Of the three Maine schools which two make the most sense to tour in one day (I have to due to time constraints). Bowdoin is by far my favorite of the three but given Bates/Colby’s borderline status on my list, I feel it is most important to tour those. I live in Colorado, so will be unable to go back East more than once. Any feedback is appreciated.
You can do any 2 in one day so pick the two that interest you most. Bates and Bowdoin are closest to each other. Colby is further north. All 3 are easily accessed from the interstate and it’s not a part of the world where you’re likely to deal with tons of traffic holdups. (In other words, the Google map time estimates are pretty reliable.)
If you can visit only once, make sure you schedule interviews. Honestly, I would suggest seeing all 3. There are many ways in which they are more alike than different although each has its character.
Bowdoin & Bates are closest to each other. If you fly into Portland it’s easy to drive up to Lewiston (Bates) from the airport which is right off the HWY. Then there’s a road that connects Lewiston to Brunswick (Bowdoin) via Topsham. There are a lot of good places to eat in Brunswick (Japanese/German/Thai/Indian/Italian/diners/etc.) After visiting Bowdoin you can stop in Freeport (LLBean & shops) on your way out of Maine.
Bowdoin’s faculty are great. It’s got a great center close/on the ocean, if you want to experience Maine’s coast and have access to ocean, Bowdoin’s your place. Great fieldhouse. They’re building a new environmental sciences center. There’s an Amtrak train station in Brunswick. The college’s library is so-so, more of an 80’s feel to it.
Bate’s faculty are also great. It’s located more in a residential area of town than either Colby or Bowdoin. Lewiston itself doesn’t have a great rep. but Bates has lots going on. Several new buildings/centers and more coming. New Hampshire & the White Mtns. (hills really, if you’re coming from Colorado) are directly west of Bates.
However, this said, going up to Colby really should be on your list. Colby is in the midst of a huge building campaign. It’s campus is really nice. Faculty are great. They’ve got some really interesting internships (MDI Bio Lab/Bigelow Labs/etc.). If you like skiing and outdoors stuff, Colby is closest to that stuff. Waterville, where Colby is, is in the midst of a resurgence.
Yes, definitely interview at all 3 schools. Honestly, it could possibly make the difference in whether you get accepted or waitlisted. My daughter was waitlisted at both Bowdoin and Bates even though she had very strong grades, test scores and credentials. We had scheduled a trip to Maine but had to cancel due to a blizzard and never made it back. It’s highly likely that an interview could have tipped her into the accepted category by demonstrating a strong interest in attending either school. If you don’t think you’ll make it back out east, interview now so that you won’t have the “what if” factor.
To answer your question, Bates and Bowdoin are the easiest to do in one day due to their close proximity.
Do all of the schools do alumni interviews? Being near some more affluent areas like Aspen there likely are some alumni near me. Also, Denver (3 hours away) definitely would have some.
I would really try to interview on campus if possible. Few schools give much weight to alumni Interviews. All three of these schools are very interested in admitting people rather than stats so an interview could be very helpful to letting them see who you really are and allowing them to put a face to an application.
I think it’s as much about having visited the school as it is about the interview itself. These schools are small and Maine winters can feel long. The BBC schools want kids who will embrace those qualities, not transfer out when they realize the schools really aren’t in a city or the mix of kids doesn’t feel like what it sounded like on paper. Although the three schools are similar on paper most people who visit them find they gravitate to one or two of them.
I would encourage you to tack on a day to your trip if you can. If that’s not possible it makes the most sense to see Bowdoin and Bates as they’re the closest to each other.
To clarify as I should have done earlier, I have two days in Maine on my trip I just need to combine 2 to make it work. Location-wise I live in the middle of nowhere, so these schools are infinitely more “urban”, being close to Boston and Brunswick. I also appreciate Colby’s proximity to Sugarloaf, which seems the closest skiing I’ll get to the Aspen resorts back East.
Well, Bates is closer to Sunday River which is a good ski mtn. I lived & skied in Colorado for a while. Sugarloaf and Sunday (and New England) skiing are not close to western skiing. New England has more ice. But enough about skiing and the cold.
Boston isn’t really close to Bowdoin, it might look it. But it takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to Boston downtown/Logan area. Portland is close-ish 30-40 (mins).
Winters are long and cold here. In fact, it’s been about 40-50 this week (June). It does take a certain kind of student come to Maine and return all 4 years. Most of CBB’s grads seem to go to Portland, Boston, NYC or Washington, DC. But to @gardenstategal & @Sue22’s points, going to the campus, talking to the students and the AO staff will make a difference.
We’re local to these 3 schools and have a lot of interaction with them (going to music/sports/art/etc events). On paper, they each seem very similar to the other. And physically they each do look similar…classic New England college look. But the student body at each are definitely different. You can’t get that from reading a website or catalog. The Bowdoin & Colby student body have a similar vibe. Bates doesn’t. I think each CBB mascot are actually really appropriate - Polar Bear, Mule & Cat (ok, Bobcat). All 3 attract super smart, interesting kids. But they are each different.
Here’s a brief illustration. I was looking for a science tutor for my son. I emailed Colby, Bates & Bowdoin. Colby put me in contact with the department chair who invited my son to come visit, take a tour and sit in on classes and find tutor during that visit. Bates told me they thought we lived too far away (we are about the same distance to each school). Bowdoin I didn’t hear back from the college…but the next day I got 7 or 8 emails and calls from different Bowdoin students who wanted to help. Maybe it’s just that dept., but to me it was a telling difference. Probably TMI.
But you’ll see when you get here, each is very different behind those traditional red brick buildings. (I suppose it’s like visiting the Claremont Colleges, to me I read about them and visit their website and I think close to LA, New England-like colleges in the middle of sunny Cali. But I’m sure they are each different.)
IMO - If you’ve got 2 days for Maine colleges, then stop at Bowdoin in the AM 1st day, go up to Colby that afternoon, stay overnight in Waterville, visit Colby in the AM, and head down to Bates after lunch. Each school is only about 40 mins. tops from each other driving that triangle.
Loved both Bates and Bowdoin on the tours! Did not visit Colby.
Contrary to the experience someone above had with Bates, Bates generally has a reputation for being really friendly and welcoming. The alumni and parents on this site adore it.
And Bowdoin is a tippy-top LAC with all the advantages of one, and it is in a charming town.