火爆社区

Colby College is a liberal arts institution that places 鈥渁n emphasis on active learning,鈥� delivering 鈥渟trong academics [and] lots of resources and opportunities.鈥� That extends from student jobs 鈥渢hat often help students explore future career interests鈥� to how funding 鈥渇or academic or professional endeavors [is] great.鈥� Overall, there鈥檚 the perception of 鈥渁 strong 鈥榶es鈥� culture that supports students in their endeavors.鈥� One student received funding for 鈥渁 group Spanish immersion in Salamanca, Spain; an internship in Washington, D.C.; and I鈥檓 currently鈥�volunteering at a coffee farm in Monteverde, Costa Rica,鈥� and feels that 鈥渟tudents can do anything they put their mind to and be backed by the College.鈥� Another instance of this is the Jan Plan, an immersive term where students explore their interests, choosing from hundreds of unique academic experiences, internships, and individual projects. Global impact is central to a Colby education, with one student sharing that there are 鈥淭ONS of study abroad options鈥擨鈥檓 writing these words from a hotel in Nepal, where I鈥檝e been studying wildlife and conservation.鈥� On the whole, students say 鈥減rofessors are very responsive, passionate, and care deeply for the students,鈥� with one adding, 鈥渢hey鈥檙e eager to share their knowledge with students.鈥� Many teachers 鈥渋ntegrate research into their courses or experiential learning,鈥� like the student whose art history professor 鈥渉ad us deconstruct art takes from鈥�AI, effectively debating (or building upon) it on topics we found interesting.鈥� In addition, students appreciate that they are given the opportunity to 鈥渓earn so many different topics and skills at once that do not limit or pigeonhole [them] into a specific career.鈥� Another adds that Colby has 鈥渕ade me feel valued as a student, thinker, person, and global citizen.鈥�

鈥淏eing surrounded by smart, engaged, and genuinely fun people makes [the] social scene very open,鈥� and people 鈥渨ant to continue to engage with big ideas outside of the classroom as well.鈥� This is a 鈥渨arm and close-knit鈥� group wherein many are 鈥渨hite New Englanders,鈥� and people 鈥渁re first and foremost kind.鈥� There is 鈥渁 large student-athlete population on campus鈥� that creates 鈥渁 strong culture of watching Colby sports,鈥� and 鈥渕any students鈥� schedules revolve around their sport.鈥� Most people at Colby 鈥渉ave some sort of academic niche and they love to engage with it,鈥� which 鈥渋s very conducive to a well-rounded life and students can make great connections.鈥� A student neatly bundles up their college experience: 鈥淭o choose Colby, you have to completely buy into your academics, buy into living in Central Maine, buy into the winter. In doing so, the community truly comes together around itself.鈥�

鈥淭here are a ton of clubs and organizations鈥� to join, and the Student Programming Board 鈥渄oes a great job making sure there is an activity every weekend and many during the week,鈥� including Big Prize Bingo, Potato Fest, and Fall Fest. Many students give back by volunteering with Colby Cares about Kids, a 鈥減eer mentorship program where you stay with the same kid at a local elementary or middle school year after year.鈥� On campus, 鈥渢he small student population makes it really easy to make spontaneous plans as you run into people throughout the day,鈥� and when students want to leave campus, they 鈥渙ften go out to eat downtown or on Main Street.鈥� The school鈥檚 Central Maine location is a veritable outdoor playground. The Outing Club leads weekly hiking trips, and students also enjoy 鈥渟wimming at the Belgrade lakes (only 10 minutes from campus), watching the annual Colby-Bowdoin games, [and] skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain.鈥� Additionally, 鈥渢he [Ski and Snowboard] club (probably the most popular club on campus) is great at organizing ski trips and helping students get discounts on ski passes.鈥� The abundance of social outlets is a great source of balance for Colby students, who say that while 鈥渁cademics are intense, the people are all very focused on living life outside of academics together.鈥�

Undergrads at Colby are quick to proclaim that the university鈥檚 career services are 鈥渨onderful [and] provides so many 鈥� great opportunities.鈥� DavisConnects is a non-traditional career program that begins the moment a student sets foot on campus: students are assigned an industry expert advisor to help guide them in their pursuit of research, internship, and full-time job opportunities. The program will continue through summers and even post-graduation as a member of the Colby alumni network. Through DavisConnects, every grant-eligible student is guaranteed to have at least one funded international experience, which advisors will help integrate into the individual student鈥檚 curriculum. The office also hosts a variety of employer information sessions and workshops where undergrads can learn more about various industries and jobs. The program is also responsible for the plethora of on-campus recruitment, and the college continually attracts leading companies like UBS, Microsoft, Accenture, and Fidelity Investments. And the employer draw pays off: Payscale.com found that the median starting salary for Colby graduates is $71,200, and 51 percent of graduates report high job satisfaction.