn More?
If you’re interested in learning even more about housing at UNE and want to hear from more current UNE students, watch the replay of our latest Discover UNE event: Housing 101! Watch the replay here or reach out to admissions directly with any additional questions.