When Your College Experience Starts Abroad
Global Entry Semesters give Colby students the first semester of a lifetime
Seventy percent of Colby students study abroad during their four years. But only a select few start their Colby experience immersed in another culture and language.
“We want students to get a holistic experience that combines all of the benefits of coming to Colby, but in another place,” said Roger Adkins, director of global education at DavisConnects. “This is a unique track where students get a global emphasis right from the get-go.”
Each year, more than 30 first-year students participating in Colby’s Global Entry Semesters start their Colby experience on campus for orientation. Then, alongside their LINK leaders—upperclassmen who serve as mentors for the first week—they hop on a plane and fly to either Salamanca, Spain, or Dijon, France.
The off-campus opportunities are among the global experiences offered to students throughout their time at Colby. In addition to the Global Entry Semesters, DavisConnects helps students integrate internships and research, setting them up for success at Colby and beyond.
“We take a comprehensive view of student development, where we can give them the experiential and applied side to their campus work, whether that’s in a work setting with an internship, lab research, or with global study,” Adkins said.
“I’ve lived in the same place my whole life, and it was so eye-opening to look at where I grew up from a different perspective,” said Carter Williams ’29, who studied in Salamanca.
“My experience abroad really shaped my academic experience at Colby,” said Emmy Lindgren ’26, a global studies and Latin American studies double major, who spent her first semester in Salamanca. “It gave me a stronger sense of what I wanted to study, having been exposed to so much my first semester.”
Language and much more
In Salamanca, students pair intensive Spanish study at the University of Salamanca’s Cursos Internacionales with classes on Spanish literature, cinema, or culture. First-years are paired up with Spanish students and Colby juniors studying in the city.
Similarly, in Dijon, studies through the long-standing French language immersion school École Suisse Internationale-Dijon are paired with electives in English or French on a variety of topics, including architecture, comparative politics, and the natural world.
The goal is a comprehensive and transformative learning experience that sets students up for success when they return to campus. In addition to extracurricular activities—flamenco classes in Salamanca or cooking classes in Dijon—students travel around their respective countries. The program leaders plan multi-day excursions to major historic sites, and students are encouraged to travel in their free time around Europe.
“My goal is to show them the diversity of Spain and all it has to offer,” said Salamanca Resident Director Julia Piera-Abad. Students tour northern Spain, including Bilbao and San Sebastian, and also visit cities and sites in the south, including Sevilla, Granada, Malaga, and Cordoba. “We tour the capital, Madrid, and we also visit the mountains of Sierra de Francia. That way, the students get to see the architecture, historical sites, and art they’ve been studying in their classes and see the variety of ways people live,” Piera-Abad said.
‘It’s the beginning of something at Colby, and not just a one-off semester. It’s such a transformative, important part of the Colby experience.’
Roger Adkins, Director of Global Education
The Dijon students take excursions to Paris, Provence, and Lyon, and multiple-day trips around Burgundy. “Our teachers combine what we do in class with what students experience out in the world,” said Associate Professor of French Audrey Brunetaux, who has led the semester-abroad program in Dijon. “From Provence to Paris, we cover a wide range of subjects, learning from experts in their fields. For example, the art and architecture course starts in the classroom, and then the students get to study what they’ve learned in real life around the city.”
Lillian O’Keefe ’29 studied in Dijon. “It was my first time in France, and I got to see so much,” she said. “I took French for seven years in school, but it doesn’t even compare to being there. It was such an amazing semester.”
While they’re abroad, students in both cities stay with a host family that serves as a safe place to land while they explore. “That was my favorite part,” said O’Keefe. “They were so welcoming and inclusive, and I really got to know them and practice my French. I feel like I gained a second family. We had a lot of fun together.”
A holistic approach
This kind of holistic, immersive approach to learning gives students an incredible baseline to start their on-campus experience. Over the course of the semester, the program directors notice both the improved language skills of their students and a sense of confidence.
“By the end of the semester, they grow so much. It’s fantastic to see how they change throughout the semester in terms of their independence, their resilience, and their ability to confront challenges. It’s transformative in so many ways, and it’s just an absolutely fantastic way to start your college experience,” Piera-Abad said.
When students return to campus, they’ve completed many core requirements, but that’s not what sticks with them the most. Just like on Mayflower Hill, it’s the people who make the experience.
“My closest friends at Colby all went abroad with me,” said Chloe Walsh ’28. “I wasn’t very outgoing when I started college, but going abroad really forced me out of my shell. I really appreciated how much confidence and independence that semester gave me.”
“It’s the beginning of something at Colby, and not just a one-off semester,” said Adkins. “It’s such a transformative, important part of the Colby experience, and I’m so glad we have this program.”
