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.

All the professors I have met seem to know us by name, even in large classes. I don't participate much so I am surprised to hear them call me by name. They are very enthusiastic and passionate about their subjects, which makes classes a lot of fun. I like that the students are interested in what we're learning but aren't all caught up in GPA competition.

Most professors that you will have know your name, especially once you are out of the introduction level classes. Many professors will invite you to have dinner at their house, or at least call them at home if you are having trouble. Students at Colby at not competitive at all. In my physics class, we all end up working through the homework together, you want your friends to do well.

My "Listening to Music" class (MU111) began with my professor running from the back of the auditorium to the front, singing a female aria from the Marriage of Figaro. He is a man. And probably the coolest man I have ever met. Every lecture in his class was filled with humor, and just plain interesting material. He connected Blues Traveler to the Pachelbell Kannon, bringing amazingly disparate genres to life. That happened to be my largest class first semester (clocking in at right under 60) and also my favorite although it ran a close race to my English Seminar (gateway to the english major), rounding out at 12 people. Incidentally my MU111 professor has helped me sponsor a new dialogue house for next near called The Music and Arts House. It will be a dorm committed to fostering artistic creativity, from impromptu poetry readings to nightly music jams to wall painted murals. Most of my professors have shown the same willingness to help their students create and excel. Even in big classes (60), professors want to know your name. On average, class sizes are around 30 students however do everything you can to wheedle your way into a seminar class as a first year. The English Seminar (12 people) and Jazz History (15 people) have both been very intimate and well worth the effort it took to get in. I occasionally eat with my professors; we can take them into the dining halls for free. Sometimes my friends and I have even taken professors out to eat as a group. They are really interesting and very down to earth. Dinnertime conversations (with or without professors) range from current events to music to campus initiatives to how much pot the kids who live in Woodman/Foss smoke (likely without professors) to the newest administrative folly (definitely with professors).

Every professor knows my name and it is one of the most comforting things about Colby. Most professors see themselves as educators as well as researchers and genuinely want to see their students excel in classes.

Professors know everyone's name with in a few classes. Students are competetive but usually try to help eachother.

Professors know my first name, and often enough I call them by theirs. I don't say "Good morning, Professor Gordon," I say "Hey Jill." Sometimes we invite them to lunch, sometimes they invite us to dinner, sometimes they hang out at departmental pub nights or other relatively informal events where you get to see them argue with each other, which is one of the coolest things ever. You can frequently drop by their offices unannounced, whether or not it's class-related. Students with similar academic interests can have conversations that can seem foreign to others, and they can go on forever, but on the other side of the spectrum there isn't typically a ton of intellectual chatter between friends in wildly different majors, unless it's a relatively broad topic and/or the conversation doesn't delve too deeply. In any case, though, most people have an obvious passion for what they're majoring in, unless they're more invested in a particular extracurricular, which also happens.

professors almost always know their students names. sometimes i wonder about the hiring process (is there one?) a couple of really horrible professors kind of slip by and can really ruin a student's semester. for the most part (especially in the anthropology department) professors are really well informed, and also have a wide breadth of experience.

all of my professors have taken the time to learn my name (besides my least favorite class) best: french 1, painting (any), computer science 151 (and i'm not a math person), 17th century poetry. i have had great luck with professors and classes worst: astronomy (so FREAKING boring, and not because I wasn't interested! I've never heard such confusing, convoluted lectures in my life) students generally study a LOT lots of participation i have had some great conversations on intellectual topics outside of class competitiveness depends on the department. the computer science class was so different for me to take (i'm NOT that type of brain) but the professor understands that and still makes the material accessible and interesting my department is strong for its size, but still very small. there are not a lot of "different" opportunities for art students here. for example, I've discovered I would like to do design. There is no major for that here. not only is there no major, there are no CLASSES offered for that here. so i need to do that when i study abroad. i like the requirements. then again, I haven't done the science one yet... learning for its own sake, but with the idea that having a broad base of knowledge instead of pigeon-holing yourself is far more useful in life.

-Yes, all of my professors know my name. -favorite class: cultural psychology. i absolutely love the professor and the material is so interesting. -least favorite class: chemistry. i took it over my freshman janplan to get rid of my lab science requirement and HATED it. -students study a LOT. the library is always full. -class participation is very common here, and usually essential. -I often have intellectual conversations outside of class with my friends. -major: psychology. for the most part, the department is great; we have some really wonderful professors. -i usually don't spend time with my professors outside of class, but i know that i could if i wanted to. -i think there are too many all-college requirements. students shouldn't feel pressured to be sure to get all of them in, especially since some majors and minors require so many on their own. for instance, i wanted to double major in psychology and spanish, but i don't have enough time to take all the classes i would need for the spanish major. and of course, there is no spanish minor (although i would definitely have enough courses to minor in the language). -i think some departments gear their students toward getting a job, but others are more geared toward learning for its own sake. for example: government and anthropology, respectively.

My professors do know my name. My favorite class is Presidential Economics. It is only offered every four years and the professor is excellent. There are only 18 students and it is just a great class to get involved in, ask questions in, and learn a lot in. Students study hours everyday. Class participation depends on the number of people in your class but it is common and professors promote student involvement. Colby students do have intellectual conversations outside of class especially with the upcoming election. Students are not that competitive with each other at Colby. The most unique class I have taken is Presidential Economics. My major is Economics and the professors are brilliant but very hard. I don't spend that much time outside of class with my professors. Colby's academic requirements are a little much even for a liberal arts school. The distribution requirements are quite a burden to some people. I feel that education at Colby has a little bit of both. A lot of professors aim to prepare you for the world outside Colby, while other professors really enjoy teaching and watching students learn.

All of my professors know my name. favorite class- vector calc, and multivariable calc, the main reason for this is because of the professor, otto bretcher. he is the best math teacher i have ever had. office hours are always a good time with him, and when you put in the effort to see him and understand the material, he puts the effort back in to making sure you get it. i also like math, i know im a nerd. there are a lot of professors like otto though. they are all open to seeing you in office hours, and you always get the most out of classes you put a lot into so thats one of the really great things about the professors here. least favorite class- research methods and statistics- a requirement as a psych major. why should i have to memorize all these things when i will never do them by hand in real life, and i will always have something to reference. not to mention lecturing about anova tables is an incredible boring thing to sit through for an hour and fifteen minutes. students study a lot. there is a big range (from never to all the time) but for the most part students fill the libraries on sunday afternoons to get stuff done for the upcoming week, but come friday and saturday, its break time and there will be very few kids hanging around the lib. class participation is common in conversation based classes, not so much in lectures, but kids always ask questions. there have been some great discusions in some of my spanish, psych, and english courses and its really fun to leave a class feeling you have adequately discussed an issue. also colby brings in a lot of cool lecturers so sometimes those are fun to go to. there are definately the intellectual conversations outside of class... you can only talk about yourself and the weekend so much. a lot of times my friends and i will bring up cool things we were talking about in class, for example the other day in my cognitive psych class we were asked to write scripts and schemas for a typical blind date, road trip, and the perfect wedding proposal, and the responses that we talked about in class were so interesting that i was really excited to share what we had done in class with my friends. unique class-drugs, brain, and behavior- it was a psych class and it was soo cool to see how drugs actally affected you pysically which caused the side-effects that are visible in behavior and actions. it was a great class. the academic requirements make me take courses i otherwise wouldnt have thought to take, which is nice because you are exposed to lots of different areas of academics and that is kind of the point of a liberal arts education.

Because I am one of the only minorities in all of my classes it is hard for any of my Professors to forget or not know my name. My favorite classes thus far have been economics courses, one such class comes into mind and that is Professor Findlay's (Chair of the Economics Department)principles of macroeconomics course. He is the toughest professor in the economics department, but his class provided me with such amazing knowledge that I will apply today. He as well after class always met with me to go over the material which assisted immensely when exam time came around. As an International Studies major and a double minor in Economics and Chinese I find my self studying everyday for at least 6-7 hours. On the weekends, I usually give myself 2 hours to relax but other than that I am constantly studying which I love because the classes that I am taking are interesting and the material that I am assigned force me to think in various ways.

My favorite class was Fiction 1 with Adrian Blevins - I never wanted the class period to end. Adrian was an absolute riot, and my fellow amateur writers were also extremely hilarious. I laughed until it hurt almost every class, but I still learned an incredible amount about writing. Students study ALL THE TIME. I should be studying right now. Thanks, survey. Most classes are very discussion-based, so participation is essential. Students have intellectual conversations outside of class, but they usually sneak up on us. One minute we're talking about Britney Spears, the next we're talking about the connections between sex and death in German literature. We're students, so of course we're prone to discuss intellectual things, but we don't purposely have "intellectual discussions" to show off to one another. Students are competitive with themselves, not each other. It's a cliche, but in this case, it's true. Both of my departments are on the small side, so I know all of the professors really well - even the ones with whom I haven't taken many (or any) classes. In many respects, we're like happy little families who have the fortune of not having to live together. The purpose of Colby's education is what you make of it. I chose to make my Colby education about learning for its own sake, which means that I am really only suited for grad school after graduation. However, I am VERY well-suited for grad school and have already been accepted by several top schools. Other students take more practical approaches to their Colby education (*cough* Econ majors *cough*).

The academics are better than I expected- I went to a private high school where a lot of kids went to ivy league or similar institutions and had friends who used Colby as a "safety school," so before I came here I felt like Colby might just be an average college. I found, though, that the academics were challenging and kids are really intelligent and curious about what they are learning. Professors here generally really like it when students come in to meet with them, which is nice and definitely one of the best things about going to such a small school.

great professors who are here to teach not do research. they are available and more than willing to help. intelligent students, although there are some who like to hear themselves talk.

Professors know my name. The math teachers are particularly fun. Students study as often as they need to, which can very from not much at all to hours on end. The students are competitive, but only with themselves. Class participation is common, and students have intellectual conversations outside of class. The most unique class I have taken would probably SP127, because while the course is common, we were able to study in Ecuador for the month that I took it. The physics department is small, but defiantly serious. The academic requirements are good, although there are many more "joke classes" that can fulfill the natural science or quantitative reasoning requirements. The Colby education is geared towards learning for learning sakes, but I believe that a well educated person has a better chance of getting a job.

My professors absolutely know my name. And email address. And who I'm dating. Class sizes here are easily under 20 for the most part, and professors make a point of getting to learn students' names within the first few weeks and setting up appointments throughout the semester to see how you're doing. Every professor has office hours, and in my experience they're more than willing to come in outside of those hours if you need to see them sooner. If you're not in class, you get an email. Class participation is very common, and encouraged, since the class sizes are so small. I'd say that there's a fair amount of intellectual conversation that takes place outside of class. There certainly aren't kids out on the quad pontificating about political issues, but I think that I've witnessed a good amount of lunch table discussion about things not MTV related. Like most things, it honestly depends upon whose conversation you're overhearing. Overall I'd say that intellectual conversation outside of class certainly isn't discouraged or looked down upon. Outside of class, I see my professors mostly in their offices when I have questions about an assignment. However, taking professors out to lunch is a common practice at Colby, and you'll often see a student or group of students chilling with their professor in the dining hall or student center. I think that Colby's academic requirements are reasonable. They aim to give you a balanced experience of what the school has to offer, but not burden you with a ton of classes that make finishing your major impossible.

My largest class was a Chemistry lecture of 42 students. The teacher not only knew my name, but after the first exam, and after grading 85 exams, knew off the top of his head what I had to practice and work on in preparation for the next exam. Every professor here is required to hold office hours for help and questions every week. Students study for several hours every day, some days more than others, some students more than others. But I wouldnt say that some majors here are easier than others, because most students try to involve an extra major or minor, sometimes two. The academic requirements are reasonable, but could be a little more flexible.

Depending on the subject, you'll get a different perspective at Colby. For sciences, you often have to demonstrate an obvious, sincere interest in the material for the teacher to know you more than your face. Students study pretty often. The library is always packed, and you will almost always be able to find someone in the Street. (The bottom level of the library that students often walk through to get across campus.) Students can be competitive, but never in a harming way. Everyone just want to do the best they can possibly do. People often have intellectual conversations out side of class. It is not uncommon to walk by a table in one of the dining halls and hear people discussing politics, religion, or something from class. I have had lunch with professors several times, and call all of my professors by their first names.