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.