Hi everyone, I was wondering if some current students or parents of students could possibly weigh in on the dorm options this year. From what I read mixed year dorms tend to not be as loud as other dorms which I find appealing. My only problem is that from what I can tell the 3 newer buildings, 280, chu and Kalperis would all be really nice, however, I don’t know anything about the reputations of the other 4, Page, Parker, Wentworth and Rand. In the past I read that Smith was notoriously loud, given that Smith is not an option are there any of the mixed year dorms that carry a similar reputation. I’ve also heard that Clason is known for housing socially awkward kids so I don’t know if it is for me. I would really appreciate if someone could lay out both the vibe and physical condition of the 4 other dorms and Clason. I tried to email the housing people, however, they didn’t give me any more info than what was listed on the website. Thanks for your help.
Parent of a '17 grad here, who spent his first year in Clason (by choice) and loved it. He’s not a drinker (so the no-chem designation was appealing), and having spent time in high school on a very noisy dorm hall, he wanted more quiet. I met some of his housemates at Clason, and I didn’t find any of them socially awkward. They were from all around the country and the world. Some were athletes, and my student’s roommate was in theatre and an a cappella group. If you’re looking for a party dorm, of course, Clason isn’t it. As for condition, in 2013-14 it was adequate but looked like it needed some work–certainly not as modern inside as the newer dorms. My student stayed on the same end of campus all 4 years, and on visits I noticed Clason looked like it had been spruced up on the outside, so maybe it has gotten some attention on the inside as well. I know in administrative buildings they have done wonderful work updating the interiors while retaining the character of the exteriors. I have also wondered if the new dorms would free up some of the older houses for remodeling; perhaps that has happened. I hope this helps. Good luck making your decision, and on your years ahead at Bates.
I posed your question to D '20 about the dorms. We just moved her out of Adams (Wentworth), they spruced it up last summer. She liked it okay. The year before she was in Clason. Its nice if you don’t want to be around a lot of people. She says Page is the worst of the bunch. Parker and Rand are okay. None of them compare to 280, Kalperis and Chu though. She says that the loudness comes from the freshmen.