studiomom

Unlike the other LACs my daughter is looking at, Colby has such specific distribution requirements. Feedback from current students?

sailfish

The distribution requirements can be an annoyance to some kids; for others, they are the hallmark of a first-class liberal arts education. There are courses that allow non-majors to meet the requirements in every field. Jan Plan also offers some interesting, quirky options that fulfill requirements. In the end it may be a philosophical question, but as a parent I don't think it's a bad thing when the definition of education includes requiring kids to stretch a little beyond their comfort zone and explore fields that may not be at the very top of their list of priorities.

momofdd

Our daughter (a rising junior) just completed her distribution requirements, which focused on maths & sciences mostly. That because advanced high school courses will give you credit, so she entered Colby with a number of the requirements in English, languages, etc... actually out of the way.
While a couple of the requirements weren't her forte and not hugely fun, she loved one of the science courses she took and got a huge amount out of it. She also ended up choosing her summer internship on the basis of a new awareness of issues raised by the course.
So it goes to show that distribution requirements can, in true liberal arts terms, expand the mind and can benefit the student in unexpected ways. Never would she have taken the course otherwise.