I can’t speak for the others, but Bates is generally known for being very accepting and friendly. My D has LGBTQ friends who, as far as she knows, have no complaints about being treated equally at Bates.
Bates was the only one of the three Maine NESCAC schools that was founded specifically on inclusion. It was intended to serve working class people, women and African Americans from the start. It never had Greek life. Inclusion is still central to Bates. Bates College - Wikipedia
I think it’s fair to say that of the three, many regard Bates as the most progressive, but if you’re looking for a pronounced social activism scene, Bates won’t give you that.
Yes, Bates’ founding is one reason why its endowment lags far behind Bowdoin and Colby. From the start, its grads were less likely to go into high paying careers. (These days, that’s not necessarily true.) Typically, and especially back then, these groups of people did not earn a lot of money. And it was founded quite a bit later than the other two. Bowdoin in 1794, Colby in 1813, Bates in 1855. So the others had decades longer to build their endowments.
Hello Everyone, I would love to talk about the positives and negatives at Bates for anyone who is interested.
Positives: For starters, the community at Bates was definitely a draw. Even if you haven’t visited the campus, you can get a really good vibe from the Facebook group. The community at Bates is really strong and students will come together a lot and I really like to see it. While 50% of the incoming students are from private high schools, no one really cares. I think there really is not divide among students when it comes to socio-economic status, gender, where you went to high-school, or sexuality. I am a queer student of color on campus and I have many positive things to say about being Queer on campus. I haven’t met anyone who is the slightest bit “non-accepting” to the LGBTQ+ community. I think that’s a great part because I know I can talk about my queerness to anyone. I think the location is amazing as well (you can see my Misconception about Lewiston thread for that). The professors here are also incredible. They really care about the students and even in the intro classes, you can be close with your professors.
Negative: I think the most negative aspect about Bates has to do with race. Bates likes to pride themselves (more than other LAC’s) on their history, which is a lot more problematic than they present it. Bates was built on Indigenous Land and profited from slavery. Currently, students are trying to get Bates to change their narrative but it doesn’t look like things are changing. Also, being a student of color at a Predominately White Institution (not just Bates) can be hard. I find it hard to talk to my white friends about the racism I’ve experienced or go to a race class taught by a white professor in a majority white class. However, students of color have each other’s back here, which is amazing.
Thanks for this! Very helpful and I will share with my D21 who is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Can you comment on Bates in regard to being liberal/progressive? My D21 is looking for a progressive (and of course accepting) environment. For comparison, other accepts so far are Macalester and Oberlin. Waiting on Vassar and Middlebury. Thanks again for sharing your perspectives.
Fluffypandas, this article from 2020 seems to qualify as an attempt to bring more context about cotton profits and Bates at the expense of enslaved people. Many people might be surprised to know that much of Maine’s economy (and many other states) at the time was heavily dependent on slavery, even though slavery itself was outlawed in Maine well before Bates was founded.
Bates is definitely a liberal school and students advocate for liberal policies. I haven’t met any Trump supporters at Bates. Compared to Macalester, Bates is not as liberal (I’ve heard they are EXTREMELY liberal), but still liberal too a point where the majority of students would consider themselves liberal/democratic.
Something funny I saw on the Bates Barstool Instagram said, “Bates is like high school in 21 Jump St. It’s cool to be gay and environmentally conscious.” I could not agree more
I also wanted to share my opinions about liberal environments in college. In my opinion, as a very liberal-minded individual, there is a value of having some level of diversity in political ideologies and identities within a community, especially an academic one. Schools like Macalester, Sarah Lawrence, and Oberlin offer an extremely predominant liberal environment, yet such a culture also reduces one’s ability to get perspectives that differ from your own that will challenge, expand, and/or alter one’s mindset for the better. Bates might be a good balance for people like me who are liberal but also want to have meaningful and productive discussions with folks across the aisle.
My S21 has committed to the Class of 2025 and he too was seeking college with a progressive community. Have your daughter check out the BLC ( Bates leftist coalition) on Instagram if she hasn’t already. Obviously not there but they appear to be pretty active ( from a social media standpoint more active than the group at Bowdoin in which my other son is involved- nobody tell him I said this;) Perhaps that will help her get more information. He followed many clubs to get a feel for what is happening and it was useful. Best wishes!
Has anyone received the acceptance folder in the mail? Someone I know got it a good while ago and I live in ME (and still don’t have it lol). I reached out to my admissions representative.
I’m totally guessing, but they probably send these swag boxes out in batches. And I’m guessing that because you live in Maine, yours will be in the last batch. Maybe based on surname, or maybe based on ensuring that those students who are farthest away get goodies first as a nice enticement, before they get other decisions. I wouldn’t worry about it. Bates wants you, but I’m guessing you are going to have fun with a big collection of goodies😄
