Colby College Top Questions

As I embark on my Masters degree and look back on my undergraduate experience, I'm grateful for many things that have helped formulate my new path. However, what I'm most greatful for is the voice that I was able to develop and utilize on campus in an effort to change campus culture. It's this voice that has led me to continue my studies and get my Master of Sciences in Education. My group of friends did not fall under the heading of a "traditional" Colby student. None of us went to a fancy prep school or would consider ourselves anything above middle class. I was one of the only students of my close friends that was white and straight. I could fit in, but I saw the microaggresions that my school family dealt with every day and I learned something about the importance of pointing such things out and initiating discourse about them. People aren't by nature cruel, I believe that, but to punish people for ignorance without trying to educate them is perpetuating the cycle and we can't put the burden for this education on affected students alone.

I go to a college about six hundred miles away from my hometown. While this isn't revolutionary, it's very unusual for people from my Maryland high school to travel beyond Boston or the Carolinas. I was most worried about the distance, being far away from my friends and family, missing the little things about where I grew up. I would only see these faces and experience Howard County on intermittent breaks. The distance wouldn't have caused such apprehension if it wasn't for the fact that I had visited once. Colby was the third school I visited on my college tour; I had spent two hours there and one night total in Waterville. Not to mention, it was in the middle of a heat wave in July. It's almost ironic to think about now, with the snow piled up against the sidewalks and winter winds regaling in my face. Regardless, the two hours I spent there slammed me with the feeling of home, the idea that I could and wanted to spend four years of my life there. I was uncertain, but I learned that maybe trusting my gut feeling was most important after all.

I attended a very academically elite high school, and as a senior I was very concerned with what my family, friends, teachers, and councelors expected of me, perhaps more than my own happiness. However, as a college freshman at Colby, I would have told myself a year ago not to let external pressures influence your college decision. I think the most important part of the college search is finding the school that makes you the happiest. While academics, athletics, and arts are all important factors, the students who excel the most in college are those who are mentally happy. I would have told myself earlier in the college process to chose a school for the people, the opportunities, and the experience. When I finally realized that I should choose a school for more than its presitge and reputation, I made one of the best decisions of my life.

Dear Self, Don't be afraid of what college has in store for you. You'll be exposed to a whole new world of things you never even knew existed, & you'll be subjected to a lot of things that might make you feel unsure or uncomfortable. The transition won't be hard - you're pretty well academically prepared, & you'll meet some of the most brilliant people who will teach you incredible things, &, amazingly, get to know you on a first-name basis. Don't shy away from activities - dive right in to what you love, & try something new. You'll make great friends who share your passions & who'll teach you as well. Choose classes that you'll enjoy - you're spending four years of your life & more money than you'd like to admit on this endeavor, so make sure you like what you're doing, even if it ends up being different from your initial plan. Don't be afraid to stray from your original path & learn something new. But most importantly, be yourself. Never lose track of who you are, & you'll get more out of college than you could ever know. Love, Me

Make sure to visit the colleges you are looking at and speak to students who already go there if you have the chance. You want the college you go to to be a place where you can feel comfortable eating, sleeping, studying, and making friends in. If you do not think you will be able to survive at a school, take it off your list but remember that you set the standards for yourself and that if you want to do something then you can, just have faith.

There are a few rudimentary items on the "checklist" in the heads of all college-browsers: closeness to home, available majors, cost, dorms, activities, etc. Of course, all of these areas are important, and everybody has their own view on what the perfect college should and shouldn't have, but I think the most important thing is the general feel of the campus to the student. Students, when you are considering schools, make sure you visit ALL of them! Here is why: You need to stand on that campus and really decide if it feels like home to you. Can you picture yourself being happy just walking around campus? After all, that is where you will spend the majority of your next two or four years. If you can truly answer that question, the rest will just fall into place. As far as the parents go, guide your student by suggesting colleges and helping them gather information, but don't pressure or persuade them. When they find their home-away-from-home, embrace that home with them.

It's all about how you feel when you step on campus - talk with some of the professors and students while you're there and ask them what they think about the school - and go in with an open mind! Some schools may surprise you!

Know that, wherever you end up, you will meet interesting people and have great experiences, just some might be different than others. Don't be afraid to branch out when looking at schools, especially in terms of location and such. I wish I had. Understand that college is really expensive, and that students at the so called "selective" private schools are (largely) there because of money, something many of them have no concept of. If you are offered a free ride, take it? the lack of stress you'll have from not being in debt is worth the possibility that you may be attending a less fancy school. Above all, go with your gut. Again, I wish I had...

It is important for the student to do some soul searching and figure out what it is that you want from his/her school. Most schools have fairly good academic departments but it is more important for a student to step outside of what they are used to and try something different. Its four years that will shape the rest of your life. So learn as much as you possibly can during that time and try to have fun. Interestingly enough its not always about the grade because its the experiences that will stay with us forever.

My best advice is that just like in love there is no one perfect person for another, you/your child will have an opportunity to succeed and be happy at a myriad of instituions. So, in short, don't put too much presure on yourself to get into one single school.