3 wonderful schools. Given their locations, Bates and Bowdoin are more outdoorsy. All 3 schools have a mix of students but I’d say that Wesleyan seems a little more diverse, a little more liberal, with a more hipster edge to some students. I’d give a slight edge to Wesleyan in the sciences. Tough choice as all will give him a strong education.
This is only part of the equation, but from what I just checked out online, Wesleyan has the least amount of white students (only 53% are white, making it very diverse), and Wesleyan has the most students on Pell grants (18%) As for which school has the warmest, most accepting community, I am not sure.
At the test-optionals (Wesleyan is only newly test-optional) from within this group, s/he may encounter students who tested below the 70th percentile. So the 85th percentile is not bad.
My son is at Bates, he came from an all boys Catholic school. He did multiple athletic recruiting trips to all three and we visit Bates and Bowdoin actually before these. I visited all three with him.
Wesleyan was the least appealing to both of us. There was a constant reminder from everyone there about “diversity” to the point of it being annoying and if I were a minority I would have found it bordering on insulting, most definitely pandering and patronizing. It’s important at Bates and Bowdoin as well but it’s presented in a mature and less promotional fashion. Drug use is considerably higher at Wesleyan.
Bates and Bowdoin have a good combination of all types of students but the Bates group is a little more happy go lucky and chilled out.
The partying I hear about is quite modest, one reason is about 1/3rd of all students are on varsity teams and almost always have events or practice on Saturdays. My son is frequently away from campus on Saturdays and in bed by 10 PM on Friday nights.
There is less attitude at Bates compared to Bowdoin.
@Serendipity123 You might find this interesting. Washington Monthly ranks schools on altruistic metrics. Bates is #8 overall and #1 in community service hours. Wesleyan is ranked #14 and 95th in community service hours. Bowdoin is #35 and 125th in community service hours.
I just recently saw this ranking but this was the impression I had when visiting all in late 2014.
Bates and Bowdoin location is better than Wesleyan. Access to those idyllic Maine locations is very easy and fast. They are both close to the Portland airport. My son just went to the Boston Marathon, and Boston is just about 2 hours away.
Wesleyan is one of the most liberal and political schools in the country. If the OP is not political, then Wesleyan might not be the best place (or, of course, it might inspire him/her to become more political).
In terms of high test scores, I don’t think it will come up, but Bates takes a large percentage of its class from the test optional pool - it has been test optional for many years and really believes that test scores are not particularly relevant. The jury is out on what percentage Wesleyan takes, since it is newly test optional.
I know I’ll probably get reamed for this and I appreciate that there are people on this board more knowledgeable about Wesleyan, but I would probably pick Bates out of the three schools based on the factors that the OP identified - outdoorsy, liberal but not as political, a real devotion to community service, and test scores are not an issue.
“The partying I hear about is quite modest, one reason is about 1/3rd of all students are on varsity teams and almost always have events or practice on Saturdays.”
Most LACs have similar percentages of athletes by virtue of size so this could apply to all 3 schools.
“Wesleyan was the least appealing to both of us. There was a constant reminder from everyone there about “diversity” to the point of it being annoying and if I were a minority I would have found it bordering on insulting, most definitely pandering and patronizing.”
To Wesleyan’s defense, they’ve had a long-term commitment to diversity and they have done a very good job at it for a LAC. It’s not lip service. It does set Wesleyan apart from many other LACs and does change the experience of spending 4 years on campus because of the different voices on campus. I doubt many minorities find it pandering or patronizing.
@doschicos Wesleyan is twice the size so the percentage is about half. Team size is a constant.
Many minority families appreciate diversity but they don’t want to be reminded about it every 5 minutes especially in that setting. It can be said once with the same effect.
Also, Wesleyan is more diverse than others mostly due to its location.
I should have mentioned another reason why Wesleyan was the least appealing. The location just doesn’t offer anything special. Being between Hartford and New Haven just didn’t have any sizzle.
@OnTheBubble
You can’t assume a straight percentage based on enrollment size. For example, Wesleyan has several sports offered that Bates does not offer. Regardless, all LACs will have a large percentage of Varsity athletes - could be 25%, or 33% or 40% depending on the LAC, but parties go on at all of them. Most of them and all the 3 listed, due to academic rigor aren’t places where students are partying 4, 5, or more nights per week regardless of athletic involvement.
“Many minority families appreciate diversity but they don’t want to be reminded about it every 5 minutes especially in that setting.” Are you a minority? It appears not so don’t speak for groups you don’t represent.
I have no skin in this game as my kids applied to all 3 schools but attend none. I like them all and I’m sure OP’s friend could be happy at any of them for 4 years.
Wesleyan: Men Playing Varsity Sports 356 - 26% Women Playing Varsity Sports 255 - 17%
Bates: Men Playing Varsity Sports 344 - 43% Women Playing Varsity Sports 262 - 28%
Bowdoin: Men Playing Varsity Sports 350 - 40% Women Playing Varsity Sports 271 - 31%
I’ve done some cycling out of Middletown. Personally I enjoyed the natural aspects of the area, particularly the separate ferry rides across the Connecticut River.
Maine can be good too, though in terms of wild areas, it is mostly devoid of old-growth forests. However, this is also true for Connecticut.
@doschicos As you can see above, yes you can. Bates has 29 sports, Wesleyan 26. The teams don’t get larger based on the enrollment of the school.
@circuitrider They aren’t. For a white family from NJ, neither Hartford or New Haven and the area in-between would be considered destinations.
I will give you the benefit if 15 years of volunteer work within the Trenton diocese revolving around work with minority students. They and their families are very sensitive to distance from home. So since Wesleyan is much closer to large population centers it is a much easier choice, not easy but easier. In first generation students, even more pronounced for obvious reasons. Logical right? Would like to see first-hand a student from Trenton turn down Colgate and Lehigh for Rutgers-Camden?
Maine is very far in many ways for these students, upstate NY and Vermont as well. You don’t see Middlebury, Colby, Hamilton or Colgate ripping the diversity charts either.
@usualhopeful Access to all those places people go on vacation to are easy to relatively easy for Bates and Bowdoin students. Great highways and no traffic. I don’t need to list them all.
This is the first thread I’ve read on CC in a long time wherein a situation where 1 out of every 10 male students are on the football team is deemed a good thing: http://athletics.bates.edu/sports/fball/2015-16/roster
@circuitrider Athletics was being used to highlight that a large percentage of the student body was not in position to get stupid drunk. I’m sure they have fun but you can’t party on Friday nights if you have a game or practice on Saturday.
@OnTheBubble I’m not going to argue the point with you as my point is that the percentage of varsity athletes isn’t unique to Bates (See Bowdoin’s percentage as posted by @sue22 in post #13) and can be similar to many, many LACs, yes by virtue of size and also, as I stated, due to academic rigor. It’s not a Bates phenomenon. I know at least 10 current Bates students (including relatives) and parties do happen just like every other LAC but not excessively so, just like many LACs.
I will also add that most sports (distance runner being the exception) are not 3 seasons. I bet those football players are partying on at least some Friday nights off season.
“You don’t see Middlebury, Hamilton or Colgate ripping the charts either.”
But you do see Amherst doing so because it, like Wesleyan, has made it an institutional priority and institutional priorities get talked about. It’s not a bad thing to want and discuss diversity. Might not be your particular priority but it is to many people especially those of color. Having been on the Wesleyan tour 3 times, my kids didn’t find it “pandering and patronizing”. If diversity wasn’t brought up by a school representative, it was definitely asked about as it was one factor being considered. Both my kids attend LACs right now. Both are generally happy at them. One has decent diversity. The other doesn’t. My kid knew that going in but that is the biggest complaint my child has about the school after being there for a year, a wish for more diversity.