<p>On a purely anecdotal basis, it seems that Bates is seriously hot right now. Twenty years ago, Bates would have been listed in third behind (a) Bowdoin and (b) Colby in the CBB group of Maine liberal arts schools. This may, or may not, be true from an academic perspective today, and this post is NOT intended to spur a discussion or debate about this. Rather, I am reporting that I am seeing more and more interest among high school seniors in Bates over Bowdoin and Colby. For example, I am an alum of a highly-ranked NESCAC LA. In speaking with my classmates recently, I see a lot of interest in and applications to Bates over the other two among their college-age kids. I see this among other groups as well. The anecdotal evidence I hear is that Bowdoin kids aren’t as much fun and Colby is too…something. Bates seems to have developed the reputation as being a pleasant and supportive place to get a very good LA education. Comments?</p>
<p>haha, well then, I guess I made a good choice about applying to Bates. I'm so glad that I'm going!</p>
<p>I'm also psyched to be going to Bates in the fall! I think that while Bates does have a lot in common with Bowdoin, Colby, and many of the other New England liberal arts schools, it's a much friendlier place in general and the welcoming atmosphere really makes people want to go there or at least apply. When I visited the other Maine schools, I was turned off by Colby because my tour guide was a ditz who said she "hated reading" (blasphemous to me as I'd like to major in English). But both her grandfather and father had gone there, so obviously that had something to do with her being admitted. Bowdoin I liked a moderate amount. It felt more formal and stuffy than the other two. It's a little uptight, in my opinion. But at Bates they separated all the students and parents into two tour groups so we could ask any questions we wanted. My interviewer was engaging and friendly, and it was not just a boring, typical interview. I felt like I could be myself. I also met with the chair of the English department and she told me to come to Bates and major in English. So I am.</p>