<p>Hi! So I was accepted Early Decision at Bates, and I I’m beyond excited. I looked at Hamilton, Colgate, and Wesleyan as well, and this is what I took from each:</p>
<p>Hamilton - Hamilton was my second choice, and from what I have gathered, it was the second choice of most current students at Bates as well. They’re very similar schools down to their climates and equal academic rigor. Clinton, NY is a very nice town and a short walk from campus and is overall a much nicer college town than Lewiston. However, I found the party culture at Hamilton, which is slightly more centered around drugs rather than alcohol, to be a bit concerning. I’m all for having a good time, but I’m not really into cocaine. In addition, I’m a recruited athlete, and sports at Bates are a much bigger. There’s a lot more student involvement at Bates, and the teams are a lot better, as well as more fan involvement. Other than that, Hamilton is an excellent school, and I really did consider very much going there. </p>
<p>Colgate - I didn’t look at Colgate as seriously merely because it’s Division I (however small it is, Division I nonetheless). However, I did get a lot from it anyway. It’s larger than Bates, but like Bates, and maybe much more because it’s Division I, the sports are very competitive and there is a lot of fan involvement. It’s a great time, as well as being a very rigorous academic school. However, the main thing that pushed me away from Colgate was not the fact that they have a Greek system, but the prevalence of it. I didn’t know if I would be allowed to be in the system because of athletics (sometimes coaches don’t allow it), so I didn’t want social life to be dominated by a system I wasn’t a part of. But it is very similar to Bates in almost every other way. </p>
<p>Welseyan - I loved Wesleyan. It’s probably the second largest NESCAC school behind Trinity, which was definitely a driving factor in my liking it. It’s a much more artsy crowd than Bates, Hamilton, and Colgate, but they do have their fair share of non-artsy students as well (I would be one of them). The campus is lovely, and the college town is as well. Their sports are generally weak, as is their “traditional” school spirit, but I did find that everyone there was friendly and extremely happy to be there. I just wasn’t exactly right for the school–perhaps it was my lack of artsiness. But it really is wonderful.</p>
<p>I realize in rereading this I’ve made it sound as if I chose Bates, or college in general, on athletics alone. I didn’t. All four of these schools are academically very rigorous, which is what I was aiming for, and I in no way compromised my education for my sport. In fact, besides the coach at Bates being the best I met, I probably could have played on a better team. This is why I chose Bates:</p>
<p>I loved how it has one dining hall. I felt that that really fostered community, plus it means that whenever you go in Commons, you’re bound to know someone there simply because it’s the only place to go. I love Bates’ school spirit–every single person I met was so extremely happy to be going there. In fact, Bates makes a point in admissions to favor those who have shown a lot of interest and most likely rank Bates as their top choice. The people were tremendous, truly some of the nicest, most well-rounded people I’ve ever met. They’re all extremely smart, but none are pretentious or immodest. Everyone was friendly, and everyone was very eager to tell me a zillion reasons I should come to Bates. I also love Maine, despite being from the Midwest. The campus is beautiful, and while Lewiston is a work in progress, the environment of Maine in general has a lot to offer. Plus, who doesn’t love making snowmen?</p>
<p>I wish you lots of luck in your college process! Really you can’t go wrong with any of those schools… but in my mind Bates will always be the best! Go Bobcats!</p>
Good luck in choosing the right school for you! All of these schools are wonderful; you just have to find the one that fits your personality best!</p>