Colby Trail

Setting out on the Colby Trail will begin your immersion in our campus community. It all starts the summer before your first semester, with the ‘News From the Trail’ e-newsletter and the New Mule Orientation. Then, you will arrive on campus to complete the in-person Orientation and participate in COOT, Colby’s Outdoor Orientation Trip. 

Once the dust has settled and you start to find your rhythm, you will begin the First-Year Experience (FYE). The FYE is an educational experience for all Colby first-year students. The FYE entails meeting in-person with a small cohort of other first-year students, with guidance from a staff facilitator and student leader. This pair of staff and student co-facilitators will lead discussions and activities focused on building essential academic skills, wellness practices, social connections, and understanding of Colby resources. 

These in-person meetings will occur every other week during your first semester, for five total sessions. In between these in-person meetings, during the alternate weeks, you and other first-year students will attend campus events or programs of your choosing, with guidance from your cohort’s student leader about happenings on campus and how they could fulfill the FYE requirements.  

Completing the FYE requirement will involve participating in all 5 in-person meetings, and attending at least 5 campus events during the respective weeks throughout the Fall Semester.  For each campus event or program you attend, you will be asked to submit a short reflection on what you learned. 

• 5 In-Person Meetings: Scheduled sessions with your FYE cohort every other week, led by your staff and student co-facilitators. 
• 5 Campus Events & Reflections: During the alternate weeks, when you are not meeting in-person with your FYE cohort, you will choose an educational event to attend on campus. For each event, you will submit a short reflection.
• 10 Total Weeks of the FYE
  
  

As part of the FYE, you will also receive education in Sexual Violence Prevention (SVP), and harm reduction related to alcohol and substance use (eCHECKUP TO GO). Apart from being a graduation requirement for all Colby students, completing the FYE will help ease your adjustment to college life, with peer mentorship and staff support, critical information, and resources essential to thriving at Colby.