Seasons help mark the passing of a year, and Colby-Sawyer’s lucky to be nestled in the middle of New England where four distinct seasons are on permanent rotation.

Just as nature undergoes change, so too does a student during four years of college, which in itself ends up being just one season in a person’s life.

No matter what season it is outside the window or within your heart, there’s always something to relish. Here’s a look at the best of what each season has to offer at Colby-Sawyer.

Two students walking down a sidewalk covered with red leaves.

Fall

Students returning to campus. Sweater weather. Racing to the top of Mount Kearsarge and enjoying a picnic back at the trailhead. Homecoming. Jumping in a pile of leaves. Carving pumpkins. Fall Break.

“Fall in New London is the most scenic time of year. I love the crunching of the leaves beneath my feet and the clear night skies,” health promotion major Irvana Mouzinho ’19 of Cambridge, Mass., said. “I saw stars for the first time, and I was even lucky enough to see a shooting star.”

Two Colby-Sawyer students hiking on snow covered trail in the forest.

Winter

Booting up to fly down Mount Sunapee. Hot chocolate. Horse-drawn sleigh rides during New London’s Winter Carnival. Snow days and movie nights. Ice skating on the Town Green. Snowshoeing in Kelsey Forest.

“I experienced my first real winter this year,” Miami resident Ralph Gonzalez ’21 said. The history and political studies major identified sledding as his favorite activity. “Some students taught me to not be afraid while sledding behind Hogan Sports Center. I made my first snowman, skated on Little Lake Sunapee and lost my first snowball fight,” he said.

Student working in the college's Permaculture Garden.

Spring

Studying on the Quad … and playing Frisbee there, too. Tapping maple trees and turning sap into sweet syrup. Daffodils and tulips. Long boarding and biking across campus. The Susan Colby Colgate Scholars’ Symposium. Commencement.

“My favorite time of year is late spring in the garden when we’re just getting ready to plant,” said Sarah Appleton ’17, an environmental science major who returned to campus to manage the Permaculture Garden. “It’s like a blank slate; no one knows what will happen this season, but we’re all eager to get our hands in the dirt.”

A Colby-Sawyer student holds a beach ball.

Summer

Student internships. Supporting the college with a gift to the Colby-Sawyer Fund. Harbor Days. New London Barn Playhouse performances. Band concerts on the Town Common. Celebrating partnerships at the President’s Community Forum. Blue skies, warm weather and refreshing lakes.

“I was pretty nervous about coming here, but then I saw what a comfortable, warm environment this is. Today has been the perfect weather,” said Michael Guzman ’22, a crime and legal studies major who attended Summer Pre-Orientation in June.

“We’re from Arizona, where it’s too hot now to go outside,” his mother Rosemary Marquina added. “This is so nice in comparison!”