<p>i was wondering what distinguishes bates from colby/bowdoin or any nescac or elite liberal arts school for that matter..</p>
<p>and the same question for colby..</p>
<p>i'm trying to formulate answers to the "why _____ college" question</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>It's less isolated.</p>
<p>Two important things that distinguish Bates are the Short Term and the Senior Thesis. Short term allows you to explore classes outside of your major, travel, and do interesting/quirky things. The Senior Thesis forces you to dig deeply into a subject that interests you within your major, do your own research, and really sum up your Bates experience with something you are proud of. Also, Bates emphasizes community service learning because the surrounding area needs help. Bates is also big on studying abroad and has one of the highest study abroad participation rates in the country, so you could talk about that if it interests you. Hmm...they have a unique rhetoric program too. I talked about the incredible debate team at Bates and its willingness to accept new members. You probably already know most of that but I hope it helped a bit at least!</p>
<p>ah thank you very much!</p>