Bridge Week Experiences

Bridge Week: Monday, Aug. 25 – Friday, Aug. 29. Bridge Week participants move in on Sunday, Aug. 24
General schedule information, move in documents, and other useful tools for bridge week can be found here.

First-year Students in RLEs arrive on campus on Sunday, Aug. 24, a week before general move-in with the rest of the students.  This “bridge week” takes two forms, depending on which RLE you sign up for.  You may:

  • Join with students from many different RLE courses for a “Black Bear Immersion Experience” experience on campus.  In this bridge week, you’ll make friends that will support you throughout your time at UMaine, begin to understand the basics of a “research mindset,” get to know how UMaine is here to support you in your first semester, and spend the evenings with your new friends in a variety of social events. Students who participate in the Black Bear Immersion move right into their residence hall room for the whole first year.
  • Start working with your small class cohort and the instructor of your fall RLE course right away in a bridge experience tailored to your course theme. These bridge experiences may happen on campus or somewhere else exciting across the state, and you’ll immediately start developing the skills that will be important for the rest of your course.
A photo of a student cutting an onion