Full disclosure, I am a parent asking this question. Is there a lot of partying at Bates?
I would say not. And what partying there is, is certainly on par with similar schools. Bates doesn’t have a big party repuaation. The big thing at Bates is that there are lot of school-sponsored events to keep kids active and busy.
My daughter is a sophomore at Bates. She does not go to parties, or very few. Neither do her friends. Like all colleges, a stduent can find partying if that is what they are after.
My daughter is a freshman there. My impression is the same as @Lindagaf’s. When I walked across the campus late on a Saturday night, it was very quiet. I’m sure some students were partying, but it wasn’t obvious.
Another Bates mom here. Bates doesn’t have a party reputation but anywhere you have that many 18-22 year olds there will be parties. I hear plenty of reports of drinking and weed. There are plenty of non-party people around as well. You can look at campus security logs online to see what kinds of hijinks are going on at most schools.