Colby College
Colby sits on Mayflower Hill, a 714-acre campus of Georgian brick and white cupolas built from scratch in the 1930s above the mill town of Waterville, Maine. Everyone lives on campus — all four years, no exceptions — across 34 residence halls, and the first thing a new student does is leave: every first-year heads out on a COOT trip into the Maine woods before classes begin. The calendar is unusual too, with a January term wedged between semesters and a start date in early September.
What to wear in Waterville, month by month
This region runs from a humid late summer to a hard winter in about ten weeks. The mistake out-of-region families make is packing the whole year in August.
| Move-in (early Sept) | 50–75°F | Bright, dry Maine late summer — warm afternoons on the hill, genuinely cool nights. A fan covers the first couple of weeks; a fleece covers the evenings. |
| Sept–Oct | 36–66°F | The best stretch of the year: hard blue skies, cold mornings, and the Kennebec valley turning red and gold. A jacket and a real pair of shoes. |
| Nov–Dec | 18–40°F | Dark by 4 p.m., the first snow usually before Thanksgiving, and the hill catching wind from every direction. Full winter coat and boots by now. |
| Jan–Feb | 5–28°F | Deep central-Maine cold during Jan Plan — subzero mornings, packed snow, and skiing on the campus trails. Insulated boots, wool layers, and something that covers your face. |
| Mar–Apr | 24–52°F | Mud season: snowbanks shrinking, meltwater everywhere, and a slow grudging thaw into a very late spring. Waterproof boots earn their keep. |
What Colby College lets you bring
- A serious winter coat, snow boots, wool socks, gloves, and a hat — central Maine winters are long, and Colby grooms its own Nordic trails at Quarry Road
- A box or tower fan — most halls have no A/C, and personal air conditioners are prohibited, so a fan is the only option in a warm September
- Gear for COOT — every first-year does a Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip before classes, so pack broken-in shoes, a rain shell, and a daypack
- Rain boots and something waterproof — March and April are mud season on Mayflower Hill
- A UL-listed surge protector — extension cords without one aren't allowed
- Twin XL bedding (confirm your specific hall)
- UL/ETL power strip with a built-in circuit breaker — not a bare extension cord
- Damage-free wall hangings like Command strips — no nails or screws
- Low-draw LED desk and task lamps
- A fan, a reusable water bottle, and UL-listed electronics
- Open-coil / open-flame cooking: toasters, toaster ovens, air fryers, hot plates, electric grills, sandwich makers
- Candles, incense, wax warmers, and anything with an open flame
- Halogen lamps
- Extension cords without a breaker; outlet splitters and multi-plug adapters
- Space heaters and personal A/C units (unless your school provides/approves them)
- Hoverboards, e-scooters, e-bikes, and other e-mobility devices
- Weapons of any kind — including decorative — and fireworks
- Air conditioners of any type, and ceiling fans
- Refrigerators over 4.5 cubic feet
- Hot plates, toasters, toaster ovens, camp stoves, and grills of any kind
- Candles (even wickless), oil lamps, incense, and halogen lamps over 250 watts
- Non-LED string lights, and adhesive strip-lights stuck directly to the walls
- Space heaters, waterbeds, power tools, and any motorized vehicle including scooters and mopeds
These come from Colby College's official housing pages and cover the essentials plus the genuinely local rules. Double-check the current official guidance before you buy — policies and renovations change every year.
Getting your room at Colby College
- 01Mid-June
The housing application opens
Colby opens the new-student housing application on its StarRez housing portal the week of June 15, along with ADA, Title IX, gender-based, and religious/cultural accommodation requests.
- 02By July 15
Submit the application and roommate questionnaire
The application is due at noon Eastern on July 15, and includes the Roommate Matching Questionnaire about sleep, study, and cleanliness habits. Incoming first-years cannot request a specific roommate — the office does the matching.
- 03Late July
Get your hall and roommate
Assignments go out to first-years and transfers during the last week of July, with your hall, room, and roommate. Your campus mailing address posts to Workday in early August.
- 04September 3
Check in at the athletic center, then leave for COOT
First-year move-in is Thursday, September 3, 2026. Everyone reports first to the Harold Alfond Athletic & Recreation Center in an assigned arrival window between roughly 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. for their ID, keys, and orientation and COOT materials — then moves in and heads out on their Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip.
Where you'll live at Colby College
Where first-years live
Every Colby student lives on campus for all four years, and first-years are placed into one of thirteen residence halls by the Office of Residential Experience — you can't request a specific roommate, but the roommate-matching questionnaire drives the pairing. Theme-based options, including substance-free floors, are ranked on the same application.
The Hillside cluster below the main quad — doubles, triples, and quads, no A/C, and the densest concentration of first-years on campus. Social by design and a short walk to the Dana and Foss dining halls.
Colby's newest first-year housing — Jane Powers House, Jacqueline Núñez House, and Paula Crane Lunder House — built with air conditioning, per-room thermostats, and mechanical ventilation. Doubles and triples, and the only first-year buildings where a hot September is a non-issue.
The Georgian brick quads at the heart of campus — singles, doubles, and triples off traditional corridors, with common rooms and kitchenettes. No A/C, tall windows, and the view most people picture when they picture Colby.
The remaining first-year halls, all corridor-style with singles, doubles, and triples. Each has its own character and its own reputation, and none of them are air-conditioned.
Colby runs substance-free communities (including all-men's and all-women's options) plus gender-based and religious/cultural identity housing. You indicate interest on the housing application and are placed as space allows.
The Colby College move-in checklist
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Bedding6
Bath5
Laundry4
Storage & organization6
Desk & study4
Electronics6
Cleaning5
Kitchen — within the rules5
Health & meds4
Clothing — see the seasonal guide7
Move-in day go-bag5
Your items
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Waterville logistics, sorted
How to send a package to a Colby student
[####] Mayflower Hill
Waterville, ME 04901
COOT happens before classes do
The halls close for every break
Waterville & around
Downtown Waterville
Colby has spent the last decade rebuilding Main Street — the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, the Lockwood Hotel, and the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons, where 200 juniors and seniors live downtown on purpose. A shuttle runs between the hill and the city.
The Colby College Museum of Art
The largest art museum in Maine sits on the quad and is free — the Lunder Collection of American art, Alex Katz by the roomful, and a serious reason to build a campus visit around a rainy afternoon.
Quarry Road, the Belgrade Lakes & Sugarloaf
Quarry Road Trails on the edge of town is Colby's Nordic venue and a year-round running network; the Belgrade Lakes are twenty minutes west; Sugarloaf and Sunday River are about two hours north for real skiing.
I-95, Portland & Bangor
Waterville sits right on I-95 — Portland and its jetport are about an hour and fifteen minutes south, Bangor about an hour north, and Boston roughly three and a half hours. Concord Coach Lines runs buses down the coast; most students don't keep a car.
Where to stay near Colby College
The Lockwood Hotel
~5 min driveColby's own boutique hotel on Main Street, part of the downtown rebuild — the nicest and nearest option, and the one that books first for move-in and graduation.
Hampton Inn & Fireside Inn
~10 min driveThe dependable chains cluster along Kennedy Memorial Drive and Main Street near the interstate exits — Hampton Inn, Fireside Inn & Suites, and Best Western Plus, all an easy drive to Mayflower Hill.
Augusta & the Belgrade Lakes
~20–30 minWhen Waterville sells out, Augusta is twenty minutes south with more chain rooms, and the Belgrade Lakes inns west of town make a scenic (if less practical) base.
Colby College gear & gifts
Colby College — links & contacts
- Office of Residential Experience: housing@colby.edu
- Phone: 207-859-4280