Some questions about Bates?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bates College
1

<p>Hi there,
My son, a junior, (I put his stats on another thread,) good PSATs, SATII in History 770, Math A, 690, will take Math B and Chem in June, lots of activities, three season athlete, very passionate about history, and loves chemistry now too.</p>

<p>We visited Bates College and my son loved it. The only other school he liked as much was Connecticut College, in New London, so we are trying to get into some differences between them. I think he would be very happy at either of them (if he were lucky enough to get in,) but would appreciate anyone with knowledge of both to point out any significant differences, aside from the location.</p>

<p>I do know that Bates has the 4/4/1 calendar, which he liked a lot, plus that beautiful new student building, with the glass and the fountains!! Gorgeous!</p>

<p>Questions:</p>

<ul>
<li>How are the sports teams? Do the kids have school spirit for each other?</li>
<li>Is the school in good financial footing? They seem to be pretty generous with financial aid, which seems good, but are the sciences well-funded?</li>
<li>Is partying/drinking the most popular weekend activity, or does the college provide other activities: bands, plays, music, etc? Do the kids stay in their rooms and get totally drunk, and then come out, or is the drinking more social (the reason I ask is because an ex-student of mine, who goes to a larger NY college, told me the ambulance is there 5 to 6 times a weekend for kids who have drunk themselves into a stupor in their rooms, and this is a big concern of mine.) </li>
</ul>

<p>Thanks in advance for any information!</p>

2

<p>Hi Adigal,</p>

<p>I am a current student who has been very pleased (so far) with her Bates experience. To answer your questions...</p>

<p>Some sports are a big part of student life (i.e. basketball) while others are not. Many students are enthusiastic fans, however, we certainly do not have the fan base that other large universities have.</p>

<p>The school seems to be in an interesting financial situation. Bates pays off 100% of needed financial aid (so if Bates wants a student they will pay to get them here), which is great. Bates has a much smaller endowment than other small liberal arts schools, but signs of current expansion seem to contradict this fact.</p>

<p>In terms of partying and drinking, most people are social drinkers, but you do always find those kids who get out of control. There are also plenty of movies, dances, activities, and other things to do for kids who don't even want to get involved in the drinking scene.</p>

<p>Hope that helps!</p>

3

<p>ahh i also forget to mention that I am majoring in the sciences and most science programs are VERY VERY strong, especially chemistry, biochemistry, and neuroscience. </p>

<p>and...I considered Conn College (I was deciding between Bates and other schools, one of which was Conn) and I am very pleased with my decision</p>

4

<p>Hi,
Thank you for answering my questions. I appreciate you taking the time to do so. Could I also ask, what was it that made you decide on Bates over Conn College? Thanks in advance!</p>

5

<p>Hi everyone,
I am a new member of this website who is very impressed by the discussion forum. I am currently a university student in Africa. I applied to Bates, Bowdoin and Mt. Holyoke for the fall 2006 admissions but was rejected by all of them. I am currently a second semester freshman in this University studying Business. I am interested in the Economics major at Bates. Any idea of what I should do to get in? Curious to hear from Batesies</p>

6

<p>I had previously applied to Bates for the 2006 fall admissions but I was not admitted. I am now in another university in Africa but I am still interested in coming to Bates. I got my first Semester's results and in the six units that I took, I scored one A, three B's and two D's. My high school scores were very good. Please Batesies tell me more about reapplication cases and what I gotta do to get in.</p>

7

<p>Daissels, I think Bates makes you wait a year to reapply after you've been rejected and if you're already in college (?) that might not be practical. Also, you better have a good reason for getting 2 D's because the admissions office won't look favorably on that.</p>

8

<p>Adigal, even though your questions have already been answered I thought I'd help out by just giving another current Batesie perspective!</p>

<ul>
<li>How are the sports teams? Do the kids have school spirit for each other?</li>
</ul>

<p>Some sports obviously tend to have more of a fan base than others. We're generally not that great at sports (except squash and skiing) but in terms of support, there's generally a LOT of support for certain sports (basketball, lacrosse, football). Home basketball games are usually totally packed. A lot of Batesies are athletes themselves and we definitely support each other I think.</p>

<ul>
<li>Is the school in good financial footing? They seem to be pretty generous with financial aid, which seems good, but are the sciences well-funded?</li>
</ul>

<p>With financial aid, you'll probably be fine, they meet 100% of demonstrated need, and most people are on some type of financial aid. The sciences are pretty well funded in my opinion - we have pretty advanced equipment and I've never heard of anyone complaining about not being able to access things they need due to financial concerns.</p>

<ul>
<li>Is partying/drinking the most popular weekend activity, or does the college provide other activities: bands, plays, music, etc? Do the kids stay in their rooms and get totally drunk, and then come out, or is the drinking more social (the reason I ask is because an ex-student of mine, who goes to a larger NY college, told me the ambulance is there 5 to 6 times a weekend for kids who have drunk themselves into a stupor in their rooms, and this is a big concern of mine.)</li>
</ul>

<p>Drinking is big here, I'm not going to lie. Generally on Friday and Saturday nights people get drunk. But there's definitely things to do besides drinking - movies every weekend, usually a concert or a dance going on every weekend, there are lots of performances by people Bates brings in, and by Bates groups. People tend to go drunk to these things, but there are a lot of people who go sober too. Basically no one at Bates is going to force you to drink, but it's a college campus and we're not dry either. In terms of people going out - that definitely happens. There are houseparties and events that people pregame but usually your pregame doesn't take over your whole night.</p>

<p>Hope that helped!</p>

9

<p>Any thoughts about the physics program?</p>

10

<p>i am also a bates student and i just wanted to add that i think bates does an awesome job with getting activities such as concerts on campus. i have visited some of my friends who attend other schools and in comparison it is amazing how much they offer especially with such a small student population.</p>

<p>go bates!</p>

11

<p>Thanks for all of your responses. He is currently deciding his ED schools, and is stressing over this, as he wants to play a sport as well.</p>

12

<p>If I can "piggyback" onto this thread, I'd be curious to know how strong is the English/Literature/Writing program at Bates. Thanks in advance.</p>

13

<p>S's best friend is a freshman and just acted the lead in Pinter's The Birthday Party. The impression I've received is that Bates is an all around good school, but I don't think the Writing program is its strongest.</p>

<p>Look at Hamilton and Bard for really good co-ed writing programs; Barnard is tops for women's colleges.</p>

14

<p>I'm an English major, and I've never had a problem with the English department. The classes I've taken have always been challenging and engaging, and I've really enjoyed it. I've taken classes on monsters in medieval literature, music in African American lit, classes on Tolkien, as well as general classes on Shakespeare, and typical stuff that you'd see in any college. I've also taken several creative writing courses which have, without a doubt, pushed me further in my writing ability. I don't know really how to quantify that, but...</p>

<p>The creative writing program is difficult because it can't be done in lieu of an English lit major, only in addition to. This is probably a good thing, though, because all it does is force you to learn more. The nice thing is that a creative writing focus English major can do a creative thesis, which is definitely a great way to push yourself, writing wise.</p>

<p>If you're still open to new schools, I know Oberlin also has a great creative writing program.</p>

15

<p>Thanks--I appreciate the feedback. :)</p>