<p>My daughter visited Bowdoin and Colby (she did not want to look at Bates) and decided she did not like Bowdoin and preferred Colby. She grew up near San Francisco. She doesn’t mind Waterville at all, and finds several of the restaurants charming, though not gourmet. She thought Bowdoin felt too Preppy, and didn’t feel the students were outdoorsy enough. She is REALLY happy at Colby. She likes the very friendly, athletic outdoorsey students, and has gotten into cycling, and rock climbing, and went snowshoeing, and did a trip to Canada Cross Country Skiing one weekend. The big shopping in Waterville is Wal-Mart, which I think she only visited once to buy a rug. If you need most things Augusta is 20 minutes up the road. She has seen no evidence of the drug scene in town. If you need a mall nearby to frequent, you will be out of luck at Colby. If you like friendly, athletic, smart, outdoorsey people, Colby could be just the ticket.</p>