Hi all, I am having trouble choosing between Bates College in Lewiston, Maine & URichmond in Richmond Virginia. For context, I attend a small boarding school in Massachusetts but live in a different state. I prefer warm weather, however, I also like small class sizes. I plan on majoring in Politics/History, would like to have internships in DC, and would like to attend post graduate Law school to obtain a JD/MBA after college. The Pros and Cons are Bates has smaller class sizes and could be easier to get into a better post grad school. However, URichmond is climbing up the ranks, warmer, has a PPEL major, and is closer to DC.
False - and that’d be no different if it was Ball State. I don’t know who sends a higher percentage to grad school - but that’s by choice, not by ease, etc.
Also, on the Bates website, they say their average class size is 20 and Richmond says 16 - so while I can’t sepak to your majors, by their own admission, that’s also false.
So a few things:
Don’t assume - research
Go to Richmond - it’s warmer and has smaller classes, at least, on average.
You can even do a JD/MBA at Richmond (or go elsewhere)
Based on survey information, Richmond students rate their school very highly for “classroom experience”:
Bates offers excellent programs in these areas. To the extent that you will be comparing specific academic departments when making your decision, be careful not to under-regard this.
As @tsbna44 said, you are wrong about Bates being better for grad school admissions: neither Bates nor URichmond will give you an advantage over the other, and both can give you everything that you need to achieve your goals.
As you seem bothered by rankings, USNWR puts URichmond @ #18 & Bates @#25- but 1) in ratings terms that is not a meaningful difference and 2) in the real world the two schools are seen as peers academically.
However. They are really, really different places! Have you been to re-visit weekends yet? that is how you should make the decision.
These are peer institutions. How you fare in terms of grad school or employment will have much more to do with what you accomplish at either school rather than which one you attend.
Your points in favor of Bates (small classes and positioning you well for graduate admissions) are equally true of Richmond.
DC internships are possible from both, but the relative proximity of Richmond (and the location in the state capital of VA) can’t hurt. As you note, Richmond’s PPEL program could be a good fit (although I’m sure you could cover those interests at Bates too).
You’ve already been going to boarding school in New England. Bates will feel more similar to this than Richmond will, and you sound like a change of scene (and climate) might appeal. They are both great schools, so you can’t go wrong, but from what you’ve said, I’d lean toward Richmond if you had to decide based on current info.
But, are you going to visit before deciding? Sometimes the school you like better after visiting is not the one you expected.
The two schools are academic peers, and both will likely give you what you need academically. There’s not too much to distinguish between them based on academics, reputation, etc. To me, the more important question is geography and school culture. I grew up near University of Richmond, and my son goes to Bates, so I"m pretty familiar with both schools. My take on the differences:
Richmond larger school (undergrad enrollment of around 3200, plus grad students, while Bates is around 2000); has somewhat significant Greek life (1/3 of students participate), and culturally a fairly “southern” feel to the school. Bigger sports presence on campus especially basketball. It’s technically in the City of Richmond, but the neighborhood has a suburban feel and there’s not too much that is walkable from campus. Richmond itself has a some vibrant artsy neighborhoods, but you’d need to take the bus or drive. Richmond is a state capital and is two hours away from DC, so you’d have lots of internship options nearby. Most people absolutely love the campus and give it high marks for campus beauty. Weather is great here - moderate fall/winter and gorgeous spring.
Bates: Smaller school, no Greek life, reputation for being very friendly/egalitarian. While there are all of the requisite sports teams, sports seems somewhat less dominant. It’s located in Lewiston, which is not generally viewed as a big plus, but it does have some decent restaurants and is not too far from Freeport and fairly close to Portland. Campus is very pretty, and it has much better access to skiing, hiking, outdoors activities. Weather is cold/snowy, but it’s gorgeous in the fall.
Choose based on which school is going to be a better cultural and geographic fit - they are very very different schools. Academically, there’s not much to distinguish them.