Colby College (Maine (ME))

Colby College is a liberal arts institution that places “an emphasis on active learning,” delivering “strong academics [and] lots of resources and opportunities.” That extends from student jobs “that often help students explore future career interests” to how funding “for academic or professional endeavors [is] great.” Overall, there’s the perception of “a strong ‘yes’ culture that supports students in their endeavors.” One student received funding for “a group Spanish immersion in Salamanca, Spain; an internship in Washington, D.C.; and I’m currently…volunteering at a coffee farm in Monteverde, Costa Rica,” and feels that “students can do anything they put their mind to and be backed by the College.” 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 “TONS of study abroad options—I’m writing these words from a hotel in Nepal, where I’ve been studying wildlife and conservation.” On the whole, students say “professors are very responsive, passionate, and care deeply for the students,” with one adding, “they’re eager to share their knowledge with students.” Many teachers “integrate research into their courses or experiential learning,” like the student whose art history professor “had us deconstruct art takes from…AI, effectively debating (or building upon) it on topics we found interesting.” In addition, students appreciate that they are given the opportunity to “learn so many different topics and skills at once that do not limit or pigeonhole [them] into a specific career.” Another adds that Colby has “made me feel valued as a student, thinker, person, and global citizen.”

“Being surrounded by smart, engaged, and genuinely fun people makes [the] social scene very open,” and people “want to continue to engage with big ideas outside of the classroom as well.” This is a “warm and close-knit” group wherein many are “white New Englanders,” and people “are first and foremost kind.” There is “a large student-athlete population on campus” that creates “a strong culture of watching Colby sports,” and “many students’ schedules revolve around their sport.” Most people at Colby “have some sort of academic niche and they love to engage with it,” which “is very conducive to a well-rounded life and students can make great connections.” A student neatly bundles up their college experience: “To 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.”

“There are a ton of clubs and organizations” to join, and the Student Programming Board “does a great job making sure there is an activity every weekend and many during the week,” including Big Prize Bingo, Potato Fest, and Fall Fest. Many students give back by volunteering with Colby Cares about Kids, a “peer mentorship program where you stay with the same kid at a local elementary or middle school year after year.” On campus, “the small student population makes it really easy to make spontaneous plans as you run into people throughout the day,” and when students want to leave campus, they “often go out to eat downtown or on Main Street.” The school’s Central Maine location is a veritable outdoor playground. The Outing Club leads weekly hiking trips, and students also enjoy “swimming at the Belgrade lakes (only 10 minutes from campus), watching the annual Colby-Bowdoin games, [and] skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain.” Additionally, “the [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.” The abundance of social outlets is a great source of balance for Colby students, who say that while “academics are intense, the people are all very focused on living life outside of academics together.”

Undergrads at Colby are quick to proclaim that the university’s career services are “wonderful [and] provides so many … great opportunities.” 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’s 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.