Bates visit: Junior Open House or regular visit day? Interview?

Super excited that Bates made the final cut for D20’s spring break list! (Last minute swap out for Middlebury). We have a little flexibility in our itinerary and could either do a “regular” visit day on Fri 3/22 or the Junior Open House on Mon 3/25. Looks like an interview could be done either day. Any recommendations for or against Junior Open House? It looks pretty engaging but that’s just mom talking. @Lindagaf ?

I have no problem with either choice, tbh. My own kids have done visits on regular days and event days. I love regular days because you see people without the bells and whistles. Bates is small enough that there’s nowhere to hide anything “bad” though, and it prob means more food and goodies on a preview day. I’m trying to think of one over the other, and I’d probably go with Friday and an overnight stay on Friday night. You could do the river walk in Lewiston, which I love, go for a hike in the bird sanctuary, go to Freeport or Portland. There might be some campus event on Friday. So perhaps a little livelier on a Friday, but it’s six of one, half dozen of the other. Have fun!

The benefit of going to an open house in Maine in March (or February) is your child will get a look at what Bates/Bowdoin/Colby would “typically” look like. Visiting in June-August (while really beautiful) gives a false impression.

Normally I’d advise visiting any campus on a regular day but the advantage of Bates’ Junior Open House is that it encompasses more than a school tour, interview and info session. They do sessions on interviewing, mock application and essay reads, a general session on the process, a lunch with current students (parents have their own lunch with Bates staff, so students can get candid answers from the current students), and specialized arts and sports tours.

In general I think it’s a great thing to attend, even if your child decides Bates isn’t for them. The information presented will be applicable to other selective LACs, so the fact that it’s offered spring of junior year can help get your kid off to the right start.

https://www.bates.edu/admission/junioropenhouse/