Colby College

Academics

Fifty-three majors (and thirty-three minors) with biology, economics, and government graduating the highest percentage of students any given year are offered. The school has all the majors you would expect a school of its size and caliber to offer, from creative writing to Latin American studies to science, technology, and society. Students who don’t like to be put in boxes have the option of making their own box, with the Independent Major program, and every year a handful of individuals take advantage of that offer, to create personal majors in geography, medieval and renaissance studies, environmental education, or something else.

Core Requirements

Most students complete all but a handful of the ten or so classes in the distribution requirement by simply choosing classes they like, or by completing their major. For the nontechnically inclined student, the quantitative and lab science requirement can be a drag, but friendly faculty try to soften the blow by offering “Chemistry for Citizens” and “Mathematics as a Liberal Art,” for example. Keeping students on track to complete their requirements is one of the most important functions of the academic advisor.

Study Abroad

Around two-thirds of students study abroad in their junior year through the Office of Off-campus Studies. While programs have to be preapproved by the college, they range geographically from Mexico to Madagascar to Morocco. Study abroad has an amazing impact on the social lives of second-semester juniors and seniors. But it also splits the junior class and, for students going abroad in different semesters, makes it hard to stay in touch with friends. Overall, the program is a very positive one, but, like anything, it comes at some costs.

Colby maintains its own study-abroad programs at universities in Dijon, France, and Salamanca, Spain. In addition, the Dijon and Salamanca programs are also open to entering first-years. Every year approximately forty first-years forgo their first semester at the college and instead study abroad. They come back for the January term having missed much of the freshman fall, but also COOT2 (orientation), and everything else. While certainly not for everyone, the freshman study-abroad program is well attended and well liked, and part of what sets the school apart from the pack.

COOT2

Another thing that sets the college apart is the Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip (COOT also stands for Colby On-campus Orientation Training, hence the 2). Though the program has seen some changes in the last few years, the core components remain. Student leaders take small groups of first-years out into the wilderness that is Maine’s true natural resource, go from somewhere to somewhere else, and create lasting bonds in the process. There are rigorous trips backpacking in the Mahoosuc Mountains, and there are somewhat slower trips, floating down the Saco River. Other COOT2 trips offered include trail work, community service, sailing, rock climbing, and theater.

Integrated Studies

The integrated studies program is a structured way of taking related classes, most often as a first-year student. In the Green Cluster, for example, students take environmental ethics, environmental literature, and biodiversity. Integrated studies clusters last one semester, and most students who take them thoroughly enjoy the connections they make. That said, they do not form a big part of the curriculum and exist largely on the periphery. Recent clusters have been: America in the Postwar World: 1945–1970; The World of Ancient Greece: Passions, Poets, Philosophers; and Death in the Renaissance.

January Semester

The January term usually known as Jan Plan, is one of the things that makes the school unique. Though it shortens winter break considerably, Jan Plan allows students to do whatever they can think of, as long as they can find a valid academic reason for doing it. Professors offer intensive classes in everything from volcanology to photography. Some students take requirement-fulfilling classes, while others take classes not offered during the normal school year, such as furniture making or blacksmithing. Each year, a few lucky students travel abroad with Jan Plan programs to teach music in India, learn about the Chinese economy hands on, or work on biology projects in Costa Rica. Otherwise busy students take advantage of guitar or voice lessons, and many opt to get off campus. Jan Plan is an optimal time for a short internship, or an independent project. In recent years, more than one student has made a ski movie, and two roommates who had decided not to study abroad took the month to ride the length of Vietnam on a Soviet motorbike. Recent internship locations include Comedy Central, the Maryland State House, and the headquarters of the New England Patriots. Jan Plan is what one makes it (though faculty approval is needed). Students must complete three approved Jan Plans to graduate.

Public Affairs and Civil Engagement

The Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civil Engagement sponsors lectures, lunches, and student projects, but for a lot of students, civil engagement goes far beyond that. The Volunteer Center boasts 160 volunteers and sends students to where they’re needed in the community. During 2007–08, 190 students contributed more than 3,800 hours to community organizations through the Volunteer Center, and 200 students participated in one-day service events. Three hundred students mentored children through Colby Cares About Kids (CCAK), and 483 students participated in 25 civic engagement courses. Altogether, students contributed more than 29,000 hours of service to local communities.