Colby College | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Joerose

Class: Senior
Major: Business
Gender: F

High School: Mahindra UWC of India
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

Size is just right - all the better to really get to know your peers AND your professors. If I could change one thing - I'd move Colby to CA or LA (minus the hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.) No, seriously, Waterville could use a facelift - start up some sort of cafe culture, have more host families from within the community (who have no direct connection to Colby), etc. I spend most of my time in either of my academic major buildings - Diamond Lab or the Mudd seminar room! Colby's administration can be a bit hasty with decisions, but you can't blame them for not trying. On the whole, quite supportive and willing to incorporate students' opinions. Can aim for better transparency, particularly regarding budget allocation and spending which affects clubs and on-campus programming. On the downside, majority of students don't have a lot of faith in the admin and criticism is rampant. Must work on image and perception. School pride - depends on the athletic season and/or how Bowdoin and Bates are faring! Unusual - oh yes! People are very friendly. And if you look carefully enough and take the time to get to know everyone, this is an EXTREMELY diverse population, and not just for the no. of nationalities represented.

Academic Life

You get to know your professors very well. Some of them even friend you on facebook! You end up spending way too much time with your professors outside of class - it sometimes becomes a form of procrastination... Most unique class - Creativity and Communication over Jan Plan - class on bookmaking There isn't much of a competitive atmosphere, but one hears lots of intellectual (and not so intellectual) conversation in the dining halls. The curriculum and corresponding efforts are more along the lines of "knowledge for knowledge's sake", but it would be nice (not to mention even necessary) to gear more of it towards today's job market pressures.

Student Body

The kind of student who ends up feeling a bit out of place at Colby is one who dwells too much on preformulated conservative values. It's perfectly okay to be politically and culturally conservative, but if that precludes an open mind, Colby might not be the best place for you. Most people wear trackpants to class. Usually accessorized with pearl earrings and a ribbon in your hair. UGs and crocs are the most popular footwear. Northface and LLBean are the brand names of choice. Technically yes, there are 4 tables of students. The football table, the international kids, and usually one other sports team and/or class. But the real truth is that while people do tend to touch base with their "cliques" (for lack of a better word), students do generally interact with different groups. I am one of those blessed international kids and my two best friends and Americans, one of whom lives in the appartments and never makes in down to the dining halls for dinner. The political atmosphere is dominated by the Democrats. The Republicans are a small but surprisingly active group. Debate is rampant on the Digest of Civil Discourse, though not all of it is civil or fair.