Any thoughts on the “better” school. Both are great schools, but they are very different in size and I also think in terms of campus culture. Daughter has athletic offers at both schools and looking to major in a social sciences / liberal arts. She’s a hard working student but not terribly outgoing. She’s not terribly preppy but we live in a fairly upscale suburb, so I think the heavier prep school presence at Colby should be fine. She’s somewhat concerned that Colby may be too small (not enough non-drinking activities) and does not like that there are no ‘off-season’ practices or games at Colby as a NESCAC school. I think Colby may be somewhat more prestigious, better known outside of academia, will have smaller classes and is harder to get into. Both schools have great athletic facilities (and Colby has the brand new athletic center coming on-line fall 2020) and pretty campuses. She needs to apply ED to be able to use her athletic hook, so it is crunch time. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Both have harsh winters too! U of R is a great school and very highly regarded as is Colby. IMHO, I would think a big part of the decision would be if she wants to live in Maine or Western NY. For me, it would be ME because I love that area and loathe western NY. You didn’t mention which one is closer to home. Does that make a difference for her? What about the coaches and fit of current students on the team? Does she like one better than the other.
I have a friend whose dd is at U of R right now and I get the impression there is more diversity at U of R than Colby if that is a factor for you. U of R also seems much less isolated but a again, is it near anything that she’d like/care about?
Good luck to her! How exciting to have two great choice!
I’d let her decide. Hopefully she can (or has) visited both schools to see what they are like in person. Each of my kids decided on their colleges based upon visits and none regret their decision. No school that got picked by one would have been right for their brothers though.
My U Rochester lad loves his school. I don’t know of anyone personally who has gone to Colby to compare. We’re in southern PA, so ME schools are not on the radar for students in my area due to distance.
What was her feeling at the OV? Did she like one team dynamic better?
Colby is a very friendly place and there is quite a bit going on so I suspect she’d find plenty to do and also community to get involved . Students there tend to work hard and also be involved in a lot outside the classroom which is nice for less outgoing kids – no need to work at getting involved. . The number of rooms dedicated to substance free housing suggests to me that while it is social, there are quite a few students who are social without partying at all.
She may want to look at the requirements for her intended major as well as simply to graduate as well as courses offered to see if the academic paths look different. She may also want to think about what kind of classroom experience he prefers. Colby classes tend to be small and profs promote connections with kids (have them over for dinner, etc. ) It can be great for a kid who is not outgoing or smothering for one who wants more anonymity. Jan Plan at Colby is a plus for lots of students – an opportunity to do something really immersively. Depending on the sport, it can also be a good time to train/compete.
I know much more about Colby but the kids I know at both are very happy. I also don’t personally know any who chose between those two given how different they are.
In terms of “better”, I’d say the schools are on par academically. Colby is somewhat higher ranked, but it’s not exactly a household name outside of the Northeast. I think Rochester’s slightly larger size and research activity actually make it slightly more recognized on a national level. But, honestly, she’ll be getting a great education at whichever school she picks,
It’s interesting that those who know Colby are describing it as friendly with students who work hard and are actively involved outside of the classroom, since that is exactly how I’d describe Rochester.
It would really come down to what kind of college “experience” she is looking for. Rochester is less isolated and more research-focused. Most students I know are involved in some kind of research during their undergraduate years, and that was something that was important to my daughter. It does have a reputation for being more focused on the sciences than general liberal arts. Its flexible curriculum, though, would provide her the opportunity to explore her interests but there is no core curriculum to guide that early exploration. I would say that it is definitely more “smart and nerdy” than “preppy,” and athletics are not particularly central to the campus culture. That fit my daughter perfectly, but may not be what your daughter is looking for. And, as an informal observation, Rochester does tend to be fairly hands-off when it comes to involvement with student life and academic progress. It’s there if you need it, but it’s up to the student to seek it out for the most part. That’s great for those who are self-directed but doesn’t necessarily fit the needs of those who are looking for more guidance.
I think Colby’s 4-1-4 academic schedule and its long tradition of strength in the social sciences and humanities would be academic features that would have appeal, as well.
Thank you for replying! Maine is a few hours farther, but neither are very close - 5 1/2 hrs vs 7 1/2 hours so not a huge difference. She loves Maine, but she loved the team at Rochester. It makes me a little nervous that she may be putting more emphasis on what she thinks her athletic experience will be vs the school. In the case of her sport, Rochester has a much stronger team (but because of her position she likely will still get a fair amount of playing time and the combination of a tight-knit team and both playing and winning is very appealing to her). I agree that Rochester is less isolated, but the nearby ski slopes in Maine might mean more than a mid-sized city that she may not visit much. She has visited Colby before but doing the overnight at Colby soon. The overnights have been extraordinarily helpful for her in eliminating schools. My main concern is whether she is giving up anything in terms of reputation if she picks Rochester, which is where she is heavily leaning now. I’m from New England and know little about Rochester, but am more familiar with Colby. Colby looks much harder to get into which I think often correlates with prestige. I think she liked the idea of the larger school where things seem to be happening all the time. I like both schools and don’t think there’s a ‘bad’ choice to be made as long as she is the one making it without reservations.
Outside of academia (or those of us who have searched/know colleges) and the northeast, I doubt many recognize Colby TBH. I know in my area very few would (outside of academia). Rochester is definitely more known probably due to its research making the news periodically. Occasionally some mistake it for a state school or RIT though.
That said, two of mine went to colleges (most) local folks didn’t know existed and they did fine even though those schools aren’t nearly as highly ranked. My Rochester lad is just the only one who would have strangers come up to him pretty much anywhere commenting that “That’s a good school, do you go there?” The other two have to just add where their schools are and what they are known for when talking about their college experiences. They’re used to it.
Parent of a Rochester alum here, a double humanities major. Outside of sciences, Rochester has very highly regarded departments. Among their strengths are Economics, Political Science, English, and Music. Strong department on the River Campus at U of R as well as the resources offered by Eastman. One of the essential differences is that Rochester is a University while Colby is a college. A university by its nature will offer more/different opportunities. Both of course have outstanding academic reputations across the board.
Please don’t let prestige be a deciding factor. As everyone has said, outside of the northeast, Colby is not a household name. If your D likes the size of Rochester better and loved the team, its a no-brainer (to me). We found Colby pretty preppy, not everyone fits in with that culture. And not for nothing, that extra two hours of driving makes a big difference IMHO. And if you fly, there’s an international airport in Rochester, the closest airports to Colby are at minimum one hour. And I’ll admit, Rochester never hit our radar five years ago and that’s a school I regret we never considered when D was looking.
Thank you everyone. NEPatsGirl, your comment in particular hit home for me - Rochester was never a school on my radar back in the age of the dinosaurs when I was a high school senior looking at colleges and focused on LACs but it does seem to be an over-looked gem. She did her overnight at Colby and liked it but did not love it. And, indeed she found it preppy, though she could roll with that (she said the girls there all ‘dressed up’ to hang out in the dorm which she saw at a couple of other schools, but not many). She thought everyone was very friendly and she could see herself happy there.
However… since she could only pick one, she has decided to go early decision @ Rochester. I think it was the sense that there was more activity and more to do at a larger school that ultimately swayed her. She loved the new College Town area (really nice, with restauarants and shops right by campus), being 5 minutes from downtown Rochester and more students just creating a constant source of things to do. The options for somewhat larger schools with D3 sports is not a huge universe and those that are around Rochester’s selectivity level narrows the list even more. She is now even saying that she likes the idea of fraternities and sororities on campus as they create more things to do (exactly the opposite view than what she had at the beginning of the process when she was very focused on NESCACs and other similar LACs). She felt that Rochester was a larger school but not too large and still would offer a great D3 athletic experience without giving up anything on the academic side. On the other hand, her visit at Colby was a little dull in comparison. She liked the team and people she met, but did not get the sense there was the same level of activity on campus which felt somewhat isolated.
In any event, thank you all for the advice which was very helpful. I truly appreciate it.
Rochester is of course beautifully snowy, but I wouldn’t place it in the same temperature category as Waterville. On winter mornings, students at UR might encounter readings that are about 12 degrees warmer than those at Colby:
Avg Jan Low (F)
Rochester: 17°
Waterville: 5°
(Intellicast.)
@RoadTrip1 Best of luck to her in her ED chances. Please let us know the outcome! How exciting to have chosen and it’d be great to have the search done and over so she can enjoy her senior year.
@RoadTrip1 , sounds like she is going into this feeling very comfortable with her decision, and that in and of itself makes a huge difference. Congrats for getting to this point and GL to her!
@RoadTrip1 my daughter was also looking at mostly small LACs and ultimately decided on URoch for the same reasons your daughter is choosing it. She is a very happy freshman there now 
She loves the wide variety of activities offered and has made a great group of friends. We have enjoyed exploring a bit of Rochester at each visit. The city has a lot to offer. Best of luck to your daughter!
She made it! She’s very excited to be a member of the UR class of 2023!
Congratulations! I hope she has a wonderful time!
Congratulations. A great choice. Hope her team does well and when she has free time, she will see some shows at Todd Theatre.
Yes it is cold and yes it can be snowy but the year that my older daughter was looking at schools in NY and England although none in Maine, the most consistent coldest weather all that winter was Skidmore in Saratoga Springs so you never know.
Congrats! U of R is an awesome choice!!! My husband and I are alumni and our eldest is a sophomore there now. Our youngest has applied there RD as well. It’s a fabulous school!
Hi there, Congrats to RabbiBeth’s daughter! I’m just now looking at this thread and had a question for the mom of the daughter that was a double humanities major. My son is considering UR and Connecticut College. I’m concerned that the science focus at UR will mean that there are few humanities majors and perhaps less people like him. Apparently 85% of UR students are science majors (could also be double major with humanities). He loves the open curriculum and breadth of course offerings since he does not know what he wants to do yet (just not STEM!). However, CC was a better fit culturally. He is ambitious so would advocate for himself, but he does like the idea of being in smaller classes and close to the professor. My questions are…do you feel that a student should pick a LA’s school with the right cultural fit or the school with the majors that he can explore? Also, he’s a musician-not an amateur, but not a pro (would not be majoring in it). Do you think there is a place for him in music extracurriculars at UR?