I live near Skidmore. Great area. Easy access. Saratoga is a terrific little town. Upstate NY is very pretty. Winter are similar to Lewiston I’m sure. However, IMO Bates is much more prestigious. Around here Skidmore is known as a “rich kid’s school.”
Bates is test optional
@Empireapple , my experience from that area (work) is quite different, and out west Skidmore has a reputation as a solid LAC. It’s a top 40 school and hardly easy to get into, so I think that rich kid school thing is quite undeserved. Bates is a great school and a bit more selective, but we’re not drawing a distinction here between Amherst and Skidmore. Corbett points out some meaningful differences in curriculum offerings, and there is no comparing Lewiston with Saratoga. Otherwise, I’d call it a “go with fit” decision.
@PetulaClark there’s a decent chance our D’s will be classmates.
Skidmore has some excellent academic programs and, as stated, offers a really nice location. I’ll say I don’t care for their housing designs, however.
@merc81 I can’t say I’ve been inside a dorm, but the newer apartment houses on campus are very nice IMO.
Skidmore is a little artier. Bates a little more sporty, but both schools have a mix of kids and can’t really be categorized as having a predominant type. But the gender imbalance at Skidmore is a factor for some.
thanks for the info. would an artsy type fit in at bates? I’m not sporty and am concerned I might feel left out of the social scene there. @wisteria100
I’d suggest you visit if possible. If visiting is not possible get your hands on some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review, Insiders Guide) and that should help.
I’m wondering about the campus vibe / type of students at each of these schools.
re: @ClarinetDad16’s comment about Bates being test optional, starting this year Skidmore is also test optional.
@veryanxiousapplicant
I don’t think you have to be an athlete by any means to feel comfortable at Bates. It’s sporty but not necessarily jocky. It has a full complement of sports teams (more than Skidmore), and like other NESCAC schools, strong students who are recruitable athletes use that to their advantage to give their application a boost. But there is a mix of students and vs a school like Colby, another Maine LAC, Bates would be considered less sporty and less homogenous.
Given you are looking to apply ED, it would be helpful to know your SAT/ACT scores, GPA and course rigor as the spread between the middle 50% at Skidmore on one end and Wesleyan on the other is fairly wide.
I agree with @wisteria100 , you may have run into the sporty kids at Bates, but there are all types there. It is true, though, that most kids who choose the BBC schools do so because they like Maine and that does imply a certain interestate in outdoorsy activities. And FWIW, even the most sporty of these schools has plenty kids who aren’t particularly jocky.
@Chembiodad I go to a private school that does not give traditional grades - instead we have narrative reports. However, within that system I basically have the equivalent of straight As, if that means anything. There are no APs offered at my school, but I have taken advantage of the most rigorous courses (I am currently in Calc 2). As far as test scores go, I have a 32 on the ACT.
I think many of the kids accepted to Bates ED are recruited athletes. Please look into that, as I’m not 100% sure. I remember someone suggested that i look at the Facebook for Bates students who were accepted ED. Most were athletes
I think many students accepted at most LACs are recruited athletes. It’s nothing specific to Bates.
Middleburydad2…just sharing what the locals say about Skidmore. Obviously you have a different viewpoint which is great. That’s what the boards are for…sharing.
My feeling is that if you have to ASK which school to apply to ED – that is, you don’t have a clear front runner in your OWN mind, then you shouldn’t do it at all.
Sounds like you have prepared yourself well; enjoy the process. That said unless you have a hook, a 32 ACT would be mid-50% at Hamilton and Wesleyan so it would make sense to apply ED to either of those if they are schools you would definitely be happy at.