Hi! I just applied to Colby ED 1 and I am super excited!! I chose Colby specifically for its location, size, and its academic challenge/prestige. Coming from the Midwest, I have always been eager to attend college on the East Coast-- especially in Maine. My high school of 1700 is not much smaller than Colby, so the size is something very familiar to me. I was very very confident in my decision to apply to Colby early, but I have recently discovered some very negative reviews about the atmosphere of the school. This is very disheartening, because to me Colby seemed absolutely perfect. Obviously every college has their flaws, but I come from an immensely diverse high school and I have seen reviews stating that Colby students are not always the most accepting. I know college is what you make of it, and everyone has a different experience based on how they choose to live their lives, but I was wondering if the majority the student body gets along. I would also love to know how hard it is academically-- specifically for an econ major. I do come from Michigan, so I was raised on the U of M campus. I was bred to be a Wolverine, but after really looking into what I wanted to get out of college, I realized Michigan was way too big for me. That being said, my weekends were/are often spent tailgating in Ann Arbor. I know Colby has a very small football team, but are there game-day tailgates? Do people tailgate/party on the weekends?
Thank you so much for anyone able to tell me anything. Go Mules!!
I can’t speak for the culture on the campus or how hard it is academically, but I grew up about 20 miles from Colby. It is a gorgeous campus on the edge of some of the most amazing outdoor wilderness opportunities. If you enjoy camping, or hiking, or outdoor adventure in the northeast you may really love Colby.
The students I know who are there all enjoy it and seem to find it friendly. Their orientation is a full week and superb, and it seems like it makes new students feel connected. It is becoming more diverse (a challenge for all those rural schools), the school is active in ensuring that there is also inclusion. There seem to be quite a few kids who participate in "unlikely combination " activities (football and string ensemble ) which is a great way of linking what could be different communities. Speaking of football, it’s easy to wander over to almost any game but it’s not a big game day scene. Attending ice hockey games might be more popular.
There is a high level of engagement in the classroom a lot of work outside of it, and yes, t he academics are tough. Professors are accessible and helpful.
AND to echo @NorthernMom61 , the outdoor club makes it really easy to do cool things in Maine!
My D loved colby too but is applying ED elsewhere (and EA to u mich). My son is a senior at u mich, I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think you’ll find anyone tailgating before games…certainly not on the scale of u mich.
as for the negative reviews, a family friend graduated two years ago and had a wonderful experience. She found the community accepting and warm. My sense is that Bowdoin has done the best job in creating diversity but it’s something colby is actively trying to improve.
my advice is to celebrate the strengths of colby rather than compare it to u mich. If colby doesn’t work for you, you may want to explore the residential college at u mich. it offers a small lac experience while providing access to the broader u mich experience. My S spent two years there and loved it before transferring to u mich’s ford school.
Hi sweetmichimichi, I’m a parent whose daughter is also applying ED1 to Colby for Econ.
I think I know the youtube video you’re talking about. It was upsetting, but then I realized that I liked every one of those people who spoke in it–all of them were thoughtful and relatable, and those people go to Colby too. The counsellor made me feel much better about sending my child there too. I think at ANY school there will be some negative aspects of the atmosphere, and also some positive ones. Almost EVERY kid has some growing pains in one way or another in the first year or two, no matter where they go. The filmmaker did a very good job of talking about something that might not usually be talked about, and that’s a good thing. But regardless of the video, you will find your place, and you will define it for yourself! Your experience is yours to decide, not automatically part of the filmmaker’s agenda.
As far as tailgating, I did see a Facebook page devoted to just that, but not just for football, but to support a bunch of different sports. It seemed like a club of tailgaters. I didn’t follow it and can’t remember what it was called (something with “Mule” in the title???) but it’s out there.
If you google around, you’ll see there’s lots of stuff, but not on the scale of a school like UM. Good luck!
My D is a freshman. She applied ED and is from a HS of about 1700 as well. She is having a great experience so far. We tailgated on Parents Weekend and it was very low key. D reports there are lots of social options every weekend and the student body is friendly. The orientation week is key. Your COOT group really becomes your COOT family. We also saw some of the negative posts after she was accepted, but so far that has not been her experience. Good luck to you. Let me know if you have any other questions!
My son is a first year student at Colby, accepted EDII and is an athlete. His experience (and ours) is that everyone is really friendly and welcoming. He’s an introvert but found a great group of friends almost immediately during orientation week. He’s not really into partying but finds lots of other fun things to do. As far as classes, I do think they are challenging but he’s really enjoying them and doing well. When I asked him about it he said the professors make all the difference. I sat in on two over Parents Weekend and completely agree - the professors were thoughtful and engaging, and they are definitely interested in the students. When I pressed him about “downsides” he did say that compared to his large urban west coast high school, he finds that there’s less diversity (of thought/perspective/background) than he’s used to. But without a doubt he’s happier than he’s ever been socially and academically. We’re thrilled, as is he, with his choice.
I am currently attending Colby, and I can tell you that you will have fun on weekends if you act responsibly. Even if you don’t want to party, you will not be judged, and you will definitely have a lot of other things to do. PM me if you want to know more about life here
We have a large and growing group of people of color. I don’t know if you are asking about African-Americans or international students from African countries, but the good news is that we have a lot of people that represent these groups. Colby is committed to recruit students from diverse communities, and you can hope to have a large cohort of Africans in your class. We have the Pugh center on campus which is one of the places that celebrate cultural diversity at Colby. If you are engaged in the activities arranged by the Pugh Center, you will not only meet a lot of people who come from similar cultures and socio-economic as you, but also a lot from very different cultures–if that is of any interest to you. Hope this helps!