Hello,
first time poster! I am taking my student, a junior, on a trip to see a few schools in ME, MA and CT. Turns out Bates is on break when we are going. Student still wants to go see it, and they do have a tour and info session which we signed up for. My only worry is that I’d hate for my child to get a bad first impression. Should we still go? Will most of the students be gone? Will the tour guide still be a student? We are also visiting Colby which will be in session. Thanks!
A substantial number of students don’t go away for the October break because it is so short. The dining hall is open. So yes, I think it’s still worth going, especially if you will be seeing Bowdoin, which is nearby. The campus will be lovely at that time of year, so he should vist, becasue it will give him a good impression.
A student will be your guide.
My D toured Bates the day before students arrived on campus in August. She liked it anyway, and didn’t go back to visit. The only student she met was our tour guide, who chose Bates over U Penn. My D had a wonderful interview that same day, and for her, it clicked despite not seeing the students. If your son hasn’t requested an interview, I suggest he does. Bates considers them.
Don’t be put off by Lewiston. It’s a safe, working-class town, which has definitely improved since we first visited four years ago. Bates kids are quite loyal to Lewiston. If you want to be a “local”, pay a visit to Pure Thai, probably a small notch above Forage in student popularity. Good food in very unassuming surroundings. You can also visit Nezinscot Farm, which has delicious homemade everything, much of which you can bring home. Get the cherry jam, amazing. Also has a whole gallery upstairs of beautiful yarns if you are into knitting. If you come from Bowdoin to Lewiston, there’s a gorgous drive, much of which runs along the Androscoggin River. There’s a bird sanctuary next to campus, if you have time for a walk.
FYI, it appears the October break may be headed for retirement next year. Ask in the admissions office when you visit. Have a great trip! Maine is gorgeous in the fall.
Welcome! I would agree with Lindagaf. The campus will be especially lovely with the fall colors and if you have a chance to see it at that time, take it. My student stayed on campus all 4 years during October break, as we live far away from New England. If I recall correctly, Bowdoin does not offer prospective applicants a chance to sample the food there free of charge, but Bates does (as did Colby, when we visited), so if you can be there during lunch, you’ll have that chance. We visited in April before leaves were out with traces of snow still on the ground, and he met only the tour guide and other visiting potential applicants. He still liked it.
Thank you! It’s great to hear that some students are likely to be around. We haven’t planned a full tour etc at Bowdoin, but will think about trying to fit it in or at least check it out informally. The Naviance past admit stats looked rough for Bowdoin compared to Bates and Colby, so I thought it might be better to choose those two if we didn’t have time for all three. I have never been to Maine so I am excited too.
Trust your instincts then. If he’s got no chance at Bowdoin, don’t make a special effort to visit, unless you have time. We learned the hard way that visiting too many reach schools sets the student up for disappointment. Bates and Colby are reaches enough these days, haha!
Well, we have just returned, and of the 6 schools we visited in three states, Bates was his favorite. He can’t describe exactly why, just said it was the feeling he got there. Our tour guide was excellent. So I am really glad we went! It was the first trip we have done and he’d only been on one other campus, ever, before this. It is funny because he was really interested in some California schools before, but we decided to wait for spring for a trip there, if we do go. He is a junior so it is still early, but it appears Bates will be the early standard by which he is going to measure others. Any suggestions for similar schools, maybe a bit less selective? I think he would be flexible on region. thank you for the encouragement to visit.
^Colleges similar to Bates with slightly better odds of admission:
Connecticut College,
Skidmore,
Dickinson.
Even easier admissions options to consider with a similar feel:
Clark,
Wheaton in MA,
Muhlenberg.
———
Comparably challenging admissions to Bates, so not easier, but he also might like:
Grinnell.
Thanks for the suggestions!
My D2 ended up at a school that was on summer break the first time she visited. Remember that your kid will have a list of several schools to apply to, and probably should go back to accepted student visits at their top 2-3 choices.
Excellent suggestions from @TheGreyKing , and I agree with them all. My D is at Bates and looked at all the schools mentioned in grey king’s post, except Muhlenberg and Wheaton. I know our guidance center recommends Muhlenberg to a lot of students at our HS. Your son can also consider Kenyon College, which has a lot of similarities to Bates, but isn’t a safety and will be a high match for a very good student.
I also want to recommend Whitman College in Walla Walla. It has legions of adoring fans here on CC. It’s a good school to consider if merit aid is desired. It regularly appears in lists of happiest students and engaging professors.
Thank you. I will consider those, too. My husband mentioned Whitman as well so we will take a look. We visited Connecticut College and it was just ok for some reason. I thought it was lovely, but he wasn’t feeling it!
Dickinson, Bard, Earlham, Whitman might all be fits and slightly easier admits. You might want to look at St. Lawrence too. Although I think of it as preppier, many of the recent alums I have met seem very much like kids I have known from Bates.
My son is a tour guide! He absolutely loves Bates, it has been a great experience for him.
Macalester and St. Olaf in and outside of Minneapolis/St Paul, respectively. Worth visiting Carleton too if you’re in Northfield MN but more reachy.
I’m curious, @chardonMN, what were the 6 schools in 3 states of which Bates was the favorite? (Besides Conn College?)
[repeat post]
the 6 we visited were Bates, Colby, Trinity, Connecticut, Boston College and Tufts. 2nd place was BC, go figure, not like Bates at all. Trinity was a “solid 3rd place” he thought. Now I am trying to get him to plan another visit somewhere in March, and he is not wanting to talk about it. I think he gets assigned a college counselor this week so maybe he’ll talk with someone other than his parents about it!
Hi, I just wanted to share our experience as it seems you are looking at similar schools that my son looked at. He was just accepted to Bates early decision and is thrilled as it was his first choice. We looked at many schools since his junior year and prior to visiting Bates, Dickinson and Vassar were high on his list. Both are small, academic, and friendly (requirements for him). When we visited Bates, he had a similar reaction to your son, he just felt welcomed and comfortable there. An outdoorsy kid, Bates Outing Club and the natural beauty of Maine also appealed to him.
Vassar was closer to home in NJ and very similar to Bates with a friendly vibe and no Greek life (another positive). The surrounding area of NY state is gorgeous with plenty of opportunities to hike, raft, ski, etc. It is not easier to get into but admits more students than Bates. Dickinson surprised us with the small, historic campus built within the city of Carlisle, PA. The newer LEEDS certified buildings were impressive and although they have Greek life, it is not dominant. The strong study-abroad program appealed to him.
Don’t be discouraged if he doesn’t want to talk about college during these months. Junior year is hard managing tough classes, SAT/ACTs, and extracurriculars. My S went through periods where he did not want to discuss or visit colleges. It all works out, best of luck!
Thank you, we had Vassar on the list but didn’t have enough time to get there. I recently was reading about Dickinson and it sounded good, too. And congrats on your son getting in to Bates!