First Semester in Spain?

<p>My son received an admittance to Colby College yesterday for a January 2013 start date with his first semester in Spain. I would love any input from parents or students that have had this experience at Colby and how that worked out for them. Also, do January admits ever "convert" to September if a student requests it? Thanks!</p>

<p>My daughter is a Freshman at Colby. She was admitted for Fall, but petitioned to be allowed to do her first semester in France–same program as the Spain one, but in Dijon. It was a great experience for her. She had no trouble integrating on campus in January. If she had it to do again, she would do exactly the same thing. GREAT experience! She would highly recommend it.</p>

<p>Thanks GDMACK! This is very helpful. The trouble is my son wants to start on campus in the fall. We are going up for admitted students day this Friday, hopefully we can find out more info then and clear up his decision!</p>

<p>Hi, I am a sophomore at Colby and I went to Salamanca in Fall of 2010. It’s a fun program and I recommend it! Salamanca is a beautiful city, the classes are really good, and you come back to Colby in January knowing 20 other freshmen (and a few juniors go on the program too) really well. I had a great host family and most of the other freshmen and juniors did too. The programs directors are really nice and helpful. The excursions to other parts of Spain are really fun as well. People at Colby are really welcoming to the FSA (First Semester Away) students in January. Please let me know if you have any other questions about the program!</p>

<p>I also spent my freshman fall in Salamanca and had an amazing experience; I would highly recommend the program to anyone and everyone! Unfortunately, it is not possible to convert to fall admission, even if you request it (I had some friends who tried and the admissions people would not make any exceptions.) That being said, Salamanca is a great program. I learned so much about Spain, Spanish language, and Spanish history, as well as important life skills. Students who go to Spain also get a full semester’s worth of Colby credit, and fulfill three of the all-college distribution requirements. While in Spain, I became more independent and met some of my best friends. Coming back to Colby was not difficult at all; I think it could be difficult if a student is not willing to take the initiative and get involved. Since most students at Colby are very involved on campus, it is not hard to transition into life at Colby. Let me know if you have any more questions!!</p>

<p>Thank you all for your help! we went to admitted students day yesterday, what an amazing, amazing school. My favorite. i will update when the decision is made…</p>