On paper Bates jumps out at us with their “Ardor and Devotion” motto and mission statement emphasizing their inclusive, egalitarian social character. Not for everyone no doubt, but speaks to us… really speaks to us. But then I find myself wondering can that really be true? It is one thing to state this on a website, but is the student body truly invested in this philosophy? If so, then Bates, has to be a fairly unique college? True, or is the Bates experience not really too much different from that at any other LAC? I appreciate thoughts from anyone in a position to know. Thank you!
Well . . . I have no experience with bates but there are other schools that have egalitarian and inclusive approaches. Quaker schools come to mind. These tend to have some form of this, and have honor codes, treating everyone with respect. Like, not all Q schools are the same, but the Q values are there – and are not judgemental about social issues. haverford, Bryn Mawr, Earlham. Guilford. St Mary’s College of MD seems to be fairly laid back and egalitarian. At some point Vassar profs were all called by their first names, not sure if this is still the case. Soka in CA is supposedly devoted to egalitarianism but I’m not sure how this plays out.
As a Bates alumna I don’t think the school is necessarily unique in its inclusiveness or egalitarianism but there are aspects of the school that flow from its history. Some might seem insignificant but still have a subtle impact on one’s experience of the school.
For instance,
Bates has never had frats or sororities. While many of its peers have done away with Greek life there is still a faint whiff of it on some campuses. A few schools even have underground frats.
The Bates housing lottery is in order of year, with no priority given to athletes and no honors college. [I’d say this is common among its closest LAC peers but is not the case at many universities.]
Bates admitted women and blacks right from the start, so many buildings and programs are named for women and people of color. These are not just the women’s center or minority scholarships. Benjamin Mays, who graduated from Bates in 1920 and went on to mentor MLK was a trustee at Bates at a time when many of the school’s peers admitted few black students. The Mays Center is a multipurpose social and study center used by all students and the school’s Mays Scholar program and endowed chair honor his work as a civil rights leader and scholar.
http://www.bates.edu/news/2013/03/10/benjamin-mays-living-legacy/
The crew coach coaches both men’s and women’s varsity crew, giving both equal time and energy.
The debate team, which punches far above its weight class, takes all comers. Most other schools require students to try out for a place on the team, but at Bates, if a student is willing to commit to working hard, they can join the debate team regardless of past experience.
Clubs are open to all students. Every Bates student is automatically a member of the school’s very active student-run outing club. The school’s orientation trips (AESOPs) are student designed and led.
All students eat in one central dining hall (Commons). The only room and board plan is all-inclusive, so all students have equal access to unlimited food.
As I’ve said, Bates is not the only school with egalitarian ideals, but I do think its a place that strives to honor its roots as a place of inclusion.
My son is a rising sophomore at Bates and was an athletic recruit at 8 of the 11 NESCAC schools plus a handful in Patriot Leage like Colgate, Holy Cross and Bucknell. I can give you our thoughts based on overnight visits to several schools. I went with him so I was able to observe.
Before I go into that just note that Bates is ranked 8th in country by Washington Monthly in their rankings based on contribution to the public good, the highest of its peer schools in NESCAC. More importantly Bates is ranked #1 in the country in community service in the sub-rankings. Bates also places heavy emphasis on interviewing which to me is a reliable way to evaluate a candidates personality and attitude. I honestly cannot understand why evaluative interviews are so uncommon nowadays.
My son’s overall impression was that Bates students were the friendliest and had minimal elitist tendencies. He also said this about Wesleyan and Hamilton to some extent. He was particularly put off by Colby and texted me saying lets leave as early as possible tomorrow. He told me in the car it reminded him of everything he hated about going to private high school.
I sensed a very friendly and harmonious campus and unprentious staff, putting Bates pretty much at the top for him when decision time came around. He was eager to tutor math at the local middle school as soon as he noticed it was across the street from campus.
The coaching staff was by far the most organized and gracious.
The food was tied with Bowdoin for best food and I can vouch for that. The dining facility is fantastic and everyone eats together.
I’ll offer a different perspective. Nothing against Bates. 2 of my family members graduated from it. For me, I started there and transferred to a larger Ivy. I was “good” at lots of stuff, but not stellar at anything. Because of its size, I had a hard time breaking in. At that time, only students who got 4.0’s first term were allowed to give tours. I had just missed it, but made Dean’s List. I tried out for Merrimanders, but didn’t get in (a capella group). I couldn’t find niches, because there were so few slots available in the ECs that had try-outs. I transferred to a larger university, and had no trouble finding lots of clubs and ECs to enjoy. There wasn’t just one a capella women’s group for instance, there were several. Bates may tout equality, but it is still small. All small schools suffer and excel at similar things because of their size.
It probably isn’t as unique as it may seem, but it’s a great school with a strong, tight community. . As noted by @Sue22, it is not trying to overcome a history of frats, single sex, or exclusivity, and that is helpful. The most recent president had come from Haverford, and it feels like much of what was undertaken on her watch had a bit of a Quaker flavor in terms of emphasis on community and intentionality. As noted by @Dustyfeathers, if you like these values, check out schools with Quaker ties.
DS found the students friendly when he visited for an overnight. But he found them so pretty much everywhere he went. He did not have the same perceptions of the other schools or of the Bates coaching staff as did @2inSchool2, which is all to say YMMV.
If you like what you’re seeing of Bates, try to visit. It’s a great school. But probably not as radically different from most remote LACS that value their communities.
Thanks all! Very helpful! If anyone has anything to add I’m standing by. @2inSchool2 elitism is a concern for me given it seems to be a NE school stereotype, but having no experience myself I have no idea if there is any validity to it.