Colby College Welcomes the Student Explorer

I am thrilled that Dominick's first semester at Colby has gone so well. An outdoorsman dedicated to sustainability, an artist, and exceptional student, he was a natural for this hilltop Maine haven with its wildlife preserve and enthusiasm for sports (especially winter ones), world-class art professors and museum, and intellectual excellence and innovation.

"Say you’ve always had a quirk. Maybe your choice of clothing comes from a closet different than everyone else's. Maybe your peculiar passion instills a frisson of excitement few others seem to understand. The point is, in high school, quirks can be ostracizing, especially when most students are striving to be considered normal. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be accepted; yet when someone conforms to a standard, they tend to lose sight of what makes them stand out. And in many cases, what makes a person stand out might be what that person cares most about.

At Colby, I was pleasantly surprised to see that quirks are celebrated. Talking about Halloween costumes with an upperclassman revealed this phrase: “Wear something different. The weirder the better. Embrace the weird!” So far, Colby has done a fantastic job of welcoming all sorts of skills and experiences and interests. The best part is, people there are curious, so they will ask you about any knowledge you might have to share. Thus, Colby isn’t just a place where people aimlessly flaunt their idiosyncrasies about; rather, it is a place where differences and hobbies are explored, with the goal of expanding personal growth, and deepening community ties.

Personally, I’ve found my love of fly fishing to be more widely accepted at Colby than it was in high school. I have also become more proud of it, since it seems that people have a genuine desire to learn about my passion, and respect me for caring so much about it.

If you have something you know you love, and want to go someplace where most of your peers will support you in your further exploration of that thing, Colby could be a good fit. At the same time, if you want to start looking for something you might love, Colby is a place that would allow you to surround yourself with hundreds of eager-to-share, wanting-to-help students who can begin to give you some ideas."