Carleton College vs Colby College

Hi Everyone!

I have been lucky enough to be admitted to both Colby and Carleton; however, I am having a hard time deciding between the two.

For some background information, I am interested in chemistry, biology, and environmental studies (pre-med track). Outside of school, I want to pursue research, outdoor programs, and potentially club volleyball.

My main concerns of the schools are:

Colby

  1. The school isn’t ranked as high (not as prestigious) as Carleton (does anyone know anything about med-school placement?)
  2. Does the work hard/play hard culture dominate the social scene?
  3. Is Waterville that bad?

Carleton:

  1. The matriculating students (that I met at the admitted students days) seemed to have very strong personalities (I’m worried that I am not “quirky” enough). I didn’t meet a matriculating student that I “vibed” with.

Some over arching questions:
Is the academic difference between Carleton and Colby negligible?
How does the social scene compare at the two?

Insight would be greatly appreciated!

I’d regard the overall academic levels of Carleton and Colby to be roughly equivalent, though their U.S. News rankings probably fairly capture their reputations.

For a field such as biology, either of these schools would offer you top-notch professors and excellent courses. For environmental studies, Colby’s program would be notably stronger, however.

Carleton is recognized in U.S. News for opportunities in faculty-mentored research/creative projects: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/undergrad-research-programs.

For an extended perspective on Colby, search Colby Life Documentary.

If you choose Carleton (or even Colby) and in the future would still like an Eastern environmental studies experience, look into Hamilton’s Adirondack term: https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/offcampusstudy/adk.

I think for environmental studies, you can’t beat Colby. They also do well in med school placement. I think of them as peer schools (in different geographies.)

Socially, there are a lot of kids with different interests and it seems friendships form around those common interests (among other things), so you’d find outdoorsy kids (the Colby outting club has tons of activities year round), kids from class, and anything else you do (like volleyball). Intramural sports are big. Students are very friendly. Waterville is not an exciting town, nor is it charming! But it is has a number of restaurants, a small movie theater, and about 200 Colby students living in it in gorgeous new apartments, and plenty of amenities.

If you didn’t click with the Carleton kids, Colby might be a good option. Sorry you couldn’t make it to the accepted students day because it might have made it easier to assess. Can you arrange a visit now?

Remember that many of the “matriculating” students you met aren’t necessarily matriculating at Carleton if it was an accepted student event. Plenty of Carleton students aren’t quirky types. No worries.

We researched environmental studies/science programs at LACs a few years back and my impression is that Carleton’s program is just as good if not stronger than Colby’s. Take a look at these off-campus programs they offer, for example: https://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/ents/ocs/

As far as sciences in general, you really can’t beat Carleton and its reputation in this area.

If you were my child, I’d be pushing for Carleton.

^^ depends on whether OP meant accepted or matriculating. Many students attend these events already committed. But yes, could be luck of the draw in terms of who was met.

Really can’t go wrong academically-- it’s a matter of fit.

It sounds like the OP didn’t “feel it” at Carleton and is trying to figure out if she can walk away from that prestige. If it were my kid, I would give her space to consider an alternative.

Colby and Carlton offer two different calendars. At Carlton students typically take three classes a quarter, for a total of nine classes. Quarter calendars are more intense, as there is no time for two mid semester exams. Its possible to study in the summer at Carlton’s study abroad in London and other places, and then work in Chicago or elsewhere one quarter. Carlton starts a few weeks later than Colby, around Sept 16th, like Northwestern and U of C in Chicago, and many west coast universities, and ends later, in June.

Colby has the very popular 4-1-4 calendar, so January period can be an extended winter break or you can use the January period to travel, work or do what you want. Semester calendars, school starts in August. It leaves a bit more time for internships to start earlier, and finals wrap up by the end of May.

Carlton is not that quirky. Lots of Chicago students choose it, and love it. Its got balance, and very good social life and access to Minneapolis. Maine is more isolating, and harder to get to, compared to the big international airport in Twin Cities. Carlton often places students in Boston, and Chicago.

My daughter was also deciding between several top LACs and decided to enroll in Colby after the admitted students day because of the students she met (both incoming and current). My D is also considering pre-med, and her host was pre-med. She was impressed with the science classes she sat in on (and her host had great things to say about her professors). Also, outdoor activities are a very big part of the social scene at Colby - she heard that practically the whole college attends opening day at the local ski resort.

I would not worry about rankings in this case - there is little difference in prestige between these two schools. Did you see the stats for Colby’s class of 2023? Median SAT 1500.

Regarding EnvironmentalStudies & outdoor activities, check out Carleton’s Cowling Arboretum (the Arb) adjacent to (“behind”) Carleton’s campus. It is an 800 acre outdoor environmental research lab and a place for relaxing, hiking, and cross country skiing. This is a very unique “real” lab for students to work and play in. https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/arb/ There are plenty of on campus research opportunities in the Arb, in the Chemistry, Biology, and Environmental Studies departments and across campus. Regarding the Sciences at Carleton, Carleton is completing their new Science Building and several of its Science Departments will be moving in this summer, so it will be completed and ready for you when you start college in September. The school has an impressive commitment to undergraduate science education and research. Many Carls pursue outdoor activities as a career, or as a hobby, long after they have graduated. Jimmy Chin, the American professional climber, mountaineer, skier, photographer, and Academy Award-winning film director graduated Carleton in 1996.

I beg to differ. Carleton (with an e) is very quirky.

Quirky as heck!

As a parent, my concern would be with the heavy drinking culture at one of these two schools. Not sure about the other.

P.S. And, of course, things can change. But was accurate within the past few years.

P.P.S. Colby College class of 2022 mid-range SAT = 1350 = 25th% & 1510 = 75th%

@hviewer: Where did you get that the median SAT was 1500 for class of 2023 ?

Just to clear things up, I attended the admitted students days at Colby and I really liked the current and committed students. However, I am a bit scared of the social scene after hearing the claims in the Colby Life Documentary…

When I visited Carleton, I met several kids that I liked, but they were leaning toward a different school (Bowdoin//Vassar//Haverford).

I really liked my Carleton host and she didn’t seem TOO quirky. The committed students, on the other hand, were some of the “quirkiest” people I have ever met.

@Calistudent2023: It would be helpful to know to which other schools you applied & the results.

Is there a facebook group for admitted students, or a subreddit you could scope out? That might be a good place to assess the vibe. An admittedly small sample, but I know about 4-6 current students and recent grads from each school and the Colby students are way quirkier.

Also, if proximity to other people outside of school is important to you, Carelton might be a better choice.

As far as Carleton goes, the school has a reputation for excellence in the sciences. Not sure about medical school placement there, but it’s pretty consistently been recognized as a school with excellent programs in biology, physics, etc.

@Publisher From the college’s press release colby.edu/news/2019/03/19/colby-admits-class-of-2023/

RD, I applied to a few selective LACS and UCs (Bowdoin, Swat, Carleton, and Colby) and was admitted to Colby, Carleton, UCLA, UCSB etc. I was WL at Midd and some ivies/top 20 universities.

@Publisher I think @hviewer is referencing this press release: http://www.colby.edu/news/2019/03/19/colby-admits-class-of-2023/

I really want to go to a small school, so any other info on Carleton//Colby would be great. Also, I never partied in high school, but I want to explore it in college (I also want the ability to walk away from it if I don’t like the scene).

Thank you.

Admitted students had a median SAT of 1500 & a median ACT of 34. Really outstanding.

Will be interesting to see what the medians are for matriculated students.

Carleton does have substance free floors in dorms (for all students, including 1st year). This allows a student explore a party with friends (attend parties) on another floor, or dorm and return to a party free floor to study, relax, & sleep.

About the "documentary "…, I am sure that there are parts of it that would be recognizable to students there. In fact, to students at any remote LAC. BUT, and it’s a big one, the students who made it were choosing a POV and it was made quite a while ago (and the campus has been changing). This was someone’s truth but quite likely, not most people 's. Most kids at Colby are quite happy there.

To be fair, I think beer plays a big part in a lot of the social activities but I also believe there are plenty of ways to not partake. There is quite a bit of substance free housing, for example.