I know Colby has amazing academics but it seems to be in the middle of nowhere and I’m wondering what type of things there are to do outside of the school?
bump
(with the caveat that we have the same concern that you do, so we’re researching online in advance of heading up for Applicants Weekend)
Right off the bat: ski or snowboard (which my son does not do).
Then there’s Main Street, where Colby is redeveloping an existing building into student and faculty apartments:
http://watervillemainstreet.org/
Augusta is about 20 minutes south
Thanks @EdPark! We will be there next week as well!
As a current senior,
There’s definitely a lot to do on and off campus. Keep in mind that 95% of students live on campus so there’s a lot of things going on campus that it doesn’t feel necessary to go off campus to do anything. As @EdPark mentioned above, there’s ski/snowboarding to be had at the Loaf (Sugarloaf) or Sunday River, if you’re into that kind of thing. Even if you’re not, you can go up and enjoy weekends like ReggaeFest which just happened. Colby provided transportation for those interested, and many went up with their own transportation as well. In the fall, there’s activities like apple picking or hikes that are readily available for students, with transportation provided by the school.
There’s a lot going on in and around Main St as well, and you’ll see results in the next couple years. Students will go downtown with friends to eat once in a while at places like Mainely’s or Grand Central, to name a few. Breakfast at Early Bird (in Oakland, 10min off campus), Purple Cow (in Fairfield, 15 min off campus) or Jorgensen’s (on Main St) is also a common sight. You’ll also see a number of students studying at Selah Tea Cafe on Main Street as well. Seasonally, Dairy Cone (ice cream) is just off campus and is open from April - September so it’s always packed for the few weeks students have during the semesters. The Green Spot (on Kennedy Memorial Drive, the exit you take on I-95 to get to campus) has one of the best lobster rolls in Maine and is only open from early May to October usually.
A bit further, I’ve gone down with friends to Freeport and spent a night at L.L.Bean just for the fun of it (it’s open 24/7), or go down to Portland to eat at DuckFat, hang out in Old Port, and do other activities. Because there’s free parking on campus, you’ll tend to see that many students have cars and thus you’ll find opportunities to go off campus if you’d like. That being said, it’s not necessary to have a car because if you need to get somewhere, friends are usually more than willing to drive you or you can take the Jitney (student run shuttle service) as well.
thank you @CalifornianMule! That is very helpful!
@CalifornianMule , what can you tell us about the outing club? It looks like they have a lot going on. Do lots of people participate?
@CalifornianMule Can you also comment on how many hours of studying per day the typical Colby student does and if most Colby students plan to go on to graduate school?
@gardenstategal the CoC (Colby Outing Club) is our largest club on campus and it’s hard to not sign yourself up after COOT, which is the outdoor orientation trip. They have events for students at all levels from sunrise hikes to Katahdin trips, from snowshoeing to maple syrup making in the arboretum. It’s a pretty cool club with some great people.
@alli3fire typically I’d say for every credit hour you spend about 2-2.5 hours per week. Most students take 16 credits per semester so I’d say 30-40 hour range. But this is all dependent on your course of study. Computer science in my experience is heavy on time needed every week while some may be more heavy certain weeks and easier during others.
Hopes this helps, and if you’re at admitted students weekend there should be a time for you to talk to selected students who are asked by departments to represent them in talking to the prospective students.