Hello! So I was recently admitted to Colby and, as of now, it is my top choice.
However, the thing is: I’m from Southern California. I grew up in a super urban and diverse area (Los Angeles) and am TERRIFIED of the culture shock I will get if I do end up at Colby, considering it’s literally on the opposite end of the continent (rural Waterville, Maine). I already looked up nearby restaurants on Yelp, and there were only two Asian restaurants (I’m Asian and I practically live off of Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, and Japanese food) in the city, which is a huge discrepancy from where I live. Not saying I can’t eat food that isn’t Asian, but oh my god am I going to miss it so much! Which brings me to my first question: how often would you say students at Colby travel to Boston? And is it difficult/expensive? I would like to visit Boston once or twice a month, both so I could get my fair share of Asian food without traveling all the way back to California as well as that home-like city environment? I also have friends in Boston so overnight housing will not be an issue. And as far as social life goes, what goes on at Colby/Waterville usually? What entertainment is there? I’m pretty big on music and art, and I go to a lot of shows and museums in LA, so the music/art scene is pretty important to me. Are there instruments on campus that I can play? Specifically keyboards/pianos, guitars, bass? I also like doing new things every weekend, so I’m kind of scared because I heard things are quite repetitive at Colby. I already know about the huge drinking culture at Colby, which I personally don’t mind (though I think the taste of alcohol is disgusting and just makes you feel super bloated and gross) but don’t want drinking/partying to be the only thing to do on the weekends.
Sorry if I sound ridiculous, but these things actually concern me the most! It’ll be a huge shift from LA to rural Maine, and I think I’d be able to adapt, but I think I’d definitely need a few relieving moments of city life in Boston or NYC. Or would you advise me not to attend Colby? Thanks!
hey! I think I saw your intro post in the Colby 2022 Facebook group (sent you a message just now). And being Asian, I have a lot of the same concerns as you, so I’d love to know what other ppl have to say about this!
Boston is a good 3 hours from Waterville by car with no traffic and more if traveling by public bus, so it’s unlikely you’re going to spend much time in Boston unless you have a friend in the city to crash with on weekends or funds for a hotel (expensive in Boston).
It’s more likely you’d spend time in Portland, a smaller but still nice city. It’s about 1 1/4 hours from Colby by car, 1 1/2-2 1/4 hours by bus depending on when you leave. Portland has great high-end food but I can’t say whether there’s much of an Asian food scene.
Adding: Getting to NYC would be pretty hellacious. It’s over 6 hours by car, and then you’d have to find parking. Or you could take an 8-9 hour bus or some combination of bus/car/train. My husband and I went to school in Maine a half hour further south and we didn’t visit NYC once in 4 years.
@Haaland Thank you!! This actually helps a lot, I looked and I like a lot of the things on the menu (although most of it isn’t Asian, it still seems delicious lol).
@Sue22 I have friends in the city, so overnight stay isn’t an issue, but transportation/ride does seem troubling. Ahh. I looked up bus rides from Waterville to Boston, and it’s roughly $70 round trip and takes around 3.5 hours I would probably go to Portland a lot, but I’d still really like to visit Boston frequently (as I have a lot of friends going to college there)!
Son from Central NJ got accepted to Colby and is considering as a top choice as well. Looks like he has similar concerns. We visited the campus last week and he’s hoping to go back for Accepted Student Program on the 19th to get a better feel for the student body , food options etc.
As an asian student at Colby I totally get where you’re coming from. What I will say though is that an environment change can be really refreshing and eye opening. Is asian food in maine good? No. But the interactions and experiences you will have with fellow students and professors is really second to none. Yes a lot of kids party and drink on the weekends, but there are also lots of clubs and activities and non-alcohol based events every weekend, sponsored by the Student planning board and other organizations. People typically don’t go down to NYC or Boston often during the semester, but busing down to boston is fairly easy, as there’s a bus service that leaves directly from campus if you wanted to spend the weekend there. NYC is a bit of a stretch. There is one really great and authentic thai restaurant in waterville called pad thai too. Anyways, congrats on your acceptance, I hope you decide to visit or attend the admitted students program, best of luck on your decision
@abstudent44 ahh, thank you! I’m visiting next week, hopefully I’ll be able to decide then! I do like Thai food lol but it’s mostly Korean and Vietnamese food that I love, and I know Maine isn’t great for either. Either way, I feel like I’m making food a much bigger deal than it needs to be (I’m probably just feeling super homesick already). Hmm, so would you say that going to Boston maybe like once a month is impractical? anyways thank you again!
@2boyzparent Did he like the campus? I’m visiting during the Admitted Students Program too, but I think I’ve concluded that I’ll probably really love the school. It’s just how badly I’ll miss home and stuff that’s what’s holding me back. Oh and tuition of course (way cheaper for me to go to Colby than to a UC)
If you really wanted to going to boston isnt too much of a hassle, but I wouldn’t say its very practical if you wanted to go once a month. Going to portland is a lot more reasonable.
S18 attended admitted student weekend, staying two nights in a substance free dorm(by coincidence not request) which he said was very nice. He had a great experience. His host and his host’s roommate went out of their way to make sure he had a great time. He felt the kids he met were bright, interesting and engaging. It is one of his top two schools and although he has not made a final decision, the weekend definitely nudged him in Colby’s direction.
I would probably go to Portland a lot, but I’d still really like to visit Boston frequently (as I have a lot of friends going to college there)!