Is Bates preppy?

<p>Would an arty theatre major who is a farm loving hiker find a community at Bates? She has heard it is preppy. Any thoughts?</p>

<p>Hi there,</p>

<p>As a current Bates student, I'd say that your daughter (I assume) would definitely find a community here. Of course, as a selective liberal arts school, I think Bates is naturally more "preppy" than a cheaper/bigger school. But, relative to other schools in the same vein that I've experienced, Bates seems to be less "preppy." You can find some artsy theater types who live at the studio/theater and you can find some squash-playing, polo-shirt wearing prep school types. But moreso than being just one of these two one-dimensional stereotypes, people here tend to cross over two or more of these arenas. It's hard to think of an example without singling out a person (since we're small & cozy) or being too general that I perpetuate stereotypes, but I will say that I've found that I can't judge someone here if I only see them once, because it won't be an accurate representation of who they are. It probably sounds cheesey/college guidebook-y to say that there's no stereotypical Batesie, but that's really how I feel.</p>

<p>Hope that was somewhat helpful. Feel free to send me a note if you have any other questions or want me to try to be more concrete!</p>

<p>Thank you for your thoughtful reply. My daughter is very open to attending a school with all types of people as why else go, but she wants to make sure that there are a sufficient number of people who share her love for theatre and environmental causes. Would you say the arts are a popular major at Bates? It is hard to tell from the information we have read.</p>

<p>I think Bates has a fair number of left brain-right brain people. My daughter is a lot like that and will be first year at Bates this fall. She is thinking about majoring in Art History...but has many other interests as well. </p>

<p>Her older brother, for example, wanted to be an actor...not an actor concerned with the environment, social justice, etc...just an actor; he did not even consider Bates...today he is in a far more "artsy school" near NYC... I suggest a visit to Bates!</p>

<p>We visited recently and my d who is from a city and goes to a liberal PS found it very preppy - there was a great interesting girl who did our info session but when we toured the campus the overall feel was very homogenous with a lot of emphasis on sports. When she asked what kids not into sports did our tour guide replied that there is a lot of cheering on at games- not the answer she was looking for. On the other hand my d really liked the campus and description of academics so she was torn. At the moment she is not planning to apply though.</p>

<p>The arts don't tend to be the most popular majors at Bates. The social sciences tend to be top (usually psychology, economics, and politics are the big three) perhaps because social science is somewhat of a compromise between the left & right sides of the brain (well, that's my theory.) </p>

<p>I do know that people in the theater department tend to become close since there aren't tons of people regularly involved in productions. The theater and dance departments (there's some crossover between them) hold a big, exclusive (theater and dance kids only) party each spring, so there's definitely a sense of an independent community there. The Robinson ("Rob") Players (student-run theater group) tend to be at the heart of this community and meet weekly for lunch -- it sounds like your daughter might enjoy getting involved with them.</p>

<p>As for her environmental side, that would definitely be covered. It seems as though everyone here has been into being "green". The whole campus community (including administration) is really supportive of environmental projects. I probably encounter the word "sustainable" once a day when I'm on campus. Last year BikeShare and ZipCar programs began, both good deals, great resources to have, and environmental-friendly. The Environmental Coalition is very active, as is the somewhat connected Bates Energy Action Movement (BEAM.) We also have a great environmental coordinator (I think that's her title) who works with these student groups and with the administration. </p>

<p>Oh, and last year there were two environmental theme houses. Usually there's only one house per theme, but they made an exception because of the demand.</p>

<p>I was a bit concerned about the preppy aspect before I came here. While there are a good amount of students here who might be considered preppy, Bates really caters to a variety of students with all sorts of interests. I've also found that most of the preppier students are pretty friendly and open like the majority of students on campus. In fact, now that I'm at Bates I'd consider going to a private school if I hypothetically had to do high school all over again which was something I was pretty adament against before I got here.</p>