<p>Hi Chris,</p>
<p>I thought I would add some weight to the discussion about why you may or may not choose Bates.</p>
<p>I am a graduate from Bates with quite mixed feelings about the place.</p>
<p>The good:
ALMOST all the faulty are great and supportive. The knowledge of your professors will impress you day in and day out (I suggest taking some classes with Mark Okrent in the Philosophy department) and they are all very down to earth and easy to talk with.</p>
<p>If you enjoy close relationships, Bates is a great place to build this… but could lead to awkward moments depending on the choices you make (because you definitely can not hide from other there).</p>
<p>It is pretty easy to get involved and start your own organizations with your ideas.</p>
<p>Now some things to think about:</p>
<p>Finances: Bates is costly and if you are worried about financial aid that is something to consider… I was not thinking of those things when I was graduating from high school, but they should play a role in your decision to applying.</p>
<p>Lewiston can be a mixed bag. I really enjoyed the place but many of my classmates (especially those from larger cities) were not excited about venturing into the community.</p>
<p>Area of study: I know you are thinking of Pre Med… I too was Pre Med and wanted to give you some advice in this category. The good: I was accepted to multiple U.S. Medical Schools (and I know a lot of my former classmates that are currently in medical school). The classes are top notch and the MCATs will seem like a breeze.</p>
<p>The bad: the pre-medical committee at Bates is rude and will humiliate you (trust me, it happened to me and multiple friends). I know at the time of applying (and I probably thought this), you think that your college career will be perfect and getting into graduate school will be a breeze. But the reality is that you will have your struggles and will need help along the way (everyone does!). To go through a process that is suppose to be helping you (which you pay big bucks for) only to be humiliated is frustrating to say the least. My thought is this: when you go to Bates and they give you the high medical school acceptance rate - that rate is partially inflated because they try to dissuade everyone from applying except those that they are 100% positive will get in. This makes them look good but is no service to their students and alumni. However, through the medical application, I was assisted by numerous friends from Bates that kept giving me the courage to go through the process even when I was hearing discouraging news from advisors.</p>
<p>I hope this helps!</p>
<p>Good luck in your application and decision.</p>