Colby College or Syracuse University

I know these school are very different but I wanted to know what you think! I currently go to a prep school in nyc, I’m African American, like the small feel but also like sports, want a more liberal open school. I just wanna be somewhere where I can be myself and meet nice people!

Oh my god Colby all the way. This school is a tightknit, uber-accepting community, and since you have to be rather intelligent and motivated and generally an all-around good person to get in, the, erm, not-as-motivated, less-than-pleasant people that may be accepted to public universities have been filtered out (haha).

The students at Colby are for the most part super-friendly-- like hold-the-door-for-you-even-though-you’re-miles-away-and-it’s-awkward friendly. Coming from a public high school, this was a huge culture shock for me. Everyone was so pleasant! Like whaaaa?

Also, the general feel here is very much outdoorsy, hippie-meets-preppy and activist-y. Example: all of the buildings are LEED-certified to have zero carbon footprint. Another example: we have a Woodsmen team. They chop wood. And build fires. Woodsy. And we have a several-hundred-acre nature preserve right on campus, filled with trails that you could walk for hours on. It’s so beautiful.

This is the kind of school where you can really do anything you want and make any dream a reality. Sound cheesy? We have a napping club. I’m dead serious. A NAPPING CLUB. You really can make anything you want to happen, if you just put in a little effort. Colby is all about new ideas and giving students the resources to chase their dreams, from fencing to woodsmen to African drumming to theatre to napping. Yup.

Also, being at Colby, you’re only an hour away from Portland, a very liberal, open, artsy, eclectic, forward-thinking city (I live near Portland). You’re only an hour away from some of the best theatre and music you’ll ever see, Pride Parades of epic proportions, funky shops that sell just about anything you can think of, and the best freaking lobster rolls in the country everywhere you turn around. How could you not?

One thing that Colby holds over just about every school you’ll look at: UNLIMITED MEAL SWIPES. There are three dining halls, one of which is open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (it’s a favorite of athletes because of the long hours) and you can swipe into dining halls as many times as you like. There is no extra cost-- this is the standard meal plan that everyone gets (unless you live off campus or in an apartment). The food here is pretty great and each dining hall has it’s own unique flavor, so it’s difficult to get bored. But the key here is unlimited food. Unlimited. Food. <3

So yeah! I hope this helps! I have a friend who is perfectly content at Syracuse, but as for me, I’m loving this little quirky school. It’s pretty freaking awesome.