Arvia College Profile

As a sun-worshipping Californian accustomed to two-digit temperatures, Colby was the last place I expected to go to college. This little gem of a college, tucked away in the snow-capped peaks of Maine, initially seemed like a crazy choice for a Caligirl like me. Besides, my friends scoffed, what would you do in Maine? It’s a frozen tundra of nothingness!

After I flew up to visit Colby, however, I discovered that Maine was not at all a frozen tundra of nothingness—it was frozen tundra of enchantment and midnight sledding escapades and fantastic fun. After a semester at Colby, I would also like to add that it is only an occasionally frozen tundra—Maine does enjoy temperatures above 50 degrees and my shorts and flip-flops have recently seen the light of day.

For those planning on venturing out into the east coast, Colby College is worth a look-see. As a small liberal arts college in Maine, it often falls under the Arcadia radar—but not for want of prestige or academic caliber. As a first-tier LAC, Colby certainly has both; more importantly, however, it has a sparkling intellectual climate fueled by bright and well-rounded students. Sportiness and smarts are characteristic of the typical Colby kid—in fact, one of my first memories of Colby involves passionately discussing religion with a classmate…as we were hiking down a mountain. (I do not advise trying this at home—I was so mentally engaged that I kept on forgetting not to walk into trees)

Said experience took place during COOT (Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip), a weeklong program that takes place prior to the start of the semester. First-years are essentially thrust into the wilderness—or into a mall for less intense (see: “weaksauce”) programs like “Shopping COOT”—and forced to bond with a group of strangers for a week. Yes, it is mildly uncomfortable at first. After a while, however, scaling up mountains, setting up tents, swimming in lakes, and toasting S’mores over a campfire together will diffuse any initial awkwardness. By the end of the week, you effectively have a group of friends to help ease your transition into college.

However, making friends at Colby is hardly difficult. With a notoriously friendly population and abundant opportunities to meet new people, Colby is generally a warm and happy place to live in. (Here, not holding the door open for people is tantamount to a criminal offense) With a variety of clubs—from talented acapella groups to the magnificent & oh-so-sexy Colby Dancers (I’m in it; can you tell?) to the sushi-making Asian Cultural Society (which I was desperately recruited for, as one of the few Asians on campus) to the Quidditch team—Colby offers many diverse and loving communities to become a part of. If all else fails, participation in a spontaneous snowball fight will win you some pals. (No seriously, allow someone to pummel you with snow and you’ll be bonded for life)

In addition, the classroom also provides fantastic opportunities to make friends. With such a small population, the classroom experience tends to be highly intimate—our largest class probably has no more than 50 people. Consequently, you truly get to know the people around you. Oftentimes classmates become so comfortable with one another that there is no limit to the ridiculous shenanigans that will ensue—like running around dressed as Pokemon on weekends and belting out Japanese songs in the hallways (True stories. My Japanese class is absurd). You are also given the chance to personally know the professors, often to the point that classroom field trips to their houses are not out of the question.

The classes themselves tend to be rigorous, but Colby students are strong supporters of the motto “Work hard, play hard”. Admittedly, at a school where beer pong is a rite of passage, weekends can get somewhat crazy—but you’ll find the library once again filled with diligent students come Sunday morning.

Ultimately, this Californian girl finds that her heart has been captured by little, snowy Colby College. I’m not entirely sure when I fell so madly in love. Perhaps it was the first time I went sledding down Chapel Hill. Or maybe it was when I noticed the prevalence of attractive white boys with a fondness for Asian girls. Or it could be the night our dining hall had a Harry Potter themed dinner. Whatever the reason, my opinion is still the same: Colby is practically perfection incarnate. Practically. The only thing needed to make this paradise complete is some boba. And maybe a Panda Express.

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As a sun-worshipping Californian accustomed to two-digit temperatures, I never expected to end up at Colby. This little gem of a college, tucked away in the snow-capped peaks of Maine, initially seemed like a crazy choice for a Caligirl like me. Besides, my friends scoffed, what would you do in Maine? It’s a frozen tundra of nothingness!
After I flew up to visit Colby, however, I discovered that Maine was not at all a frozen tundra of nothingness—it was a frozen tundra of enchantment, midnight sledding escapades, and fantastic fun. After a semester, I would also like to add that it is only occasionally a frozen tundra—Maine does enjoy temperatures above 50 degrees and my shorts and flip-flops have recently seen the light of day.
For those planning on venturing out to the East Coast, Colby College is worth a visit. As a small liberal arts college, Colby has a great intellectual climate fueled by bright and well-rounded students. Athleticism and smarts are characteristic of the typical Colby kid—in fact, one of my first memories of Colby involves passionately discussing religion with a classmate while hiking down a mountain. (I do not advise trying this—I was so mentally engaged that I kept on forgetting not to walk into trees)
Said experience took place during the Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip (COOT), a weeklong program prior to the start of the semester. First-years are essentially thrust into the wilderness—or into a mall for less intense (see: “weaksauce”) programs like “Shopping COOT”—and forced to bond with a group of strangers for a week. Yes, it is mildly uncomfortable at first. However, scaling up mountains, setting up tents, swimming in lakes, and toasting s’mores over a campfire together will diffuse any initial awkwardness. By the end of the week, you will have a group of friends to help ease your transition into college.
With a notoriously friendly population and abundance of opportunities to meet new people, Colby is generally a warm and happy place to live in (here, not holding the door open for people is tantamount to a criminal offense). With a variety of clubs—from the magnificent and oh-so-sexy Colby Dancers (I’m in it; can you tell?) to the sushi-making Asian Cultural Society (which I was desperately recruited for, being one of the few Asians on campus) to the Quidditch team—Colby offers many diverse and loving communities to be a part of. If all else fails, participation in a spontaneous snowball fight will win you some pals.
In addition, the classroom also provides fantastic opportunities to make friends. With such a small population, the classroom environment tends to be highly intimate—our largest class probably has no more than 50 people. Consequently, you truly get to know the people around you. Oftentimes classmates become so comfortable with one another that there is no limit to the ridiculous shenanigans that will ensue, like running around dressed as Pokemon on weekends or belting out Japanese songs in the hallways. You also have the chance to personally know the professors, often to the point that classroom field trips to their homes are not out of the question.
The classes themselves are rigorous, but Colby students are strong supporters of the motto “Work hard, play hard.” Weekends can get somewhat crazy, but you’ll find the library once again filled with diligent students come Sunday morning.
Ultimately, I find that my heart has been captured by little, snowy Colby College. I’m not entirely sure when I fell so madly in love. Perhaps it was the first time I went sledding down Chapel Hill. Or maybe it was when I noticed the prevalence of attractive white boys with a fondness for Asian girls. Or it could be the night our dining hall had a Harry Potter themed dinner. Whatever the reason, my opinion is still the same: Colby is practically perfection incarnate. Practically. The only thing needed to make this paradise complete is some boba. And maybe a Panda Express.

CUT 20 WORDS PLS :D
As a sun-worshipping Californian accustomed to two-digit temperatures, I never expected to end up at Colby. This little gem of a college, tucked away in the snow-capped peaks of Maine, initially seemed like a crazy choice for a Caligirl like me. “Besides,” my friends scoffed, “what would you do in Maine? It’s a frozen tundra of nothingness!”
After I flew up to visit Colby, however, I discovered that Maine was not at all a frozen tundra of nothingness—it was a frozen tundra of enchantment, midnight sledding escapades, and fantastic fun. After having already experienced a semester, I would also like to add that it is only occasionally a frozen tundra—Maine does enjoy temperatures above 50 degrees every now and then and my shorts and flip-flops have even recently seen the light of day.
For those planning on venturing out to the East Coast, Colby College is worth a visit. As a small liberal arts college, Colby has a great intellectual climate fueled by bright and well-rounded students. Athleticism and smarts are characteristic of the typical Colby kid—in fact, one of my first memories of Colby involves passionately discussing religion with a classmate while hiking down a mountain.
Said experience took place during the Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip (COOT), a weeklong program prior to the start of the semester. First-years are essentially thrust into the wilderness and forced to bond with a group of strangers. Yes, it is mildly uncomfortable at first. However, scaling up mountains, setting up tents, swimming in lakes, and toasting s’mores over a campfire together will diffuse any initial awkwardness. By the end of the week, you will have a great new group of friends to help ease your transition into college.
With a friendly population and abundance of opportunities to meet new people, Colby is generally a warm and happy place to live in (here, not holding the door open for people is tantamount to a criminal offense). With a variety of clubs—from the magnificent and oh-so-sexy Colby Dancers (I’m in it; can you tell?) to the sushi-making Asian Cultural Society (which I was desperately recruited for, being one of the few Asians on campus) to the Quidditch team—Colby offers many diverse and loving communities to be a part of.
In addition, the classroom also provides fantastic opportunities to make friends. With such a small population, the classroom environment tends to be highly intimate—our largest class probably has no more than 50 people. Consequently, you truly get to know the people around you. Oftentimes classmates become so comfortable with one another that there is no limit to the ridiculous shenanigans that will ensue, like running around dressed as Pokemon on weekends or belting out Japanese songs in the hallways. You also have the chance to personally know the professors, often to the point that classroom field trips to their homes are not out of the question.
Colby’s academic program offers students a well-rounded education and develops general intellectual and creative abilities. Although the term “liberal arts education” is still hotly debated at Colby, basically it means this: rather than emphasizing a specific course of study, a student’s coursework draws from a wide breadth of disciplines—philosophy, literature, the sciences, the arts, languages, mathematics, and so forth. By graduation, a Colby student must complete a set of “distribution requirements”—classes in all of the aforementioned fields. The pass/fail option is also available should a class prove too difficult and tutors are easily accessible and paid for by the school. The point is to push students to explore areas they might not initially be interested in, with minimal repercussions—you never know when you might learn something new about yourself.
Ultimately, I find that my heart has been captured by little, snowy Colby College. I’m not entirely sure when I fell so madly in love. Perhaps it was the first time I went sledding down Chapel Hill. Or maybe it was when I noticed the prevalence of attractive white boys with a fondness for Asian girls. Or it could be the night our dining hall had a Harry Potter-themed dinner. Whatever the reason, my opinion is still the same: Colby is practically perfection incarnate.

CUT 20 WORDS PLS

As a sun-worshipping Californian accustomed to two-digit temperatures, I never expected to end up at Colby. This little gem of a college, tucked away in the snow-capped peaks of Maine, initially seemed like a crazy choice for a Caligirl like me. “Besides,” my friends scoffed, “what would you do in Maine? It’s a frozen tundra of nothingness!”

After I flew up to visit Colby, however, I discovered that Maine was not at all a frozen tundra of nothingness—it was a frozen tundra of enchantment, midnight sledding escapades, and fantastic fun. After a semester, I would also like to add that it is only occasionally a frozen tundra—Maine does enjoy temperatures above 50 degrees and my shorts and flip-flops have recently seen the light of day.

For those planning on venturing out to the East Coast, Colby College is worth a visit. As a small liberal arts college, Colby has a great intellectual climate fueled by bright, well-rounded students. Athleticism and smarts are characteristic of the typical Colby kid—in fact, one of my first memories of Colby involves passionately discussing religion with a classmate while hiking down a mountain.

Said experience took place during the Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip (COOT), a weeklong program prior to the start of the semester. First-years are essentially thrust into the wilderness and forced to bond with a group of strangers. Yes, it is mildly uncomfortable at first. However, scaling up mountains, setting up tents, swimming in lakes, and toasting s’mores over a campfire together will diffuse any initial awkwardness. By the end of the week, you will have a new group of friends to help ease your transition into college.

With a friendly population and abundance of opportunities to meet new people, Colby is generally a warm and happy place to live in (here, not holding the door open for people is tantamount to a criminal offense). With a variety of clubs—from the magnificent and oh-so-sexy Colby Dancers (I’m in it; can you tell?) to the sushi-making Asian Cultural Society (which I was desperately recruited for, being one of the few Asians on campus) to the Quidditch team—Colby offers many diverse and loving communities to be a part of.

In addition, the classroom also provides fantastic opportunities to make friends. With such a small population, the classroom environment tends to be highly intimate—our largest class probably has no more than 50 people. Consequently, you truly get to know the people around you. Oftentimes classmates become so comfortable with one another that there is no limit to the ridiculous shenanigans that will ensue, like running around dressed as Pokemon on weekends or belting out Japanese songs in the hallways. You also have the chance to personally know the professors, often to the point that classroom field trips to their homes are not out of the question.

Colby’s academic program offers students a well-rounded education and develops general intellectual and creative abilities. Although the term “liberal arts education” is still hotly debated at Colby, basically it means this: rather than emphasizing a specific course of study, a student’s coursework draws from a wide breadth of disciplines—literature, languages, the sciences, the arts, mathematics, and so forth. By graduation, a Colby student must complete a set of “distribution requirements”—classes in all of the aforementioned fields. The pass/fail option is also available should a class prove too difficult, and tutors are easily accessible and paid for by the school. The point is to push students to explore areas they might not initially be interested in, with minimal repercussions—you never know when you might learn something new about yourself.

Ultimately, I find that my heart has been captured by little, snowy Colby College. I’m not entirely sure when I fell so madly in love. Perhaps it was the first time I went sledding down Chapel Hill. Or maybe it was when I noticed the prevalence of attractive white boys with a fondness for Asian girls. Or it could be the night our dining hall had a Harry Potter-themed dinner. Whatever the reason, my opinion is still the same: Colby is practically perfection incarnate.