Hey! I’m a high school senior, and right now my college decision has narrowed to basically these two schools. I’m having trouble deciding because they’re quite similar: both are small liberal-arts colleges with an emphasis on student engagement. I’m not sure how to choose!
I like Reed because of its burning curiosity, geekiness, outdoorsiness, and PE requirement (and the fun classes that brings). I like Bates because of its 4-4-1 schedule, the fact that ALL students live on campus, and the Maine scenery. I’m not a big fan of parties, and would like to avoid drugs/alcohol as much as possible.
Is there any other information that might help me decide between these two schools? What sets Reed apart from Bates - and vice versa?
My daughter has both of these schools on her short list. Did you attend/watch the Bates info session for admitted students the other night? It was v good and gave you a really good sense of the school. I suggest checking it out.
As a statistical aspect to consider, Reed’s standardized scoring profile is quite high in relation to its U.S. News ranking. Based on CDS profiles, Reed’s median SAT score appears to be 82.5 points higher than that of Bates. This could suggest a difference in academic atmosphere between the two colleges.
I love Bates, but as I read what you are looking for, it sounds like it might be Reed for you. There is more fun going on at Bates and while there is a range of students there, they are, as a group, more mainstream than at Reed. Reed is more life of the mind. Bates is more life. Not sure if that makes sense.
Where do you want to live after graduation? What are you majoring in? How do costs compare?
IMO Bates probably sounds like a better fit, it offers great academics and an accepting, active student experience. There is drinking but one can avoid it. Reed is intensely academic, more liberal, woke, and has more drug use.
This may not be the case in practice. The below list extends to colleges at which at least 90% of students live on campus, but does not appear to include Bates. You may want to check with the school itself for further information.
Bates is very outdoorsy and if that’s important to you, you’ll have an easier time getting into nature, given that Lewiston is much smaller than Portland. From Lewiston it’s really easy to get to the coast and the mountains. I know Portland, Oregon well, and Reed has a great location, but it’s not as easy to get into nature if that matters to you.
There is plenty of intellectual curiosity at both schools, but Reed is known for being academically intense. In general, I would say that Reed students are probably more intellectual overall, while Bates students value that but it’s not their main quality. Please do plenty of research on the drug issue, because Reed certainly had (has?) a reputation for hard drugs. Bates is definitely more of a beer place.
There are plenty of geeks at Bates. My daughter and her friends all fit that description, haha. There is a quite a gap in the retention rates between both schools. Bates’ is 94%, while Reed’s is 88%. The retention rate means freshmen who stay after the first year. If your plans include grad school, both have high acceptance rates. If you believe you will need better connections for jobs, I give the edge to Bates. Also consider, if you attend Reed, the connections you make there may lead to being in the PNW, while the connections at Bates might lead to being in the NE.
Virtually everyone lives on campus. There are a very few “off campus” apartments for seniors that are effectively right next to campus. My daughter says it’s 100 seniors. I’m not sure what you are referring to here. That’s less than 6%?
Note that Bates itself states that it “does permit a number of senior students to live off-campus each year,” presumably within an unrestricted radius. “Interested juniors” may also be eligible.
Ok, but I’m explaining that where those students live off campus is next to the campus. My daughter has been to their apartments. Well over 90% of Bates students live on campus. I don’t care much what USNWR says. I’m going to trust my kid who lived there for four years.
ETA: The off campus students don’t drive to campus. They walk, because that’s how close to campus they are.
Reed is going to be more intense academically and more left-wing. Perhaps more intellectual/nerdy, but Bates is nerdy/geeky too.
Bates is going to be more community-service, think-and-do oriented.
U.S. News appears not to have been able to represent the figure for Bates because of incomplete data on Bates’ previous Common Data Sets. Bates’ current CDS indicates that 92% of its students live in college-affiliated housing (see Student Life section):
This represents a life-changing decision for the OP, in which accurate information may prove essential in their undecided state. Bates’ own Common Data Set, as referenced above, should suffice for this purpose.
I’m assuming we are done parsing USNWR for whatever the point was and done debating in general. Express a viewpoint, defend once if needed, and then move on.