<p>Hi everyone! I am considering Bates College as my destination in the fall and I would like to know, from those attending, what makes Bates so special? Is there something unique in the lifestyle of Bates students or some sort of identity of Bates that separates itself from other colleges? </p>
<p>And also, how strong is the economics department nowadays? The 2001 survey results certainly prove its worth, but that was a long time ago so have there been any recent improvements?</p>
<p>Econ department seems as strong, but it’s hard to quantify that kind of stuff. I can tell you I have friends on Wall Street working as analysts, who came out of the department. </p>
<p>Bates is special because of how collaborative the entire school community is. Everyone supports each other. Everyone likes each other.
Batesies consider ourselves more down-to-earth then some of our peer institutions. You won’t find a more modest, friendly, and supportive group of people. It’s a great place to learn and live.</p>
<p>bro2baseball, you seem very knowledgeable about Bates so if you don’t mind answering a few of my questions. </p>
<p>What is the relationship between professors and students (specifically freshman and others as well) and research opportunities? Are they willing to work with students on their research?</p>
<p>How is the social life? Can you describe a typical day or so of classes? Is there a multitude of things to do on Friday nights or is it all party oriented? </p>
<p>Thank you so much for helping out in this rarely visited forum.</p>
<p>Sure, happy to help. I’m a recent graduate. </p>
<p>Relationships between professors and students are fantastic. That starts through the first-year seminar (required class), which allows you to interact with a faculty member closely in a class with 14 other freshmen.
For example, my first-year seminar teacher (who is automatically your freshman year advisor) became my major advisor AND my thesis advisor during my senior year. He’s someone I knew really well, and trusted. </p>
<p>I could give some more anecdotal evidence about the relationships you form with professors. I became close enough to some of my department’s professors that I was on a first name basis with them. When I was a senior I went to a bar with a professor to celebrate the end of the year. It’s not uncommon for small groups of older students to join a professor at their house for dinner. This is all made possible by small departments with passionate and approachable faculty. </p>
<p>Research opportunities are there if you want them, I know several professors hire research assistants. It definitely isn’t as prevalent as it is at large universities, though. (By nature liberal arts schools aren’t as research-focused as universities) I can’t really comment specifically because I wasn’t a science major, where most of those research-assistant type opportunities would probably happen. </p>
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<p>A typical day of classes you’ll probably have class in the morning and into afternoon, then often some sort of club or organizational meeting and dinner before or after. Lots of people study after dinner, or just hang out in the dorms if there isn’t much work. </p>
<p>Social life is good. I personally had an amazing time and a lot of fun. I went in kind of unsure. I didn’t drink at all in high school, and didn’t for the first month at Bates. Eventually I did. </p>
<p>Here’s the thing with drinking: At every college, most people do it. I was never pressured to drink, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t help me “fit in” socially. Now, that doesn’t mean everyone has crazy drunken parties all weekend. Freshman year will mostly be hanging out with your floor-mates, talking or playing video games, etc. On weekends people will set up a beer pong table and put on some music. It’s easy not to do it, but it’ll probably be there. </p>
<p>Over my four years, I personally drank pretty often. My best friend didn’t drink AT ALL. If you don’t drink at all, you’ll be in the minority (just like at any college), but you don’t have to, by any means, in order to have fun. It’s just kinda something that happens as people get older and realize it’s not really a big deal to have a beer or two. </p>
<p>There are concerts and movies and other stuff going on weekend nights, but I think people are always preoccupied with that question. The reality is you’ll probably be a group of friends on your floor just hanging out or going out. </p>
<p>Feel free to PM with more questions, I don’t check the forum much but I get notifications for PMs.</p>
<p>Kissme-</p>
<p>I’m sure you’ve done your research, but in case you missed these web pages:
[Research</a> Opportunities | Academics | Bates College](<a href=“http://www.bates.edu/academics/research-opportunities/]Research”>Research Opportunities | Academics | Bates College)
[2012</a> | Academics | Bates College](<a href=“http://www.bates.edu/academics/student-research/summer-research-recipients/2012-2/]2012”>Summer Research Recipients | Academics | Bates College)</p>
<p>As you can see from these pages freshmen are encouraged to apply for research grants and jobs with faculty. </p>
<p>Did you make it to this year’s Mt. David Summit?
<a href=“http://www.bates.edu/summit/files/2011/06/FINAL-MDS-Program1.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bates.edu/summit/files/2011/06/FINAL-MDS-Program1.pdf</a></p>
<p>I’m a grad old enough to have a child attending Bates as a Freshman next year so I can only comment on my experience from years ago. That said, I’ve been told by parents of current students that it matches what their kids are experiencing.</p>
<p>I found the faculty at Bates to be extremely approachable and very interested in student work. Bates has a multitude of opportunities to work closely with faculty and I felt well known by my professors. Like bro2baseball, I got to know professors on a first name basis and at times spent time with them outside of class. For instance, one of my professors hosted an Elizabethan dinner at his house, where we all helped cook recipes from Shakespeare’s time (it was more fun than it sounds now!). I wasn’t an exceptional student, yet 6 years after graduation the two faculty members I wrote to ask for grad school recommendations remembered me and my work and wrote letters that were compelling and specific in detail. To me that’s telling.</p>
<p>My husband was an econ. major and felt similarly engaged by Bates and its faculty. He went on to do econometrics, management consulting, an MBA at HBS and eventually ended up at the helm of a mid-sized company. He’s as big fan of Bates as I am.</p>
<p>Some of the things I think set Bates apart:</p>
<p>Its history of inclusion. Bates was New England’s first co-ed college and it admitted African Americans from the start. It may sound schmaltzy, but I believe that this history informs the school’s current style. Bates has never had sororities or fraternities and clubs are open to everyone. That includes organizations like the school’s highly successful debating society. Every member is an automatic member of the Outing Club. </p>
<p>Short Term. This is a biggie in my mind because it offers so many more opportunities than a 4-1-4 (Jan Plan) or 4-4 schedule. Students can use Short Term to take a traditional class, usually offered in something in which a professor is especially interested. They can do an internship, take a trip, or get an early start on a job or research work. For my short terms I did it all. Freshman year I did a fascinating on and off campus internship at the state mental hospital. Sophomore year I worked for Short Term, then used the money I made to backpack in Europe. Junior Year I took a traditional course (stimulating, but nice and relaxed with about a dozen students). Senior year I traveled with two Bates professors to China to study Chinese arts. Many of my coursemates used the opportunity to travel in China when the course ended, while I returned home to graduate.</p>
<p>The Senior Thesis. While most schools offer a thesis option to honors students, Bates is one of the few that require it of the vast majority of students. What that means is that students are well supported and faculty expect to mentor their thesis advisees. You don’t have to be a standout student to spend a semester or year working in close conjunction with a faculty member.</p>
<p>As to the social life, I’ll leave that up to more current students. I’ll simply say I enjoyed my time at Bates :-)</p>
<p>Hey all…</p>
<p>like kissme, i’m also thinking of Bates as a possible destination in the fall. I can’t private message (yet) so I figure I’ll post here instead. I just have a few questions…</p>
<p>It’s kinda hard for me to decide on what to ask, so I’ll just shoot. Sorry if these are poorly phrased.</p>
<p>1st one… do kids at Bates fit into “cliques” like in high school? Is there a stereotype of a Bates kid? Is it accurate?</p>
<p>2nd… how big are the arts? I’m really into tech theater and music right now, so any info on those two would be appreciated, if you know anything about that. e.g how many shows are there a semester? are they well attended? etc. </p>
<p>3rd, I never played sports in high school and mostly kept to my own athletic stuff/basement workouts. But i am interested in intramurals/club sports. So next question is how good is the support for that type of thing?</p>
<p>that’s it for now. I might think of more.</p>
<p>Thanks so much!!</p>
<p>Hi Berty. I’ll take a stab at your questions.</p>
<ol>
<li>There are kind of general groupings of social circles, but they aren’t like high school cliques. For example, varsity athletes are one general group (they tend to be move in the same social circles), or international students might tend to be in one general group, or so-called “hipsters” might be in one general group. This makes sense-- they have shared experiences so they become friends. The great thing about Bates is how interchangeable these groups are, though. They’re not “cliquish”.
Let me give you a personal example. I will admit I was/am kind of a geek, and my main activities on campus were Music and Debate. My closest friends at Bates were in a somewhat similar mold. But that wasn’t a barrier to any sort of social circle. Actually, my sophomore and junior year roommate was a complete jock (soccer player), and I had a lot of good friends on the sports teams. </li>
</ol>
<p>As to a Bates stereotype, I would suppose it’d be the hippy/hipster type. It’s accurate for some kids at Bates (and pretty common in the circles I generally moved in). But there are a lot of different types at Bates. The stereotype is definitely not universal in any way. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>The arts are a huge deal at Bates. The theater crowd is a great group and very passionate. I BELIEVE there is one big show per semester, as well as various smaller shows which might be directed by students. They’re very well attended, and very well done.
Music I can tell you a lot more about, since one of my majors was Music. The department is small but strong. There is an orchestra, jazz band, choir, gamelan ensemble, etc. A HUGE deal on campus is the a cappella groups. They’re super popular and very good. (We have five a cappella groups on our tiny campus) I’m not sure if you’re interested in formal music, or more informal stuff (like a rock band, etc). I was in two student bands at Bates and I had a lot of fun. There’s a group called the Bates Musicians Union which gets money to buy gear and has a practice space on campus for anyone to use for band practice.</p></li>
<li><p>Intramurals and club sports are popular. They’re coordinated by the athletic department and well run. There are a ton of different IM sports (soccer, flag football, basketball, hockey, softball). As far as club goes, the main ones are hockey, Ultimate, rugby, and water polo I believe. I played IM softball and it was great. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Let me know if you have more questions, I’ll do the best I can to answer.</p>
<p>bro2: What about studio art–drawing, painting, graphic design? How is that department?</p>
<p>I don’t have any first-hand experience with studio art but I everyone I know who did seemed positive about it. The department is pretty popular, even with people who aren’t art majors. However, as far as graphic design goes I’m not sure Bates has specific courses in that. </p>
<p>The music and art departments are both housed in the same building (Olin), and there’s a dedicated Art Gallery for professional and student exhibits attached to the building.</p>
<p>bro2baseball, how is the debate team experience? I’m looking forward being able to join and compete so is there a good culture surrounding the team?</p>
<p>I can’t say enough about the debate team at Bates. It’s composed of the smartest and friendliest people at the school.</p>
<p>Bates’ debate team is unique in that it is open to anyone (no tryouts) and your commitment level can be whatever you want. What makes it especially unique is how competitive Bates debate is despite its size and completely voluntary nature. There are tournaments every weekend at colleges on the American circuit, so you can have the chance to visit lots of other schools around New England/New York. </p>
<p>If you’re successful, you’ll have the opportunity to travel even more on the debate team’s dime. Some successful freshmen get to fly to Chicago or Stanford for tournaments. Successful upperclassmen travel to England and wherever in the world the International competition is (This year was Berlin, last year the Philippines, before that Turkey, Ireland, and Botswana). Yes, Bates flies students to Africa, Asia, and Europe to debate against the world’s best. I was NOT a great debater, but I was really committed to the team and because of that I got to fly (with 5 teammates) to Oxford University my junior year for a tournament. Amazing.</p>
<p>Debate had a really positive experience for me practically too. It helped my writing, my speaking, and my argumentative reasoning. Those all helped me when I went through the law school application process, and are helping me still now that I’m in law school.</p>
<p>Oh, and people on the debate team are really close. You’ll make friends with fellow freshmen as well as upperclassmen. It’s like a big family. And this is coming from someone who wasn’t all that hardcore about debate; if you want to, you can really live and breathe debate.</p>
<p>hey bro2, thanks a lot for the response. It’s so incredibly helpful.</p>
<p>Since you’re a recent graduate, if you don’t mind me asking, what are your plans for what’s next? Don’t feel the need to go into too much detail… how helpful was Bates in figuring out what to do next?</p>
<p>As for music, I play piano (classical, but interested in possibly playing jazz), euphonium in our school band, and trumpet in jazz band II. Sounds like there are some good opportunities…</p>
<p>Few more questions… Is Bates a super politically active place? I’m all for being politically knowledgable and knowing what’s going on, but I’d prefer to avoid too much campus protests/picketing if possible. Does that kind of thing happen at Bates? Is there an overall political ethos in the campus (I’m sure most kids are liberal, but are less liberal kids able to be heard)?</p>
<p>Also, what’s it like living on campus? I think I heard that most kids (~98%) don’t move off campus… do you see that as a positive or negative?</p>
<p>Last thing-- how’s the food? haha</p>
<p>Ooooh also, how is it writing the thesis senior year? Fun, stressful, overwhelming? What was yours on, if you dont mind me asking?</p>
<p>haha sorry for the slew of questions, just keep thinking of more…</p>
<p>Did you do study abroad?</p>
<p>No problem! If you can’t tell, I’m really passionate about Bates and I welcome the opportunity to help others get to know it better!</p>
<p>I’m currently in my first year of law school (at a top tier New England school). Bates will do all it can to help you figure out “what’s next”. They have the resources in Career Services, including in my case a dedicated Law School counseler just for prospective law students. Honestly, there’s only so much Bates can do, however. Actually getting a job/getting into graduate school will be predicated on your accomplishments, your skills, and the time you put into it. </p>
<p>What a Bates education CAN do is prepare you to succeed in what you eventually end up doing. I feel like it has so far for me in law school. </p>
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<p>There will be a ton of opportunites for you music-wise! One thing: the orchestra is basically just strings and woodwinds (aren’t enough interested brass players, it seems), and there’s no wind ensemble/concert band. So just to let you know, for the euphonium angle, there may not be many chances to play. </p>
<p>The jazz band is awesome (I played trombone) and I strongly recommend it. There’s an “audition” but it’s only to make sure you can hold the instrument up. The director, Tom Snow, is hilarous and amazing. I really recommend checking it out. </p>
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<p>There aren’t any protests or picketing. Mostly because, as you guessed, most people are liberal, so there really isn’t anything to protest. Like any New England school, Bates is indeed very liberal. I wouldn’t let it affect your decision, though. There’s an active Republicans club on campus, and even if people don’t agree with you, they respect your opinions. I can imagine if you were VERY conservative the liberal politics that most people at Bates have would drive you crazy, but stopping short of that, I don’t think it’d be an issue. I had plenty of friends who were moderate/conservative (and I’m as left-wing as they come).</p>
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<p>Living on campus is fantastic! It’s abslutely a great thing that almost everyone is on-campus. It’s a really tight-knit community and you’ll always be close to friends. As I described in another thread on here, Bates has “houses” for upperclassmen to live in, so that even though you’re technically on-campus, it doesn’t really feel as much like it. </p>
<p>My brother went to a school where a lot of people lived off campus. It wasn’t the same. People didn’t know each other and there wasn’t the sense of community there is at Bates.</p>
<p>That being said, a number of seniors live off campus in their fourth year at Bates. That can be cool too. You have more freedom, and can host parties and stuff–but it comes with drawbacks (dealing with rent, utilities, cleaning, being further from class, paying extra to be on the meal plan, etc). </p>
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<p>Food: Incredible. All you can eat of some really interesting and decelious meals. 30 kinds of cereal. A dedicated vegan station. Soft serve machine. Bates food is amazing, seriously. My high school friends came to visit me just to go to the dining hall.</p>
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<p>Senior thesis: It’s a really great experience. It’s also a really difficult one. I had a fantastic thesis advisor who was extraordinarily supportive of me and helped me accomplish something I was proud of. It’s definitely daunting to write a 50-100 page paper, but you break it down over three/four months and it’s manageable, especially cause its something you care about. </p>
<p>I was actually a double major so I had two theses. My Politics one (traditional reallllly long paper) was about Federal Education Legislation in the United States. For Music, I was a performance major, so I did a senior recital on trombone (and wrote a shorter paper).</p>
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<p>Study abroad: I sure did! I went to Ireland second semester junior year. Most people who aren’t winter athletes do go abroad. I certaintly recommend it. It gives you a chance to have a break from Bates and recharge. Plus you get to go somewhere amazing and have incredible experiences. Pretty much everyone has the time of their life abroad. I joined an Irish band and played paid gigs around the country… Pretty cool, I’d say. Bates is reallly helpful about helping people go abroad. They make it really easy.</p>
<p>Any comments on the classics department?</p>
<p>I don’t know too much about it because I didn’t have any friends who majored in it. I hear good things though. Margaret Imber (One of the Profs) is pretty well known at Bates as one of the best teachers.</p>
<p>do people ever go to Portland? or boston…?</p>
<p>aaand what are the pluses and minuses of going to a smaller school?</p>