The students are the best part about Bates. They are all really friendly and enthusiastic about being at Bates. Most students are genuine, engaging, and caring. Since the student body is small, you really get to know most people in the school at least by their face. You do not see many strangers on campus. You also become very close with the people in your grade. I think this is a great size for the campus because you still meet new people each year, but you are not overwhelmed by a huge student body. You never get lost in the crowd. The big spots to hang out on campus are commons, milts, and anywhere outside when the weather is nice: the quad, football field, etc. The town of Lewiston is not too exciting and I don't think that students go there often. However, there are some nice restaurants if you want to go out and people take many trips to Walmart and Shaws during the week. There is a lot of school pride. A lot of students go to the school events, like sports games, plays, dance performances, concerts, etc. People are very eager to get involved and support their friends in activities. One experience that I will always remember is the puddle jump, a winter event in which students jump into the frozen pond. It was an exhilarating experience in which many students attended and cheered each other on. It is definitely an experience that all students should try at least once before they graduate.

Since the campus is fairly small, the classes are also small enough that you really get to know the professors. In all of my classes except for maybe one or two, the professors all knew my name. Even in the two large science classes that I have taken with about 70 people in the class, the professors still knew my name and the other subjects and activities that I was interested in. The teachers really care about getting to know their students and they encourage us to meet them for office hours for extra help. I have always felt comfortable visiting teachers for help or to just talk about other issues/problems that I may have. Class participation is more common in the small classes and the teachers really encourage us. I am not big on participating in class so I often met with teachers outside of class to discuss topics. One thing that I really like about the academic environment is that students do not compete with each other, but rather help each other out. We form study groups before exams and students are always eager to help each other out. It is far from a competitive environment. My favorite class so far was CHILD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY with Professor Fraser-Thill. This class convinced me that I wanted to be a psych major and the professor was so wonderful that I immediately asked her to be my adviser. Another psych course that I think I learned the most from was MOTIVATION AND EMOTION, which was taught by Professor Kelsey. He is a very tough professor but I learned so much and he was very encouraging and helpful. I had to work the most for this class that semester, but I definitely got the most out of that class. The psych department is really wonderful and I spend a lot of time in the psych lounge doing work. The teachers often stop in to say hi to me and my many other friends who are also psych majors. The one problem that I have with the academic system is the major requirements. I think that there are too many requirements that prevent students from taking some classes that they want to take. There are many 200 level psych courses that I want to take but I dont' have room for them because of the other required courses. However, I have still gotten the chance to take many courses for general interest rather than for a requirement.

I feel like all types of students could fit in at Bates. It is a very open and accepting environment. Students don't fall into one click, but rather there are many different types of students. The campus is not very racially diverse, but there are many international students. A lot of students are from the northeast but you will find that people really do come from all over. Some of my closest friends are from California, Paraguay, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Sri Lanka. Students are pretty politically aware and active. This year I attended a caucus for the democratic party and a huge number of bates students were there to support Hillary and Obama. Students are predominantly left.

A lot of students are involved in athletics, including varsity teams, intramural sports, or club teams. There is also a lot of community service involvement. Students seem to get involved in anything around campus, including theater, music, other arts, and so forth. I'm a member of the track team and I was a member of the ballroom dancing team last fall, which was a new and exciting experience. I met a lot of my closest friends by where we are located on campus. My closest friends lived near me last year so we chose to live near each other again the following year. There is no greek life, so most parties are in dorm rooms, floors of dorms, or off campus houses. People party on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. We don't necessarily go out each night, but those are the big nights on campus. It is not hard to find a party, but at the end of the night, most people are ordering in Papa Johns or getting food at Milts. Most partying is on campus but the upperclassmen can also be found at the few bars in Lewiston. When no parties are going on, there are always events on campus, like plays, concerts, comedians, and other special events. Students will often attend these events and then go out partying afterward.

Overall, I am so happy with my decision to go to Bates. It is a wonderful environment with great people, well-attended school events, inspirational professors, and spirit. Everyone wants to be here! I never want to go home for vacation and at the end of my first two years year, my friends and I were all in tears. We were all dreading the months that we would have to spend away from Bates and each other. I love Bates and I consider it home. I'm in my hometown for the summer right now and all I want to do is get back to my friends at Bates.