<p>I got into 4 schools, but Bates College and American University are my top.</p>
<p>American:
Didn't know much about it when I applied, except from my visit last year. I ended up getting in and getting a big scholarship.</p>
<p>Bates:
My parents went there, it's my first choice, I walk onto campus and "feel like I belong"...everything like that. </p>
<p>I'm not really sure what I want to major in, so I don't know if I should go to American, the big city school with lots of programs or opportunities, or Bates, the small liberal arts school where you are "educated as a whole person"</p>
<p>Any tips/suggestions? Thanks!</p>
<p>Well...you have a small school vs. a large school and Lewiston vs Washington, DC.</p>
<p>Does either of those factors influence you? I think the academics will be better at Bates due to the higher qualifications of your fellow students but and education is what you personally make of it so I don't think you can decide on that factor alone.</p>
<p>Lewiston is not very impressive so if you feel you want to take advantages of the opportunities that Washington provides for both greater entertainment off campus and access to the Federal Government then American has an advantage.</p>
<p>Personally I prefer smaller schools but American is not huge.</p>
<p>I seem to remember, do check this as I may be wrong, that American has a much higher percentage of females than does Bates. That may be a factor for you.</p>
<p>The weather in Washington is going to be much warmer.</p>
<p>I believe "fit" is important. My son picked Bates over Bard as a High School Senior. Got fine grades and was in lots of activities at Bates but decided to transfer to Bard in search of more people he wanted to hang out with. So far it has worked. If you really are more comfortable at Bates and can afford it then you might want to go with that instinct you seem to express.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Culturally--those two choices are very different. Bates is a good liberal arts college in a small, gritty industrial town in Maine. You will spend almost all your time on campus in a very close knit community. College will be your life--but it is a very nice life. It is strong in the things that LAC's do well--that is to provide you with a well rounded general education and strong sense of community.</p>
<p>American is a medium size (by no means big but certainly much bigger than Bates) university that is different from many other universities in that it is very strong in a few areas (international studies, political science, government, public affairs, law), good but not great in some others (business, communications, other social sciences) and mediocre to weak in the rest (humanities and natural sciences). It is in a large city which is also a great collge town (I consider DC and Boston to be tops on the east coast). At American, although it has a real campus (compared to, e.g., GWU) you will spend a great deal of your four years off campus in the city. And DC has a ton to offer (world class and mostly free museums, for example). But you won't get the same sense of closeness and community that you would at Bates.</p>
<p>It comes down to the type of experience you want. Both are good, but they are very different.</p>