What an experience!
Written: Jan 31 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small student population, efficient use of resources, friendly environment, academics
Cons: alcohol-based party scene, location, lack of diversity
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| narenji's Full Review: Colby College |
Reviews of colleges and universities can't be easy. After all, you're trying to help someone decide whether or not Colby is the right place for them or their money, but more than that, Colby is a place where you will spend four years of your life. It's a large chunk of time, so please view my epinion subjectively, and visit Colby. No decision should be made (if possible) without a visit to Colby.
My search for an undergraduate school was interesting. My parents came from very humble backgrounds, and did not have much to give towards my tuition. Thus, I was looking for a school that would put the least amount of financial stress on my parents. Colby made a good impression upon me and my parents, and they also offered me a generous aid package, so I accepted their offer quite immediately. I realize that I might have made my decision a little quickly, but it is one of the most wonderful (and quick to boot) decisions I've made in my life.
From Colby's unique orientation program called "Colby Outdoor Orientation Trips (COOT)" to my day of graduation, Colby fit me like a glove and made me very happy to have matriculated there. Colby is situated in central Maine, in the shadows of a small town named Waterville(appox. population 25,000), about 15 minutes from the state capital of Augusta. This setting was new for me, a freshman from Pittsburgh, PA. I had no car, and the town has no public transportation. This took a while getting used to, but Colby tries its best to help students get around by running a less-than-reliable shuttle service back and forth between Colby and many popular shopping and other destinations around Waterville. The town has a pretty low-brow Movie theater complex, no stadium seating here. The town does have a Wal-mart, JCPenney, K-mart, and Shaws and Shop N Save (grocery). Wal-mart quickly became my best friend. A car or a friend with a one is a priceless boon.
Colby's student population numbers hinge around 1800 and 2000. The admissions office tries to do its best to keep class size under 500. Our class was the largest class to graduate from Colby, with a class size of around 540. The campus is definitely beautiful, and the physical plant crews work all the time to keep it looking nice. It is actually a planned campus, with the central library flanked by academic buildings. Dorms are situated around this central academic area. Colby's housing situation was quite tight through my four years there, mostly because of our class size. The college has built two new huge residential dorms, and they should provide more breathing room. The academic buildings are well-equipped with all the latest gadgets and presentation tools, and the college's Museum and Art/Music buildings are quite impressive. The student center is quite large, and includes an addition that houses about 15 of the many college clubs. The topography of the campus is hilly, which makes it a bit tiring to get around, but does provide good exercise. The hilly location does make the campus look more beautiful though.
The academics of the school are impeccable. Colby offers way too many courses for such a small school. This should give the students plenty of choices. Students can even design independent majors if they wish to step out of the box. Colby's strongest academic suits are: English, Economics, Biology, Chemistry, and Government. I'm sure I'm missing a couple. Colby also offers many inter-disciplinary majors like mine-International Relations. They also have an interesting Integrated Semester Program, in which students take four courses from four different disciplines all interlinked by one theme. Colby has an extensive foreign study office, and almost 75% of Colby students go off to other locations (either domestic or internationally based) to expand their horizons. I didn't have the privilege to do this because of my major and pre-medical concentration, but every student has nothing but positive remarks about their semsesters or full years away from Colby (not that they wanted to get away in the first place).
The profs are all quite friendly and approachable, and are willing to help you to do whatever it takes to do well. There are of course, some sour profs, but it all has to balance out somehow. Unless you pick a difficult major like Economics (that department is known to have some ruthless profs), you should be happy with Colby life. The courses are definitely challenging, but I expected nothing less from a top ranked liberal arts school. Colby's unique Jan Plan program during January allows students to pursue one course intensively for one month or attend internships or even foreign study. If you plan it right, your Jan Plans can be easy A's along with plenty of fun time to enjoy the snow.
Student life at Colby is also quite good. There seems to be a heavy use of alcohol at parties, and random hook-ups (one night-stands) are quite common. Fortunately, Colby has enough organizations for those who'd rather not spend every Friday and Saturday night drinking themselves silly. Substance free dorm popularity has been steadily rising since start of 1990s, and 1/4 of the student population prefers substance free housing today. The dorms are not divided by sex or ethnic groups, as ma be found in other competing institutions. There is something interesting going on everyday, guaranteed.
Money for student organizations is free-flowing, and gives students plenty of flexibility in planning programs and big bashes alike. Art and Music performances are also frequent. There really is a lot to do within Colby, but if you're looking for things outside the campus, there isn't much. Waterville is a very sleepy town, and nothing happens there. Colby's relations with the town are merely ok, simply because the poor town-folk look at Colby as this large, corporate, rich institution that doesn't give much back to the town.
Generally, I had a great time at Colby. I experienced and grew personally quite a bit through the years at Colby, and I am quite satisfied with that time of my life. I do wish that Colby's student body were a bit more diverse. The general lack of diversity is probably due to the location of the school, and not its reputation. The administration goes out of its way to make sure its minority population is happy, but they do a good job in general. The college is generally very friendly and manages to attract a similarly-intentioned student body. Though ethnic diversity is a problem, the student body is generally very receptive of other cultures and beliefs. The college does have a fair number of international students, and this segment seems to grow every year. Colby could also use help with its alumni relations. Most of its alumni don't seem to connect well with the student population, and this definitely needs to be improved upon.
Colby's endowment isn't the best when compared to its sister schools (Bates,Bowdoin) or other schools in this caliber. It does, however, make efficient use of its resources and keeps its students very happy. It is a mostly conservative institution compared to other truly liberal schools, but the administration is definitely willing to try new things. If you're looking for a small, liberal arts school that prides itself on making its students happy by any way within its means, Colby definitely deserves a visit.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
narenji
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: Glendora, CA
Reviews written: 99
Trusted by: 33 members
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