Bates College Top Questions

Bates is a very good and highly regarded school. It took some time getting used to my Freshmen year just because I came from a close knit family and was not used to being away from them. However now I absolutely love the school. The only problem that I would say that I do not like about Bates is that it is a very small school (~1800). For me, that was the size of my high school, and in some aspects (socially) it can sometimes still feel like in high school. However for many of my friends size is not an issue with Bates because their high school classes were only 50, 60, 70 people so for many people Bates seems bigger then it really is. If people are looking for a "college town" then Bates is not it. Bates is a secluded on campus type of school because the area the school is located is not very safe for kids to be walking around at night. There are also no stores or college age kids really in the area. The only stores around are a Shaw's grocery store and a Walmart.

Bates is very community oriented. By going to Bates you make connections with people without even having to meet them or getting to know them. Food is awesome. Students party pretty hard on the weekends and work really hard during the week. if you're not a partier you won't feel left out. A lot of marijuana on campus, almost everyone smokes.

Bates is a very fun school, the classes are fun, the parties are fun, the students are fun. This is not to say that Bates is a huge party school, we take our academics very seriously, its just that the environment of the college lends itself to not take many things too seriously. We do party though, and if the night is right, we party like Division I Football Players. Most people at Bates love Bates, the only major complaint is the town of Lewiston, which has be reemerging as a cultural center in recent years, and is starting more and more to mesh better with the college. Lewiston is nicely situated about 40 minutes from everything (Portland, Freeport, the Beach, Great Skiing, Colby, Bowdoin)

Bates is a home away from home - with all the good and bad that implies. The good is your friends become family, the staff are family, and the professors can become just that close. The bad is tensions do arise, just as in a family. It is a small campus that tends to become isolated (especially during the cold winter months!) from the rest of the world unless you make a concerted effort to expand your bubble and participate in the Lewiston/Auburn community. That closeness means you know everything about everyone, and they know everything about you. In reaction, most students -over half - spend at least a portion of their junior year abroad experiencing a new envrionment. This makes the campus more dynamic with a wide range of experiences. Everyone has a unique and interesting life story to tell that shapes the culture of Bates. In recent years there has been significant racial tension and complaints that Bates is not as welcoming to non-white ethnicities. Personally, I never found this to be the case. But in response to these concerns the administration is making a concentrated effort to expand our diversity. Bates is in a transition period where they are defining how we want the college to look in the next 50 years and the students are happily included in this process. The biggest complaint I have is the Bates Apathy - in an effort to accept everyone and PC, controversial topics are shied away from in daily conversation, though often discussed in the classroom.

Bates is a small liberal school with fantastic teachers, intimate campus, with diverse interests. The size is right for the right kind of person who is social but content with being a big fish in a small pond. Bates has a great reputation in the Northeast but outside of that people seem puzzled and do not recognize the school by name. Lewiston is not much of a college town, its a rought old mill town, with a few bars and a couple dance clubs.

There are so many opportunities to do research and push your education to the next level. The size is perfect-- but for people who don't want to see their random hookup ever again, Bates might not be for you; you WILL see everyone in the new commons (which is AMAZING). I feel like there isn't a lot of school pride, but nevertheless if you go to an athletic event to support a friend, roommate, or classmate, you will not be alone. Little known fact that we do indeed have a college alma mater and other Bates songs; people just don't KNOW them. Bates is definitely lovable for such events as the Puddle Jump, Senior Week, Harvest Dinner, Gala, and the high study abroad rates.

On the whole Bates is an excellent institution for anyone who wishes to be treated as an individual and not just a number. The people are top notch and extremely friendly. There is a social stratification mainly dependent on athletics. However, there is a place for everyone. Lewiston, despite all its bad publicity isn't so bad. Its a little shady at times but I never feared for my safety. One experience I will always remember is my experience on Bates' AESOP freshmen orientation trip, where I climbed Mt. Katahdin, Maine's highest point.

Bates is struggling to find itself and is, at the moment, failing in some pretty major ways. While much of the literature gestures towards a film program, there is none - and this is a trend that confuses prospective and current students alike (Bates also claims to have a 'diverse' campus with 'well rounded' students due to Gen Eds though needs to deeply rethink what these words mean). I think many people in the Bates Community realize its confused identity but have trouble pin-pointing it. I graduated yesterday and still don't know if I can locate the problems, though I am certain that they are widespread. Among its biggest problems, for me at least, is its failure to encourage exciting, creative thought and support it in meaningful ways. Most professors, I've found, just let me do my thing - which is a great alternative to a monochromatic treatment of students - but problematic in that is does not create a community of the more intellectually curious students.

One of the best things about bates is the FOOD. Students are known to spend hours lounging at Commons, the one dining hall for the entire student body which was just rebuilt this year. Commons features delicious brick oven pizza and a vegan bar that is to die for. Except for occasional shopping trips and meals at portland and freeport, students rarely leave campus. Which is good, because Lewiston is not exactly a bustling metropolis. However, it does have a fair selection of good restaurants, movie theaters and a bowling alley. There are always plenty of activities going on at Bates during the weekends that students do not feel compelled to leave. I feel like I missed out if I leave Bates for even one weekend night. Batesies are friendly and there is a strong feeling of community.

Bates is first and foremost a lot of fun. No matter what you like doing, you can find people at Bates who also like doing that. The campus is small enough that you can know a large portion of the student body, and so you tend to feel free to engage in activities with "strangers" because they are often the friend of a friend. Getting off of campus is easy and the Outing Club spends large amounts of money getting people out skiing, hiking, boating etc. Other clubs are very active and no matter what is you are interested in, others are surely already interested and actively engaged in pursuing those interests. Bates people are by-and-large friendly and hard-working. I transferred here and the difference between the two student bodies was astounding