Finally, after all that travel, we made it! We arrived a little early so we decided to walk around around before our official tour. The moment we stepped foot on campus, I fell in love. I don’t think I ever want to leave Maine! Besides having the majors/minors that I’m interested in, this school had so many other awesome factors that I think it may have just moved up on my list of schools!
1. Majors/Minors - Being a liberal arts school, Bates has a reputation for being strong in the English department. They have Rhetoric Studies, Literature, English, and Writing. Also, 60% of kids do study abroad and every senior has to complete a thesis and receives the chance to get it published.
2. Size - Only 2,000 students. A 10-to-1 Student to Professor ratio. And on average, 20 or less students in a classroom.
3. Location - BEAUTIFUL! Mountain scenery whichever way you look! ~2 hours from Boston and ~4 from NYC. 45 minutes from hiking/skiing and in the other direction, 45 minutes from the beach. A short walk to awesome and historic Lower Lisbon Street and Downtown Lewiston.
4. Openness - Bates was founded in 1855 by free-will abolitionists and values diversity. There are ZERO fraternities and sororities! The school strives to make all of its students feel like they belong. When selecting roommates, you fill out an extensive questionnaire asking preferences like music/when you sleep/when you study/hobbies and others to ensure that you get a roommate that is the best fit. The teachers are always willing to help and will never turn you down. Our tour guide even mentioned an incident when she was writing a paper and emailed a professor at 2:30 am and the professor emailed back 30 seconds later! Everybody seemed genuinely happy to be on campus and there to make your college experience less stressful. While there is a church, it is nondenominational and used to host events like poetry readings and music recitals.
5. Accommodation - New dorms! Awesome lounge/study areas! Everything about this school pretty much rocked my world.
6. Finances - Bates comes at a hefty price: $51,300 per year. BUT, Bates also gives away $22 million in scholarships every year and the average donation is approximately $39,800! And, scholarships aren’t merit-based but need-based so SAT/ACT scores don’t matter! Score for me because test-taking is not my forte!
7. Dining Services - Now this, this is what truly won me over. The Commons, which is what the dining are is called, is huge and you’re guaranteed to find someone to talk to and spend a good amount of time there. Besides having the All-American foods, they pay great attention to specific allergies and are very accommodating. They have a full service salad bar, vegetarian bar, and a vegan bar. All the food is prepared on campus and a large portion of it is locally grown! Now if that doesn’t make you salivate, one quick look at their menu online will!
8. Clubs - This was another thing I was really impressed by. There are about 110 clubs but new ones are always forming. There are things like the Bates Outing Club which organizes outdoors trip every weekend and things like yoga retreats. Let’s also not forget The Puddle Jump where everyone willing jumps into the pond on campus and then, wet, huddles together and drinks hot chocolate. The Discordians - a club for those who like to let loose with some harmless pranking. (I’m sensing some Merry Pranksters here :)) and the Sunshine Club, who during finals, leaves bowls of candy everywhere, rents out bouncy houses, floods rooms with puppies for ‘puppy therapy’, and serves students with free chai and cookies for study breaks. God, this school is amazing. There are also cool events like free concerts, dances and movies.
I never want to leave this school. Ever. I think I left my heart in Maine.
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