That’s good to know. See you there
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My daughter and I were thinking of driving up to Colby tomorrow from just outside Boston. I know there are no tours but can you get a feel for the campus from the outside or walking trails near campus? At least we can see town and some of the campus. Do u think it’s worth it?
I think that you can drive through campus and get a feel for it. I don’t think anyone will stop you. Some stricter protocols went into effect today due to a small outbreak of cases, so you may not see as many student out and about as there has been most of the year. You may catch some kids who live downtown heading in or out of local places like Selah Tea which is across the street from the Alfond Commons dorm and a popular place with the students.
Good luck!
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Thank you for this. We are thinking of doing the same.
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Yes you can drive around campus and the town of Waterville. Me and my mom were going to fly up to Colby to walk around campus inside, however, we emailed Colby and they said that no visitors are allowed inside campus. So, me and my mom are just going to walk around the outside of campus.
Totally agree with @xyz123a . You can see the campus, see the dorm in Waterville itself, and you will likely encounter students as well.
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Thanks , I guess it’s a go.
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Nice, sunny day to go as well!
My son, wife and I drove up from just south of Boston two weeks ago. We drove around campus and walked around downtown area. It was partly sunny and 45 degrees that day. Campus appeared pretty active; there were softball and baseball games. Kids were headed to the athletic center, huge and brand new. Tough to get a true feel without getting into buildings, but he liked it. He just didn’t have that Wow moment. Town is OK. Plenty of stores and restaurants, but doesn’t have a ton of charm. My son would probably have already locked in, but it is pretty remote and he’s not a huge winter guy, weather is slightly cooler up there. On the plus side the school seems to have so much to offer, I.e. great academics, top-notch facilities, very supportive and the financial aid is fantastic. It’s a tough decision, but he’s likely going to commit.
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We drove up yesterday. Fewer students on campus and since there were a few +cases, students are being asked to isolate. My kid was not Wow’ed. The remoteness and isolation felt amplified. Perhaps we went on a not so good day.
@JennaMA , sorry about that… it was years ago and pre-pandemic, but we found weekend visits to be tricky. I recall visiting one school (known as a pretty hard partying place) where it seemed all but about 5 students must have been in bed at noon on Saturday. Really hard to get a read on it. Kind of like visiting in summer! We were super lucky to have had visits at a number of schools, including Colby, when the campus was bustling and where students offered directions, views, etc that left us feeling it was a friendly place. And it did color our perception.
Wish your trip had been more helpful to you…
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Thanks @gardenstategal, this is helpful. We will be committing regardless, because the positives are plenty. A bustling, friendly campus would have definitely helped ease fears.
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At this stage, Colby appears to have admitted for an about 44% yield (or less), which represents an ambitious mark.
And I heard of someone who already got off the waitlist. It looks like Colby was very ambitious with their selectivity this year.
As a contrasting example, Colgate planned for the other direction, with an anticipated yield of 26% (or less).
Does that mean they’ll take less people from the waitlist?
That depends somewhat on Colby’s internal projections, but, superficially, it appears that they will accept a lot of students from their wait list.
Thanks a lot for your reply! I really hope financial situation won’t be a criteria to get off the waitlist though.
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Best of luck to you!
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I don’t think 44% is the expected yield. They usually admit 200 plus during early decision, so the bulk of admissions are for the remaining 300 or so slots. I think expected yield is under 30% when factoring out early decision.