Hi All we have narrowed it down to these two schools. Great financial offer from one waiting on the other. My S is weighing both and going to Accepted Students day for both. S is a strong writer and may eventually head to Law school but unsure at the moment. He’s a socially active kid. For awhile was considering Journalism but wants to keep it broad. Any thoughts? It’s tough because they both seem like great schools.
Both would be excellent for political science.
Kenyon’s history department seems to be particularly strong, should your son have a complementary interest in this field.
For the integrated practice of writing, Kenyon would be tops:
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/writing-programs
A lot of overlap in culture between those schools, you really can’t go wrong. We visited both, several times – the primary differences I’d consider are location and role of greek life/sports. Gambier is an adorable hamlet, and Kenyon’s campus is charming, but what might be delightful for some could be claustrophobic for others. The surrounding area is largely rural, with great biking. As for Bates, Lewiston is a former industrial town which has seen its industry shrink, but also has some great restaurants and a vibrant Somali immigrant population. Bates also has access to winter sports and is not too far from the water.
Kenyon has around 25-30% greek life participation; it is non-residential in that members do not live in greek houses but live in designated clusters in the dorms. Kenyon also has some power house D3 teams, with a gorgeous athletic facility. Bates has never had greek life, and its athletic facilities are in need of a face lift, or more.
You might spend some time on the poli sci department websites to compare size of faculty, and course offerings, and look for semester in DC programs, if that is of interest to your son. Kenyon is known as a “writer’s” college, but we’ve heard that can mean tight competition for spots on the Kenyon Review etc. A student might find more opportunities at a school like Bates, where the competition might not be so fierce.
If @Lindagaf isn’t tired of being pulled into this kind of conversation, she has a lot of experience with these two schools.
Thanks so much everyone. We’ve visited Bates on a family tour. Love Maine kids went to camp there. Gambier is an unknown…would be great to hear from @Lindagaf if she has any additional input.
Oh my, this is a tough choice! My D was accepted to both, and ultimately chose Bates. She actually deposited at Kenyon, until she got off Bates WL. She really struggled with the choice though. They have a lot in common, but I would say the biggest differences are in connections with people. She decided job connections on the East Coast were more likely at Bates. Bates has an excellent career center and an innovative program called “purposeful work.” The have a ton of internship opportunities, and also provide stipends for unpaid internships. So the whole career aspect was a big deciding factor.
She also felt Bates has a better study abroad program. She liked the idea of the Short Term, which Kenyon has no equivalent of.
As far as the kids, she will say unequivocally that Bates kids are sportier. That is a negative to her. But there are plenty of kids of all types, and she has bonded with the creative kids. Kenyon probably is more creative. As far as poli-sci, I can’t say for sure, but I am assuming Bates has a strong program in that area. And Kenyon probably does too. They are both well connected schools.
Is your daughter at all outdoorsy? If she is, then no question, Bates is better. My daughter isn’t outdoorsy and doesn’t care about that at all:-) Bates puts on free shuttles to some lovely towns nearby. In Freeport, the BBC kids bump into each other regularly. Portland is really good. Boston is only two hours away, and I think once a month they run a shuttle for $10 so kids can spend the day there, if they want.
A final word about the partying aspect. My D is not into partying at all. She was very worried about this at both schools. So far, it’s been a total non-issue. Kids do drink as they do everywhere, but there is no pressure to do so, and my D and her friends literally joke about it, becasue they wonder where the alleged huge parties are.
So you can see I am biased, but we are really happy she is at bates and we think it’s a wonderful school.
Linda thank you this so helpful. It’s my Son actually and he is a Xcountry runner. Sports will come into play a bit and he is extremely outdoorsy hiking camping etc. Went to camp in Maine. I would be delighted to have a reason to go back every year. I have wondered about connections East Coast vs. Midwest. I have to explore this further. He’s a strong writer so we thought Kenyon would be the better choice. He doesn’t necessarily want to become a writer though. So confusing I’m hoping Accepted Students days he’ll get more of a real feel for his decision.
Happy this worked out well for your D.
S was a Politics major/history minor at Bates. Excellent for both. He loved his 4 years at Bates. Niece went to Kenyon. Loved it and wanted my S to apply, but he wasn’t interested in going to school in Ohio (though he said the same about Maine at one time.) Although niece was from metro NYC area she didn’t mind going to a college, “in the middle of a corn field.” Her words, not mine.
Kenyon is of course known for its English department. Bates’ is nothing to sneeze at though. My D is really enjoying the academics so far, made Dean’s List!
Bates has a reputation for a very friendly student body too. My husband and I were really impressed at parents’ weekend. My D had a hard time settling in initially. Hubby and I were expecting her to be sad and alone when we finally went up to visit her, but no, everywhere we went kids called her by name.
We went to a student gig. A bunch of Bates kids in various ensembles. These kids were GREAT! I couldn’t believe the talent. And all kinds of students came up to our daughter during the shows, taking her by the arm and including her. It made us feel a lot better about her being there. The next morning, we went for a walk in the nearby bird sanctuary, which is walking distance to the college. Several kids were running through the woods and they all said hello. I was amazed. I was worried she had been sitting alone everyday, but everyone and their brother was really friendly. I know now that we got the worst of it, and I suspect she was having a better time than we thought:-)
Anyway, many many outdoor activities. There’s a popular sailing club, kids go skiing, running, and of course the Bates Outdoor Club is well known and very popular. Lots of gorgeous hikes. Which my kid never does, haha!
My daughter toured Kenyon and Bates, and applied to both, but withdrew her Bates application after an ED2 acceptance to Kenyon, which she now attends.
We are New Englanders. I am a native Mainer, and am very familiar with Bates. Due to its natural surroundings, Bates offers great options for hiking, skiing, sailing, etc. However, Kenyon, too, has an extremely active Outdoors Club. The immediate surroundings of Kenyon include pastoral country roads and trails for biking, running and walking. The winding Kokosing River runs adjacent to campus.
In terms of course offerings for a kid interested in writing, law school or journalism, both schools will prepare your son well. My daughter, also a strong writer, has an interest in public policy and journalism. She has found her courses and professors to be phenomenal. She is currently taking a fantastic seminar in journalism and non-fiction narratives. I realize that my daughter is only a first-year, so it’s early, but she reports that every professor she’s had has been inspiring, supportive and focused on student outcomes. Similarly, her classmates are authentic, intellectual and throughly engaged in the learning process. They are at Kenyon to explore new ideas and generally stretch their minds. Overall, the student body includes a nice mix of artsy, sporty, outdoorsy, musical, politically active, theatre, science and premed types, as well as students that overlap across these types.
Your son would find abundant opportunities for extracurricular involvement. In addition to the aforementioned Outdoors Club, Kenyon has more than 150 others to fit nearly any interest. Over fall break my daughter and a group of students spent a week volunteering in support of a widely debated environmental/human rights cause. This was a life changing trip for her, an experience which further solidified her interest in journalism. In addition, she has participated in local activism, learned about sustainable agriculture while volunteering at the Kenyon Farm and managed to still find time to participate in the Equestrian Club.
Your son has two great schools from which to choose. My daughter liked Bates enough to strongly consider it. She loved their English department. She spent a great deal of time closely analyzing course offerings at all her prospective schools. This might be something for you and/or your son to do as well. A few fantastic LACs fell off her list when she determined their offerings did not quite match her interests. Ultimately, the qualities that sold her on Kenyon were the expansive, beautiful campus (1000 acres); the close knit feel; and the strength of the English and writing programs. The Bates campus, which has an appeal of its own, felt much more cramped to her at 133 acres. Additionally, the school’s location in Lewiston gave it a bit more of a city feel than she desired. Proximity to home also played a part. Bates is ninety minutes from our town. She wanted to experience life in another region of the country. She loves the fact that she has to take a plane to and from school for vacations!