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You should fill out this Transfer Credit Form that’s posted on the Registrar’s website. Turn the form into the Registrar’s Office before you take your transfer course. Once your course is completed, have an official transcript sent from the institution to the Colby Registrar.
Yes, if you are switching majors you will automatically be assigned a new academic advisor in your appropriate department. If you have a particular field of study you think is better suited to a specific professor, you can talk to your department chair about switching advisors. If you have a personal concern and would like to switch advisors, make an appointment with your class dean or the Registrar’s Office.
Email the professor! Professors get to prioritize their own waitlists, so they are your best chance of getting into a class during the add/drop period. You can also ask them for suggestions of other courses that are similar to their own.
You can withdraw from a course up until the withdrawal deadline and will receive a W or a WF depending on your performance in the course. After the drop deadline, in order to drop a course and remove it from your transcript, you will need to petition the Administrative Committee for an exception to college policy. Only students with a medical need or other serious extenuating circumstances should petition for this exception.
Go to office hours! The best thing to do if you get an academic warning is to talk to your professor one-on-one as soon as possible. They can tell you how to get back on track in their class. You can also schedule a meeting with your class dean for extra academic resources or holistic support resources if there are non-academic issues affecting your class performance.
If your GPA goes below a 2.0, you’ll be placed on academic probation for one semester. While on probation, you’ll meet with your class dean regularly to discuss your academic progress and access any resources you might need. If your GPA falls below a 1.7, you will be up for a one-year academic dismissal and should talk to your class dean ASAP about the process.
In most cases of academic negligence, your professor will assign you an online plagiarism module to complete that reviews concepts of academic integrity. This module takes approximately two hours to complete. A note of academic negligence will remain on file in case of repeat offenses, which could then escalate to academic dishonesty charges.
If you’ve been accused of academic dishonesty, the first thing to do is meet with the Academic Integrity Coordinator, who can walk you through the steps of the Academic Review Board (ARB) process. Before the ARB hears your case, you’ll also want to meet with the Director of Community Values for advice on how to frame your statement. You might also want to meet with your class dean to discuss the circumstances around the incident and make a plan for the potential consequences of the ARB’s findings.
You should take as many of your distribution requirements as possible your first and sophomore years. During those two years, you have priority registration for most distribution requirement classes. It will be much harder to find open seats in these classes your junior and senior years, and you will want to save space in your schedule for senior seminars and honors classes.
You should plan to declare a major before the end of your sophomore year.
Yes, you can get academic credit for an internship! You will need the support of a faculty sponsor (not necessarily your advisor), who will work with you to create an academic project that dovetails with your internship work. You will still need to have your internship approved through DavisConnects.
Students must be enrolled in at least 12 credits per semester. Any fewer is considered part-time status and impacts a student’s access to housing, extracurricular activities, meal plans, and financial aid.
You can request to over-enroll in up to 23 credits with approval from your academic advisor and the Dean of Studies. This is not recommended for any student and will not be granted for students on academic probation or whose academic records show a history of difficulty successfully maintaining a 16-credit course load.
Yes, you can switch majors throughout your time at Colby, but you should always talk to your advisor or class dean before doing so. Your Colby grant is designed for you to graduate in eight semesters, so you need to be able to complete your major requirements in that time frame.
You can study abroad your fall semester of senior year. All seniors are required to study in residency (at Colby, even if living off-campus) the second semester of their senior year.
DavisConnects is where the Office of Off-Campus study resides. Your Class Dean can also help you understand the process and what programs are pre-approved by Colby for off-campus study, globally or domestically.
You can talk with your class dean or Dr. Kevin Murray, the Director of Accommodations, to see if a Foreign Language Modification plan is right for you.
Yes, you can transfer up to 64 credits from other institutions (including study abroad programs). You need to have these transfer credits pre-approved by your academic advisor and the chair of the Colby department that matches the subject area you want to study.
128 credits.
Yes, you must complete a major with a 2.0 GPA, be in residence your final semester, and fulfill all your major and distribution requirements, including 3 JanPlans, your 3-semester language requirement, and your wellness requirements.
Yes, you can place out of the foreign language requirement either partially or completely by proving proficiency. This should be handled either before you begin your first year at Colby or as soon as possible thereafter. Contact your class dean for more information.
No. You must take three semesters of increasing language competency. For example, 125, 126, and 127.
We recommend that you start your foreign language requirement by the second semester of your first-year.
That depends on the language! Some departments have language-intensive semesters abroad that will fulfill the requirement. Contact the chair of the department you’re interested in for more information.
The College’s Student Leave and Withdrawal Policy can be found here.
Students aren’t permitted to leave belongings in hallways, as this is considered a fire hazard. Facilities staff will regularly clear hallways of discarded possessions and will typically leave them in common areas and trunk rooms. You can email [email protected] with questions, but they do not store or confiscate personal items.
You can call Security’s main line at 207-859-5530.
If this is an emergency, call the emergency line at 207-859-5911.
If you need to speak to the Counselor-on-Call, please call 207-859-4900 and press “0”. If you need to leave a voicemail, the Counselor-on-Call will reach out to you ASAP.
First, it’s a good idea to contact your Community Advisor to discuss your situation. They may have suggestions for mediation, or they may suggest you escalate your concern to the Area Resident Director (ARD) above them. Your ARD will be able to either troubleshoot or take your concerns to the appropriate individual in the Housing Office.
Kate Smanik is the Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life on campus and supports a wide range of faiths and observances. She is a confidential resource and offers one-on-one guidance as well as community resources.
Safety and supportive measures can be put into place by the Confidential Title IX advocate or the Title IX Coordinator. Some safety and support measures require a report and some do not.
Parties have the right to have their advisor at all meetings and interviews with the investigator, Title IX coordinators and other officials involved in the Title IX process, as well as the live hearing. Until the hearing, parties are responsible to secure their own advisors. If a party does not have an advisor for the hearing, the College must appoint one for the party, at the College’s cost. An advisor can be, but does not have to be, an attorney.
If you have questions about resources or options please reach out to Emily Schusterbauer (207-859-4266), Title IX Coordinator.
If you are worried about a peer, you can start by reaching out to your class dean for assistance. They will help you understand the support available on campus and can reach out to the student you are concerned about to offer support.
If you think you need a medical leave of absence, contact your class dean right away. Medical leaves can be taken at any point during the semester but do require some documentation on your part. If you’d like to take a personal leave of absence to pursue an internship or other exciting opportunity, you’ll need to submit that request to your class dean by either May 1st or December 1st of the semester preceding your leave.
No, Health Services does not provide sick notes to students. You can, however, sign a release of information form at Health Services, and they will call your Class Dean if you have a medically urgent need to miss class or an exam.
Call 207-859-4490 and press “0” to bypass the recording and be connected directly to a counselor 24/7. During business hours, you can also walk to Garrison Foster and make an appointment with the Counseling Center located on the second floor.
Contact your professor! Neither the Dean of Studies Office nor the Health Center provide excused absences. However, if you visit the Health Center and sign a Release of Information form, they will call your class dean regarding your medical needs, and your class dean can communicate this to your professors on your behalf. You should review your professor’s course policies to see how medical absences are handled.
While “hate speech” is considered a different threat level than a “bias incident,” it can sometimes be difficult to tell where the line is drawn. You can make reports of disturbing incidents to Emily Schusterbauer, the Bias Incident and Response Team chair, and she can guide you through the process of filing either a bias report or a conduct report. Emily is a confidential resource.
The Dean of Studies Office maintains a limited supply of refurbished laptop computers. First-year students with specific financial aid eligibility will be contacted directly by the Dean of Studies Office to determine their need for laptop computer support. All other students requesting laptop support will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Student Success and Support Case Manager. All Colby students are able to use computer labs across Colby campus, or borrow a laptop computer for two weeks from the Colby Libraries. the Colby Libraries.
Colby College is committed to supporting all of our students and providing educational access and opportunity regardless of a student’s financial background. In pursuit of this goal, the Student Success and Support Case Manager will work with students on a case-by-case basis to identify and connect them with available resources to help alleviate pressing situations that can interfere with academic success. Students can meet with the Case Manager and work together to determine what support and resources will help them continue to thrive at Colby.
If you think you may have a learning difference, contact Kevin Murray, Director of Accommodations, to be scheduled for neuropsych testing. Students on financial aid will have their testing expenses covered by the College. If you already have documentation of your neurodivergence or accommodation need, you can apply for and maintain your accommodations through the Accommodations website.
The Colby College Resource Guide contains information about relevant Colby departments to help you navigate the campus and the various offices that are here to support you.
Colby College, Student Life
5300 Mayflower Hill
Waterville, ME 04901-8853
