Where Are We

Colby's location is one of its strongest assets—particularly if Maine and Maine's inevitable winters appeal to you. But for some prospective students, the northern latitude is cause for concern. The fact is, winters are usually worse in the retelling than in the living. (It doesn't really go to "two and a half feet below zero" as a retired meteorology professor claims.) Maine's climate is much closer to central Massachusetts' or upstate New York's than to Minnesota's. The campus, just off Interstate 95, is more accessible and wired to the world than you might think.

	Colby		Middlebury		Amherst
	avg high	avg precip	avg high	avg precip	avg high	avg precip
November	47°	4.20"	45°	3.20"	52°	3.80"
December	34°	3.60"	32°	2.70"	38°	3.70"
January	31°	3.60"	28°	2.00"	34°	3.20"
February	34°	2.40"	31°	1.80"	38°	2.90"
March	43°	3.20"	42°	2.30"	47°	3.20"

Students live on what is widely hailed as one of the nation's most beautiful campuses—714 acres overlooking Waterville (population 16,000) and the Kennebec River valley. Downtown, Main Street features cafés, a community center that includes The Maine Made Shop and theater venues, and one of New England's best independent theaters (Railroad Square Cinema), not to mention other shops, restaurants, and services.

Then in every direction is Maine. All within an hour's drive are the Belgrade Lakes, where Colby owns three tracts of land on the water; the Appalachian mountains, (including Sugarloaf ski area); nightlife, culture, and professional sports teams in Portland; a shopper's paradise in Freeport; Camden and the coast; and the state capital and its malls just 15 miles away. A bit farther afield there's Acadia National Park and the "forever wild" Mt. Katahdinin Baxter State Park.

Most important, Colby's location and the climate are part and parcel of the extraordinary campus atmosphere that helps define the College community. The Colby experience revolves around relationships—with peers and with professors. Bonds of friendship begin even before first-year classes, on Colby Outdoor Orientation Trips (COOTs), and alumni will tell you they last a lifetime.