How would you describe the Colby Community?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Colby College
1

<p>I'm applying to Colby and I love the campus and the academics, but when I went to go visit the campus I didn't get an accurate sense of the student body ( I went over the summer) I guess my question is, How would you honestly describe the Colby Community? </p>

<p>Also, if you can, can you compare Colby's community to some of the schools that I've visited? I know it sounds weird, but I think it would help me get a sense of Colby. Thanks!</p>

<p>Bates College (ME)
Boston College (MA)
Bowdoin College (ME)
Connecticut College (CT)
Hamilton College (NY)
Providence College (RI)
Wellesley College (MA)
Wheaton College (MA)
Wesleyan College (CT)</p>

2

<p>The colleges listed are basically the small liberal arts minus PC, Wheaton, and Wellesley. </p>

<p>They’re all similar, I think Colby is a mix of Bowdoin and Bates. It’s in the middle. Colby seems more athletic based, than some of the other schools though. When I visited Colby, there were more preppy people-but I’m sure that there’s a nice blend of students. I hope. I applied regular to Colby.</p>

3

<p>Wheaton of Massachusetts IS a small liberal arts college.</p>

4

<p>Ah, Yes, I must clarify I meant NESCAC schools. Indeed, Wheaton IS a small liberal arts college. </p>

<p>Isn’t there another Wheaton? in Illinois?</p>

5

<p>Pwilcox, there is a Wheaton in Illinois…it’s uber religious though. </p>

<p>Capecod12, I visited Colby recently, and I loved the environment. I’ve visited some of the schools that you are looking at and I think that Hamilton is the closets to the school’s student body. I agree with Pwilcox, it’'s like all the other nescac schools. More like Bates and Bowdoin. Hope that helps!</p>

6

<p>How would a non-athlete fit in at Colby?</p>

7

<p>Sara12, I was just wondering that…When I went to go visit Colby I felt like everyone was involved in some sort of athletics. More so then the other Nescac schools at least. My friend who got in/applying are all recruits too. </p>

<p>Anyone a non-athlete?</p>

8

<p>Thanks for the insight everyone! I hope athletics are not as important as it seems, because I’m not the most athletic person out there…</p>

<p>How’s Waterville, ME?
Also, How’s the weather?</p>

9

<p>Maine is well…Maine. They don’t call it the sunny state or anything. If you already live in New England I think you’ll get used to the weather. If you’re from Cali-like Madison10, I think you’ll have a nice wake up call. Also, I don’t live in Maine or anything so how is the weather? I live in New England though. </p>

<p>Not too sure about Waterville…anyone know anything about the town? Is it like Brunswick, or Lewiston? </p>

<p>GO MULES!</p>

10

<p>Colby student chiming in: I am not an athlete. About 50% of students do varsity athletics and 75% do inter-murals. Almost everyone is active in some form (gym, running, pickup sports, skiing, etc…). The Outing Club is huge with outdoor activities. But, non athletes DO fit in.</p>

<p>Waterville is good. We have some good shops and awesome thrift stores (colby loves theme parties), and there is Walmart. It is not as cold as people say. Temps are ~2-3 degrees on cold days, can be colder, can be warmer.</p>

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<p>Non-athletes definitely do fit in at Colby. My impression is that the student body tends, in general, to be interested in health and fitness. That ranges from an interest in natural foods and environmental issues to a focus on personal health and exercise for the purpose of staying fit. Naturally, people who choose to spend four years in Maine tend to appreciate natural beauty and the outdoors. That definitely doesn’t mean, however, that everyone participates in team sports or is even particularly interested in them. Those accepted ED at Colby and many other colleges tend to be recruited athletes, but that isn’t representative of the entire student body.</p>

12

<p>Parent of happy happy Colby frosh here–she’s sitting on the couch, and wants you to know that Colby is fabulous! :slight_smile: And no, you don’t have to be athletic (she’s only involved on the low-key, just-for-fun level)–but it’s easy to get involved and pick something up if you want to (intramurals, etc.). Waterville is a definite step up from Lewiston (Bates), not as cute as Brunswick (Bowdoin). Students are incredibly friendly, and because of location, there are a lot of campus activities. The academic “vibe” is collaborative rather than competitive, with really excellent profs and challenging coursework. As for Maine–it’s snowy and cold in the winter, and absolutely beautiful all the time. Just for fun, here’s a chart that someone else on CC posted a while back about sunshine at LAC’s–there are some surprising results!</p>

<p>Top 25 LACs by Sunny Days Per Year
If you are trying to make quality-of-life distinctions among similar, closely-ranked schools, this data may be helpful. There is a much bigger spread than I’d have expected between Bowdoin and Middlebury, or between Grinnell and Oberlin.</p>

<p>Code:
Rank Days USNWR College (Nearby City)
1 186 6 Pomona (Los Angeles, 73% sunny)
2 186 11 Claremont McK (Los Angeles)
3 186 14 Harvey Mudd (Los Angeles)
4 186 25 Scripps (Los Angeles)</p>

<p>5 127 24 Colorado College (Colorado Springs, 69% sunny)
6 109 8 Davidson (Charlotte, 62% sunny)
7 105 14 Grinnell (Des Moines, 59% sunny)
8 105 19 US Naval Acad (Baltimore, 57% sunny)</p>

<p>9 101 6 Bowdoin (Portland, 57% sunny)
10 101 22 Colby (Portland)
11 101 25 Bates (Portland)</p>

<p>12 100 14 W&L (Richmond, 63% sunny)
13 98 4 Wellesley (Boston, 58% sunny)
14 95 8 Carleton (Twin Cities, 58% sunny)</p>

<p>15 93 3 Swarthmore (Phila., 56% sunny)
16 93 10 Haverford (Phila.)
17 93 25 Bryn Mawr (Phila.)</p>

<p>18 90 1 Williams (Worcester)
19 90 2 Amherst (Worcester)
20 90 18 Smith (Worcester)
21 90 25 Mt. Holyoke (Worcester)</p>

<p>22 82 13 Wesleyan (Hartford, 56% sunny)</p>

<p>23 69 11 Vassar (Albany, 58% sunny)
24 69 14 US Military Acad (Albany)
25 69 19 Colgate (Albany)
26 69 21 Hamilton (Albany)</p>

<p>27 66 22 Oberlin (Cleveland, 49% sunny)
28 58 4 Middlebury (Burlington, 49% sunny)
Weather data source:
World Facts and Figures - Weather Facts and Statistics
(excludes partly sunny or partly cloudy days)</p>

<p>Google Answers: Sunshine per state</p>

13

<p>I’m glad somebody else found the above list interesting. Reminds me of the old Ivory Soap commercial (“99 and 44 hundredths percent pure”). “Hubert College: 67 and one half percent sunny.”</p>

14

<p>Colby is very nice but the town surrounding it is depressing. Bowdoin is part of a very nice town and it is close to the coast. Bates I also find to be a bit depressing. Nevertheless, all three of these colleges are beautiful on campus.</p>

15

<p>Cadence76 thanks for that list. My s is going to be attending Grinnell and I am thrilled to learn that although Grinnell gets a lot of snow and cold temps, it also has a good bit of sunshine(nothing like the sun in Cali, but at least if gets a fair amount). Never would have guessed it would be that different than Oberlin.</p>