Bates College Top Questions

Bates is really small, but it's small in a really good way. I graduated from a high school of 1,600, which is only about 350 fewer than Bates, and they feel about the same. You'll probably know or know of just about everyone in your class after a year, but it isn't cliquey like high school. Because of classes and extracurriculars, friend groups have a ton of overlap, and I was making new friends and meeting new people (even if I already knew who they were) throughout my whole first year. Also, the food is great.

Bates is a smaller school which has its pros and cons. People get very acquainted with one another. There is a lot of school pride especially in sports games against Bowdoin or Colby. Most people don't go off campus unless it is to ski, hike, go out to dinner etc. Recently, they have been completing campus renovations so there will be a lot of new facilities. The bates "puddle" or pond is one must see about Bates. It reflects campus buildings and hosts events such as the winter puddle jump and the senior pub crawl.

Bates is however you want it to be. You can be a loner, or you can get to know everyone you meet. Making friends is very easy and most people are friendly and easy-going. There is a lot of respect and appreciation for diversity (since there isn't a lot), whether it's racial or sexual or another. It's very well-respected and well known, and academically it is superb. Labs and classroom equipment are state-of-the-art, the professors for the most part are extremely good and it's easy to get to know them. What's great about Bates is that the student body is small, and you can make friends with everyone or form your own "big happy family" with the people you love the most. Regarding Lewiston, everybody hates it. There is no "main street" you can walk down, no cute bookstores and coffee shops, nowhere to walk to that is worthwhile, no nice bars or clubs - Lewiston is pretty much dead, so we go to Freeport or Portland or Boston every time we get the chance. A lot of people fail to adapt to Bates because of this - there exists a very real "Bates bubble" where we are all kept apart or shielded from Lewiston, whether it's on purpose or not.

Bates is just really fun. All the kids are pretty friendly and it's a good place to go. If you need to get anything the Lewiston has mostly anything you need. There is alot of snow though so you better be prepared for it. The biggest problem at bates is it seems as if the faculty don't care that much about the sports making it hard to get good athletes to come here.

The best thing about Bates is the sense of community. Bates has one dining hall with a very open floor plan so students interact with each other and the commons staff. Each of the offices on the campus are very student friendly and foster a strong sense of community. Additionally, the close relationship students build with each other and professors in the classroom helps to improve the campus's sense of self. Also, the extremely active student government and relationship between the administrators and students helps to provide the campus with the feeling of a small town.

It's hard to think of anything outrightly bad about Bates. Everyone has their petty complaints. I have one friend who loves travel and he thinks we are too far from any big city. I have another friend who absolutely hates Lewiston. Some people wish that cars weren't aloud on campus. Others think that people study too much. A few of my friends hate the cardio room in the gym or think our athletic facilities aren't up to par. One friend wishes the library was open 24 hours and another wishes it would close earlier on the weekends. I have a group of friends who aren't athletes and they feel like athletes separate themselves from the rest of the campus. Athletes sometimes feel the administration doesn't support their efforts. A lot of my friends want a place for public art on campus. Sometimes buying books can be a pain. The requirement to write a thesis can be stressful. Classes can be overwhelming. Professors can be demanding. Winters are long. But think about it, when you gather together a diverse group of 2,000 students onto a small selective college campus in central Maine and ask them what they don't like, you'll probably get a lot of answers. To be frank, all of these can be issues for any student while they're at Bates, but if the pros can outweigh the cons, like it does for all of the aforementioned students, than none of really matters at all.

Close community. Get to know the professors, classmates, friends quickly. The school is small but if that is what you are looking for its perfect. Bates is definitely not in a college town. Lewiston-Auburn has fun bars (the goose, the pub, gritty's etc) but for day time activities its lacking. Biggest recent controversy was at my graduation (08) 2 black students ranted about how the white community raped their families and ignored them on campus. NOT TRUE... the two speakers had switched their speeches and decided to bash the white people at the school. This is not bates. it was very very very out of the ordinary and sucks to have to leave the school on that note. Their speeches definitely spoiled many peoples graduation. Bates administration is awesome. They definitely watch your back and very supportive. My grandfather died my sophomore year and Bates was very understanding and allowed me to take some time off to go to the funeral, visit family, etc. There is a lot of school pride. The sports games are big at bates (relative to the population size). Also, there are countless opportunities to help the communities and participate in on-campus activities. Our "commons"- where we eat is new just this year. It is so beautiful and really brings the students together. You never feel lonely.

The students are the best part about Bates. They are all really friendly and enthusiastic about being at Bates. Most students are genuine, engaging, and caring. Since the student body is small, you really get to know most people in the school at least by their face. You do not see many strangers on campus. You also become very close with the people in your grade. I think this is a great size for the campus because you still meet new people each year, but you are not overwhelmed by a huge student body. You never get lost in the crowd. The big spots to hang out on campus are commons, milts, and anywhere outside when the weather is nice: the quad, football field, etc. The town of Lewiston is not too exciting and I don't think that students go there often. However, there are some nice restaurants if you want to go out and people take many trips to Walmart and Shaws during the week. There is a lot of school pride. A lot of students go to the school events, like sports games, plays, dance performances, concerts, etc. People are very eager to get involved and support their friends in activities. One experience that I will always remember is the puddle jump, a winter event in which students jump into the frozen pond. It was an exhilarating experience in which many students attended and cheered each other on. It is definitely an experience that all students should try at least once before they graduate.

Bates is just the right size in my mind as most people know or know of each other but you can always meet someone new...If you want to get off campus, it´s easy to escape or find a friend to drive you down to Portland, Boston, or the other big two private colleges, Bowdoin or Colby. Also, the Bates Outing Club has a lot of hiking and climbing trips if you want to get in touch with nature... Not many people want to escape into Lewiston, town-college relations are bad, but what can you do about elitists who are out of touch with the working class reality?... There are plenty of opportunities to do community service-learning though, and it´s a shame most people don´t get to know Lewiston for what it is and appreciate it. Bates admin is out of touch, The Turtle rarely comes out(except when Amandla, the black organization on campus led a diversity demonstration), but her husband is known for walking her dogs on campus... People from the rest of the country don´t know what Bates is(master bates or motel bates jokes are common), but up northeast, it´s well known. Bates pride is up to the student, as for me, I know it´s one of those schools that gives a great education, but no one´s going to confuse it with Bowdoin, Colby, or upwards.

The best thing about Bates is undoubtably the strong, supportive community created by students on campus that extends well into the alumni base. Batesies are generally friendly and welcoming and I recieved exceptional support from alumni when I reached out to find a job and prepared to leave Bates. Students refer to campus as "the Bates Bubble" since it often seems like its own wonderful little world and, on many occasions, felt like another life when away on break. Batesies spend most of their time on campus or out enjoying Maine's wilderness. The surrounding towns are small but offer plenty of nice restaurants and simple pleasures like movie theaters. Bates' culture and activities have also evolved around its small town locality over the years so there is always plenty happening on campus. That said, Lewiston and Auburn have changed radically just in the time I was a student there and may soon offer many lively spots for students to visit. A final seperate thought, Bates values social responsibility, community service, and environmental sustainability a great deal which is reflected in many aspects of campus life and institutional policy.