Colby College Top Questions

Professors will know (and remember) your name. As a Spanish major, I couldn't have better things to say about every professor I've had in my three years here. They are all extremely accessible and passionate about their professions. Emma Garcia and Jorge Olivares are two phenomenal Spanish professors. Even professors outside of my majors have been great. Professor Kohn's Chemistry for Citizens class was actually one of my favorite classes here despite the fact I struggled in it, which to me says a lot about him. As I said before, students here are extremely competitive. Libraries are always full and absolute zoos come exam time.

Classes are challenging, although there are basic core requirement that yo should be allowed to place out of. Not every English major needs a course on "your friend the participle".

Colby academics are tough. Professors are friendly and will know your name, invite you to dinner, etc. But they expect a lot in return. Expect to student hard Sunday-Thursday, and then a good part of the weekend. Classes are mostly discussion based, so students must come prepared to speak. I am constantly engaging in intellectual conversations outside of class with my friends, professors, and other college staff. Education here is about learning for learning sake, though some do it for the grades.

It depends on your major. The majors with the most students tend to be the most difficult and have little grade inflation. Economics, government, english and biology are all very good but difficult. Professors know all the students by their first names, even in some of the larger intro classes. Most of my classes had 10-15 students which was fantastic. The upper level classes are especially good. They are usually held around a conference table rather than in a traditional classroom. Classes are held outdoors in the fall and spring a lot of the time which everyone loved. I had the opportunity to have dinner at a number of my professors houses with my classes.

scholastics at colby are more than decent, and i would probably say that it is the best aspect of this school. academic life here is of a surprisingly high quality; the students work hard and the classes are fulfilling and interesting. large classes do not exist here, a product of both the sizable budget (true to nescac form) and the small student body. professors are, as is widely advertised throughout the liberal arts directory, very accessible and knowledgeable. not to sound brochure-worthy and horribly cheesy, but classes at colby are great and you will rarely hear actual complaints from kids here.

the distribution requirements are a little strict, strong academics once you get into your major

I would say that Colby's academics is pretty poor not in terms of the majors they offer but more in terms of the attitudes of the tenured professors. What the professors try to do and keep you in the books as much as possible which in turn stifles the creativity of students. And if you were learning anything from the classes most students would be extremely grateful but most students just come out feeling that they did not learn anything at all and instead were just made to stress out. Most of the profs are eggheads who have no idea of real life or having a job in an competitive/real environment is so they cannot offer you much. The best prof that I had at Colby was not even in fact a prof because she did not have a PHD. She knew exactly how to teach and to push students to their limits without breaking them. I learnt a lot and am still appreciative of her teaching till this day. I cannot say the same about other profs and I took many classes from all different depts including econ, history, govnt, biology, etc

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.

Most professors know your name, even in bigger lecture classes they will make an effort to know who you are. Students study a lot, most are closet studiers, who pretend to throw caution to the wind and then spend hours studying. I frequently engage in intellectual conversation at lunch following class with one of my classmates.

Strong, teachers really care about you, meet with you for extra help whenever. Tons of interest in students from above.