<p>My son is joining Bates in this fall and would like to consult current Batsies on the following:
-What kind of winter clothing / footwear etc are required to “survive” the winter? We come from the tropics.
-Is it expensive to purchase winter clothing in Maine? How much should we budget?
-How much should we budget for the books and stationery?
-Does the entire dorm have central heating in winter, including the bathrooms?
-Do students have lockers to keep their important stuff?
-Are there occasions that require students to wear a business suit in the first year?
Thank you!</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Winter clothing: depends on how easily cold your son gets. I know boys who went through winter in flip flops, but I definitely wouldn't recommend that. He'll definitely need a warm coat (North Face is good) and waterproof boots with good traction (it gets VERY icy). A hat and gloves, and a few sweatshirts for that not cold not warm weather.</p></li>
<li><p>No idea for of budget for boys' clothes. We spent $150 on boots and $200 on a coat, but I'm a girl. Check out the Kittery Trading Post, which usually has a lot of good stuff on clearance. LL Bean might be good too since they offer lifetime returns (and great quality).</p></li>
<li><p>Books - I would go with around $100 per class. If he's a math/science major it may be more. Stationary - like paper and pens? However much you usually buy for a school year should be fine. While it would probably be fine if he brought his laptop to take notes with most profs, most Batesies use pen and paper.</p></li>
<li><p>The dorm is heated during the winter (including bathrooms). There will likely be a knob somewhere in his dorm room where he and his roommates can adjust the heat.</p></li>
<li><p>No lockers. I suppose you can bring a small safe, but generally, theft is pretty rare. I've never considered "locking stuff up" but I guess if I had to I'd buy one of those safes that look like books.</p></li>
<li><p>First year formal events: he could wear a suit to Gala (kind of like Bates prom but less formal) but there are plenty of guys who go in just khakis and a button down shirt with or without a tie. Convocation (and convocation dinner) is also a little more dressy, but there were definitely people that showed up in cargo shorts and t shirts for it my freshmen year. He might want to bring the suit just in case he needs it (summer internship interview on campus, etc) but if he doesn't, he'll probably be fine.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Hope I helped!</p>
<p>Thanks a lot, Luckycharmed! Have a wonderful summer!</p>
<p>A useful combination for Maine is a waterproof shell jacket that can be paired with a zip-in fleece jacket---the 300 weight North Face fleece called a Denali jacket is warm and you can wear the fleece together with a shell when it is really cold. It's ideal for a shell and fleece to zip together for maximum warmth. Hiking boots are probably the most versatile choice for winter.
I recommend the outdoor store chain, Eastern Mountain Sports. They have a store in Portland and usually have a back to school sale plus offer a discount to college students. LL Bean in Freeport sells their own brands of these items which will also work. I'd recommend buying fleece gloves to have when needed and a bunch of lighter weight hiking socks---great for wearing with boots. You could expect to pay $80-100 for guys' hiking boots and about $200-250 for a fleece and shell combination that would last for years. My son ended up wearing his suit to the Gala freshman year but also wore khakis with a button down shirt and tie on other occasions.</p>
<p>shop sales at ll.bean for all winter items. budget abouut 700.00 for books, and yes, everything is heated in all dorms, and their are no lockers. rooms have keys and locks and kids tend to be quite honest, theft is not a problem. only dressy occasion is possibly dance held once a year. fabulous school, great kids, however.cold and WET. think waterproof everything, especially shoes as mud is huge problem</p>