Benjamin K. Viggiano, a 2015 graduate of Ridgefield High School, recently returned from spending the fall semester in Salamanca, Spain, through a special program at Colby College that offers first-year students the opportunity to study abroad.
Colby's programs in Salamanca, Spain, and Dijon, France, provide academically rigorous experiences that fulfill Colbys foreign language requirement. Through university classes and social interaction, including a home stay with a local family, students gain a global perspective and a better understanding of the complexities of another culture.
Global experiences abound at Colby. More than two-thirds of Colby students study overseas before they graduate, most during their junior year. Programs in language and culture, political science, classical studies, sustainable development, and environmental field studies are among more than 200 approved off-campus study programs. While most students spend an entire semester away, some take part in short-term experiences during Colby's January term, known as Jan Plan.