What are the worst things? What don’t you like?
Waterville…
@jackrabbit14 Is it really that bad?
@KW1217 I’ve spent summers in Maine since I was very little and did a week-long soccer camp at Colby for about 6 years. The Colby campus is beautiful, the school is great, and everyone I’ve ever met is very nice, but Waterville is definitely the school’s biggest drawback. It’s definitely not your quintessential little New England college town like the areas around Amherst, Dartmouth, or Bowdoin, which I have all visited. I haven’t spent a ton of time there, but whenever I drive through it seems pretty run down and just lame - the highlight being an always busy Applebee’s. Of course, if you think you’ll be staying on campus most of your free time, this shouldn’t be a problem. Also, Portland is a GREAT city that’s only about an hour and 15 away from Waterville.
Colby’s on a hill, so the college life isn’t integrated with Waterville as it is in with schools that are in town like Amherst or Bowdoin. On the other hand, there’re a lot of events that go on in Waterville and it’s definitely being rejuvenated again. It got hit pretty hard with the recession but the two colleges in Waterville are doing a lot to revive Main Street with nice shops and other things.
This has one of my biggest questions. Thanks for posting it! I’m from a super small town, even smaller than Waterville (around 500 people) and I loved growing up there, but I do wish that Waterville was a bit bigger. @jackrabbit14, are there many things to do in Waterville? Besides Portland, what other cities are close?
@sweetthang @KW1217 Though Waterville may differ from towns surrounding similar colleges, in recent years a number of new establishments have sprung up in the area that have been positive and fun additions to the town. Fast food restaurants are by no means the center of town, there are a number of small businesses (an artisanal pizzeria called Grand Central, a coffee and tea shop and cafe with an extensive selection of teas and pastries, a sushi and hibachi restaurant, an Indian restaurant, a Farm Market & Cafe, a Mexican restaurant, a Community Market, and much more).
Hallowell, which is around 15-20 minutes away from Colby, is an adorable small town with a nice restaurant called Slates, popular among Colby students when they are looking for a nice dinner. Just a few minutes further is Augusta, which features the Augusta Marketplace, a large mall, and a Main Street. On the way to Portland you can also stop by Freeport or Brunswick. However, during my four years here, I have found that Waterville offers much more than meets the eye. It is minutes away from the Belgrade Lakes, which you can swim & canoe on in the warmer months, and within driving distance from Sugarloaf Mountain in the winter. Waterville might be smaller than your average college town but it is certainly on the rise, with a lot more to offer than initially meets the eye!