These schools seem so similar, can someone tell me the biggest differences they’ve seen between the schools. (I’ve visited Bates but not Colby)
Bates is within walking distance of Lewiston, Colby is separate from Waterville. Bates has 1 dining hall, by design, and Colby has 3.
I have the feeling Bates is a little artsier and Colby a little more outdoorsy - Colby is closer to Sugarloaf for skiers and has some incredible resources for environmental studies. Typically, Colby gets more male applicants and Bates more females. But both are pretty balanced in terms of student body. Neither has Greek life, both have a lot of student athletes. Both have a strong sense of community and are very friendly places. Colby has a Jan Plan, Bates’ is in May.
I know several kids who had these as their top 2 choices, and they are in fact more alike than different. If you are thinking you want to ED, definitely visit. If you apply RD, both do great accepted student days. Each has its fans and each has its naysayers, but probably not for reasons that should influence you.
I would recommend that you look at the course requirements at each as well as the courses in departments that interest you to see what they offer and what’s required to major. Both have tons of study abroad options but if there is something you want in particular, you should see if both offer it.
Everyone I know who has attended either has been very happy.
You should probably watch this Colby Life documentary: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GI3X5iBX0TA. Note that it’s a Colby-on-Colby perspective, so it appears that the documentarian felt particularly comfortable (as an insider) in presenting a range of viewpoints, including those (perhaps disproportionately) that seem critical.
Colby abandoned its original campus in the 1940s.
OP, if you decide to apply to both and are fortunate to be accepted to both, that will be a great problem to have 
These two schools together seem to raise an interesting question. Which of the NESCAC colleges would be most difficult to describe without using NESCAC?
@merc81 — I attended a NESCAC college and, for all four years of college, as well as all of my life afterwards until I discovered College Confidential, I never heard of NESCAC! I wasn’t an athlete and never happened to hear the term!
@TheGreyKing, thanks for bringing us back up for air! I guess maybe some students have heard the term “Little Ivies”, but I am sure most students couldn’t list those schools or even all the schools in the Ivy League, which again is nothing more than an athletic conference!
And how about the Western Ivies - Cal Tech, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pomona, Stanford, what doe we call them? And then, how about Carnegie Mellon, Chicago, Duke, MIT, Northwestern, Rice?
I say refer to them all as great schools, but never use Ivy to mean more than an athletic conference.
@TheGreyKing : Good anecdote! Take note, then, that your alma mater would not seem to be reliant on the term for a characterization of its attributes.
JMHO but having been to both and knowing people from both I see Bates as more artsy and down to earth people. Colby is more preppy. The Colby campus is more remote and isolated. Bates has Lewiston.
Bates has much more of a city atmosphere in terms of location and also proximity to Portland, the Portland Airport and Boston. Bates is also close to skiing but not as close to Sugarloaf. Bates is also closer to lots of the Maine attractions you read about. Colby is not.
Bates kids tend to be more urban types. The Bates campus IMO is prettier and the food is far better. Bates housing is also nicer. Bates is very low key while Colby is highly promotional and likes to collect applications.
Bates has an elite yield rate of about 45%, while Colby’s is very low at about 26% I believe, which means that kids that apply to Bates want to go there while Colby not so much. What does that tell you?
I can tell you after visiting Colby twice with my son, the thought of that extra hour + driving or getting to the airport in a rush from there was enough.
Lewiston is very much like Brooklyn, NY, which for college kids is pretty nice.
Bates is much more accomplished athletically.
They are both great schools so it is really up to you.
@TheGreyKing - I think you’ll find fewer arguments (at least on CC) regarding NESCAC membership than you will about who the “little ivies” are, which is why I prefer it.
I agree with the posters who say that you will find more similarities than differences. Both will provide you with an excellent education. I visited both recently. Found Colby to feel a little sportier, upbeat, collaborative. Bates very civic minded and its history of inclusivity informs much of what it does. The Colby campus was stunning, one of the prettiest I have seen. But can’t really walk into town from campus. For Bates, the town is steps away.
@HootieA , a yield rate only tells you that of the kids accepted, that percent chose to go there. It tells us nothing about whether the kids who are there want to be there. To get a high yield, AOS could pursue a policy of accepting kids who are unlikely to have other good options. Somehow, I can’t imagine that would serve anyone well!
I agree with you that an artsy kid from NYC might find Bates and Lewiston more familiar and comfortable. Many sporty kids would likely be at home at either. And yes, that last stretch up the Maine Turnpike can feel like just a bit too much depending on where you started…
I don’t think OP cares about sports, and as for "more accomplished ", depends on the year and sport. I know Bates recently had a great basketball team, and the campus had a lot of fun rallying around that. Colby has had great ice hockey recently. It all depends on what you like snd whether you participate or watch. Neither is walking away with national titles year after year, but there are NESCAC schools that do.
And yes, @TheGreyKing , when I was an athlete in college, I knew our conference was NESCAC, but I would never have thought to describe the school that way. And to this day, I think of it as a cultural outlier to the rest aND remain surprised when folks lump them altogether.
I can’t imagine, though, that any of this could be more helpful to OP than a full day or overnight on campus.
@gardenstategal Yield tells you a lot. Sorry to disagree with you. In the Colby case it shows how to gin up applications from kids that never intended to go. Yield is a very good metric to use. Low yield has no positive interpretation.
@joy12345, The Colby video is interesting, but the views presented can pertain to many LACs
Comment #1
Nelson Oliveira
6 months ago
We visited both. Both campuses are very nice. Lewiston is a classic gritty New England city. The downtown is a 3-minute drive from the campus. I believe that Colby is a slightly longer distance from Waterville. I liked the Colby campus a bit better, but my DD chose Bates and got in ED, so that was that. I have found the academic staff to be very attentive and very helpful. My daughter depends on getting tutoring and she is getting the support she needs. The dorms at Bates are quite nice, at least from what I’ve seen. And what you’ve heard about the food is all true - it’s fabulous, both in terms of variety and quality. DD is a picky eater and she gushes about how great the food is.
One more thing: as @HootieA suggests, the trip to Lewiston from Portland is really, really easy. I’ve done it several times. It’s basically a straight shot from the airport - very few turns.
PM me if you want to know more. I can arrange for you to message my DD. I’m sure she would be happy to help.