Bates College Top Questions

There are a lot of groups and activities. Once again, you can participate as much as you are willing to put in the effort. A Capella groups are very prevalent and there is some great theater and dance. Socially, there is as much partying as anywhere else. Bates has taken a very mature and helpful approach to alcohol.

Students at Bates are responsible. They take care of their own property as well as those of others. They take care of themselves as well as others. Bates students wouldn't let their friends drink irresponsibly.

The most popular thing to do is a varsity sport. A lot of students play sports, and even the intramural games can get pretty intense. We don't have fraternities or sororities so the sports teams that get houses together sort of substitute as frats. There's a soccer house, baseball house, etc. While a lot of people drink, and do so a lot of the time, there are definitely people who do work on the weekends, and who have fun without drinking. However it is not difficult to find alcohol whatsoever. Also it's not difficult to drink alcohol. Unless you are being a complete idiot about it, it's really hard to get in trouble for drinking. Security is much stricter about hard alcohol than beer. If they see you drinking a beer in the hallway they'll most likely just tell you to get in a room, and if they see you drinking beer in a room they'll most likely just stop in and say hi. Security is definitely not out to bag as many people as possible, but just to keep us safe.

Social life freshman year often revolves around floors and dorms. parties are prevalent on weekends as im sure they are on any college campus. No frats or sororities at all which is awesome. If you attend a football game at bates its only to laugh as they loose or because you are friends with a player. much of the social scene is around clubs which can become very close cohesive groups of friends. The college does a lot to allow for clubs to be able to do some cool things so its definitely worth being a part of something, and you certainly wont find a lack of something to be a part of. dating is not really a thing at Bates. For one reason or another it fosters long term relationships. So people dont really casually go on a couple dates so much as be friends first and then be together for a very long time.

A cappella here is amazing! People rarely lock their doors during the day since all the residential houses are only open to students. Athletics are popular here but not a huge deal in terms of spectators. Theater is wonderful, there are so many opportunities and I love going to see the variety of shows and performances happening within any given week. The library closes too early for my tastes but there is another academic building (fondly called "P-Gill" that is always open and this is the best place to study, complete with an airy atrium, trees, and water fountains. People party LOTS because there is not a lot to do within the Lewiston community, so sometimes it can be boring because the parties are not fun, they only consist of people sitting around getting smashed without actually enjoying themselves. People start drinking really early and pass out on weekends earlier than they stayed up studying during the weekdays. Downhill skiing is really big here and transportation to nice venues like Sunday River and Sugarloaf is not hard to find. There are lots of fun traditions, like Late-Night Breakfast the week of finals and the "Puddle Jump" (a mid-January opportunity to jump into a hole carved in the pond on campus). We have Zip Car, which is really nice.

Every day there is something going on. On the weekend during the winter most people will drink but that happens at every college with snow. There are activities like the Puddle jump, winter carnival , movies in our theatre, plays, music concerts, dances. This past weekend was Gala (Bates Prom) it is fabulous, and this year we spent 70 grand on it!

There are no frats on Bates, but there is a street of wood frame houses that host some pretty sweet parties. For the underclassmen, most parties involve cheap beer and are centered around a beruit table (first thing I learned at Bates College: It's NOT beer pong!). For the most part, parties aren't exclusive and they are plenty of times when all the classes mix. All-school dances get pretty crazy and well attended, especially 80's dance at the beginning of the year. Our "trashy to classy" weekend in March involves Lick-It dance, on Friday night where the objective is to wear as little clothing as possible followed by Gala on Saturday, a semi-formal dance. Don't drink? There's plenty of others who don't and they're not ostracized or anything. There's always concerts, movies, plays, guest-speakers, intense bingo-nights, or something going on. Also, late night breakfasts at Commons during finals week make my life complete!

The most common groups on campus are the Outing club, the chase hall committee, the religious groups, all of the athletic teams (IM, club and varsity), the acapella groups, the debate team, the EMS crew, the newspaper, OUTfront, the strange bedfellows, student government, and the radio station. Other than that, most clubs arent even heard of. I'm involved in a club sport, and OUTfront. Its two very particular groups of people, and that is primarily who I spend time with. Athletics are one of the biggest things on campus. Next to that is art (singing, instruments, theater). Like I mentioned before, the dating scene for a queer is hard. I just started dating someone outside of Bates and its released this huge weight off of my shoulders that I had been feeling since the day I got here. If you're awake on a tuesday, you're working. Or having a deep conversation with a friend. Otherwise, you're just a crazy insomniac. Frats and Sororities dont exist. Thats what sports teams are for. What can you do on a saturday night that doesnt involve drinking? Work, a movie, or go to bed.

Bates is close to Bowdoin College and Colby College. A healthy and undying rivalry exists between the three schools, though they offer activities to each other. Concerts at any of the three colleges are generally open to the students of the other two colleges. Events on campus reflect a braod range of interests. On any given weekend, a student at Bates can take in a movie, attend a concert, see a play, and go to a party. There are upwards of 80 active clubs on campus, each regularly sponsoring events. The most popular events generally involve dancing and alcohol, though there are activities for non-drinkers as well. The art community at Bates regularly has gatherings at the on-campus museum, and there are always dinners to go to during the week, when Commons food becomes unbearable or one feels like something a little different. The college Announce system does a good job of informing students of activities by nearly clogging students' inboxes with e-mails about activities. Groups like the Brooks Quimby Debate Council are especially active both on and off campus. As a member, students have the opportunity to travel almost every weekend to compete in debate tournaments at other colleges, and even in places like England or Singapore. All of the trips are paid for by the college, which means that all students have the ability to participate. This year alone, I've attended 14 tournaments all over New England. When all else fails, students can always study. There is always work to be done, so when the social scene fails, most Batesies curl up in the Atrium of Pettengill Hall or in the library and study, study, study for the next exam or paper. Bates is also constant party. Many of the houses off-campus or on Frye Street hold parties, and on any given night, a group of people will be up for drinking and partying. Nothing gets too out of control, due to security's watchful eye (the head of security is a former FBI higher-up) and the school's hard alcohol ban. There are no fraternities or sororities at Bates, but that does not hinder the social scene at all. Indeed, it probably aids it, since people of different groups easily mix and mingle at any given party. The dating scene can get a little stale if you're gay, but otherwise is quite plentiful. Bates seems to be a place where hooking up is more normal than sustaining a relationship. Because the school is small, everyone knows or knows of everyone else. This is great because one can always find a friend to hang out with. It can be bad, however, if one commits a major social faux pas: everyone will know and fast. Nevertheless, the rumor mill at Bates is shortlived and people generally forget faster than they remember. Most Batesies live on campus, which means that, in order to get along, forgetting is usually better for everyone. It also means that people are almost excessively friendly, saying hi almost always in passing, and willing to meet and talk with someone new. Within that, however, there are cliques on campus. Most of my friends, for example, are people I met in my dorm. Even within my dorm, there are cliques, and strong ones at that. The general rule of thumb about Batesies is that while they are willing to meet and befriend someone new, there is always a particular group with primary loyalty.

Strong rivalries with fellow NESCAC schools such as Colby and Williams keep the athletic programs alive. Although the athletics teams do not always win, the school followings are large and enthusiastic, especially for basketball and ice hockey. Sports at the varsity as well as club and intramural levels give students of all athletic ability the chance to participate and have fun. Although an overwhelming percentage of the students are from New England, most students stick around on the weekends; the school puts on great concerts, dances, and $1 movies. As soon as the weather turns nice, the quad is teeming with life. Spontaneous games of wiffle ball, frisbee, soccer, and football break out, and the sounds of guitar or drumming can also be heard. There is no "typical" Friday night at Bates. The school often hosts activities such as bands and comedians, and a movie is brought to campus every weekend, giving the students lots of choices. Students also frequently organize other bands to play at the Ronj, the campus coffee house. Performances of the college's improv comedy group The Strange Bedfellows always pack the room, as do concerts by the school's four a capella groups. Parties are also common, but tend to be smaller gatherings than what are seen at larger colleges. Like all colleges, alcohol has a large presence on campus but is not necessarily a staple of Bates nightlife. The students are as friendly as they come, always holding doors and saying please and thank you.