Reassurance about Bates

<p>I was waitlisted by my first choice school and, looong story short (that game the Admissions Office plays… sigh) I was ultimately rejected. So I’m going to be attending Bates this fall but I’m having some doubts. I was wondering if any of you had some sort of reassurance that’d make me feel better about my choice… I know there are reasons to love Bates, I just need a little help figuring out what they are. Thanks :)</p>

<p>You should have no doubts that bates is a really good school, there's a lot of statistics to prove that. I liked Bates so much that I choose it over Wesleyan, which some would considered to be a better school. Besides all the basic stuff that makes all liberal arts schools good like small class sizes and everything else, Bates has many other things as well. One thing that I have heard emphasized many many times is the friendliness of the student body. Students are very nice and get to know each other very well, especially because of the long cold winters. I also liked how there was emphasis on athletics and the arts, without being overly tilted in either direction. Bates also attracts kids with a variety of personalities, which makes the school feel not as small as it actually is.
It's hard to be rejected from your first choice, and even harder when you have so much time to think about it. i know I was crushed when I was surprisingly rejected at Vassar but now I realize that I would rather be at Bates. Hopefully, when you come in the fall you will get a good feeling but if not you can always transfer. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.</p>

<p>Bates is an awesome place to be. You can get as good an education here as anywhere, even Harvard (which is so career-based now that Bates for all practical terms beats Harvard in academics). And the campus is beautiful.</p>

<p>It is an excellent school though its location sucks.</p>

<p>Hey, Lewiston is a model city! Just don't go down Lisbon Street after dark, haha.</p>

<p>Yeah, a few good colleges are in pretty crappy areas. Something about high crime rates and not-so-attractive settings make people scramble to build schools there. What's the deal with Lisbon St.?</p>

<p>It's just kind of a dumpy area in general. Don't get me wrong though... Bates is a great campus in a relatively safe part of town. It used to be on the outskirts, but the city swallowed it up.</p>

<p>Plus one of the benefits of living in such a town is having access to the largest Wal-Mart in the Northeast.</p>

<p>I hear Wal-Mart is a must-see attraction. That and Bean at 2am. I've been there after 1am - they give away coffee and iced tea if you trek out there that late</p>

<p>Hey - don't forget Denny's!!! It's a must when you HAVE to eat at 4AM...</p>

<p>i'll be a rising soph at bates, and i gotta say, it's an awesome place. nice people; great academics. i got into a bunch of other good places (bucknell, colby, colgate, hamilton, vassar) and i'm really pleased that i choose bates.</p>

<p>it's totally normal to be nervous, but trust me, you'll be toally fine. bates will feel like home within a month.</p>