How good is Colby?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Colby College
1

<p>Ok, so got rejected from my both of my first choice and second choice and third choice and Colby seems to be the best solution that I have right now... I feel really really bad now.... </p>

<p>Guys, tell me, HOW GOOD IS COLBY? Will I be able to attend good graduate schools like Harvard and MIT? Will I be able to have academic challenge at Colby? Are people there highly motivated? and serious in academic - i dont want to go to a place where people only care about party and sex........</p>

<p>I am sorry, i dont really know much about Colleges in the US - since i am an international student. I am very very stuck right now - i feel horrible - Please give me a reason to be proud of as a Colby student....</p>

<p>Your upset classmate - '10</p>

2

<p>As a senior, I feel like I know Colby quite well. As with any school, you can go to a first rate graduate program anywhere (Harvard, MIT, ...) afterwards. Personally, I have been offered full tuition + stipend at Dartmouth for graduate school.</p>

<p>However, you cannot depend on the name of the school (or any schools for that matter) alone to get you into graduate school. A school like Colby is what you make of it. The resources are available, but it is up to you to take advantage of them.</p>

<p>As far as not wanting "to go to a place where people only care about party and sex." I can say with confidence that anywhere you go to college, there will be those people there. You will also find people who have other priorities.</p>

<p>Tell me, what are you interested in studying? I'd be more than willing to answer any questions that you might have.</p>

<p>Also, as a side note, I had the opportunity to study at Dartmouth for my junior year. Most students at Colby would have no problem with the difficulty of the work or the workload at Dartmouth, but I cannot speak for other colleges.</p>

3

<p>My interest right now is for Economics (with concentration on banking and finance - which Colby does offer - nice!). </p>

<p>I also know about the joint program between Dartmouth and Colby, but isnt it only for engineering? Can I do Econ at Colby and Engineering at Dartmouth? (just got kicked out by Dartmouth today btw)... How should I do that? Do I have to plan ahead from my freshman year? </p>

<p>I'm very very stuck right now - i dont know what to do... Guess I'm just not lucky.,.</p>

<p>I know there are people like that everywhere - but i mean the general atmosphere - the common sense of Colby - isnt it like that? Personally did you find Colby academically challenging? Did you find you can have access to everything you need? Did you find yourself satisfying academically?</p>

<p>I am willing to work hard (oh gosh, if only you know about all the courses that i am taking and my achievement....) - but I am just afraid of the environment around me - whether or not it is inspiring and , provoking, since more or less, you will be affected by the place and the people you live with............</p>

<p>Thank you very much for helping - I want to be fresh when i come there - i want to participate fully and wholeheartedly in Colby - i just need a motivation...</p>

4

<p>If you are considering an economics major, then you will definitely be surrounded by people who work hard. Economics is, in the opinion of most, Colby's strongest department. The department also has a reputation for tough grading, and I have no doubt that you would be challenged. </p>

<p>Personally, I found my academic challenges in the math department, not in the intro classes that satisfy requirements. I am just finishing up my majors in math and physics before I return to Dartmouth to get my degree in mechanical engineering (the Dartmouth 3-2 program that you mentioned). There are quite a few prerequisites for the program, but if you're studying economics, you might want to have a couple of them waived (e.g. modern physics PH241/242) since the probably won't help you later on. </p>

<p>It shouldn't be too difficult to get the econ major in the three years that you would be on campus at Colby, but remember that the 3-2 Dartmouth program requires application and admission.</p>

<p>Please see my post under this thread regarding the 3-2 program:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=146478&highlight=engineering%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=146478&highlight=engineering&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Also, as an successful economics major and engineering student, you would find it easy to get into a great school or get a great job. I will mention two particular paths to you, but an engineering degree opens up a lot of doors.</p>

<p>1) If you do well during your junior year in the 3-2 program (3.5+ gpa) then you are offered a spot in the MEM (Masters of Engineering Management) degree: a dual degree with Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business. Finding a job wouldn't be too difficult with this education.</p>

<p>2) Another path, that you will probably be more interested in: a friend of mine from Colby in the same 3-2 program has and will be working with an investment bank. As a physics major and engineering student, he has done extremely well.</p>

<p>If you think that you are interested in this program, as an econ major you will definitely have to start planning this your first days on campus.</p>

<p>Regarding the social scene at Colby: there are definitely parties on campus, but they are both much smaller and less frequent (much less frequent) then the parties at Dartmouth. There are no Greek societies on campus, which also means less partying when compared to Dartmouth. I suggest that you visit Colby on a weekend to get a better idea.</p>

<p>It is my impression that the entering classes at Colby are smarter on average than the ones of the past, and it will only get easier to surround yourself with hard working people. From my personal experience, I find that Colby students are just as smart as Dartmouth students. However, Dartmouth engineering students certainly work harder than the average Colby or Dartmouth student.</p>

<p>I'm sorry if this isn't as clear as it should be, but I'm writing this quickly. Again, feel free to ask my any questions, as I have a few for you.</p>

<p>Do you have any AP exam credits or do you expect to have any?
Do you have any idea what you want to do after college?</p>

5

<p>colby is an awesome school, you will get a fantastic education, and if you do well, you will be a very competitive applicant at any grad school. grad schools love the nescac schools.</p>

6

<p>I don't really know about US school systems and the importance of AP credits, but I graduate from a very famous and competitive shool in Canada as a full IB candidate with a predicted scores of 41/42 (3 higher level: Chemistry, Math and Economics) and i'm taking an IB extra certificate in Further Math. I have other accomplishments in Maths from Waterloo univeristy and from my previous school in home country (again, i'm an international student).</p>

<p>What is the is importance of APs? Is it very much similar to IBs? Is it advisable for me to take some in order to attend the 3-2 program? I heard I can transfer some IB credits to college credits, therefore it should be a bit easier for me to finish the whole bachelor in 3 years.</p>

<p>I dont really know what specific job I want to do - but i want to work for an international organization. But before that, of course I want to continue with master degree after college.</p>

<p>THANK YOU SOSOOSOSOSO much - this is really informative!!!</p>

<p>More questions:
1, What kind of engineering at Dartmouth that we can do in the 3-2 program? Do we have to choose a certain area of engineering to do this program? If yes, what areas? (e.g. electronic or computer or chemical or what?)</p>

<p>2, How come people (in the link you attached) only mention about Physics and Engineering? Is there really a combination between Economcis and Engineering? Who will I talk to in order to plan for the 5 years? (i suppose it's my advisor, isn't it?)</p>

<p>3, How about financial stuffs for the 3-2 program? Right now, I am on full aid from Colby. Let's say i apply and be accepted, will the aid go with me to Dartmouth or I have to apply for Dartmouth's financial aid later on? (in other words, is Colby or Dartmouth who pays for the program?) If no school pays for it, then how expensive is the program? ( I may have to save money gradually from thre beginning then - i dont want to be dependent on my family)</p>

<p>4, Just curios about you - so you are in your 5th year and about to finish the whole program as well as ready to go for Grad degree? YOU DID DOUBLE MAJOR AND PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM AT THE SAME TIME??? It is amazing!!! Will I be able to meet you by any chance when i come to Colby in the comming August? ^_^</p>

<p>THank you!!! And yeah, You definitely have made a difference in my mind about Colby right now.</p>

7

<p>dsack23: Hi! Can you please help me with the questions that I had? (uh.. especially about the Importance of AP tests. With IB diploma, should I still do some APs?)</p>

8

<p>I do not know much about the IB diploma, but I don't feel that AP exams are necessary. </p>

<p>However, I entered as a freshman with around 20 credits (a normal class is 4 credits for one semester), which made my dual major in 3 years go more smoothly. </p>

<p>I would certainly recommend taking AP exams if you can afford the time and money, since you will place out of intro classes that may or may not be a waste of time depending on whether you know the material or not. You can always drop down a level, but moving up is more difficult.</p>

9

<p>dsack23: I have one 2 last questions, hope you can answer me soon:</p>

<p>1, How does the financial aid work in the 3-2 Program?
2, If you do the 3-2 Program, does it mean that you cannot take any semester abroad? since you have to compress your studying schedule...</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

10

<ol>
<li><p>Financial aid for your first year at Dartmouth (your junior year) is received from Colby. For your second year at Dartmouth, after you graduate from Colby, you apply for financial aid from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth.</p></li>
<li><p>As far as I know, yes, it means that you cannot take a semester abroad, since the 3-2 Program is run through the off-campus study department, it is considered the same thing. However, there may be special circumstances that would allow you to do so, but I am not aware of them.</p></li>
</ol>

11

<p>p31: are you from UWC-CANADA?</p>

<p>dsack23: I'm still undecided if I will accept Colby's offer. I'm an international student and I want to double major in economics and biology. Can you tell me about those departments? How good is the faculty? how much internship opportunities do I have? how much research opportunities do they offer? How's the premed advising and support? do they offer MCAT preparation courses? Although I know that Colby is an excellent college, I'm worried that its location may limit their internship offers.
One of the other schools I'm considering is Macalester. I'm sorry for asking this kind of question, but how's Colby compared to it? The biggest difference I see is that Macalester has a more international focus and urban location. Do you have any complain about Colby's location?</p>

<p>Since I can not find time and money to visit Colby, I would really appreciate if you cold help me.</p>

<p>PS: Do you know Emily Foraker? the girl from UWC-USA. if possible, would you tell me her email?</p>

12

<p>I have to say that I cannot answer most of your questions. However, I can say that the Economics department at Colby is very strong, and I hear good things about the Biology department as well.</p>

<p>As far as getting peoples contact information, I suggest looking up their names on the Colby directory. There is a link to it on Colby's homepage.</p>

13

<p>Colby's pre-med program is particularly great. A 3.5+ GPA and 30+ MCAT virtually guarantees you admission to Med School from Colby. Colby offers MCAT prep courses, great internship opportunities (the school's carrer services department is pretty good about snagging internship positions for students). Top name med-schools are very eager to accept studnets from Colby with good academic/EC standings too-- Colby has a diesel reputation.</p>

<p>Also, I really love Colby's location. I'm very much into enjoying the great outdoors (one of the reasons I'm a Bio major--the other being pre-med). For example, I jsut got back from the most beautiful cabin on a lake with a bunch of friends... an hour away. The mountains are an hour away, the ocean is an hour away, there are lakes very nearby, etc. Colby also does have a very good reputation with med-schools (being liberal arts with great academics and premier science facilities/equiptment like mass specs, electron microscopes,FT-IR machines, etc.) and Biology graduate schools. For example, I just got offered a very competitive internship (only one position available for many qualified applicants) living at a hut doing air quality/ecology research this summer.
Anyhue, best of luck, and sorry that I can't help you with a comparison to Macalester.</p>

<p>Cheers!</p>

<p>=)</p>

14

<p>thank you guys for the info. here's few more questions:</p>

<p>how is students' housing in campus? are the dorms nice?</p>

<p>I was quite into XC-biking back in Chile, does Colby has a outdoors, biking club?</p>

<p>do i need a car in colby?</p>

<p>Cheers, Fan</p>

15

<p>Student housing on campus is great, since very few students live off campus.</p>

<p>Colby does have a cycling club, check out: <a href="http://www.colby.edu/cycling%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.colby.edu/cycling&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>There are plenty of places to go and do things outdoors, and there is an Outing Club that will help you find those places.</p>

<p>You do not need a car at Colby, although having one certainly wouldn't hurt.</p>

16

<p>hey guys, thanks a lot for the help. I've decided to enroll in Colby!</p>

17

<p>Congratulations! I'm sure you'll love it.</p>

18

<p>Yeah, Congrats!</p>

<p>You're going to love Colby, I guarantee it =)!</p>