<p>I've heard a lot of positive things about Colby from college guide books and Colby's admissions materials, but I have a few questions. Why is it that schools that are similiar in structure like Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and others send large numbers to top professional schools like Harvard and Yale Law (roughly 10-20 students are currently enrolled from each school individually) while Colby currently has zero students enrolled at those two schools. The numbers are roughly the same for top medical schools as well. Are Colby students less interested in attending the best professional schools in the U.S. after graduation than students at some of its peer institutions or is it that Colby's reputation isn't as strong and that its graduates just aren't doing as well on the MCAT and LSAT. Also, what is Colby College's endowment? I read an article recently about Trinity College and how much of a struggle it has been for them in terms of funding and that this is growing negative trend at selective liberal arts colleges. Can you speak to this issue? Lastly, what efforts has Colby made in terms of its attempts to diversify its student body racially and ethnically or does the college not view this as important? Bowdoin has made impressive strides in this area, and Bates seems to be following along as well. Any information/responses would be helpful.</p>
<p>As an admissions officer, when you "see" test scores for an applicant that are not technically being "reported" (SATIs or IIs when the ACT is also being submitted or previous attempts at the same test, for instance), do they influence your impression of the applicant? Particularly if some scores are good but some are not, do the lower scores hurt an applicant's chance of admission at a selective college like Colby? Thank you for sharing your thoughts.</p>
<p>For "davida1":</p>
<p>Interesting and pointed questions... I am not aware of the most recent graduate statistics ('05, '06), and which law & med schools Colby graduates have attended--or where they were accepted, where they applied, etc--but our career services website does list which med schools, for instance, our graduates have attended in "recent years" (I assume the last decade); Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Brown, Chicago and other highly-regarded institutions are well-represented. I don't have any info re: LSAT/MCAT scores, for this and other related info I suggest you contact our Career Services office--Cynthia Parker is one of the main advisors to pre-med (<a href="mailto:caparker@colby.edu">caparker@colby.edu</a>), and Cate Talbot Ashton is the main advisor for pre-law (<a href="mailto:ctashton@colby.edu">ctashton@colby.edu</a>).</p>
<p>Colby's endowment should clear $500 million before summer's end; that's almost $100 million more than in April 2005, and about $100 million more than it was at the end of 2002. I am not aware of trends at liberal arts schools generally, nor am I familiar with any fiscal policies & issues at peer institutions specifically (and I've not looked at other schools' endowment numbers for some time), but it seems clear that Colby has seen much success in building its endowment in recent years despite significant downturns in the economy in recent years. Colby is also in the middle of a $235 million capital campaign, which will not only boost our endowment but specifically shore up financial aid funds, and allow us to open new faculty appointments in several disciplines.</p>
<p>The class of 2010 will be, by far, the most ethnically/racially diverse in the college's history--almost 20% of the incoming class will represent African-/Latin-/Asian-/Native American backgrounds. We also have consistently enrolled international students at Colby at levels significantly above many of our peers (there are as many international students in most incoming classes as Maine students, our home state!) We have made constant progress in our admission efforts, but as you might know, the idea of "diversity" (and <em>why</em> it is important) is critical to our mission, and, we believe, to a global and representative education. It is the #1 priority of the college, from our trustees and president to the faculty, deans office.... everyone is "on board" with the charge to make Colby a multicultural place. As you might guess, "diversity" might not be the first thing people think of when considering Maine, but we have made great strides in recent years to enroll and retain a diverse, interesting, and talented student body.</p>
<p>For "meowmom":</p>
<p>If I see both SAT-1 and ACT scores, I will consider which are the best--we look at the best subscores, then calculate a new (better) composite--and disregard the other. Since we don't require the SAT-2 it's difficult to assign any "weight" to those scores that we do see. If there was any SAT-2 that some of my colleagues might pay attention to, it was the Writing score--which has now been folded into the SAT-1 anyway. Frankly, though, I don't pay much attention to previous SAT-1 or SAT-2 results; there are too many other parts of a student's application that, to me, are more important (eg. transcript, extra-curricular activities, recommendations).</p>
<p>I'm an entering sophomore whose planning to apply as a transfer student to Colby and similar Liberal Art colleges. My high school performance is pretty bad (attributable to certain domestic problems) and my SAT, which was taken at a time when I didn't take my education seriously, is on the low side for a college of you standard (old sat -1320/1600). My current GPA is certainly high enough (3.958) but I was wondering how an admission officer would view an SAT that was retaken during the beginning of my sophomore year of college. I ask because I am fairly confident that I could score higher, only I don't know how much of the improvement will appear attributable to my older age.</p>
<p>for "eserrur":</p>
<p>I read many of the transfer applications each year, and I admit that I'm not particularly concerned with <em>when</em>, but rather <em>if</em> an applicant took the SAT-1/ACT. Typically an applicant will just forward to us results from when s/he was in high school, but every once in a while an applicant will retake the test and forward new scores. We'll just combine the best subscores of all sittings, and recalculate a new "composite" score. I suppose we'll pay a bit more attention to your academic performance in college, but know that we will be keen to see progress throughout your secondary school education--and, in your case (as with others with "special circumstances), I advise being open & up-front with any dips or slides in academic performance. It's best, I believe, to have all relevant information in front of me so I can know the <em>whole</em> picture--I might then be able to put in greater context your current gpa/post-secondary experiences. So, if you retake the SATs now, I don't think it could negatively affect your candidacy.</p>
<p>I must tell you, however, as you may be discovering, that transferring into schools like Colby (Vassar, for instance, or Amherst or other NESCAC colleges) may be extremely difficult--for most of us, we just don't have many spaces open up, to accommodate many of the extremely high-performing (and otherwise very qualified) applicants from other colleges/universities. In our case, we'll have perhaps 40 students apply for mid-year admission, and maybe 130 apply for each fall--typically we'll have between 3-6 and 10-15 openings for each admission cycle, respectively. I mention this not to quash hopes of your admission, but so you know how much of an uphill battle it is for <em>all</em> transfer applicants, regardless of past (or current) performance, standardized test results or extra-curricular achievement.</p>
<p>To have any new SAT-1 results considered with your transfer application, you should retake the test no later than November--we will start to evaluate files after December 1, and hopefully render decisions by mid-month.</p>
<p>Colbyadmissions,
I am an international student (rising senior). Reading through your posts, I realize that Colby put more "weight" on transcript than on standardized tests. Does Colby extend that policy to international students? (In my country, transcript (GPA, rank,etc) is usually neglected because of the prevalent grade inflation. Besides, it really has no "weight" on neither our country college admission nor high school graduation which is based virtually on a single University Entrance Exam.)</p>
<p>Colbyadmissions,
I grew up in Maine, and would like to stay in Maine for college. Bowdoin, Bates, and Colby are all ideal options. I know that fellow Maine colleges Bowdoin and Bates do not require the submission of the SAT (or any standardized test scores) for admission. Why does Colby still require that? I know you don't consider it an important factor, but do other admissions officers at Colby? My SAT scores are okay, but they don't really (I feel) represent my ability correctly, and I would opt out of submitting them where it is an option. Is is true that I would have a better chance at admission to Bates or Bowdoin, when my SAT scores are brought in to the mix? I have other areas where I have 'preformed' above average.</p>
<p>Yeah, I also noticed what 'davida1' did, about top professional schools. In relation to the other Maine schools, Colby doesn't seem to be as competitive in the elite grad. school pool. Bates, based on what I've read, seems to do extraordinarily well.</p>
<p>for "realmofdreams":</p>
<p>I defer most questions about international students/admission to our director, Steve Thomas, who is one of the resident "gurus" in that area; his email is <a href="mailto:tsthomas@colby.edu">tsthomas@colby.edu</a>. He is also familiar with several grading systems of different countries, which themselves are vastly different from most U.S. secondary school models. I do know that we have roughly 1,000 international students apply each year, and we enroll between 35-50 each year--many of these applicants have tremendous standardized test results and outstanding classroom achievement--this group is probably the most competitive of all applicants to Colby. </p>
<p>Your point also illustrates, in part, why Colby continues to require the SAT-1/ACT as part of an application: there are too many grading systems, too many variables from school to school, to accurately compare GPAs and ranks-in-class-- when one takes into account dozens of foreign countries as well, the only "standard" rule one can apply is that of standardized testing. We're aware that no test is perfect, and that a three-hour, fill-in-the-bubble test can't always accurately sum a student's intelligence or future academic potential; but added together with a transcript, and other data (gpa/rank-in-class), along with recommendations and extra-curricular involvement... a greater and clearer picture emerges.</p>
<p>Know then, that we'll take into account as many "special circumstances" (like grade inflation) as we can before making final decisions. For more specific info, or clarification, you might contact Mr. Thomas. Thanks for your interest in Colby!</p>
<p>for "autmaine":</p>
<p>I suppose that most of us in the office, if given the choice, would ignore standardized testing--especially for certain constituents (socio-economic & geographic factors play in here) but the reality is that we <em>do</em> require SAT-1/ACT data, and will consider it an important part of our decision. That it isn't the <em>most</em> important part, for most of us--and, I believe, for most of my colleagues at other schools--helps our cause. However, I can't speak to "chances" at other institutions, and I shy away from the term in respect to Colby, too (see other posts). I would urge students to sit for the SAT-1/ACT as many times as they are comfortable, as taking them more than once will probably result in higher scores; and that we combine the best subscores that we see, no matter how many results we see. BUT each year we accept students whose scores fall below our mean, and we say 'no' to students with scores above our mean. As part of your application to Colby, Bates, Bowdoin and other similar schools, you'll have the chance to highlight those areas in which you've "performed above average"--and hopefully recommendations will point to these as well.</p>
<p>I also urge students, especially in Maine, to visit Colby and, if possible (and appropriate), schedule an interview with one of our staff. Getting to meet face-to-face with an admission officer, and talking about your strong points in-depth--perhaps showing us that SAT/ACTs don't matter-- I find is almost always helpful for all parties. (That said, not everyone does well in an interview setting, no matter how relaxed or non-confrontational we might make it; but if you can, you might consider the opportunity).</p>
<hr>
<p>One more point, to address a concern that you and "davida1" mentioned... my understanding is that the majority of recent grads don't go to grad school right out of college--in fact, I believe some choose to go either home for a stretch, or travel; or, I believe most popular, is to move to a larger urban area for employment--living, in a sense, the "bright lights big city" life (with Colby friends & roommates) that they eschewed by going to a small college in Maine for their undergraduate experience (Boston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC are popular destinations). It's after five or so years that the trend reverses, when the majority of alums then are in, or have finished, higher education beyond the B.A. that Colby provides. </p>
<p>I point to our Career Services website and staff for more info, and perhaps some details/statistics: <a href="http://www.colby.edu/career.serv%5B/url%5D">http://www.colby.edu/career.serv</a>. Again, I'm not familiar with peer institutions & their programs (even though my brother was a "Batesie", I knew little of his experiences there), so I can't comment on one versus another--this is your task, as part of the college search, to glean information from all sources, determine which are reliable and which programs are salient to your needs & desires. The CC forum may be a resource, but to truly compare schools, and majors/departments (particularly at schools like CBB & NESCAC) you'll be best served by communicating directly with us--we're each the "expert" on what we do, and can point you to the answers you seek (which might be a bit different than those of davida1, or aloutak, or the other zillion people logged on & posting on these threads). It's daunting, but in the end the research, time & effort you put in will be worth it next summer. Thanks for your posts!</p>
<p>thanks, Colbyadmissions. It is really great that you are doing this, I wish more schools would do it too. Colby seems like a cool school, I'll have to visit this summer. Are you aware that many schools that are similar to Colby (Bates, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Hamilton, and others) don't require the SAT for admission purposes? It's too bad it's considered such an important part of admission, but reassuring that it's not the only factor you look at. I have to say, because Colby does require the SAT, I am considering not applying. My sister goes to Bates, and she couldn't love it more. Bowdoin also seems like a great opportunity (if offered the option, that school is so hard to get into). Like you said, the best thing to do is visit. Living in Maine, I know a bunch of people who have gone or are going to the three schools-- they will also be a good resource. Right now, the only resource I have is the Internet (I'm not living in the US right now). So thanks for helping out! I'll be back in the summer and will surely stop by the admissions office at Colby.</p>
<p>Don't have anything to do with Colby, but I think it's great there's a rep on here now who speaks with honesty.</p>
<p>colbyadmissions</p>
<pre><code> If I express interest in playing football at Colby, will it make a difference over just playing football in high school. Do you have to be recruited to be considered an athlete who would help the school's program? Does it help more at Colby and other schools at the nonscholarship level?
</code></pre>
<p>for "bobbo07":</p>
<p>Since Colby competes at the Division III level (nordic & alpine skiing are exceptions), the process for athletic recruitment, and the overall athletic experience, is perhaps less "intense" than at other schools the the other two NCAA divisions--and I personally know of students who "walked on" to athletic teams at Colby over the years. That said, I think students who are thinking of pursuing specific sports in college should contact the coaching staff at colleges for a few reasons:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>If you truly are serious about pursuing a sport (football, for instance), I would think you'd want to meet the people with and for whom you'd play--at least in the fall term, you'll be spending <em>lots</em> of time with these people. Talking & meeting with the coaching staff, and--if during the academic year--if you can spend the night on campus, meet the team, go to a game or practice... this level of interaction might confirm, even enhance your desire to attend, OR it might alert you that you & the coach just don't "mix", or that you don't click with the guys on the team. Imagine if you don't go through these motions, then enroll at School X, with clear intent and burning desire to play that sport, and then you realize the above problems.... why get on that roller-coaster if you can know ahead of time that you're not going to like the ride? I'm always a fan of having a student get in touch with coaches, then perhaps players, of the teams in which potential applicants have expressed an interest.</p></li>
<li><p>On the admissions side, if a coach does, in fact, want to "recruit" a student to Colby, and they have knowledge of you ahead of time, they can notify us and advocate on your behalf. We take that into consideration just like many other aspects of a student's candidacy, and I must emphasize that other aspects of campus do the same: professors advocate for students they know who will pursue their discipline, directors of musical ensembles trumpet the cause (sorry) of those they wish for us to know, etc. Finding that "advocate", if there is one--and outside our office--might be important for an applicant. </p></li>
<li><p>Although we are competing at a D-3 level, our conference (NESCAC) is arguably the most difficult and talented of all; we see the best and, thankfully, brightest student-athletes in our admissions pool each year. One can understand, perhaps, that I might be curious about the top goaltender in New England men's hockey, who says he wants to come to Colby; what I might not know, perhaps, is that on our team we <em>already</em> have three of the best goaltenders on the east coast, and there are other positions that the coach is interested in filling for next year's squad. Coaches can be honest and direct with students, and can be privvy to this kind of information that I just won't know--in the above scenario, I would imagine that the outstanding goaltender who wouldn't get any time in net at Colby, might be heavily recruited by another school who desperately needs to fill the skates of a graduating senior. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>In the end, each year students who have expressed interest in playing certain sports in college, don't end up actually pursuing those sports in college--enthusiasm flags, interests change, or other opportunities arise, and I have to remember that we can't always pin our admission hopes--or the future success of a particular sport--on a student's enrollment, as sometimes it doesn't work out. BUT, for the above reasons, if you or any other applicant is toying with pursuing sports in college, I strongly recommend that you speak with the coaches, and perhaps any players, so you can get a sense of the program <em>and</em> so the program can get a sense of you.</p>
<p>Thanks for your interest in Colby!</p>
<p>Hi:
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. I'd like to ask a question about how admissions officials in general, not necessarily at Colby, look at a student who has changed high schools midpoint, say after the sophomore year. Does it send up a red flag or any kind? My son attends a large public high in CA, not known as an Ivy-feeder type public or magnet. Depending on the teacher one gets, some classes are excellent and others pretty mediocre. Instrumental music, my son's EC, is mediocre at best. So far, my son has been torn between wanting a better music program and wanting to continue to go to high school with close friends he has known since elementary school. If we did decide to make a change, though, would that be looked at as a weakness in the application?</p>
<p>Also, what is the adcom view of on-line high school programs? (Not students enrolled in regular high school and taking online courses as well.) I believe Stanford University just launched an online high school program for gifted students (there is a tuition fee). There's also a state-supported online high school in Orange County, considered a CA public school. Should we decide to try the on-line alternative --- with him pursuing music by performing with community college ensembles -- am I right to assume that the Stanford program would probably be the better choice since admissions officials would recognize the "brand?" Thanks for any insights.</p>
<p>for "jazzymom":</p>
<p>Of course, I hesitate to speak on behalf of thousands of colleagues at other institutions--one might even find differing views among the dozen or so on our staff here at Colby--but I think a common theme might emerge from those who answer your question: As long as it can adequately and logically be explained why your son has moved from one school to another, I don't see much of a problem. Parents, counselors, or often the student him-/herself will bring it up; as I've stated on other posts, it's the up-front and honest address that thoroughly and thoughtfully engages the issue, that will often resonate with us and assuage any doubts. Your & his reasoning sounds sincere, and I have to assume that whatever the end result it will come with much discussion and work among the family, and also with his teachers & counselor. </p>
<p>Your second question, I'm afraid, is a bit tougher to answer. I'm not particularly familiar with "on-line programs", even from schools as highly-regarded as Stanford--but I'm fairly confident that any such online course would not qualify for college credit at Colby.... typically, for a student to receive credit for previous coursework, that work must be done at a college, in a regularly-scheduled college class (ie. one aimed at college students, not high school students), taught by a college professor. Your question, however, seems to position the idea not in terms of college credit but as an alternative to a standard high school education; unfortunately, I don't have any base for comparison--do they offer diplomas? Would your son sit for a GED at the end? Or would he only take one or two of these online courses? For most high schools, there is a "profile" that we receive with their section of a student's application--would this also accompany any information about "online courses?" I'm just not familiar enough with the idea to answer your questions at this point.</p>
<p>Generally, I shy away from offering advice as to which programs are better for students, or which path he/she should choose--in part because, as you've illustrated, there are as many different, even unique, opportunities for students as there are unique students themselves. I would prefer to focus less on the advising of which programs/classes/schools students find, rather to concentrate on what the student has done in the environment he/she has chosen. Again, I trust that the family, counselors/teachers, and others close to the situation will come to a solution that is best for all, and that any & all relevant information is provided to me, and I'll go from there. </p>
<p>Sorry if this seems to dodge the issues a bit, hopefully something in the above is helpful. Thanks for your (and your son's!) interest in Colby.</p>
<p>Your answer was helpful. It gave me a starting point to do my own research into how these programs award diplomas and how the curriculum matches up to traditional high school. Thanks for taking the time to reply.</p>
<p>Thanks. I've received the letter a week or so ago...</p>
<p>Dear ColbyAdmissions,
It is really quite amazing how you have managed to take out time and answer so many different questions. I would first like to thank you on behalf of all high school seniors who get anxious during this period.</p>
<p>I am an international student considering Colby for Early Decision. I have some questions:</p>
<p>1.) Can international students requesting for aid apply Early Decision? Most schools dont allow such students to apply ED while others discourage them from doing so.</p>
<p>2.) I am really interested in the 2-1-1-1 Engineering program with dartmouth. Could you tell me some statistics as to what percentage of applicants applying to this program actually get in? I do not want to attend Colby JUST for this program, but if i get in, it would really help a lot (i intend to pursue engineering later on any way).</p>
<p>3.) Is it possible do a get a full year's academic credit on the basis of GCE A-Levels?
Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>Waleed</p>