Well, if your definition of better dressed is pajama bottoms and sweatshirts, I suppose it is.
Seriously, the only reason they appear “better” dressed is because it’s cold 9 or the 10 months they are there so the girls aren’t wearing wearing skimpy shorts and crop tops and guys aren’t wearing muscle tee’s.
My Bates kid is sitting opposite me right now wearing the same grey t-shirt and frayed shorts he was wearing yesterday. Natty dressing? I wish. :))
Well, we went to a Bates cocktail party in NY on Tuesday and the kids were all prepped out, pastel oxford and polo shirts ablaze.
So they must devolve once the parents leave.
Yes, because their parents told them to dress nicely because it was a cocktail party in NY. They don’t dress like that at school.
I spent three whole days there and I thought the kids dressed very well. Same for Colgate, Bucknell, Middlebury…
My wife thought so as well.
I am sure you know better then us parents who kids have been or are presently students at Bates.
I actually have read many of your posts on Bates and I would suggest you should wait to comment on a lot of things about the school until your student is actually living and going to classes on campus.
I have spent way more than 3 more days at Bates since my son was there for 4 years and just graduated in May. I also know personally a lot of his friends from those 4 years.
While I have to slightly disagree with BatesParent (come winter time at Middlebury, and most every other NESCAC school, sweat pants and down jackets are the standard apparel) when the students are not at school they have a classic sense of fashion and understand what is appropriate for a given occasion. This is very different from west coast schools and many state schools. The South, however, seems to be where students really dress up for class.
@BatesParent2019 - Bates is the only school we’ve been to that gave [both of] us a voucher for the dining room - a truly nice touch. And the food was good! In contrast, Bowdoin’s was a big letdown after all the hype. I kept bugging the info session folks about the dining room hours. They must have thought I was odd hanging around waiting for the dinner hour instead of going into Brunswick to eat like everyone else. The pork egg roll tasted like benzene and the Sicilian-style tofu cakes were just awful. Even the desserts were insipid.
Shows what my priorities are 
We went to the Oberlin info session last December Christmas week, so the campus was emptied out. Granted, not the best time of year to visit a school. There were about 20 families, a good number from NY or CA, all liberal artsy types (none interested in STEM like my daughter), no preps or athletes. I could picture Goth types more easily at Oberlin than at any of the other places we’ve been.
@winnvanmeter Did you have time to wander around Portland?
My daughter loved the science facilities at Oberlin.
Yes, we’ll be in Portland Tuesday and Wednesday - would appreciate recommendations for better food!
@OHMomof2 - we were encouraged to wander around and check out the new building, but unfortunately, tours weren’t offered that day - just the info session.
I’m impressed with Oberlin’s track record for PhDs in the sciences, as well as the new STRONG initiative: http://new.oberlin.edu/office/undergraduate-research/strong/. I had read that it was modeled after something previously developed at Hamilton, but Hamilton doesn’t seem to have that any more.
Too bad. The tour was cool and was one of the things about Oberlin my D really loved (FWIW she was waitlisted and by the time she was accepted she was in love with the LAC she chose so said no).
@winvanmeter,
Duckfat in Portland. Great for lunch!
The King’s Head in Old Port. Food is great and extensive local beer menu. It’s on one of the wharfs.
http://www.thekingsheadportland.com/
Fore Street. One of the best in Portland.
For a real old fashioned chowder house:
http://www.gilbertschowderhouse.com
Also in Old Port. Been around forever. The opposite of fancy.
Portland is considered a foodie town so lots of very good restaurants.
Duckfat was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It is on our list as we come South.