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Colby College
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Inside Scoop

Quick Stats

School Slang
  • Beer Die: Colby’s own drinking game that involves stolen tables, dice, and plastic cups
  • Beirut: A popular drinking game. It’s a lot like Beer Die, except with ping-pong balls instead of dice.
  • Bob’s: Short for Robert’s Union, the building that houses a dining hall, the campus bookstore, student newspaper offices, and the campus radio station
  • Bro: William “Bro” Adams, Colby's president; he even calls himself Bro.
  • Buck Fates: A clever play on words used in reference to Bates College, which is Colby’s biggest rival
  • CAs: Community Advisers; they keep the dorms running smoothly.
  • The Co-op: The first-floor rooms of Mary Low. They have a kitchen, and residents can get the 100-meal-per-semester meal plan.
  • COOT: Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip. Before starting classes, freshmen are thrown into the Maine wilderness for a little less than a week.
  • Cotter: Cotter Union, the student center
  • The Digest: Refers both to the Digest of General Announcements and the Digest of Civil Discourse, which are e-mails Colby students get every day. On the Digest of General Announcements, students can post information about upcoming events, lost-and-found items, and needed rides. The Digest of Civil Discourse is a place where people can bring up things that bother them and argue a lot.
  • The Echo: The student newspaper
  • The Fishbowl: A study area in Cotter Union
  • Frat row: The row of small dorms lining the walkway between the library and Bob’s. They used to be fraternity housing. Its real name is Roberts Row, but everyone still calls it frat row.
  • The Hill: Mayflower Hill, where Colby is located
  • Jan Plan: January Program, or the time of year when you have class for eight hours a week and drink or ski the rest of the time
  • PCB: Pugh Community Board, which manages Colby's multicultural clubs
  • The Pub: Marchese Blue Light Pub, an on-campus pub open only to students 21 or older
  • SGA: Student Government Association
  • The Spa: No, you can’t get your nails done at the Spa. The Joseph Family Spa offers non-dining hall food on campus. It’s open when the dining halls aren’t and has good food that you actually have to pay for.
  • SPB: Student Programming Board, which plans things like concerts, lectures, and dances
  • The Street: A big hallway underneath Miller Library. It’s full of couches to study (or nap) on, is open 24 hours, and is always heated, making it a nice way to avoid the cold in the winter.
Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School
  • Freshmen can have cars on campus.
  • It’s totally not weird to talk to random people in the first week of classes—in fact, that’s how you’ll make the most new and lasting friendships.
  • The airport’s an hour and a half away.
  • The work will be hard but is well worth it.
  • Two things that could be potentially nerdy and aren’t: pearls and chem-free living.
  • Waterville is not a typical college town, and it’s not too close to campus.
Tips to Succeed
  • Don’t be afraid of the professors—they’re good resources.
  • Don’t be afraid of the upperclassmen—they’re your most valuable resource.
  • Go to office hours or after-class study sessions.
  • Read the Digest. Or at least skim it.
  • Work hard but also relax.
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Colby Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Inside Scoop at Colby College

byzantium

Economics '15

4.6
A

Great Academics, Janplan, S****y Parties

Academics are great. Professors are very accessible and encourage you to come to office hours. Janplan (1 month term in january designed for internships and independent study) is Awesome! great opportunity for interships or just to chill on campus with an easy class. Lack on housing near by makes for s****y parties. Mostly happen in senior apartments, so if you're an underclassman not on a sports team and not a girl, tough luck.

Mar 13, 2012

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Inside Scoop at Colby College

stubbornasamule

Mathematics & Statistics '15

4.6
A

I've Only Ever Been to One College

so I'm not really sure what sets it apart.

It's a small school, so obviously don't come here if you don't want your professors knowing your name and holding you personally accountable. And if seeing someone you know when you walk into a dining hall is something that bothers you, you should also stay away.

Frankly, I don't think there is a humongous difference between Colby, Bates, etc. If you choose this type of school, then you should know what you're getting yourself into. But, it's really what you personally make of it. Colby's a great place to go to college though. The only unhappy people here are the ones who clearly didn't understand that it's a small, rural school before they showed up.

Mar 01, 2012

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Inside Scoop at Colby College

thewackness

North American Studies '13

4.2
A-

The Career Center

Colby really can prepare you for the workforce! The career center and alumni connections are amazing. If you do not like the social scene, suck it up and study hard because you will be successful later on. Colby is not an accurate representation of what the real world is but they can get you employed! Also, they give you tons of study abroad opportunities so definitely get off campus!

Mar 02, 2011

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User rating for Colby College - Inside Scoop is 4.6 out of 5 based on 11 user reviews.

Facts

Traditions
  • Cafeteria Tray Sledding: Colby is situated on a big hill in the middle of Maine, so obviously sledding is popular here. While people get creative about coming up with things to sled on, your Colby College experience isn’t complete until you’ve stolen a cafeteria tray and slid down Chapel Hill. Be careful—trays go really, really fast.
  • Doghead: Doghead is a huge party that takes place the weekend closest to St. Patrick’s Day. It’s usually held at an off-campus house, and people wake up as early as 4 a.m. to start drinking. One year, the police heard in advance about the party, and it was cancelled, but the party just ended up moving on campus. Everyone still started drinking before breakfast and partied all weekend.
  • Loudness: The first and last weekend of each semester are called Loudness weekends. Bands perform and activities are planned. The first Loudness is especially great because classes are just starting, and no one is too bogged down in homework yet. The end-of-semester Loudnesses typically feature stress-busting activities to help people get through finals.
  • The Miller Steps: The steps leading to Miller Library are a symbolic beginning and end to life at Colby. One of the first things new students do, after dumping all their stuff into their dorm rooms and meeting their roommate, is go to the steps with their parents to listen to a welcome to Colby speech. Commencement ceremonies also take place on the steps.
  • Mr. Colby: This is an amazingly well-attended beauty pageant featuring men rather than women. Mr. Colby is a great opportunity for the guys of Colby to show of all their assets (especially their senses of humor). Runners-up are crowned Mr. Bates and Mr. Bowdoin.
Urban Legends There is a blue light on top of Miller Library, and according to Colby myth, the light will only go out when a virgin graduates.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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