<p>Hi all. I'm new. Just found out about this website last night and thought I'd give it a try. If anyone has a child who has been accepted at Bates I'd love to hear from you. My daughter is in love with Bates. To the point that she is planning on early decision. That being said I think this is a reach school for her but it's hard to tell. Here math SAT score is there but english is LOW. She's math/science all the way. She does okay in English in school but not on standardized tests. Bates doesn't request SAT/ACT scores but I know that some do submit. From what I hear she may be a person who does better on the ACTs. Should she take these to see if she scores better and submit those? Should she take it with writing or not? Is there a better forum to post this to? She is an IB student and is low A high B student. Our high school however doesn't weight classes so students that are taking MUCH easier classes are rated actually higher in class rank at her school because they have all A's but their class work is lighter. We do have access to a database through the high school and no one from our high school has been accepted since the database was started - several years. Of course that doesn't tell you if anyone has applied or not. Just looking for some information on Bates from someone else who has been interested/accepted</p>
<p>She loves Bates and really likes the Cross Country Track Coach and is looking at trying to set up an overnight there. Definitely has the interest. Had the rigor in high school. Had an interview she thought went well but its the only one she has had so who knows. She loves the size of the school.</p>
<p>Anyone have any knowledge of Bates acceptance?</p>
<p>I don't know anything about Bates admissions, but I do know that some students do much better on the ACT than the SAT. Also, the Xiggi Method would be a good method for your D to improve her SAT scores. It requires a motivated student to work, but that should be no problem for an IB student. Good luck!</p>
<p>There is a thread from last fall on CC that talks about the article. My daughter is starting Bates this fall. Applying early was an important strategy for her because she was also an "A's and B's" student. She fell in love with Bates on her first visit and also had a great interview.</p>
<p>I love Bates - I'm a rising junior. Definitely apply early, it'll give her an edge. From my friends, I think it's a pretty even split between score submitters and nonsubmitters, obviously she should definitely submit if they're within/above range.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure acceptance rates are comparable with other good LACs - high 20s or low 30s year by year. But I don't work in Admissions, so I don't know for sure. I know that Bates loves kids that really wants to come, so if she demonstrates a lot of interest, she'll stand out.</p>
<p>If you have any questions you want a student's perspective on, feel free to ask!</p>
<p>Thanks for the article from Down East Online. I had come across it earlier I think from someplace on this site. Very interesting but if anything I had more questions after I read it. Thanks again for bringing it to my attention</p>
<p>It was great to hear from a student at Bates and I'm glad that you are doing well and liking the school. I believe that my daughter will do well there is very interested in attending. The more I read the more I'm tempted to have her take the ACTs. Her math is right in the range. Her english is low and not in the range. Since her writing is higher than her english but lower than her math it's probably okay but since most schools are still not looking at the writing who knows. I'm not surprised about her english and she has taken the SATs twice. It did get better but not good enough for Bates. She is interested in Biology and is really math/science all the way. She does take AP/IB History and English courses that she really works at but still manages to get low A's high B's in the subjects. Anything with interpretation she just doesn't get -- she's a black and white type of person. It either is in the data set or not. Sorry for the long post. I'm sure that I'll have some more questions in the future. Currently trying to set up the overnight visit/practice with the cross country coach. More visits to Maine. Thanks again for the information.</p>
<p>My boyfriend is a neuro major and he has nothing but good things to say about the sciences at Bates. In fact, he was doing research for a prof over the summer, and there were LOTS of other kids doing research and staying - since it's such a small school, the research opportunities are fantastic, since you really get to know your profs.</p>
<p>Bates is very, very popular here for smart kids who are not super-achievers, and who want the small LAC experience. I don't know much more specific than that about Bates admissions, but I am confident that, like other LACs in the same general market space, there is a high acceptance rate for kids who apply ED (most of whom are relatively insensitive to financial aid differences, or else they wouldn't be applying ED anywhere). Many similar schools accept well over half their ED applicants. For an A-/B+ IB diploma candidate with one high SAT score, a coach's involvement would almost certainly seal the deal, but the deal might well be sealed without that.</p>
<p>I am moving this thread to the Parent Forum, as there are likely knowledgeable parent posters who do not frequent the Cafe, but do follow the main forum... which is where topics directly related to college admissions are usually found.</p>
<p>Bates' acceptance rate last year was 32% overall, not sure about ED but it's probably somewhere north of 50%. We got the impression when we visited that sports are quite big there, so a positive word from a coach would be a big plus. Bates is SAT-optional, and they report that only 50% of applicants submitted SAT scores. A lot of SAT-optional schools assume that if an applicant doesn't submit scores it must mean they're weak; otherwise, why not submit? I'd say, have her take the ACT and see which is higher, then decide which to submit. Strong math (especially for a girl), grades in the A-/B+ range in an IB curriculum, and a nudge from a coach might be enough to get her in, but if th ACT comes out stronger, use it.</p>
<p>^ I don't see a geographic breakdown of their student body or specific information on geographic preferences in admission, but my guess is it's a slight plus to apply as a Midwesterner. A lot of these small New England LACs draw their applicant pool heavily from New England, secondarily from the Middle Atlantic, then from California, then a smattering from elsewhere. And frankly, schools lie Bates just aren't on the radar screens of a lot of Midwesterners.</p>
<p>If you look at the Bates admissions officers' territories, they've got Massachusetts and Connecticut broken down by county, New York City by borough, New York State, California, Pennsylvania, and Maine by region within the state, and the rest of the country by entire state or whole swaths of states. That tells me they don't spend much time recruiting the Midwest, they likely have a much smaller applicant pool from the Midwest, and to the extent they value geographic diversity (and they say they do, to some extent), one's chances as a Midwesterner are probably slightly higher. A caveat, though: there seem to be more Chicago-area applicants at a lot of these schools than from other parts of the Midwest. If you're from North Dakota and your stats fit their profile, you're probably golden. Chicago, not so much; but probably better than suburban Boston or Fairfield County, CT.</p>
<p>If your daughter is interested in running track/XC at Bates she should definitely communicate that to the coach. Her desirability as an athlete could likely impact her overall chances.</p>
<p>We have met the coach and the coach has invited her for an overnight and practice with the team. That is the next step. Trying to set things up over the next week. Coach used to coach at Syracuse with is only 90 minutes away and she knows the section that my D runs in and knows that it is competitive. Hoping that that will help her out some.</p>
<p>Another poster who can't really speak to Bates admissions.... but wanted to encourage along a few lines.</p>
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<li><p>"Lopsided" score kids can fare better than you might expect. If she's lopsided with the higher math/lower verbal score and she's science-minded and headed in that direction, it's likely that admissions reviewers will discount the low verbal score quite a bit. Especially when we're not talking HYPS admissions. And especially as a female. There are stories of good results of kids with 700+math/<600 verbal.</p></li>
<li><p>Bates is a wondeful school, strong in the sciences and I just want to add to those who have emphasized the advantages of the intimacy at this school due to its size and culture. My S spent his Katrina term there and, even in the one semester, got to know a prof in his field very well. He loved the school.</p></li>
<li><p>I couldn't tell if you or she have visited the school previously or whether her interview was at another venue. If you have not visited, my impressions: the campus is quite attractive. The city of Lewiston is not a big selling point, but I hope you will not be put off by that. It is quite close to Portland, a wonderful small city. Another poster mentioned lodging options in Freeport. Portland is also an option - approximate 45 minute drive.</p></li>
<li><p>Bates is serious about being score-optional. They were one of the first, I believe and have done the research over the years to prove that non-submitters are as successful as submitters in their college careers. I believe the conventional wisdom is to submit if you are over the posted average scores and don't submit if you are below - reason being is that even score-optional schools like to brag about (and get USN&WR "points" for) their SAT ranges. I realize this is confounding if she is lopsided, but my guess - and it is only a guess - is that they would like the high math score more than they would mind the lower verbal score. </p></li>
<li><p>You might post that particular question on the Bates forum here on cc. It is not as active as some other forums, but I think you would get responses if you asked the experience of current students about submitting/not submitting. You might also post it on the SAT/ACT forums - ie, ask for insight and experience of members re submitting to SAT optional schools. In particular, I think it would be helpful if you gave the scores or at least some idea of the range of her good math score and her not-so-good verbal.... so that people could give you targeted advice.</p></li>
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<p>One of my son's friends chose Bates because he felt it had a more "creative" student body....he had 4 wonderful years there....loved it.....was a Colby legacy and chose Bates instead.....(not validating his choice, just communicating it)......applied ED and got in and never looked back.... also did a semester in New Zealand as part of his Bates experience. </p>
<p>The coach inviting daughter for an official visit is very good news.... NY is not too far away...... another friend of ours had their daughter attend from NYC....she loved it.....used to brag that Lewiston has the largest Wal-Mart in the US.....it is a distribution center, but who knew?? </p>
<p>I think the campus is beautiful....and Lewiston is no less attractive than many other locations..... great skiing 1-2 hrs away.....and ocean 45 min away..... some good restaurants...... and an excellent education......</p>