<p>So I'm seriously considering Colby College, but I have a lot of questions about it. Thank you in advance for answering!!!</p>
<ol>
<li>How much financial aid do you think I'd receive over at Colby? I'm middle-class, no siblings, and my parents are married. However, we live in an area that's considered very low-income and there's a lot of crime etc. here. My parents definitely can't afford to pay for college.</li>
<li>I'm very interested in two fields: dentistry and bioinformatics (though I'm leaning more towards dental). How good is Colby if I plan on going to dental school later on?</li>
<li>I really hate history, and I'm not much of a fan of English/literature either (though my English skills are superb -- Critical Reading was my highest score on the SAT). I also can't stand physical education, but I love math, art, science, and computers. How difficult are the courses, and would I be forced to take lots of classes I don't like and be miserable in them?</li>
<li>Are there kitchen facilities for students? I plan on making my own meals if possible for health reasons.</li>
<li>On the subject of healthy eating, what kind of dining options are there available -- for example, gluten-free, vegan, etc.?</li>
<li>Related to that, are there exercise facilities for students? If not, is there someone I can go running?</li>
<li>How safe do you feel Colby is? I come from an urban area with a lot of crime and violence, and as such, I tend to be very wary. How bad is theft/violence/etc. if Colby (if it exists at all?)</li>
<li>How are the dorm? Do you think they're large enough? Are there any chances of getting a single?</li>
<li>How is the internet connection at Colby? Is there WiFi? (Is it fast?)</li>
<li>How is the cell service at Colby? I have T-Mobile and their website said it's not so good. Anyone with T-Mobile there?</li>
</ol>
<p>I think that's everything...sorry it's so much, and if any of this has been asked before. I really appreciate the help! Since Colby is so far from home, I have to make sure it's perfect before I can go.</p>
<p>I will address question 2. According to the nature of your questions, it sounds like you are just beginning the college process.</p>
<p>I am a dentist. I did not go to Colby per se, however, the education at Colby would be a great preparation for D school. Also, there is a new D school at U New England so you might have the Maine connection there. I’d like to mention that bioinformatics could be combined with dentistry or medicine. So you don’t have to choose one over the other.</p>
<ol>
<li>Colby is known to be generous with financial aid. They have a no-loan policy. </li>
<li>See other response. </li>
<li>The courses are difficult based on your ability. If math comes naturally to you, then you may find some of those classes “easier” by comparison. There are distribution requirements that force you to academically expand your horizons. It really is the point of going to a liberal arts school - to get a well-rounded education. Most of the requirements only demand one course to fulfill them; this should not be of concern. </li>
<li>There are kitchens in the basements/bottom floor of some dorms. If your dorm doesn’t have one then chances are a friend’s dorm does. </li>
<li>The dining options are excellent, top-notch. Dining services are well aware that students may have different dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, etc) </li>
<li>Yes, there are gym facilities for students in Alfond. There are also trails next to campus that many students enjoy going on long walks/run on. </li>
<li>Colby is safe. Students put their backpacks down, unattended, in a hallway before entering the dining hall. </li>
<li>Freshmen will either get a double or a triple. There truly is no bad dorm at Colby; the facilities are superb. Many have unusually high ceilings for a dorm room. </li>
<li>It’s great. The wifi is fast and normal. </li>
<li>I switched from T-Mobile to Verizon.</li>
</ol>
<p>Care to explain, Britsmum, or do you prefer definitive, attention-getting statements that lack all context and explanation? The college website says there is a no-loan policy. Do you object to the definition of “loan”, “no-loan” or what? Is Colby’s no-loan policy different and less advantageous than the no-loan policies at other colleges? Could you enlighten those who might hope to actually get helpful information from this site?</p>
<p>After niece received her aid package which was significantly lower than efc calculated, the admissions officer told my sister that they needed to take out loans. I guess the “no loan” statement surprised me. Colby admitted that their calculator didnt work properly and needed to be fixed. In order to attend sister was told by Colby to take out loans. Confused by what "no loan policy " means. Colby certainly is not against having students taking out loans to meet what THEIR efc calculator states as need.</p>
<p>I’m not entirely clear on what a “no loan” policy means either, but I think it just means that loans are not included as part of the financial aid package, which may or may not be as generous as the student and family hoped it would be. As I understand it, a “no loan” policy at Colby or any other college is not intended to be a guarantee that students will not have to take out loans to attend the college.</p>
<p>Ah we’ll that makes sense. Unfortunately what colby offered was so far below what the efc was, they needed additional loans just to meet the number they anticipated. Turned out to be double the loans they thought. As a matter of fact sister tried to get out of ED contract because aid was too low and this is when they were told to take additional loans. They were happy to receive the maximum pell grant though and niece moved into Colby dorms this morning. She is happy, and sister hoping financial aid will be better next year when her second child heads off to college. have a nice day all. It’s been a crazy year for my family with three kids starting college and much parental stress.</p>
<p>Best wishes to your niece. Hope she’ll enjoy the college and have better luck with financial aid in the future. It’s painful to see kids forced to take out big loans for college and all too common these days…</p>
<p>Just a quick note on the “no loans” policy. As a parent who has one kid at a school without that policy and one at Colby, I can say what a great difference that policy makes! Obviously its not just the policy but I guess the endowment or whatever that Colby has, but my older girl’s “financial aid award” consisted mostly of loans, but my son’s from Colby was wonderfully free of loans! We did borrow some to pay the amount we “can afford” but still really appreciate the difference at Colby and that loan-free award package!</p>
<p>Colby appears to be one of the more "honest’ colleges when it comes to many of its policies. 1. Colby will admit that the admissions process is need aware, but that if you do receive a financial aid award it is “no loan”, i.e scholarship…2. Unlike Bowdoin, Bates and Hamilton, among other schools with test flexible policies, when Colby publishes their SAT scores for incoming students, it includes all students who submitted SATs, unlike some of these other colleges which artificially raise their average SAT scores by only including those students who “checked box” to include SAT scores in admissions decision.</p>
<p>Most of Colby’s freshman and a lot of sophomores end up in Hillside which is a dump. They never take kids there on tours or they’d run the other way. It was built in the 70s and never renovated. Disgusting bathrooms, smelly hallways, nasty furniture and leaky windows. Amazing given what they charge for tuition.</p>
<p>My daughter has been very happy at Colby. She’s lived in two dorms and while I wouldn’t describe either as palaces there is no way I would call them dumps. We’ve been happy to pay tuition for the excellent and accessible professors, a beautiful campus, recent campus capital improvements and wholesome food options. I think I would take exception to too much money being spent on dormitories vs the academic experience.</p>