Bates College Top Questions

old commons trays + huge snowbanks = glorious fun!

Jumping in the Pond in Maine in January.

Almost everybody is in a sport or a club and is pretty passionate about participating in their respective activities.

I met my closest friends during freshman orientation; we all lived on the same hall, and within a few days of arriving on campus I called home and said I'd met the girls who would one day be my bridesmaids. I was in an all-freshman dorm my first year, and most people had their doors open most of the time. It was very welcoming, and gave the dorm a very homey feel. I think that's more common in freshman dorms than in upper-class dorms because people are more eager to meet each other; later on, everyone already has their group. One of the most popular and outlandish traditions is the puddle jump--there's a pond on campus, and in the middle of winter, the outing club cuts a big hole in the ice and students jump in, wearing anything from a full-body spandex suit to absolutely nothing. There's a bonfire with refreshments going on at the same time, and even those people who don't jump often go to watch. Everyone should do it once before they graduate.

Outing club is our most popular group, though they're a little bit stuffy. They go on hikes and stuff. Every week they try to bring musical groups in, and those are really popular. The dating scene is non-existent. Just random "hookups". I don't drink, and I don't feel left out that much. Still, you will almost always find one or two parties happening at Bates.

People just sit around and get high all day and then try and fumble through their classes.

Parties are easily findable and avoidable. With the wide variety of residences, there is no need to live somewhere with the wrong number of parties, and it's always possible to visit someone who lives with a different amount of activity.

Students almost always leave doors open. Everyone is pretty trusting on campus...no one I know locks their computer, and people often leave laptops and backpacks out in the library or other study spaces unattended. Frats and sororities never have, nor will they ever be allowed at Bates. The party scene can get pretty crazy, but it's always low-key and non-exclusive. People save partying for the weekends, though. The weekdays and nights are almost universally used for studying.

Off the top of my head, it seems like the crew team and all a-cappella groups are the popular and most talked-about groups on campus. If you see something missing, you’re encouraged to start your own group and get a [small] budget as long as it’s something within reason. There are always things to do. Especially on the weekends, it seems as though you usually have to strategically plan out your days so that you can hit everything you want to and still get your homework done. One of my favorite events is Village Club Series, which hosts a musical artist to play in a coffeehouse-like setting every Thursday night. There’s free chai and relaxing music from up-and-coming musicians, often singer-songwriter types. It’s the perfect event for a Thursday evening. Since we’re a small school, you almost always know someone involved in a student-centered activity that’s going on. In fact, it seems like everyone knows someone in an a-cappella group, so pretty much the whole school shows up when there’s an a-cappella performance. Last year, the NCAA Div. III Men’s Tennis tournament was held here, and there was a great turnout to support our players. Professors and their families also love to come to events like these, which is pretty cool. Ah, the social scene. Partying definitely occurs on the weekends, but there’s always alcohol-not-necessary-to-have-fun events, and also people just playing board games and people watching a game on TV and having just a beer or two. On a Friday at dinner, you’ll often hear buddies asking each other, “You drinking tonight?” Any response is accepted by the asker – usually s/he’s just looking to plan for the night ahead, not pressure a friend into anthing. Overall, if you wanna party with alcohol, there’s opportunities to do that, but if you wanna party without drinking or just hangout on a weekend, you’ll feel free to do that. Also, because of dorm designations (low-chem, chem free, etc.), there are dorms that lend themselves more to partying, so you have some control over how party-centered your floormates will be, depending on where you choose to live.

At Bates, we tend to make our own fun, like cutting a hole in the ice over Lake Andrews and jumping in or occasionally escaping to Boston, Montreal or Quebec City. Closer to home are Freeport, where you can buy from the LL Bean factory outlet or watch a free Bela Fleck and the Flecktones concert. Portland, just 40 minutes south of Bates is a great little city. With a population of 230,000, you can bet there's plenty to do: go out to a nice dinner, hop around Old Port near the water with its cool shops and restaurants or just explore, you'll find something or someone interesting. On campus, the student run Village Club Series brings in musicians from across the country to perform (my freshmen year, the Root's played to a very enthusiastic Bates crowd). Our music department also has an artist in residence, right now Frank Glazer the celebrated concert pianist, who offers frequent performances on campus as well. As far as partying goes, there's really no shortage. Bates isn't a party school, but I'd say we fit the cliché; work hard, play hard. Just ask a Batesie about Lick-it or the 80's dance.

There are no frats or sororities at Bates, which is something that we're proud of. You'll always be able to get into a house party or an off-campus party, even as a freshman. And overall, freshmen are treated really well at Bates. One of the most comforting things about Bates socially is that beer is essentially legal inside dorms. Security will hassle you if you're drinking outside, but they are pretty laid-back. That said, drinking is not essential for having fun and making connections at Bates. There are a lot of plays, guest lecturers, student musical performances and art exhibitions to attend, just to break up the monotony of drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon and looking at the snow.

There are a lot of student organizations and clubs on campus to get involved with. The most popular ones are acapella and bands on campust. There are frequently guest speakers and athletic events. People generally meet their closest friends freshman year.

There are always a few parties on weekdays, especially at off-campus housing. There is always a particular activity or party on any given weekend as well, planned by one of many student organizations. People drink a lot of beer and smoke a lot of pot. These gatherings can get boring, though, since they're all the same. Lewiston really should cater to the needs and likes of the Bates community - the town is terribly boring.

There are no frats or anything on campus but there are lot of oncampus houses that have parties on the weekend. Footballs pretty nice but obvisouly it's not for everybody. Most people are friends based ont he groups they belong to but everyone knows each and there's not a lot of drama. People party usually on Friday and Saturday except during short term when it's bascially a party every night.

The most popular groups on campus are the student radio station and the outing club.

I wish more people would go to athletic events, but the stands are never empty. Basketball is really popular, so is Lacrosse and Football. No fraternities/sororities on campus. Never have been, never will be. Best thing ever. Some think that athletic teams take over the "house party" needs that organized social houses would have been on top of, but that's not always the case. And anyways, someone will throw a party, does it matter who?

There are endless opportunities to join clubs/sports/etc at Bates at any time of the year. The social life isnt like a big school such that we dont have a greek life. But everyone and anyone is welcome to any party. You dont have to pay for beer if you aren't hosting (BIG BONUS TO GO TO THIS SCHOOL). Security is awesome. They usually arent there to screw you over. Instead they want you to be safe. You have to be pretty careless to get a strike. Unless you have hard alcohol in plain view of security. At bates we do have a hard alcohol bane. So dont show it and they dont know you have it. Its as simple as that.

A lot of students are involved in athletics, including varsity teams, intramural sports, or club teams. There is also a lot of community service involvement. Students seem to get involved in anything around campus, including theater, music, other arts, and so forth. I'm a member of the track team and I was a member of the ballroom dancing team last fall, which was a new and exciting experience. I met a lot of my closest friends by where we are located on campus. My closest friends lived near me last year so we chose to live near each other again the following year. There is no greek life, so most parties are in dorm rooms, floors of dorms, or off campus houses. People party on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. We don't necessarily go out each night, but those are the big nights on campus. It is not hard to find a party, but at the end of the night, most people are ordering in Papa Johns or getting food at Milts. Most partying is on campus but the upperclassmen can also be found at the few bars in Lewiston. When no parties are going on, there are always events on campus, like plays, concerts, comedians, and other special events. Students will often attend these events and then go out partying afterward.

Environmental Coalition sucked, no one really cares as much as complain about the environment...There´s a lack of action in most clubs, but of course it depends who´s in the clbu, but most don´t do anything Bates Football is awful, everyone wants it cut except for the Football players and alums, it was once on SI´s and Espn Page 2´s worst football programs list and was known to have the one of nation´s longest losing streaks in collegiate football... No one really cares about sports fanwise, but there are a lot of student athletes and IM sports participation is big People work hard, they party hard (no frats or sororities here though). People usually don´t sleep well, except on weekends.. Friends come through random connections, common interests, classes taken, and dorms lived in together, nothing out of the norm really JA´s and RC´s are a disappointment, don´t expect them to help, they´re pretty inept, one JA actually hogged the dorm´s condoms to himself

Lots of great dorm / house parties. That's Bates social scene in a nutshell. There is no Greek life (thank god) and Bates has a welcoming culture so most anyone can float in and out of any party and feel perfectly comfortable. My group of guys was based on the rowing team but my broader friend group was really diverse. As far as the classic, "are the dorm room doors left open" question is concerned, the answer is yes, absolutely. Bates has a number of simple fun traditions like the puddle jump (february polar bear club) and Gala that really unite campus and everyone enjoys. Plenty of student groups to see perform: very active theater, dance, acapella, stand-up comedy, and many student bands are all things I attended consistently.